Moses OrimoladeTunolasePage issues

Moses Orimolade Tunolase is the founderof the first African initiated church, theEternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim andSeraphim, which was established in 1925.The church was born out of the [[AfricanChurch founded by J.K Coker a formerChurch warden in Breadfruit church ofAnglican communion among the Yorubapeople in Western Nigeria.

Moses Orimolade Tunolase was bornc1879 into the royal family of Ayibiri inOndo State of Nigeria. Orimolade couldneither stand nor walk until he was wellover five years of age. In an effort to getOrimolade the help he needed, his parentshad taken him to St. Stephen's AnglicanChurch, the only church in the Yoruba townof Ikare in Western Nigeria at the time.

Orimolade was often left in the custody ofthe clergyman at this Church MissionarySociety establishment of the AnglicanCommunion. One night the minister

History

observed a strange light in the church andheard singing coming from inside. Theminister discovered that the building wasempty, except for Orimolade, who wasabout 5 years old at the time, sitting on thefloor of the church in brightphosphorescence.

At age 12 years, Orimolade had a dream inwhich he was presented with a rod, aRoyal Insignia and a crown. He woke witha personal conversion to the Christianfaith and a conviction of his calling topreach the gospel of Jesus Christ but hisevangelistic mission did not begin untilafter a period of seven years in

confinement. Some of his closeassociates at the time attributed thisconfinement to a protracted illness whileothers regarded it as a period spent intraining and preparation for his missionarywork. Orimolade emerged from thisconfinement with partial recovery of theuse of his legs and a remarkable ability topray and preach the King James Versionof the Bible that had been translated intohis own native Yoruba language earlier byhis tribesman, Bishop Samuel AjayiCrowther.

Orimolade started his missionary work asan itinerant preacher in Ikare (his Yoruba

town of birth) with no formal education.He openly confronted witches and wizardsin Irun (another Yoruba town) and pulleddown the image of Osijora, one of the idolsworshipped in the village. He condemnedthe prevalent practice of human sacrificein Benin City. He consecrated a pool inKaba town and rid it of the evil spirit thevillagers had worshipped. Orimoladeconverted many to the Christian faith.Traditional worshippers willingly gave uptheir charms and images for burning inresponse to his preaching and prayer. Hedirected his converts to the existingchurches, irrespective of denominations,and where no church existed he helped

establish one. Some of the churchesestablished by Orimolade were actuallyestablished for the Church MissionarySociety.

Egbe Aladura

The African people converted to theChristian faith by the members of theChurch Missionary Society for theAnglican Church and were introduced tothe Bible. Some of the Christianizedwestern world views and European moralvalues contradicted and contravened thenature and culture of the African people.The manifestations of the gifts of the Holy

Spirit among the African converts weremisunderstood and mistaken by themissionaries for diabolical Africanvoodoo. Polygamous marriages weredissolved resulting in the bastardization ofthe children from these African traditionalmarriages.

The availability of the translations of thescriptures in African languages broughtthe Bible to life among the African peopleand changed their views of themissionaries and the missions. Drumming,clapping and dancing as methods ofworship were embraced by the Africanpeople but created challenges for the

missionaries and their European conceptof worship. The difference inunderstanding of religious expressionresulted in clashes and conflicts betweenthe missionaries and the Africanleadership in the Anglican Church. Theblind insistence of the missionaries on thesuperiority of the European concept ofChristianity provided the moral impetus forthe denial of the African leadership theright to succeed Bishop Samuel AjayiCrowther and left the African people in theAnglican Church disconnected anddiscontent.

In response the people started gatheringinto prayer groups called Egbe Aladura.The Aladuras promoted and popularizedthe power of prayer to heal. When the1918 influenza pandemic spread to WestAfrica the people sought healing amongthe Aladuras. The healing and survival ofso many Nigerians among the Aladurasduring the Spanish flu spurred the growthand spread of these prayer groups in theearly 1920s. Moses Orimolade arrived inLagos on July 12, 1924 and lodged at HolyTrinity (Anglican) Church with the Sextonof the Church, Emmanuel Olumodeji fromhis hometown. He started preaching andpraying for people all over Lagos in

Nigeria. Many people in and around HolyTrinity sought after Orimolade for spiritualinquiry and counseling. He developed areputation for seasoned preaching andfervent prayer and became known amongthe people as the "Baba Aladura" (Fatherthat prays). The prosperity and popularityof Moses Orimolade was not welcomedamong the Anglican leadership and led tohis ejection from the premises of HolyTrinity on 11 September 1924. Thisaroused the sympathy and support ofpeople in and around the Church. Theyfollowed Orimolade out of Holy Trinity andthereafter to his places of residence.Orimolade called this group of supporters

and sympathizers the "Aladura Band" andcontinued his preaching and prayer withthem.

