Camp Meeting 2005

CONVENTION
Due to the non denominational nature of the Message of the End time and the autonomy practiced by it’s various local assemblies spread across the nation, there grew a need for a once in a year gathering of all the various like believing assemblies. This is so everyone can interact and compare notes.
There are many of these conventions across the nation. They are held regionally, not by formal agreement, as there is no organizational structure in the message. Those assemblies in the North congregate in the ones held in the West, East and South. I am not aware of any being held in the North. Most of the northern assemblies come down to the East, West and South.
Since the Northern assemblies don't usually have any in their region, they have the option of choosing from the other regions of the country. It is my understanding that the most prominent deciding factor in this choice is, the like-mindedness that they share with the convention organizers, doctrinally speaking.
THE VENUE:IBADAN
My Home church, Bibleway Fellowship Tabernacle, favors the Ibadan venue in the West. .The Convention is known as The Spoken Word Convention, put together by The Spoken Word Fellowship.
Ibadan is located in the south west of Nigeria. It is an hour and a half drive from Lagos.
A very ancient city, dating back to the eighteenth century. It hosts the First Nigerian University, founded in 1948.
It is a sprawling city with pretty much good modern facilities, the Nigerian standard that is.
Arterial road network, Canals, Industries, Markets, Schools, Fast food chains, Fuel stations, A train station, a small Airport, two big Stadiums, Banks and Companies, all doing active business.
Relative to Lagos, where I am based, the pace of life is considerable slow. The people are warm and friendly but lacking in the sophistication that can be found in Lagos. Food is a whole a lot more affordable also.
The Convention itself, took place in an almost century old high School, called Ibadan Grammar School.
It is an expansive compound. Running in the middle of the school is a tarred road that proceeds from the main gate. This road divides the compound in two. To the left, as you enter is the staff quarters .The right is where the class blocks are located. Grasses carpet the non-tarred areas of the compound. There are lots of trees to be seen also in this school compound. They have a truly ancient look. Extremely tall and deep rooted.

The worship was very colorful. The congregation in full participation. Singing and dancing and responding to the sermons with animated gestures and commentaries. It was highlighted also by individual song renditions known as “special numbers”.
A FLYBY OF THE SUPERNATURAL
There are usually two services each day. A morning and an evening one. On Christmas night, the preacher from a mid western assembly decided to take a different turn from the direction of preceding sermons. He chose to expose Satan's organizational structure. The sermon struck a note with the people indeed. There was rapt attention and occasional vocal outbursts of the word "Amen", which means, "So be it" or in the context, "It is so".
Having stuffed myself with more than my fair share of food, I suddenly felt a stir in the stomach at a point in the service. I tried to wait out the sermon but the warning sounds grew louder, so I left the building to relieve myself.
After I did, I thought it would be irreverent to be seen walking in a hall that was having a very tensed atmosphere, a result of the incisive words being spoken from the pulpit. So I stayed outside the hall, but to the side of the building where I could still maintain a view of the raised platform from which the preacher preached.
It was not very long after I had settled in before the most spectacular sight grabbed my attention from the preacher’s speech. Not knowing why, I found myself looking up.
Just above the building, a bunch of orange colored lights with a gaseous trail were flying at a casual pace. I followed with my eyes their progress as they traveled the length of the building. I moved a bit to see their continued movement when just at the end of the building, the lights flying in a parallel formation all merged into a single form and dissolved into nothingness. Even the gas trail was gone too.
Then people started to speculate what they were.
I heard the word "comet" and then "stars" and then "fireworks”. I mentally dismissed all these because they didn't follow the patterns of any of those.
A comet travels in a blazing speed. This was casual in movement. This group also traveled in an arrowhead formation. I am not aware of comets traveling in company.
They were not Stars because stars are bigger than the Earth and cannot be flying in it. What we see and call stars are actually starlights.
Fireworks would have been the most plausible except for the lack of explosive sounds, which produces the light sparks. Noteworthy also is the horizontal way they flew. Fireworks are known to travel vertically like rockets, with so much sound and a quick explosion. This was a very silent incident.
It wasn't very long after this before someone was making a prophetic utterance in an unknown tongue and then interpreting later.
I have no doubt that this was a supernatural manifestation. I have no certain knowledge of the significance of it but to just say that we had some heavenly visitors who chose to be seen, in a bid to lift the faith of the people. Mine definitely soared consequently!
I feel disappointed that no one, including I, had a camera to preserve this most wonderful sight. Then again, maybe the only camera needed was the human eye that witnessed it.