Where Lagos' outcasts go to worship

One by one, the signature yellow vans of Lagos roll up to the front doors of the former Media Center of the News Agency of Nigeria. Before they even come to a stop, the doors slide open and nearly a dozen people begin spilling out of each one into the parking lot.

Swiftly, they all scatter, going off to embrace friends, getting in line for a quick haircut, scoping out the charity shop or heading inside to start praying.

It’s just another Sunday for the God Bless Nigeria Church, a congregation whose mission is to provide a haven for the impoverished and outcast in the city.

A branch of the House of Freedom Churches, God Bless Nigeria formed 11 years ago under the direction of Senior Pastor Tony Rupa and a group of fellow pastors at the church.

“We sort of felt God was asking us to come to the inner city and reach out to the downtrodden, reach out to all sorts of people … criminals, sex workers, poor people, homeless people,” said  Lead Pastor Steve Nduka.

“We just thought that there’s a need to reach out to these demographics because the government wasn’t really doing anything about it and the regular church won’t accommodate them.”

Since its inception, the God Bless Nigeria Church has served more than 30,000 people.

“So, we just thought, OK, how can we reach out to this segment of the society,” said Nduka.

In its mission to serve the outcast population, God Bless Nigeria aims to provide more than just a welcoming place of worship. The church provides free services for its flock such as, transportation, grooming and hygiene, vocational training, basic medical attention, prison ministry, drug rehabilitation and more.

Nduka said what makes the work so rewarding is seeing the transformation of people that come to them.

“It’s the lives,” he said. “Some of the pastors in the second level of leadership we have here, were guys that we met on the street. Some of them were criminals, they were gang members, they were drug addicts when we came.

“So, for me, the most fulfilling part of what I do is seeing them transformed to now becoming change agents.”

Photos by Kaitlin Englund