Separation from Anglicans

On 18 June 1925 the Aladura Band wascalled to the rescue of an unconsciousMethodist teenage girl, AbiodunAkinsowon, who had fallen into a trancewhen she tried to look into the chalicecarried by the Catholic Archbishop onCorpus Christi public procession. Abiodunremained in the trance for 21 days in thecare of the Aladura Band. She regainedconsciousness after 21 days and joined

the Aladura Band. She became the firstvisioner in the band. The name of the bandwas changed to the Seraph Band on 9September 1925 by Moses Orimolade. Theaddition of Cherubim to the name wasadvised by spiritual injunction on 26 March1926 to reflect the heavenly representationof the Cherubim and Seraphim. The bandwas fully formed and functional by the endof 1925. Moses Orimolade reigned as theSole Founder and Spiritual head of theband from 1925 to 1933.

Schism

Abiodun Akinsowon led the evangelistictours of the band from Lagos westward.She was sent to established most of theearly branches of the band in the west ofNigeria. She earned the appellation"Captain Abiodun" in the band. She wasadored by Moses Orimolade and admiredby many members of the band. AbiodunAkinsowon rode with Moses Orimolade inthe hammock chair to the envy of manymen and women in the band. However, shewas advised to step aside from the bandin 1929 to form the Cherubim andSeraphim Society after she failed toconvince Moses Orimolade to refuse thevolunteer housekeeping services of a

widow (Iya Ijesha) who had been healed inthe band. The elders of the westernConference of the band declaredindependence and formed the SacredOrder of Cherubim and Seraphim followingtheir futile effort to reunite AbiodunAkinsowon and Moses Orimolade.

In 1930 a committee of elders was chosento draft the Article of Association inpreparation for the incorporation of theband. The first draft of the Article ofAssociation was rejected by MosesOrimolade because of a clause thattransferred the executive power andcontrol of the band to the membership of

the band. Upset, the authors pulled out ofthe band in 1930 to form the Praying Bandof the Eternal Sacred Order of theCherubim and Seraphim under theleadership of Ezekiel Davies. The northernConference of the band continued on asthe Holy Order of the Cherubim andSeraphim Movement. The Paren Body wasregistered and incorporated in 1930 as theEternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim andSeraphim (ESOC&S), with MosesOrimolade alias Baba Aladura as the SoleFounder and Spiritual Head "ALAGBA".

Family Background

He was from the idol worshippingbackground. His father was a herbalistand a popular Masquerade known all overthe town. Moses Orimolade Tunolase wasborn in 1879. According to Elder GeorgeOlanrewaju Tunolase who is a cousin toOrimolade, when Orimolade was in thewomb he would be talking to his motherand advising her on what to do. And themother found it difficult to deliver him,while the beads of the then Owa -Ale ofIkare was demanded to be put on themother’s neck for her to deliver safely, still,she didn’t deliver the child. However hewas eventually delivered, and the very dayhe was born he started walking, this

caused his father to use juju on him toavoid embarrassment. However, anepileptic woman who was being treated bythe father of Moses fell on him when hehad fit but that did not kill the newly babyboy as he grew up to be a very powerfulpreacher and miracle healer ‘’ While somesaid he was lame from birth but Georgedenied that he was not,’’ he used to carrymy father on his shoulder to the farm., soit is not true that he was lame’’..

Married Life

During his lifetime, he neither married norhad children. Speaking to The Nation, Pa

Tunolase [74] who is still living in thefamily house said ‘’my late father who wasthe elder brother to the late founder ofCherubim and Seraphim told me thatMoses did not marry at all. He said Mosestold his father that they could go andmarry but for him he had chosen to be aEunuch, as there are three types ofEunuch, the ones that the kings castratedand kept watching their Queens, the onesfrom heaven and those who becameeunuch in order to serve God of whichMoses chose’’. The Uncle continued ‘’myfather told me that Orimolade said that hischildren would be like the sand ofseashore. We were confused, but now the

Aladura sect are numerous all over theworld as they cannot be counted.

Myth surrounding his miracles

Many mysteries are woven round theMoses. He was said to have possessed asupernatural power that no one ever had.According to Most Superintendent KunleAyanfe, Moses was said to have been aspecial person with a supernatural power.He would get to where he and his groupwere going before anyone of them andthey wondered how. Till he died nobodywas able to unravel the mystery.’’According to Ayanfe ‘’ some white men

who heard about his good works came toapproach him to come and heal their bossin overseas. Moses refused to go withthem in the aircraft they brought andpromised to meet them there. Before thewhite men got there, he had gone andcome back. When the messengers got totheir boss and saw him healed andbouncing, he told them he had beenhealed by a man whom he described withthe features of Moses, the man they cameto meet in Nigeria. He had the power as heused to pass through the rock and waterwhile people wonder how he manage toperform such a feat.

