New Estate Baptist Church marks 60th anniversary

New Estate Baptist Church (NEBC), Surulere, Lagos, has begun activities to mark its 60th anniversary.

NEBC, which clocked 60 years on February 12, 2021, has lined up a-year- long activities for the celebration, beginning with an anniversary service on February 14, 2021 at the church’s premises.

The theme of the anniversary is “New Estate Baptist Church Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: An Enduring Legacy”. Other activities include SME grant competition for young entrepreneurs and business persons from NEBC family churches; community-based projects; education conference for teachers of targeted schools; donation of IT equipment to selected schools within the church’s Surulere community and music concert by NEBC family churches.

Briefing newsmen in Lagos, Pastor-in-charge of NEBC, Rev. Amos Achi Kunat, alongside other church clerics, recalled how the church came into existence.

He said that in 1960, a new housing estate development was embarked on by the Lagos Executive Development Board (LEDB) in Surulere, otherwise known as New Lagos, to resettle displaced people from Lagos Island.

Following the development, Kunat said the City Mission Committee of the then Lagos Baptist Association conducted a study for siting of an English-speaking Baptist church in the new community to cater for non-Yoruba speaking population among the settlers.

According to him, Yaba Baptist Church volunteered to take on the daunting challenge that produced a small band of members from the church that sowed seed for the new church, with its first service conducted on February 12, 1961 in a classroom at Obele Odan Municipal Primary School. 

“On Sunday, March 5, 1961, the new ‘preaching station’ (Church) formally assumed the name of New Estate Baptist Church and commenced full service with its first leader, Deacon Olabode Feyijinmi, who held the church until August 11, 1961 when Deacon Folorunso Bamijoko, appointed by Yaba Baptist Church, took over as the substantive leader.”

Rev. Kunat explained that the celebration is not necessarily to sing the church’s praise, but to reflect on God’s goodness and mercies, and document some of the church’s milestones within the 60 years.