On behalf of this ministry’s Directors and Leadership Team, once again I want to express our deepest gratitude for your continued generosity and unwavering support throughout the years. Your donations have brought hope, healing, and transformation to countless African lives. We are incredibly thankful for the difference you have made. The needs in Africa remain vast, and we hope to reach many more lives this year. Please continue giving and praying.
The continent of Africa continues to face immense challenges, including poverty amidst plenty, insecurity, and a lack of education and access to clean water in various rural areas. Yet, despite these hardships, a spirit of resilience and faith endures among the missionaries we partner with. The failures of various governments to meet the social needs of the people provide the Body of Christ with the opportunity to effect social change and create access for spiritual impact.
By God’s grace, PHGM/PHGMi remains dedicated to the cause of the Cross through our partnerships with Indigenous African missions. These partnerships provide hope for lasting change through essential mission work. We are reaching out to share our scope for 2025 with the body of Christ. We trust the Lord to help us reach our target to continue and expand our vital, life-changing, and Kingdom-enlarging initiatives.
Your generous donation will directly impact the lives of countless individuals across Africa, supporting these vital programs, among others:
Supporting Missionaries on the Front Lines: 200 missionary families and individuals dedicate their lives to serving communities in need across diverse nations. Your support provides essential monthly upkeep, allowing them to focus on their crucial work without the added burden of financial insecurity. These are the hands and feet of Christ, tirelessly serving in often-challenging circumstances.
?Educating the Next Generation: In Nigeria, 25 children of missionaries will benefit from financial assistance for their education. Your contribution will ensure they receive a quality education and have opportunities to reach their full potential. Investing in these children is investing in the future of the Church in Africa.
Nurturing Orphans in Nigeria: The JCRFCF Orphanage in Nigeria provides a safe haven for vulnerable children. Most of the children were traumatized when they saw parents being killed by ethno-religious terrorists in Nigeria. Your donation will help cover the monthly salaries of 45 dedicated staff and teachers and ensure the children receive regular, nutritious meals. Your support definitely directly contributes to their well-being and development.
Bringing Clean Water to Communities in Nigeria: Access to clean water is a fundamental human right. Three new water well projects in Nigeria will provide clean drinking water and improve sanitation for hundreds of people, significantly enhancing community health. Your donation will directly support healthier and more prosperous rural communities.
Building a Medical Center in Mora, Cameroon: A new medical center is desperately needed in the remote region of Mora, Northern Cameroon. This project will provide vital healthcare access to a vastly underserved population, offering hope and improved health outcomes. Your giving will be instrumental in making this vital center a reality.
Establishing a Mission Base in Agyana, Nigeria: A new mission house in Agyana, Nigeria, will serve as a central hub for mission activities. It will provide a safe and secure base for missionaries and community outreach programs, significantly improving their ability to serve and bring hope to this community. It will also be a safe place for converts.
Training Future Missionaries in Mozambique: A four-classroom block at the school of missions in Mozambique will equip the next generation of missionaries with the tools and training they need to serve their communities effectively. Your support will help complete this vital training center and empower missionaries in the region.
?Extending Healthcare Across Rural Nigeria: We plan to conduct vital health and medical outreach programs in 10 to 12 rural Nigerian communities, providing essential medical care, health education, and support to underserved populations. Your generosity will directly enhance the health and well-being of these communities.
We are confident that with your support, we can achieve our goals and make a profound difference in the lives of thousands across Africa this year. This is why the Lord blesses us to blossom.
To make a donation: Please visit our websites or use this link:
In Canada: https://www.praiseofhisglory.ca/donation-canada/ In the USA: https://www.praiseofhisglory.ca/donation-usa/
Thank you for your ongoing partnership in sharing God’s love and transforming lives across Africa. May God richly bless you for your generosity and compassion.
Sincerely,
Pst. Isaiah Okanlawon, D.Min. International President Praise of His Glory Ministry (International) – PHGM/PHGMi
As the curtains of 2024 draw to a close and the dawn of 2025 graces us with its light, it is with profound gratitude and hope that I extend my warmest greetings to you and your family. On behalf of the leadership team and the Board of Directors of Prince of His Glory Ministry International, I celebrate with you the remarkable privilege of stepping into this new year, a true testament to the unfailing grace, mercy, and faithfulness of our Lord.
The passing year, 2024, may have brought its share of trials, uncertainties, and moments of difficulty. Yet, through it all, God’s sustaining hand has carried us forward, reminding us of His unchanging promise: that in every season of life, His love endures, His plans prevail, and His purposes stand firm. As we now embrace 2025, let us hold fast to His assurances of restoration, renewal, and abundance—a year ordained by God to bring flourishing and transformation into every sphere of our lives.
