History and Background

The historical foundation of the HOGMF dates back to a Spiritual encounter with the Great biblical Apostle Paul in a vision shown to the vision pioneer of this commission Apostle Paul Simon Bassey in Dec. 1995 after his return from a pilgrimage to Israel. Our Vision Coordinator was as at then a Medical Practitioner and Medical Director of St. Charles Infirmary, No. 14 Ewa Ekeng Street, Henshaw Town, Calabar.

The sum total of the Spiritual Discourse with the Holy Spirit (using the language of Apostle Paul) was that the “Gospel will never be of benefit to our Calabar People as long as we continue to make a trifle of the Gospel”. This ignited in me, a desperate thirst and hunger for the Missionary history of our Calabar. My findings in the writings of Rev. Hugh Goldie, Rev. Donald Mcfarland, Memoirs of Hope Masterton Waddell, several books on Mary Mitchel Slessor and oral witness accounts/testimonies from many aged indigenes, at the time helped to fuel my passion for informed and obedient response to this Holy Ghost Challenge on our peoples.

My search continued till Sunday the 14^th of May, 2000 (the 3^rd millennium and the 21^st Century AD, very importantly the Independence Day of Modern Israel -14^th May, 1948) the Lord shocked me by asking that ‘I close down my entire practice and proceed into full-time ministry’, “so I can concentrate on the Work”. I struggled for five days and in the early hours of Friday 19th of May 2000 (between 4.30 am and 5 am) the Lord referred to Songs of Solomon chapter 4:12. I read and was completely broken and on my knees accepted and fully yielded myself wholly for the work He had appointed me. I have never looked back since then; in spite of the many daunting challenges.

On Tuesday, the 30^th of May 2000, we commenced a House Fellowship, the Friends Family Fellowship (FFF) under the HOGMF at my residence, Plot 7 Amaku Street, State Housing Estate, Calabar. That Inaugural Meeting was officiated by my then Head Pastor, Apostle Elias Emmanuel of the Great Harvest Bible Church, Duke Town Close, Calabar (I was a Pastor under Apostle Elias Emmanuel at this time). That fellowship continues to date on Tuesdays as a Discipleship Fellowship of Believers. Our Missionary Outreaches expanded into Rural Rural School Medical Outreaches. It was at one of these School Medical Outreaches in Old Netim, Akamkpa Local Government Area that the Lord instructed us to go back and start a proper Church Base for the entire Vision. This was in March 2001. To the Glory of God we obeyed and the Greater Glory Covenant Church (GGCC) of the Hope of Glory Missionary Foundation was formally inaugurated by the Late Bishop Enebong Edem Ephraim of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Inc. On Sunday the 3^rd of June 2001, with about 15 members. By His Grace we started worshiping at our permanent site on Sunday, 26^th April 2003 when we were invited to host the Labour Congress Thanksgiving Service preceding the 1st May Workers Day Celebration of that year. It is significant that I was Born again (1st Fruit/Resurrection) on Sunday the 14th of April 1991 and the Church under my oversight was inaugurated on Sunday the 3rd of June 2001 [exactly 50 days after the 14th of April = Pentecost]. Also, Hope of Glory started 50 days after the pioneer Missionaries of the Scottish Missionary Society touched Harbour in Calabar [10^th April 1846 – 30^th May 2000].

We are and will remain a One Congregation Missions Focused Church till the Holy Spirit expressly says otherwise.

The Hope of Glory Missionary Foundation has today birthed:

1.  Missions Intercessory Group for Old Calabar Province (MIG-FOC) – Feb. 2023
2. The National Conference on Missions (NACOM) – 4^th June 2007. Our flagship Missions Conference seeks to fulfill the following :
   • For our Calabar Church = Making Ready a People prepared for the Lord (Missions Mobilization of the entire Old Calabar Provincial Church). Preparing our People for Christian Missions to Other Peoples and Lands.
   • For our Peoples of Old Calabar Province: Reawakening of the Truth that we are particularly chosen by God to be HIS Covenant People for the Entire West African Sub-Region ref.
     • 10^th April 1846 – Arrival of Early Missionaries
     • 1862/1868 – 1^st Bible Translation into Efik for all West African Languages
     • 6^th Sept 1878 – Admitted to the Committee of Christian Nations, Our King (Obong) was crowned as Defender of the Faith (the 1^st and only in West Africa) under King Archibong the 3^rd.
   • For our Attending Missionaries  (from all over Nigeria, West Africa, and part of the Central African Republic): Come and be “Refreshed, Replenished, and Refired for Christ”. The Debt Calabar must pay has faithfully begun.