The Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) is preparing for a significant leadership transition as its two Vice Presidents, Bishops David Abioye and Thomas Aremu, are set to retire after serving for over four and three decades, respectively.
Sources within the church, including an anonymous pastor, confirmed the impending retirements to Chronicle NG on Thursday.
This move aligns with the church’s operational manual, known as The Mandate, which recently revised the retirement age for its leadership from 60 to 55 years.
Church members have speculated that the retirements will coincide with celebrations for Bishop David Oyedepo’s birthday.
One congregant stated, “We have heard that Bishop Abioye and Bishop Aremu will leave during the Bishop Oyedepo birthday celebration. That is the new law in the church; only Bishop Oyedepo can remain in his position for life. One of the two bishops has even been considering leaving for a while, so this is not news to some of us in the church.”
Bishop Abioye is currently 63 years old, while Bishop Aremu is 67. Under the new policy, only the church’s founder, Bishop Oyedepo, will be permitted to serve beyond the specified age limit, while future leaders will be allowed to serve one or two terms of seven years each, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.
According to Church Times, farewell services will be organized for the two bishops at their respective locations. Bishop Abioye’s valedictory service is scheduled for Friday, October 18, 2024, at the Durumi branch in Abuja, while Bishop Aremu’s farewell will take place on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at LFC Basorun in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Bishop Abioye, the current Senior Pastor of Living Faith Church, Goshen City in Abuja, has a long-standing relationship with Bishop Oyedepo, dating back to 1979. He led one of the church’s five pioneer branches in 1987 and was consecrated as a bishop in 1993 at the age of 32.
Bishop Aremu transitioned to full-time ministry after a successful career in accounting and was among the seven bishops consecrated in November 1999 at the Garden of Faith in Kaduna.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
