Pastor Chris vows to rebuild bigger church as fire razes Christ Embassy

The founder of LoveWorld Incorporated, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome addresses the recent fire incident at one of the Christ Embassy church’s branches in Lagos.

The main auditorium of the Christ Embassy Lagos Virtual Zone (CELVZ) on Billings Way in Oregun, Ikeja, caught fire on Sunday, June 23, 2024, causing panic among members and residents.

Videos shared on social media showed smoke billowing from the top of the white-painted building while the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) battled the flames. The firefighters managed to control the fire, but not before the auditorium suffered extensive damage, with millions worth of property destroyed.

During a live Sunday service at the church’s campground in Asese, Ogun State, Pastor Chris addressed the incident, describing it as an opportunity for bigger and better things.

He recalled thinking the building might need to be rebuilt after the 2001 Ikeja Cantonment bomb explosion and noted that the fire now provides a chance to construct a more magnificent structure at the site.

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome on recent church fire incident

“Nothing happens in the life of a child of God by accident. During the 2001 Ikeja cantonment bombing incident, the building vibrated so much and we thought it was going to collapse. I thought to myself that if it collapsed I was going to build a bigger, better one. At the end of the day it didn’t collapse and we called the engineers to see if there was any need to bring it down and rebuild but it was still okay.

“Now that this has happened, we will build a bigger, better, and more glorious one and the devil will lick his wound,” he said.