ECWA Loses 200 Church Members To COVID-19

The Evangelical Church, Winning All (ECWA), Saturday said the COVID-19 pandemic had claimed the lives of over 200 of its mission supporters.

Infoexpert24 reports that this was revealed by the president of the church, The Rev Dr Stephen Panya Baba, during the funeral service of Mr Yakubu Abiri Kadiya at Kent Academy, Miango, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.

ECWA called on Nigerians to be careful to avoid contracting the virus. He further described the late Kadiya as a rare gem who was committed to God’s work during his lifetime.

He urged his children to follow in their father’s footsteps.

An introduction to the history of SIM/ECWA in Nigeria

ECWA is one of the largest church denominations in Nigeria, reaching about five million people.

It was founded in 1954 when the SIM-related churches (initially in Nigeria) came together to form an indigenous body. Since that time, mission stations, Bible Schools, academic schools, and medical programs have been transferred to ECWA leadership.

Throughout Nigeria but especially in the central regions, the churches are growing rapidly. Some churches have experienced as much as 400% growth in the last several years.2 Churches in the Northern (traditionally more Islamic) parts of the country are also growing.

There are currently more than five thousand of it’s congregations with more than five million attendees and a church membership of over three million people.

ECWA has started three Theological Seminaries (ECWA Theological Seminary Igbaja, established 1941, Jos ECWA Theological Seminary, established 1980, and ECWA Theological Seminary, Kagoro founded in 1931), eight Bible colleges and fifteen theological training institutes.

ECWA’s Medical Department co-ordinates a wide network which includes four hospitals, a community health programme with over 110 health clinics, a central pharmacy and the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

It is also involved in radio, publications for outreach and discipleship, rural development, urban ministries, and cross-cultural missions.

There are more than 1600 missionaries from ECWA churches who serve in Nigeria and other countries with the Evangelical Missionary Society (EMS), the missionary arm of ECWA