Church closed due to land dispute

Christians of "Faith Among All Nations" are stranded over where to worship.

Law enforcement officers have shut down one church in the port city, Douala, following conflicting claims over a piece of land. The drama which unfolded at the Bassa neighbourhood about 7 am on Tuesday, 15 April, 2014, is the result of a dispute between a pastor and his landlord.

The law enforcement officers who were both in police uniform and civilian wear dismantled an extension in front of the church auditorium and sealed the worship centre. The church's musical equipment, chairs, pulpit among other holy paraphernalia were put out in the open after police elements forced open the door of the church. "Faith Among All Nations" (FAANI) received the "baptism of fire" as a young church since the FAANI Ministries went operational two years ago.

Oben O. Kingley, Pastor of the church who lives in Deido far away from the holy structure in Bassa, said he fell into the embarrassment after having rushed to the church in response to a phone call on the matter.

The story goes that a certain Pastor Harry secured the land under strict terms of a written contract where he built the Global Champions Ministries. Before leaving for Nigeria, he had conflicted with the owner of the land for seeking to terminate his occupancy contract on December 5, 2013, which was due to expire in 2015.

Efforts to have to get the view of the land owner were fruitless. However, Cameroon Tribune gathered that his decision to breach the contract in disregard of the Pastor's investments on the land was prompted by the fact that he had silently sold the land to another person.

Global Champions Ministries founded by Pastor Harry hired out the entire structure to Pastor Oben O. Kinsley, who has been running FAANI worship services there since 2 February this year. Before leaving for Nigeria, he had collected close to FCFA 600.000 from the one-million FCFA deal.

He disclosed, "The church is not a house but the individuals. So the church has not been closed but a house. So the church and the ministry continue. I just have to pray to God and leave it to Him. I have nothing to fight on earth but to fulfill what I have to fulfill."

By virtue of its authorisation, Faith among All Nations is a ministry branch of the local Global Frontiers Church.