The idea to start a Christ Apostolic Church (C.A.C.) in the city of Fall River, Massachusetts, was first conceived around 2005 – 2006, back when we were in Christ Apostolic Church (Mt. Joy), under the leadership of late Pastor Brown and Pastor Anifowose, on Blue Hill Avenue, Boston. The word of knowledge was given to the Church, Christ Apostolic Church (Mt. Joy), that we had to expand and that God was ready to do something new. When the church began deliberating on where to start, a consideration was given to the city of Fall River, MA, because it was the farthest city from the church where we had active members of the church living: The family of Deacon Olusegun Olubanwo (Now Evangelist (Dr.) Olusegun Olubanwo)

With that collective vision in mind, Dr. Olubanwo and his family started a regular weekly house fellowship in Fall River, with other families living in cities nearby, who were attending C.A.C. in Providence, Rhode Island. These families included Elder and Deaconess Luwoye and family, Deacon Babatunde Ojuri, Mrs. Yinka Ojuri and family and others. On different occasions, Pastor Ibitoye and late Pastor Ogunjeminiyi (former chairman of C.A.C. New England Zone) had visited our house fellowship to pray with us. We also actively looked for a venue to rent for the church with the late Pastor Ogunjeminiyi, but to no avail.

2006 was a very challenging year for C.A.C. (Mt. Joy). The devil raised his ugly head, making the year an extremely trying period in the history of C.A.C. (Mt. Joy) because of the glory he perceived was rising. But just as Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 50:20, after God had calmed the storm of hatred and discord between them: “but as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive”, we can say today that what the devil meant for evil, God has turned it around for good. The crisis at its peak in 2006-2007 gave birth to C.A.C. (Overcomers Center) by Pastor Anifowose, which was later changed to Overcomers Ministries International. I was given a message by divine inspiration, which I shared with Pastor Anifowose, that God does not want him to leave C.A.C., but to participate in the expansion of the churches in the New England Zone. More specifically, I was given messages from Joshua 1:13-15 and Jeremiah 23:16, and I shared them with Pastor Anifowose.

The house fellowship in Fall River continued into the later part of 2007, and then it stopped. The hope of getting a branch in Fall River was slipping slowly away. In fact, the years 2007 – 2008 were really trying times in all C.A.C.s in the New England Zone. But the word of God is true and has been established in heaven, that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church.

While we were members at Overcomers Ministries, I would constantly pray in my heart and in our occasional house fellowship that the vision of God to start a C.A.C. in Fall River and to return the initial glory of Overcomers Ministries, which is C.A.C. (Overcomer centers), would never die. I was holding onto the word of God, and I knew that at the appointed time it would come to physical manifestation. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” – Eccl. 3:11.

I joined the prayer warrior of the Overcomers Ministries in 2014 during the discussion about revitalizing the group. We would meet every Sunday after service to pray for 30 minutes. The prayer group, though small in number, was used mightily by God. In early 2015, we were led to pray about the foundation of the church and every member of the church. On the third Sunday of the prayer, Pastor Anifowose was led to join us towards the end of the prayer, and that moment marked a new beginning for Overcomers Ministries International. The Holy Spirit used the prayer point we were praying upon to call Pastor Anifowose’s attention to God’s desire for Overcomers Ministries International, just as God used the burning bush to call the attention of Moses to what He wanted Moses to do – Exodus 3:2-4, 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

God revealed so many things during that prayer period, both to Pastor Anifowose and some members of the prayer warriors, which were later shared with Pastor Anifowose. We prayed fervently on those revelations and asked God to lead on. Among many direct revelations given to Pastor Anifowose during the prayer period was a clear message of returning Overcomers Ministries International to Christ Apostolic Church’s fold. God is a master planner and the best executor of His own plans. He has His unique way of preparing the mind of His people when the time is ripe for what He wants to do. He demonstrated this during the period of our prayer regarding the foundation, by the direct revelation He gave Pastor Anifowose in his dream. God directed Pastor Anifowose to go look at the cover page of the 2015 C.A.C. Sunday school pamphlet. Pastor Anifowose then contacted an Evangelist from Nigeria who was conducting a revival at C.A.C. Mt. Zion 1 to ask for the pamphlet. He also asked Pastor (Dr.) Babalola about the pamphlet. Once he got the pamphlet, the message of God became very clear to him, that God wanted the return of Overcomers Ministries International to Christ Apostolic Church’s fold.

As Pastor Anifowose was pondering and watchfully praying over the revelation, God, as a master planner, was already preparing the mind of the congregation for the news. After a series of deliberations, Pastor Anifowose then decided to inform the whole congregation about the message he had personally received from God. While he was delivering this message to the congregation on that day, I heard this low voice within me saying, “My work at overcomers has been completed”. The voice said, “Here we come, Fall River”. I did not know what to make of it, but I believed. In May 2017, Lady Evangelist Ayodele gave a word of prophecy that God is going to expand the church. She encouraged the church to be willing and be resolved in moving with God. Also, occasionally, Pastor (Dr.) Babalola would call me and say he was coming to visit us in Fall River. At a point, Pastor (Dr.) Babalola asked what my thoughts are about starting a C.A.C. in Fall River, and I told him that I’m in full support and that God is actually on the throne and He’s working on it. I suggested he discuss it with Pastor Anifowose.

C.A.C. New England Zone, this time, under the leadership of Pastor (Dr.) Babalola thus revived the conversation about starting a church in Fall River from the Zonal level. And he was constantly briefed about the efforts we were making towards getting a place.

Months passed by, and every venue that Pastor Anifowose and I visited had one challenge or another. After a while, we got tired of looking and relaxed. However, sometimes in September, God rekindled that fire. Pastor Anifowose asked us to be resolved in doing this, even if it means starting in our house in Fall River. He said we should tell God we want to start the church by the end of October 2017 in Fall River. I remember my son asking me if we had found a place, and I said, “God will provide”. Not having a venue to start yet, we scheduled Tuesday, October 24, 2017, for prayer at my house in order to get started.

Ever since the idea was conceived to start a branch of C.A.C. in Fall River, each time I drove past Baptist Temple Church, I would look at the church and the parking lot, and something in me would say, ” This will be a starting place for our church. I kept that in mind each time I drove by. So, on Tuesday, October 17, 2017, when Pastor told me he had come to Fall River with a couple of people to look for a venue, I was excited and told him that the next time they planned to come, they should inform me so I could show them a place. On Wednesday, October 18, 2017, Pastor told me he had scheduled a viewing appointment with a church on Pleasant Street for Thursday, October 19th. I told him that I would love to show him a place that has been placed in my heart for so long. Our path to this current location (Baptist Temple Church) has been divinely led, and Reverend Mike Johnson (the Pastor of Baptist Temple Church) also testified to that. So, in addition to our plan to pray at my place on October 24, 2017, we went to sanctify our newly rented place of worship with prayers on that same day (by the way, the day happens to fall on Pastor Anifowose’s birthday!).

Finally, 11 Years after conception, on October 29, 2017, the mini-Inaugural service of Christ Apostolic Church, Fall River, was conducted to the glory of God. By Divine inspiration, the name was changed from C.A.C. Fall River to C.A.C. Altar of Grace on July 26, 2018.