The inspiration for this year’s journey is drawn from Matthew 13:32, where Jesus likens the humble mustard seed to a great tree. Though it begins as the smallest of seeds, it grows into a mighty structure that provides shelter, sustenance, and refuge for all. In the same way, God promises to take even the smallest beginnings of our lives—those areas that seemed fragile, overlooked, or stagnant—and nurture them into something vibrant, robust, and enduring. Under His divine guidance, we are called to thrive, not merely for our sake but for the glory of His kingdom.
This year, 2025, is a season of revitalization. It is a call to rise from any place of dormancy and to embrace the fullness of God’s grace and provision. It is a year for us to grow spiritually, emotionally, and materially, becoming the instruments of His divine purpose. As the great tree becomes a sanctuary for birds seeking refuge, so shall your life become a source of hope, comfort, and provision for others. The blessings of the Lord upon you will not only enrich your life but will overflow to impact those around you—your family, your community, and even the nations.
Our mandate in this new year extends beyond personal gain. As stewards of God’s blessings, we are entrusted with the responsibility of being His hands and feet in a world that hungers for His love and grace. We are called to reflect His boundless generosity, bringing encouragement to the weary, support to the laborers in mission fields, and sustenance to those in need. The Lord’s endowment will equip you to stand as a beacon of hope, drawing souls to His light and leading them into His embrace.
My earnest prayer for you in 2025 is that God will endow you with a fullness of His goodness that surpasses your imagination. May He grant you wisdom, strength, and an overflow of resources so that your life becomes a vessel through which His purposes are fulfilled. May the burdens of the past fade in the light of His abundant grace, and may you experience His peace and joy in every area of your life.
As we step forward into this new year, let us do so with unwavering faith, steadfast resolve, and hearts open to His leading. Let us commit to thriving in His purpose, expanding our reach for His glory, and walking boldly in the path He has prepared. Together, we will blossom into all that He has destined for us, bearing fruit that endures and glorifies His name.
Wishing you a fruitful, impactful, and blessed New Year. May 2025 be a year of unparalleled growth and divine fulfillment in your life.
Welcome to 2024. All glory to the Lord God Almighty who has kept us alive that His breath in our lungs may burst out continually with the declaration of praises to Him as we journey through the year.
We are inspired to continue our reflection on compassion this year because the Lord was not done with us in 2023 on the theme. Hence, Part B of the contemplation – Commissioned.
The biblical account of the encounter of “an expert in the law” with Jesus as documented in Lk. 10:25-37 is very intriguing. The lawyer was in the crowd around and at some point, stood up (as if in a law court) to test Jesus on His view about the requirements for inheriting eternal life. The lawyer’s question is profound and incisive. There is no gainsaying that many people in our day are still asking the same question, albeit in different ways.
Two distinct but inseparable motifs, which paint a picture of Christian mission came to light on that occasion – Command and Commission. Jesus prodded the lawyer about what the law says, and his response was precise: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, love your neighbor as yourself,” termed by Steven Hawthorne as “the Great Commandment.”
The Great Commandment can be depicted by the imagery of the Cross. Its vertical component represents love for God, and the horizontal, love for humanity. The latter is not independent of the former. The vertical component stands and carries the horizontal, otherwise it ends up floating in the air. This means love for humanity cannot sustain itself but hangs on love for God, to realize its divine objective of meeting human needs.
What does this look like in practical terms? The world around us is hurting. We also hurt in one way or the other. However, our experience of the soothing balm that results from our being with Jesus energizes us to reach out to the myriad of neighbours that cross our path. The world can experience His comfort through us with the same comfort that we have been comforted. Those we cannot reach physically can be touched by proxy through our involvement in His mission with our continuing prayer and/or giving to impact our world.
When Jesus told the lawyer, “Go and do likewise” (Lk. 10:37b), He was charging us to first love the Lord our God with the totality of our being (heart, soul, strength, and mind) as the pre-condition for our commissioning. According to Steven Hawthorne, “The greatest way of loving our Lord is to see that He is worshiped, followed, and loved in every people.” (Perspectives on the World Christian Movement by Ralph D. Winter, Steven C. Hawthorne) To see this happen, we must reach out to the world, setting aside our biases of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and other prejudices. It is His unalloyed love for humanity, expressed sincerely through us as demonstrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan that attracts the world to also worship the One who sits on the throne and the Lamb.
You are commissioned to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to the world around you.
