Oyedepo Makes Surprise Appearance at GCK Ota; Says ‘I Had No Option’ But To Honour Kumuyi’s Invitation
Two of Nigeria’s most influential Christian leaders, Bishop David Oyedepo and Pastor William Folorunsho Kumuyi, shared the pulpit in Ota, Ogun State, in a rare display of Christian fellowship as Oyedepo made a surprise appearance at the ongoing Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK).
Oyedepo, Presiding Bishop and Founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, popularly known as Winners’ Chapel, ministered to the mammoth congregation at the Anglican Church Grammar School, Abebi, Ota, where the five-day crusade is holding from August 26 to 30.
Explaining his presence, Oyedepo said: “The great Sage and Patriarch of the Gospel, Pastor Kumuyi, asked me to be here. I have no option than to be here.”
The remark underscored the personal respect and fellowship between the two veteran Christian leaders and gave the gathering a significance beyond the immediate evangelistic programme.
The GCK crusade, themed “Total Transformation Through Christ,” is an evangelistic initiative of Pastor Kumuyi, General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, designed to take the message of salvation, healing, deliverance and hope through Christ to audiences across geographical and denominational boundaries.
The Ota edition is being supported by the Ogun West chapters of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), alongside the Deeper Christian Life Ministry.
Beyond the main preaching sessions, organisers have incorporated medical, surgical and humanitarian outreaches into the programme, reflecting the broader objective of combining evangelism with practical expressions of compassion and service.
The crusade has attracted worshippers from Ota, other parts of Ogun State and neighbouring communities, with participants recounting testimonies of healing and deliverance.
Kumuyi had, ahead of the programme, engaged the Olota of Ota, Oba Professor Adeyemi Obalanlege, seeking the traditional ruler’s support for the crusade and speaking on the need for peace, security and progress in the country.
Oyedepo’s intervention
Against this backdrop, Oyedepo’s appearance added considerable weight to the gathering.
His decision to step into a programme convened by another major evangelical leader and minister from the platform offered a public demonstration that denominational differences need not prevent Christian leaders from finding common ground in the Gospel.
The encounter also brought together two distinct but highly influential strands of Nigeria’s evangelical history.
Kumuyi is widely recognised for his decades-long ministry of Bible teaching, holiness and evangelism through the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, while Oyedepo has built Living Faith Church Worldwide into a major global Pentecostal movement with a strong emphasis on faith, spiritual liberation, prosperity and personal transformation.
Their appearance together in Ota consequently became a powerful symbol of fellowship among Christian leaders whose ministries have shaped Nigeria’s religious landscape for decades.
Ota connection
Although Oyedepo is not an indigene of Ogun State — he is a native of Omu-Aran in Kwara State — Ota has a profound connection to his ministry and public life.
Faith Tabernacle at Canaanland, Ota, serves as the international headquarters of Living Faith Church Worldwide and has for decades been associated with Oyedepo’s ministry.
The church’s presence has also contributed to Ota’s emergence as a major centre of Christian activity, education and faith-based development, with institutions such as Covenant University forming part of the wider ecosystem established around Canaanland.
Oyedepo’s appearance at Kumuyi’s crusade therefore carried a particular local resonance, bringing him onto a platform in a community that has become synonymous with his ministry while joining another respected Christian leader in an evangelistic mission.
A message beyond denominations
The significance of the encounter extends beyond the personalities of the two clerics.
Nigeria’s Christian community comprises numerous denominations, ministries and theological traditions. Yet the Ota gathering demonstrated the possibility of collaboration and fellowship around shared Christian convictions.
Oyedepo’s declaration that he had “no option” but to honour Kumuyi’s invitation was particularly striking, presenting his participation as an act of respect and brotherhood rather than a formal denominational engagement.
His intervention also amplified the central message of the GCK programme: that transformation through Christ is not confined by church structures or denominational identities.
The GCK platform itself has grown into an international evangelistic vehicle, combining physical crusades with digital participation and reaching audiences in Nigeria and other countries.
Evangelism and community impact
The Ota crusade has also sought to extend its impact beyond the pulpit.
The medical and humanitarian initiatives associated with the programme have provided practical assistance to members of the surrounding communities, while the central meetings have focused on salvation, spiritual renewal, healing and deliverance.
For worshippers, the presence of Oyedepo added another memorable dimension to an already significant gathering.
As the programme moves towards its conclusion on Sunday, August 30, the Ota crusade continues to draw large crowds, with testimonies emerging from participants who say they have experienced healing and spiritual transformation.
For Kumuyi, the gathering remains anchored on the call for Total Transformation Through Christ.
For Oyedepo, his surprise appearance reinforced that message while demonstrating the capacity of the Gospel to build bridges among Christian leaders.
In Ota, two of Nigeria’s most prominent Christian voices have, at least for one evening, shared one platform, sending a message that transcends denominational boundaries: that fellowship, mutual respect and a common commitment to the Gospel can bring the wider Body of Christ together.