Tombs

Before his death on October 19, 1933, heinstructed his followers to exhume hisbody forty years after his death and buriedhim in his home town, Ikare, Akoko inOndo state. Accompanied by the lateHighlife musician I.K Dairo who was alsopopularly called Baba Aladura, and onOctober 19, 1975, his body was exhumedand was taken to Ikare, Akoko. where hewas buried. In fact, his body was said tobe fresh and intact, not decayed while hisclothes were as white as snow. Ojokoroempty Tomb At Ojokoro where the firstAladura church was established is a big

mausoleum. A giant statute of the founderis erected there on top of an empty grave.In the grave are three candles which areusually lighted during service. The churchfaithfuls would dance round themausoleum, sleep in the mausoleumwhere two graves of the senior leaderswere buried. Not only this, the faithful alsoplaced kegs of water and other thingswhere they pray over them invoking theGod of Moses Orimolade to heal, assistand answer their prayers. Asked if thespirit of Moses is still there, an elder in thechurch said ‘’ Moses Orimolade shed hisblood here, his flesh dried here, so it isonly the body that was removed to his

home town Ikare Akoko in Ondo State. WeHis spirit is still here. While this reporterasked whether it is not a blasphemy,Matthew Akeusola denied it and said theyneed to appreciate and honour him. IkareTomb Here, at Mercyland known as Oke -Anu which is in Iku in Iyometa Area, ofIkare Akoko Ondo State where theexhumed body of Orimolade waseventually buried in 1975. Placed by thetomb are A Holy Bible, candles, crucifixand other things while at the entrance ofthe mausoleum are kegs of water andother things while people file out prayingon the mountain.

Special Room

In the family house of the OrimoladeTunolases at Okorun also in Iyometa Areaof Ikare is a special room where the latefounder lived before he died. The roomhas been kept sacredand reserved as thefaithfuls visit there for special prayers. Theroom is divided into two, while the innerone is where some paraphernalia of hisoffice are kept. Ayanfe who led thisreporter there at the initial stage fell into atrance and later came back alive, he said ‘’this room is a powerful room and nobodyis allowed to come in anyhow. It issacred’’. Corroborating what Ayanfe said,

the old man in the house, Pa Tunolase saidhe used to hear spiritual songs every nightbut he is not afraid for he knew it is theAngels from Heaven that are singing. Hiswords ‘’ I used to hear spiritual songscoming out from the room in the midnight ,and we don’t see anybody at all as we onlyhear voices. But it is crystal clear that theman Moses is a saint. Apostle OladokunAduragbemi the President General and theSpiritual Head of Eso, C&S, Noah’s Ark inLondon said he came all the way fromLondon to participate in the remembranceof the departed leader and said the roomwhere Moses used in his father’s house isa sacred place where one’s prayer is

accepted straight if one has faith. He gavean example ‘’ I came from London fewdays ago and I was called on the phonethat one of my children was sick. I wentstraight to Papa’s room and prayed. Somehours later I was informed that he hasbeen okay and doing well.

Moses Well & Streams

There is a well believed to be efficacious inhealing all kinds of diseases. The well wassaid to have been blessed by the latefounder who use it for healing all kinds ofdiseases. Women are not allowed to fetchit but only a male. Any female that fetches

it will have her menstruation seized forever and will not conceive. Examples areabound.

According to Prophet Adeleke Adeyanju,Moses Orimolade, by power of TheSovereign Lord established two streamswhich still exist till today. 1. located inIfako Ijaye, Lagos State. 2. located in Ijoko,Ogun State.

Ifako Stream

The Ifako stream was made when a mannamed Coker (a community leader) toldMoses Orimolade that there was no water

for the people in area to drink or wash. Thearea which is hilly experienced watershortages due to its geographical location.Orimolade walked through the valley andprayed then he stuck the earth with hisstaff and water gushed out from theground. He also blessed the water. Thewater is used for spiritual deliverance uptill today. The streets are named afterOrimolade and Coker

Ijoko Stream

The Ijoko stream came to existence whena woman who is barren and had lost hopeon ever having a child approached Moses

Orimolade. The woman according tosoothsayers and herbalists would onlyhave a child if she's ever opportuned tovisit Israel's Jordan River to take a bath asthe only child she's destined to have hasbeen kept there by evil forces. MosesOrimolade then walked down the Valley ofIjoko and prayed to God. He stuck his staffinto the ground and commanded that theJordan River in Israel establishes itself inthe Ijoko area because of the woman. Andit was so. The woman had the bath andbore a child. The river is still there till todayand it is named after the Jordan River.Many have since then had their

testimonies taking a bathe in the riverafter then.

