{"id":31795,"date":"2017-10-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-11T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/csw-yeo.1wp.site\/magazines\/we-remembered-what-you-taught-us-3747\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T21:21:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T20:21:17","slug":"we-remembered-what-you-taught-us-3747","status":"publish","type":"magazines","link":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/es\/magazines\/we-remembered-what-you-taught-us-3747\/","title":{"rendered":"We remembered what you taught us"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nigeria\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The bulldozers arrived one morning without warning. Within hours The Lord\u2019s Chosen Church and The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) had been completely destroyed.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another five churches in Dutse, Jigawa State in northern Nigeria, were under threat of demolition. But because of CSW\u2019s training, the bulldozers went no further.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All thanks to your support, gifts and prayers\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2017 local authorities had slated seven churches for demolition \u2013 allegedly because they were \u2018illegally constructed in a residential area\u2019. Church leaders were still negotiating with the authorities when police arrived at The Lord\u2019s Chosen Church with bulldozers, and proceeded to demolish it. The RCCG building was next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No warning, no due process, and no court order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But some church leaders remembered a CSW training course they\u2019d attended ten years earlier \u2013 and they decided to take a stand before more churches were demolished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They told us, \u201cWe remembered what you taught us and we decided to make a noise with the press.\u201d The authorities had planned to demolish all seven churches within two weeks, starting with the smallest. Putting CSW\u2019s training into action meant this plan was halted. \u201cBecause of the noise we made they cannot do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, their social media campaign was so extensive that some of us had assumed more than two churches had been destroyed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat they did was so effective that local government plans to destroy churches have been disrupted, despite local officials denying it has anything to do with the church\u2019s press campaign.\u201d CSW staff member<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.\u201d 2 Corinthians 5:1<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This scripture sits boldly on a sign outside the tent in which The Lord\u2019s Chosen Church meets today. As the leaders told us, the church \u201cis being persecuted and being denied its right to worship\u201d. While a recently constructed mosque remains, church leaders have been told their buildings will be moved to an undisclosed location. Whatever occurs, they remain encouraged by the promise that they have an eternal house in heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n