CCC UK Media and Publicity Team’s Account of The Event of Sunday, March 3rd, 2024 At CCC Harton Street Parish
As stated in earlier discourse, the leadership management crisis at CCC Harton Street Parish has been a perennial challenge that needs to be addressed.
The need to curb the situation urgently and decisively has become even more pertinent in view of recent activities and conduct of VSE Bayo King and a handful of members of CCC Harton Street Parish, who have hijacked the parish and are determined to convert it into their personal property for reasons best known to them. They would obviously stop at nothing until they achieve their aim.
The Head of Diocese, Most Superior Evangelist Amos Olabode Fatusin, and his team were present at CCC Harton Street Parish on Sunday, March 3rd, 2024. The purpose of the visit was to put into effect a Pastoral Order.
This was to be done by reading the letters from the Pastor concerning the expiry of VSE Bayo King’s tenure and his removal from the position of the Shepherd of the parish. The Order also required the announcement of the appointment of the replacement Shepherd of CCC Harton Street Parish, in person of VSE Taiwo John.
Owing to earlier threats by some elders of CCC Harton Street Parish to cause commotion and violence, the CCC UK Diocese sought the support of the Police to be on standby to maintain peace and avoid community disorder.
The Head of Diocese and his entourage entered the premises during the Processional Hymn (Jeri Mo Yamah). After the bowing of the head, prayer of forgiveness and sanctification and the Lord’s Prayer, the Head of the CCC UK Diocese, MSE A.O. Fatusin JP MPIC, requested the microphone from the Service Conductor and announced the purpose of the Diocesan visit, which was “to read the Pastoral Order to the congregation and to notify the church that the current Shepherd, VSE Bayo King, had been withdrawn, and that a replacement Shepherd, VSE Taiwo John, had been appointed.” He then handed over the microphone to the Secretary of the Diocese, AVSE Charles Wusu, to read the letters issued by the Pastor to that effect.
While this was going on peacefully inside the church auditorium, another event was unfolding outside. VSE Bayo King was seen speaking with two of the Police Officers. However, when he spotted the Head of CCC UK Diocese Task Force Corps, AVSE Akomolafe, he took the policemen into his office to continue the conversation. The eagle-eyed AVSE Akomolafe saw VSE Bayo King taking the Police Officers with him into the Shepherd’s office and followed them into the office. VSE Bayo King tried to prevent AVSE Akomolafe from entering the office but did not succeed.
Upon entering the office, AVSE Akomolafe heard VSE Bayo King telling the Police Officers that he is the Vicar of the church and that the Head of Diocese and his team were intruders who had come to disturb the peace of his church and the service. AVSE Akomolafe countered the statement and explained the reason for the HOD’s visit to the Police Officers, stating that VSE Bayo King had been withdrawn from the position of Shepherd of the parish since September 2023 but refused to leave.
To support his claim, AVSE Akomolafe presented copies of various letters from the Pastor detailing VSE Bayo King’s appointment as Shepherd in 2021 for a tenure of two years, his withdrawal after expiry of his tenure in 2023, and the letter of appointment of the replacement Shepherd in person of VSE Taiwo John.
During the discussion with the Police Officers, VSE Bayo King was asked who appointed him. He admitted that the Pastor appointed him. The policemen explained to him that in that case, the Pastor also has the right to remove him. VSE Bayo King was then reported to have said that when he received the Pastoral order to leave the post of the Shepherd of CCC Harton Street, he stepped aside.
He claimed, however, that, because his parishioners loved him, they reappointed him. He then brought out a letter on CCC Harton Street letterhead paper and showed it to the officers. The officers were said to have reiterated that such reappointment is invalid as the church is a community one under the overall leadership of the Pastor. Therefore, the only person who can reappoint him is the Pastor.
At this point, VSE Bayo King queried the rights of Pastor, His Eminence, Reverend E.M.F. Oshoffa, to ‘dabble into the affairs of CCC UK Diocese.’ One of the Police Officers answered him and stated that, as the Head of Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide, the Pastor has the right over all Celestial Churches anywhere in the world just like the Pope has over all Catholic churches. VSE Bayo King tried to cajole the Police Officers by coming up with all kinds of untrue statements, but with credible evidence, AVSE Akomolafe helped to set the facts straight to ensure that the Police arrived at the appropriate and just conclusion.
With all the evidence that was presented by AVSE Akomolafe, VSE Bayo King was advised that once the Pastoral letters had been read, there would have to be a transition period.
The unfortunate incident that led to the Police Officers entering the church auditorium took place when the reading of the Pastor’s letter was underway. What started as a peaceful process quickly degenerated into chaos when Evangelist Gbolabo Shaba burst into the church auditorium, charged at the P.A. to the H.O.D, who with earlier permission from the Police, was recording the event for the Diocese. Evangelist Shaba assaulted the P.A. and hit his phone off him.
Very shortly after that, as if on cue, another member of the trustees, AVSE Sokunbi raged into the auditorium. He dashed towards the Diocesan Secretary (AVSE Charles Wusu), who was reading the Pastoral letters, snatched the letters from and was running out of the church auditorium. By this time, AVSE Akomolafe had left the Shepherd’s office and was entering the church auditorium. AVSE Akomolafe apprehended AVSE Sokunbi and reclaimed the letters from him.
Evangelist Gbolabo Shaba and another member (Prophet Dosu), then called the Police Officers into the church auditorium and instructed them to ask the Head of Diocese and his entourage to leave ‘our church’.
The Police Officers seeing that the situation was getting out of control entered the church auditorium to prevent further escalation and bring about normalcy. It is worthy of note that when Police Officers are on duty, they don’t take off their shoes. Nevertheless, they would not have entered the church auditorium if it wasn’t for the unfortunate situation that could have been prevented. It was clear from the actions and conduct exhibited that day by VSE Bayo King and his cohorts that they would do anything to achieve their aim including allowing the church of God to be desecrated in that manner.
The Police on their part did what they could to manage the situation which had become so tense that they even considered closing the church for the day, but the HoD and his team persuaded them to allow the service to continue.
The Police Officers then decided that one of them should read the Pastoral letters to the congregation. As can be seen in the videos being circulated, the Police Officer took off his cap while reading the letter and put it back on immediately afterward. Even while the letter was being read by the Police Officer, VSE Bayo King attacked the P.A. who was recording the reading for Diocesan records purposes. VSE Bayo King forcefully snatched the phone off the P.A. This action by VSE Bayo King prompted the Female Police Officer to come in and ask the P.A. to walk away, so that peace could be maintained, and to enable the reading of the Pastoral letter to be completed without any further disruption.
Once the reading of the letter had been accomplished, one of the Police officers acting in line with the advice that was given during the discussion in the Shepherd’s office, notified the congregation that CCC Harton Street Parish had entered the transition period. On that note, the Head of Diocese and his entourage were escorted out safely by the Police Officers.
VSE Bayo King again queried the rights of the Pastor, His Eminence, Reverend E.M.F. Oshoffa, to be the Chairman of the CCC UK Diocese Board of Trustees as he is not a UK resident? The Police Officer then answered him that the Pastor, as the Head of CCC Worldwide, has every right over all parishes of Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide, just like the Pope has over all Catholic churches. It was then that VSE Bayo King vowed to move the parish out of the Pastor’s jurisdiction.
To be continued…
