I will be writing a short story on some church founders (fathers of faith) in Nigeria based on what I read and heard.

I will be starting with the founder of ETERNAL SACRED ORDER OF THE CHERUBHIM AND SERAPHIM.

I will be writing on his life and ministry but let me start with a hymn from the C & S.

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Ipinle ti Jesu
Ti fi le 'le leyi
Ti Baba Aladura nto
Ke da ma se ro pe
O ye kuro ni be
Mo duro le
Kristi Apata

Kerubu eyo
Serafu eyo
A o fi ipile lele
Lori otito
A o fi ipile lele
Lori otito.

The name of the founder of the Eternal sacred order of the C&S is Moses Orimolade Tunolase.

He was born in 1879 in ikare ondo state. It was said that the day he was born, he tried to walk but the mid wife had to hit his leg which made him not to stand or walk until he was over 5 years old.

It was said that, at a very young age, he would always go to the Anglican church in his community and there was a night when he was alone in the church and the whole church was bright with light, mind you, there was no electricity then in his home town, even the minister in charge of the church was surprised with what he saw that night because he saw the glory of the Lord filled the temple with only a little over 5 years old Moses Orimolade Tunolase singing.

At about the age of 12 years old, he had a dream where he was presented with a rod, a royal insignia and a crown, this dream birthed his ministry.

The rod signifies for victory
Royal insignia signifies the power of prayer and speaking while the crown signifies honour.

At a certain time of his early age, he took ill and for seven complete years he suffered from his sickness. At the end of his illness, he became a lame man, but God made him to walk miraculously. During the period of his illness, he was taught by the Holy Spirit how to read the Bible and memorize whatever he read.

The period spent in confinement or sickness therefore represented Moses Orimolade’s training and preparation for his missionary work. At the end of it he was fully equipped to begin in earnest the task for which he had been ordained. For the next five years Orimolade travelled from place to place, like St. Paul in the Bible, preaching with great zeal the gospel of Christ. Many miracles of healing were credited to him during this period. He finally arrived and settled in Lagos where the C & S was later founded.

His Ministry

His first missionary journey was carried out in Irun, a village a few miles from Ikare. It was thus appropriate that the one who was to found a religious society averse to witchcraft should begin his campaign in this village. Thus “he destroyed the seal of witchcraft and acrobatic evil performances.He also pulled down the image of Osijora (one of the divinities worshipped in the village) and fought with the evil spirits operating in the area”

From Irun, he took his mission work to as far as Adamawa state, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and healing them that were oppressed of the devil.

July 1924, he brought the mission work to Lagos and he stayed with the church Sexton of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Ebute Ero.

According to an account, Rev. Ogunbiyi invited Moses Orimolade Tunolase to preach the sermon on an appointed Sunday. Moses preached to the gathering. He was reported to have read from Genesis to Exodus without opening the Bible and interpreted it verse by verse to the congregation. Everybody in the church was transfixed. When Ogunbiyi saw that Orimolade’s sermon was moving and spiritually uplifting he told the congregation that Moses was a liar. Ogunbiyi challenged Orimolade to tell them the school from which he had learned all the theories and translations of the Bible.
This account further claims that Archdeacon Ogunbiyi tried to harm Moses with charms but that, as a vindication of Orimolade’s inviolability, it was the warden of the Church who became the victim. He collapsed but Orimolade’s prayers resuscitated him. As a consequence of this incident, Moses Orimolade was nicknamed Baba Aladura (The Praying Father) in Lagos.

On 18 June 1925 the Aladura Band was called to the rescue of an unconscious Methodist teenage girl, Abiodun Akinsowon, who had fallen into a trance when she tried to look into the chalice carried by the Catholic Archbishop on Corpus Christi public procession. Abiodun remained in the trance for 21 days in the care of the Aladura Band. She regained consciousness after 21 days and joined the Aladura Band. She became the first visioner in the band. The name of the band was changed to the Seraph Band on 9 September 1925 by Moses Orimolade. The addition of Cherubim to the name was advised by spiritual injunction on 26 March 1926 to reflect the heavenly representation of the Cherubim and Seraphim. The band was fully formed and functional by the end of 1925. Moses Orimolade reigned as the Sole Founder and Spiritual head of the band from 1925 to 1933.

The Eternal Sacred order of the Cherubhim and seraphim believes in the Holy Bible as the word of God and in salvation through Jesus Christ and in the Trinity in unity, the use of incense, purification by prayer and fasting and resurrection of the dead. Its first and primary work is that of prayer and preaching of the gospel. It believes in the curative effect of prayer for all afflictions, spiritual and temporal, but condemns and abhors the use of charms or fetish witchcraft or sorcery of any kind and all heathenish sacrifices and practices. It is not averse to the judicious use of curative herbs, the engagement of qualified medical practitioners or doctors or the use of patent medicines or other drugs. It endorses and practices the sanctification of water by prayer and the effect of such consecrated water for every purpose.

The church also have their mode of dressing which is white garment (Aso Adura)

An account said Moses Orimolade Tunolase prophesied about the coming of a great man of God in the name of Joseph Ayo Babalola of the Christ Apostolic Church.

He was the first preacher to introduce faith based healing in his home town.

Moses Orimolade Tunolase died october 19th, 1933.

It is estimated that thr church has close to about 7 million members both in Nigeria and overseas.