“By the grace of God, I am in my fifties, and I am not tired of Missions, I am even more inspired now than ever!!! The church must send, or it will end! This is the way the master went, should not the servants tread it still?”.

Words of a man whose life, like many other devoted pastors and missionaries in the Lighthouse Group of Churches has been dedicated to the relentless and selfless pursuit of the great commission at huge personal cost, as Christ himself did. Bishop Jake Godwyll has planted many churches. Now he heads one in Bouake in La Côte d’Ivoire.

He is one of many devoted pastors and missionaries in the Lighthouse Group of Churches who have come forward to celebrate their hero, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, a man whose love, leadership and guidance has made all the difference in their lives and their commitment to winning souls for Christ wherever that may be.
Like many of his colleagues, Bishop Godwyll asserts “I am a missionary, and I do not apologize for it!”. He has seen transfers across the world: from Accra to Tema. Gambia to La Cote D’Ivoire. Lagos, Nigeria to Worcester Massachusetts.

BISHOP DAG HEWARD-MILLS, THE FATHER IN THE TRENCHES

Everywhere he has been, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills has been there with him. He tells the story of the trying times he faced in Nigeria and how Bishop Heward-Mills stood in the trenches with him. As he put it, he found in Dag Heward-Mills “a father who sends, and yet he is with you in the mission and visits you on the Mission!!

He writes in his own words the following, giving the rest of the world an insight into who Bishop Dag Heward-Mills really is.

“On yet another visit to us in Lagos, after a powerful Sunday morning service, together with all the 40 pastors he came along with from Ghana on this trip (some from the UK and the USA) upstairs in my office, we heard gunshots.

Armed robbers wielding AK 47 rifles entered our church compound firing in all directions. Bishop Dag Heward-Mills was right there during the gunfire!!! A general who visits and stays with his troops even under fire!
God saved us miraculously that day!!

I can never forget how Bishop Dag led the rest of the 40 pastors to pray for me, my wife and the missionary team of Nigeria, and to clap for us, as we got off their bus near the Seme border (Lagos - Cotonou border). What a loving and caring father!!!”.

THE VOLUNTEER WORKER AND BUILDING CAPACITY THROUGH TRANSFERS

The story of Bishop Godwyll is amplified by his colleague, Bishop Emmanuel Louis Nterful. Bishop Nterful’s story is one of faith, devotion and fidelity to the rules guiding one conduct in the service of the great commission.

Read the full piece below;