The Pakistan Jurisdiction was officially established in 2005 after the appointment of Bishop George O. Adebanjo as Jurisdictional prelate to this region. However, the functional aspect of this work began several years prior to the aforementioned date. After a very successful 2003 Evangelistic and Mission trip, Bishop Adebanjo and The Living Word Church Ministry through its "Adopt A Church" program, adopted approximately one hundred Pakistani churches.

The national church under the leadership of the late Bishop G.E. Patterson recognized the awesome work of Bishop Adebanjo and as a result conferred the title of Jurisdictional Prelate of Pakistan, making him the first to hold this office in Pakistan.

Pakistan is located in the region of South Asia. Pakistan became a Muslim State in 1947 after a split with its neighboring country of India. Christianity constitutes about two percent of the Pakistani religions. The church in Pakistan are primarily house churches, many of which are located in the slums of Pakistan. Open Christian Crusades can only be conducted with an official permit. In addition, the hiring of security guards for Christian crusades is a necessity because of the religious extremists of that region.

In 2005, Bishop Adebanjo would travel again to Pakistan. This time he would be accompanied by Evangelist Patricia R. Lewis, who would later be recommended to serve as the Supervisor of the Women Department. This recommendation was made to the General Supervisor, Mother Willie Mae Rivers. Mother Patricia Lewis and Bishop Adebanjo conducted seminars and revivals in Lahore, Muridke and Youhanabad, Pakistan. They were well received by the indigenous population. Many souls were saved, healed and delivered from various backgrounds of paganism, idolatry, Hinduism and Muslim religions.

Fulfilling the Great Commission in Third World Countries

(Pakistan & Nigeria)

by Mother Patricia Lewis

I have recently returned from the mission field in Pakistan and Nigeria. The Lord brought this about in an unusual way. I was at a retreat in Nashville, Tennessee with my husband and completely overlooked the designated seating. Later, Pastor and District Superintendent George O. Adebanjo, a Nigerian native seated himself at our table next to me. He has done extensive work on the foreign mission field for many years. We talked about the 100 plus Churches that the Lord has blessed him to mentor in Pakistan and Nigeria. Pastor Adebanjo had been a guest on TBN; he was seen on T.V. in Pakistan and was invited there. He accepted the invitation and began to aide, exhort, and teach the congregations as he was instructed by God. His unselfish labor of love did not go unnoticed by the eyes of the Lord nor men. The Presidium of the Church of God In Christ, Inc. (the leaders of the parent religious organization in which he serves as a pastor and district superintendent), took note of his labor and subsequently designated him Bishop of Pakistan.

Being a great lover of the souls of humanity myself, I listened with great interest as he spoke this end time's work that the Lord is establishing in this 97% Muslim country. If God could plant Moses as a helpless infant in Pharaoh's palace when Pharaoh himself had ordered all Hebrew newborn males slaughtered, surely he can protect the Christian Church in a Muslim country and culture. It was a divine set-up for me to be seated near Bishop-Designate Adebanjo (The steps of a good woman are ordered by the Lord). I have traveled extensively also on the foreign mission field and was quite impressed.

Bishop invited me to join him on his next trip to Pakistan. I was ready and raring to go; Pakistan is known as a "third world"; country. But the word of God says to go into all the world and preach the gospel. The Bible did not say the first, second, or third world; it said "the world". So far I've been blessed to carry the gospel to nearly 50 states and five continents.

I took care of the necessary red tape in order to make the trip. Shots are no longer required for foreign travel there; however, I chose to be inoculated. Those shots were very expensive.

Several weeks before our scheduled departure, a 7.6 Richter- scale earthquake hit Pakistan. Several people whom had planned to make the trip declined. Bishop-Designate, Adebanjo assured me we would not be near that site. The quake was used by Satan as a scare tactic, he is so opportunistic. His strategies didn't work. Getting my finances together was a major hurdle. The Lord asked me to trust him that He would be faithful; I did and He was. We left JFK airport on October 15, 2005, to a 14 hour flight to an island in the Middle East. We slept over in the airport, and then took an 8 hour flight to Lahore Pakistan. That was a total of 22 hours of flying time. This is a big world!

We arrived at 2:00 a.m. in Pakistan; approximately sixteen male Pakistani pastors met us. They had a bouquet of flowers for me and Leis for all of us. Our hotel was fabulous, clean and very modern. What seemed like just mere hours later Bishop Adebanjo called and woke me up, the people were anxious to show us hospitality. I was suffering from unbelievable jet lag and begged for a little more sleep. I got up shortly after that; we do have to endure hardness as a good soldier you know.

The street noises that awaken me the second time were pure cultural shock! I looked from the window and saw horse drawn wagons, donkey carts, camels, motor vehicles and people. The language is spoken with an attack and much animation. They appeared angry, but this is the way their language is spoken. There are no driving lanes, no traffic cops, no insurance coverage of motor vehicles, and no inspection of vehicles. The exhaust fumes from the cars were overwhelming; we protected our faces with towels. You could see evidence of the pollution on the towels. The local people protected their faces with head wraps.

