YOU don't need to be told that the Spirit of God was in the environment. It was a Tuesday evening and the auditorium of the Church was filled with people. Men, women, young girls and boys all throng the vicinity. It was the Church's miracle service. And if you did not check the signboard of the Church before you entered, you would probably think the Church was a Pentecostal Church. But it is not. It is St. Andrew Anglican Church.

The worshippers were engrossed that evening. The worship was elevating. When the minister in charge mounted the pulpit, he preached with the fervour of the biblical Stephen and the whole congregation was wrapped in a spirit filled milieu. The worship, the song and the message all combined to make the environment something every bible believing person would want to identify with.

This is not the traditional Anglican Church. For some Christians, Anglican Churches are not evangelical, they are not Pentecostal and they are not charismatic. But Saint Andrew and indeed many Anglican Churches are debunking that notion with the kind of things going on in the Churches. There is general awakening in the Churches and the believers in these Churches are going about the work of the Lord with the whole of their hearts, surrendering themselves to the service of God.

The Anglican Church is no longer the Church where anything goes. And it wasn't so in the past. Ven. Tunde Owoyele woo is in charge of the Church, in a recent chat with him, said most people who are not members of the Anglican Church have very wrong impression about the Church. "Some people think we are not strong. They think we are not evangelical. They believe we don't preach the bible. But they are all wrong."

He reasoned that the fact that some people are misbehaving in the Church does not mean the Church is not a serious Church. "You will always get people that are doing the wrong thing everywhere. You have them in the Pentecostal Churches and you have them in orthodox Churches. The Church is universal. We only assemble to worship God. The Church transcends the four walls of the building we call Church. That is why in the Anglican Church we emphasize relationship with God to our members."

The cleric who is also Archdeacon of Ipaja Archdeaconry of the Anglican Communion described the Anglican Church as a Church that is well orthodox Churches. The Church is universal. We only assemble to worship God. The Church transcends the, four walls of the building we call Church. That is why in the Anglican Church we emphasize relationship with God to our members."

"... most people who are not members of the Anglican Church have very wrong impression about the Church. "Some people think we are not strong. They think we are not evangelical. They believe we don't preach the bible. But they are all wrong."

The cleric who is also Archdeacon of Ipaja Archdeaconry of the Anglican Communion described the Anglican Church as a Church that is well organized. "The reason some people may not find the J Anglican Church too comfortable for them is that it is a Church where pastors are accountable. You cannot do anything. You cannot dip hand into the treasury of the Church anyhow. There is the parish council which consists of representatives of the Church. That is where decisions are taken concerning how the Church is run."

But beyond the issue of legalism, Owoyele insists that the Church is a Pentecostal "We are Pentecostal. We are charismatic. God established the Church. It will interest you to know that missionaries started the Church. Those who started the Church were evangelicals and they were people who came to sacrifice all they had so that people would get into God's kingdom."

While noting that the there are a lot of committed hands in the Church, he said, "what you must realize is that God is doing a lot of things in the Church. We don't make so much noise about the miracles that happen. That does not mean those who make noise are doing the wrong thing, I think it is a question of style. And we believe that the salvation of souls is greater that any miracle that anybody may think of. If a soul is saved, there is joy in heaven. I think that is the greatest thing that can happen to any person living on earth."

Owoyele disclosed that his ministry took a new dimension when he had an accident some years ago said, "Over the years I have come to understand the awesomeness of God. After the accident, I was left on the road for hours before I was taken to the hospital. Many people thought I would not survive it. But God took control. He saved me. And since then, I have come to understand the enormity of God's grace and power."

"We are Pentecostal. We are charismatic. God established the Church. It will interest you to know that missionaries started the Church. Those who started the Church were evangelicals and they were people who came to sacrifice all they had so that people would get into God's kingdom."

He noted that the common prayer book of the Anglican Church is based on what is in the book. "I can tell you that the prayer book is comprehensive. For instance, the idea of an anointing service is in the book. We recognize anointing service and we do it in the Anglican Church. It is not a new invention. It is not r an invention of the Pentecostals. It is a bible-based phenomenon. The problem is that it has been bastardized in some gatherings."

He said further, "We believe in evangelism. We hold I crusades and we emphasise the teaching of the word of God. We believe through the teaching of the world, souls will be liberated. We believe lives will be trans­formed. It is the word of God that heals and purifies."

He said many Churches are in trouble today because pastors no longer teach the word. "The emphasis today is more on miracles. The attention given to the word of God is minimal. There are Churches where the word of God is given a second place. That is why you see such congregation misbehaving. If you are not properly fed with the word of God, there is no way you can grow. In the Anglican Church, we place emphasis on the word and encourage our members to pay attention to the word because that is what is useful in the House of God."