Palm Tree

The palm tree is mysterious andmedicinal. It was planted by the latefounder, Orimolade. According to aprophetess,….’’the bark is highly medicinal.It cures all ailments. People come from allover the world to take from it. We don’tjoke with it. Speaking further, a prophetand a prophetess said ‘’ the palm frondson the palm trees are different from othersand you cannot get it from anywhere in theworld. Dr. Gabriel Olukayode said he was

born in the Aladura sect and cannot leaveit. For Popoola Babatunde Raphael, thegrowth within the Aladura can becompared with that of the Catholic, as it isgrowing everyday and no other sect canrival it. Defending why the growth is stillspreading, Gorge Asogba said ’’ sinceOrimolade had refused to have children,God compensated him by multiplying thenumber of the Aladura faithful as they arecalled Children of Moses Orimolade.Asked why most of the faithful and theirchildren wear dreadlocks, Asogbadefended it by saying ‘’Moses Orimoladehad dreadlocks and so it was passed to usall and it is for protection. Whoever has

such in the family is a blessing to suchfamily’’ When challenged that someChristians have the opinion that they arefetish since they are practising the OldTestament in the way of their worship bysacrificing, using coconuts, candlesamong other things, but Aduragbemidebunked the claim and said ‘’ they arejust envious of the sect’’.

The Order believes in the Holy Bible as theword of God and in salvation throughJesus Christ and in the Trinity in unity, theuse of incense, purification by prayer and

Beliefs and practices

fasting and resurrection of the dead. Itsfirst and primary work is that of prayer andpreaching of the gospel. It believes in thecurative effect of prayer for all afflictions,spiritual and temporal, but condemns andabhors the use of charms or fetishwitchcraft or sorcery of any kind and allheathenish sacrifices and practices. It isnot averse to the judicious use of curativeherbs, the engagement of qualifiedmedical practitioners or doctors or the useof patent medicines or other drugs. Itendorses and practices the sanctificationof water by prayer and the effect of suchconsecrated water for every purpose.

The ESOC&S is a Spiritual ChristianMovement with membership in theChristian Association of Nigeria.Membership is open to people of all races,ages and to both sexes. Members arerequired to wear prayer robes at all timesfor worship. All members are priests andmay be called upon at any time to performreligious rites appropriate for their age andsex. Ordination and promotion are basedon performance and promotion of theactivities of the holy order, attendance atreligious ceremonies and availability forreligious duties. Shoes are not allowed inthe house of prayer. Female members andnon-members must cover their heads and

may not enter the worship area duringtheir monthly periods. Tithes and offeringsare used for bills, worship articles andwelfare of the order. The Holy Order has nopaid priesthood. The church currently hasabout 10 million members that worship inabout 1500 branches all over the worldincluding the United Kingdom and theUnited States.

Christianity in Nigeria

Cherubim and Seraphim Society

Cherubim and Seraphim (NigerianChurch)

See also

Akin Omoyajowo, Diversity in Unity: TheDevelopment and Expansion of the C & SChurch in Nigeria. Rowman & Littlefield,1984. ISBN 978-0-8191-3655-8

Rufus Okikiolaolu Olubiyi Ositelu, AfricanInstituted Churches: Diversities, Growth,Gifts, Spirituality and EcumenicalUnderstanding of African InitiatedChurches. Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LITVerlag, 2002, pp. 86–89. ISBN 3-8258-6087-6

References

Further reading

Lamin Sanneh, West African Christianity.New York: Orbis Books, 1983, p. 190.

H. W. Turner, History of an AfricanChurch: Independent Churches in Nigeria.London: Oxford University Press, 1967,p. 15.

J.D.Y. Peel, ‘The Aladura Movement inWestern Nigeria’, Tariqh 3:1 (1969)

J.D.Y. Peel, Aladura: A ReligiousMovement among the Yoruba. London:Oxford University Press, 1968.*reviewed in The British Journal ofSociology 20:3 (1969), p. 339; Man. NewSeries, 4:2 (1969), p. 314; AmericanSociological Review 35:1 (1970), pp. 171-

172; African Affairs 69:275 (1970), pp.191-192; American Anthropologist. NewSeries 72:3 (1970), pp. 649-651; Journalof Religion in Africa 4:2 (1971), pp. 141-143Allan Anderson, An Introduction toPentecostalism: Global CharismaticChristianity. Cambridge University Press,2004, p. 118. ISBN 0-521-53280-9

Allan Anderson, African Reformation:African Initiated Christianity in the 20thCentury. Africa World Press, 2001,pp. 82–83.

Alister E. McGrath, The Future ofChristianity. Blackwell, 2002, pp. 34–35.

ISBN 0-631-22815-2

The Biography of Moses OrimoladeTunolase, published by a specialcommittee of C & S (Ikare, n.d.): p. 10.

Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim andSeraphim website

Summary history of church

Saint Moses Orimolade

UK church - picture

Nigerian church - picture

Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim andSeraphim website UK

External links

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