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36)
We came into 2023 with various expectations. Irrespective of what it means to the individual, we are invited to be like our Master, Jesus Christ every moment in the year. We are invited to the place of compassion. What does this mean? Does compassion mean the same thing as mercy or empathy? I don’t think so. They are expressions that are sometimes used as its synonyms. However, as I attempt to explicate below, compassion is deeper in character.
The sound of the word in one’s hearing brings two other words to mind – comfort and passion. In as much as they do not constitute the etymological components of compassion, they no doubt combine to present a formidable perspective for grasping what compassion is all about. When Prophet Isaiah announced, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people” (Isaiah 40:1), the recipients of that message in his day would have wondered what he was getting at. Some 740 years later, Jesus Christ read another message by the same prophet from Chapter 60:1-2 and declared with authority that the Scripture was fulfilled in the hearing of those present at that moment (Lk. 4:18).
In other words, Jesus was the fulfilment of the condition for making that promised comfort a reality for humanity. The said fulfilment was characterized by the treatment He would later receive at various times of His three and half years of ministry, which climaxed at Golgotha. Etymologically speaking, compassion is derived from two Latin words, “passio” and “com” which mean “to suffer” and “together” respectively. Combining both, we can safely deduce the meaning of compassion as “suffering together.” Suffering on the part of the one giving comfort to a sufferer is defines the said condition.
There are many around us who need comfort just as it was in the days of Jesus Christ. If we would be like our Master in 2023, we must be ready to give comfort and it may mean doing so with a measure of suffering or pain in one form or the other. For some, it may entail parting with something that is precious to us. For others it may require the sacrifice of convenience and/or rights. The pain may result from the condition of others, or what must be done because of the condition. What counts is what we do about the condition.
In conclusion, we can show mercy or be empathetic without emotion. However, we cannot be compassionate with our emotion intact. No wonder, Jesus wept because of the pain of Mary and Martha. He suffered with them and did something about it, just as He suffered with the crowd who thronged to Him “because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” and met their spiritual and physical needs.
Pst.Dr. Isaiah Okanlawon International President, PHGM/PHGMi www.praiseofhisglory.net
The idea of keying into God’s promise of “rest on every side” suggests the existence of multidimensional challenges confronting the believer. This is so, considering the social, relational, and economic hardships that trailed the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The world is yet to recover from its aftermath. Only God knows how long it will take, or what may even follow, though the economies are beginning to open again globally. In the light of these realities, rest is one experience that everyone longs for. But, it seems hard to come by.
God does not leave His children in the dark. We have hope of rest as the documentation of Jeremiah’s experience and expression of confidence in God reminds us in Lamentation 3:20-24:
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore, I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly.
The concept of “rest” and “waiting” can be illustrated with the imagery of a mountain climber whose goal is to reach the summit as a mark of victory. over that mountain. Without a doubt, the task is arduous, but the challenge is surmountable. In this analogy, rest has two dimensions. The first dimension, which I term the “YES” experience is the ultimate – the result of beating all odds toward achieving the goal. with a deep breath of relief. This is when the climber can claim “possessing his or her possession.” However, this ultimate dimension does not happen without the intermediate dimension of waiting at different stages of the climb.
Prophet Isaiah emphasizes the importance of waiting on the Lord for one sole reason, which is for revitalization and renewal of strength (Isaiah 40:31). There is no gainsaying that The spiritual and emotional energies of many believers have been sapped over the past two years and need revitalization. In the context of participation in God’s mission, the foot soldiers (mission Goers) are only as revitalized as the mission Senders (Givers and Groaners). Goal setting for 2022 is useless with depleted strength and calls for courage. As the saying goes, you can only give from what you have. Senders need to be strengthened for missionaries to experience intermediate and ultimate rest in 2022. As God gives us rest during the year and beyond, His expectation for each of us is that we reach out and be of dependable help to others, including missionary member care, so that they also can experience rest – “You are to help them” (Josh. 1:14). Detlef Blöcher’s warning that missionaries “are worn out by personal concerns, frustrations and disappointment that deplete their energy and joy and reduce their effectiveness”[1] underscores the need for continuing member care.
Consequently, Jesus invites us to “come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mk. 6:31) In a nutshell, we are called to repentance (change our wrong thinking about God and His view about us and our situations) to experience His rest (Isaiah 30:15a). The promised ultimate rest (victory over our ‘mountains’) will be experiential as we trust Him daily and He quietens the noises that tend to overwhelm His hope-assuring still small voice – the antidote against soul drift.
[1] Detlef Blöcher, “ReMAP I,” in Worth Keeping: Global Perspectives on Best Practice in Missionary Retention
Happy Resurrection Day! We have a mission because we have a life-giving message. Our task in God’s mission therefore remains the same – presenting the message of whom to trust – The resurrected Lord!
