You're reading: Kyiv’s Embassy of God has world reach

The non-denominational Embassy of God church claims to have millions of members and hundreds of churches worldwide - and it all started with a congregation of seven people who met in a Kyiv apartment less than a decade ago.

It is 8 a.m. on the damp November morning ,and 1,000 members of Kyivs Embassy of God congregation are gathered in front of the city administration building on Khrechshatyk to protest the citys refusal to renew th lease on a sports complex they use as a church (See story, page 1).

There is no outwardly apparent characteristic that binds these people to one another. A quick scan of the crowd reveals people predominantly between the ages of 20 and 40. There are several blacks, and at least two tired-looking men with scarred faces and watery red eyes – perhaps some of the addicts and transients that the church claims have joined after benefiting from its social programs.

Hands lifted in the air, they sway together and sing in the cold, their collective breath creating a cloud of condensation. The singing becomes louder when Pastor Sunday Adelaja, the church’s leader, arrives at the steps of the government building.

A cheer rolls through the crowd as Adelaja walks toward his congregation. He stops just short of his followers, throws his head up to the sky, and calls out. “Hallelujah!”

Though the crowd on the sidewalk represents only a fraction of the congregation claimed by the church, the response is deafening.

The church reports that it has 25,000 members in Kyiv alone, and Adelaja claims a million are registered with the church in Kyiv.

The non-denominational church claims tremendous growth. Starting with a congregation of seven people who met in a Kyiv apartment, the church, officials say, now has 25 churches in the city and 100 more across Ukraine. There are 300 Embassy of God churches worldwide, including Canada, the United States, India, South Africa, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Latvia and Holland.

If the church’s membership figures are to be believed, the Embassy of God might be one of the fastest-growing churches in Europe.

The Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations was founded as the Slovo Very charismatic church. The church’s administrator, Andrey Kuksenko, described the church as a “charismatic, full-gospel church.”

The evangelical church broadcasts its services live every week on cable television in Kyiv and via satellite in Africa and Europe. Its charismatic leader, Adelaja, preaches in Russian, buoying the church’s popularity in Eastern Europe.

The church paints Adelaja as a religious success story. Raised in Nigeria, Adelaja won a scholarship to Belarus State University in 1986 during Soviet times. Six months before he arrived in Belarus, he underwent a religious conversion. Though he completed a master’s degree in journalism, Adelaja held underground church services while a student. He was eventually deported from Belarus by the KGB, but rather than returning to Nigeria, he came to Kyiv, where he landed a job with a television station.

The station manager allowed Adelaja to produce his own Christian television show, marking the start of a career as an evangelist. Adelaja officially registered his church in 1994. Now he’s head of a church that boasts millions of members.

He’s an attractive man in his mid-30s with an infectious smile and a quick wit. When asked whether Mayor Omel-chenko will renew the lease on the sports complex, he replies, “you can never predict a Russian mind.”

He laughs to himself and shakes his head. Ever an optimist, Adelaja keeps a healthy sense of humor in the face of what he says have been threats to himself and his organization.

While Adelaja said that his skin color makes him a visible target, his imposing physical presence extends far beyond his race. He is tall, with broad shoulders and a large smile. He wears a fur hat and an ankle-length leather coat. He would probably still stand out if he were white.

“I’ve been attacked many times,” he acknowledged. He said that he never goes out alone.

Two large-framed bodyguards trail Adelaja through the crowd and close in on anyone who comes too near. Many parishioners do approach Adelaja, though, greeting him with affection and a certain amount of awe. Women kiss him on the cheek and men embrace him.

Although the church is Christian and the members claim God as their ultimate leader, there is no question but that Adelaja is clearly the boss.

The presence of a powerful religious organization with a Nigerian at the helm has been a point of contention with the Ukrainian government. Between 1997 and 2000, the church underwent intense scrutiny from politicians. When members of parliament claimed that it was illegal for foreigners to preach in Ukraine, Adelaja was threatened with deportation.

The minister rallied 50 members of parliament – including several church members – to his defense. Though some in government continue to be bothered by his presence and activities, for now, Adelaja remains.

“The government always accuses me of being a CIA agent,” Adelaja says as though he’s telling the lead-up to a great joke. “They think we are a cult.”

Although the church reaches most people through its television broadcasts, the government remains suspicious.

“It’s partly the influence of the Orthodox church. They say that all Ukrainians are Orthodox. They say that if people come to our church, we must have converted them,” Adelaja said.

The church operates a soup kitchen and runs a rehabilitation center for drug addicts and alcoholics. Kuksenko said that participants are “invited” to attend church services. While it is not mandatory, he said, most eventually join the congregation.

The church claims to have converted wealthy business executives and prominent politicians, in addition to former criminals and addicts.

Though Adelaja claims that “the church is … not about politics” the line between church and state can blur, as it did on the front steps of Kyiv’s city hall.