The people drive with a foot on the gas, one hand on the steering wheel, and one hand on the horn. I had both of my hands over my heart. Riding in cars there is very stress producing. There were poor roads conditions, with holes larger than I'd ever seen before and oh, the bumps. Never again will I complain about rush hour traffic in Memphis, Tennessee.

And there was that thing about food and water; we could only drink bottled water. No peeled fruit or vegetables could be eaten; absolutely no salads. Everything had to be cooked.

They posted 10,000 posters through out the villages and cities with our pictures announcing our coming. They were expecting a great move of God and they were not disappointed.

Pakistan is a poor country, yet they went to great lengths and expenses to get the word out. The Lord was sending Christians to answer "The Macedonian Call".

The Churches are small and made of home made brick. There are no upholstered pews with pampered, nodding saint sitting on them. These people were alert and hungry for the word of God. There were no choirs marching in, no sensationalism, and no endless announcements. They just wanted the sincere milk of the word.

The message taught was the doctrines and principles of the Christian faith. I taught the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, Godly living, having faith in God, sharing your faith and giving to the work of God in order to get more souls saved. There was none of this "wake sister so and so up next to you" during the message. We spoke through an interpreter and they hung on every word.

We were once escorted through a dark, winding alley by armed guards to a small Church; this Church was only allowed to conduct service at specified times. Bishop was blessing the building and suddenly an older Pakistani lady came forth and began to speak a prophetic word to me. She spoke the same prophetic word that Evangelist Missionary Bernice Coffer (deceased) had spoken over my life when I was a mere pre-teen. She reminded me that God anointed me for this work a long time ago. She said He would provide for me and protect me. It was hard to restrain ourselves during that move of God but we had to be quiet. There was activity taking place outside the Church that the armed guards were suspicious of. They hurriedly whisked us away. It was like something out of the book of Acts.

Pastor Shahzad, one of the younger pastors, had set up a Women's Conference in another city. I was not told of this prior to my coming. I could not bring them a traditional warm message about clothes; they were all wearing the same clothing. I was the only odd one among them with my dresses and skirts on. It was a somewhat new and yet rewarding experience.

I brought a message on Prayer and its effectiveness. The Pakistani Church loves prayer. The men had so graciously yielded their seats so more women could get in the meeting. However the men listened from the outside; Women's Conference or not, this was the word of God and they wanted to hear it too. They all are hungry for the pure word and for the simplicity that is in Christ. God met us and anointed me into bringing that message on prayer, after all, the Church was born out of a prayer meeting that concluded on the day of Pentecost.

Pastor Shahzad's mother conducts her Church services from her roof top, P.A. system and all. She is literally shouting the gospel from the roof top. She is a powerful Matriarch, a dynamic and fearless woman of God. If Deborah could judge Israel under a palm tree, then surely this mother in Zion can hold Church on her roof.

There are 16 women Pastors in Lahore Pakistan. Ironically, they are well received by everyone. We hear so much about the oppression of women in Muslim countries; but these women of God seem to be going forth unhindered.

The Pakistani people had a little cultural shock of their own where I was concerned. A tall African American female with braids, wearing dresses created quite a stir. I was being looked at wherever we went. I was not uncomfortable with that. Our largest meeting was attended by over 4,000 people. They love to be prayed for and to have hands laid on them. Many came forth wanting to be healed. There are so many respiratory illnesses because of the heavy pollution in the area. Over two thousand souls were harvested for the Lord! Reports are yet coming in of salvation and healings via email. God is awesome everywhere!

The children there are so precious; they prepared a song for us and sang it in English. They all went far out of the way to make us feel welcomed. Saints are the same everywhere.

There is much poverty there. So many people cannot read or write. We need to help them build schools for the children. They will someday be the ones God will use to spread the gospel. They need transportation to get into other areas to work, spread the gospel and follow-up on converts. There is a need for food, clothing, and shelter. Medical care is greatly needed. We need a tangible presence there. Jesus didn't just preach to the people who followed Him, He fed them also. We want to help them move toward self-reliance. The Pakistani Church does not want handouts, hand me downs, or a handover. The Pakistani Church needs a hand up!

When Peter and John saw the lame man at the gate Beautiful, the Bible said Peter took him by the right hand and lifted him up and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. Peter gave the man a hand up. This is what we want to do for the Pakistani Church.

If you have a burden for souls and want to be a part of "the Great Commission" ("go into all the world"). You can be by helping the Pakistani Church.

We concluded our tour in Pakistan and traveled to Lagos, Nigeria. We saw God move again in that three day convention. Many pastors, male and female rallied around Bishop Adebanjo as he preached and pronounced deliverance into their lives. I proclaimed the gospel the second night of the convention from the third chapter of Acts and prayed for thousands of people. The power of God was great and in Nigeria I was able to express myself much like I do at home. I will not elaborate extensively about our Nigerian venture in this article. The Lord willing I will expound upon this phase of the journey in a future article. However, I feel so blessed to be a part of this overseas mission's team. Bishop Adebanjo was very pleased with how the Lord has inspired me. He felt even the Customs officers seemed more relaxed because of the anointing.

I am now home in Memphis sitting on ready and waiting on my next assignment. The Lord said "go into all the World". The world is greater than North America. I want the World saved, one soul at a time. How about you?


DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHRISTIANS IN PAKISTAN - PRAY! PRAY!

It is the misfortune of the Christians in Pakistan that they are confronting numberless discriminations in Pakistan. In the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, we see many discriminations as well as in the Federal and Provincial Laws and many a countless discrimination are found.


Equality of Citizens

The Article 25(1) of Constitution 1973 is under: "All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law." It is the spirit and soul of the constitution but practically the situation is contrary.


Christian cannot be the President etc.

When every citizen is equal before Law, but according to the Article 42(2) of the Constitution 1973, the President, Chief of Army Staff etc. Shall only be Muslim while Christians cannot be appointed on these high official posts which is against the principles of equality and natural justice. In comparison, we see in India that the President is a Muslim and the Prime Minister is a Sikh and both these persons belong to the minority of India, the majority being the Hindus. So it is a big discrimination with the Christians that in a republic country, they cannot serve the country on the important posts.


Religious Education (Islamiat) for Muslim Students

The Article 22(1) states: "No person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction, or take part in any religious ceremony, or attend religious worship, if and instruction, ceremony or worship relates to a religion other than his own." The real situation is absolutely repugnant. The Christian students are compelled to study ethics while the Muslim students study Islamiat which is their own book of religion. According to the above mentioned article of the Constitution, the Christian students must be given the opportunity to study the book of their own religion. The Holy Bible should be added in the syllabus for the Christian students. The Christian students are compelled to study Islamiat on the ground that if they choose ethics as the alternate subject, they get just only passing marks while as compared to Muslim students who get 90% marks in Islamiat which makes difference of 30 to 40 marks on the aggregate. If a Christian student takes exam of ethics and the paper examiner is a Muslim and while marking the paper that is in his mind that the student is a Non-Muslim so he is reluctant to give him the maximum marks in ethics which create difficulty for the Christian students when he applies for admission for the higher studies. So it is against the spirit of equality and natural justice that the Christian students are deprived of their fundamental rights while, internationally, the subject of religion is optional while in Pakistan it is compulsory. Not only the Christian national faces the discrimination but the Christian students are also the victims of this discrimination in Pakistan.


No representation in Senate

The Government has given the representation in the Upper of the Parliament to all the communities in Pakistan, that is, representation to all the provinces, women, technocrats. But it is not understandable that why the Christians who are the biggest minority of the country is deprived of representation in the Senate.


Insufficient Representation in National Assembly

In the National Assembly of Pakistan, only 4 members are nominated. The Representation in the Union Council, Tehsil council, district council is 5% but in the provincial Assemblies and National Assembly, the Government has miserably failed to give 5% representation to the Non-Muslims.


No Representation in Federal Cabinet

The present Government is working with the largest Cabinet ever in the history of the country. But it is astonishing that not even a single Christian or non-Muslim has been included in the Federal Cabinet.


Minority Minister is a Muslim

The person who does not belong to the minority community has been appointed as the Federal Minister of the Minority Affairs. How a person who do not know the problems of the minorities can represent or solve their issues?


Blasphemy Laws as Nude Hanging Sword

Since the Blasphemy Law was promulgated, not even a single case has been proved to be true against a Christian. This law is misused since its formation. The people misuses it for their personal disputes. It is the nude hanging sword on the neck of the Christians. Many churches, hospitals and schools are burnt due to this law. This law is known as Section 295(a)(b)(c) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The Government has badly failed to control the misuse of this law. The Christians are murdered and compelled to leave their homeland due to this law.


Hadood Ordinances Against Christians

In 1979, Gen. Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq introduced Hadood and Zina Ordinace (Prohibition Enforcement of Hadood Order IV of 1979). This ordinance is applicable to all the citizens of Pakistan. This ordinance is that when a man commits adultery with a woman, he is punished under this ordinance, whether he is a Muslim or Non-Muslim. This law is absolutely against the spirit of Islam as the Islamic Laws are only applicable to the Muslims and the Non-Muslims are not subject to Islamic Laws.


Discrimination with Christian Women

From the Union Council level to the Senate, the Muslim women are given the 33% representation while the Christian women are totally ignored and there is no seat allocated to them in the Parliament as well as in the District Assembly.


Discrimination in Judiciary

In the present judicial system, not even a single Christian judge is working in the High Courts and Supreme courts of Pakistan. So far as the office of the advocate and attorney General is concerned, more than hundred officers are working but not even a single Christian is appointed on the above-mentioned post.


No Representation in Services

Under the Article 36 of the Constitution which is: "The State shall safeguard the legitimate rights and interest of minorities, including their due representation in the Federal and Provincial services." But practically, no special seats are reserved for the Christians or minorities in the Federal and Provincial Departments.