40,000 Christians gathered in London’s ExCeL for the annual New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations event. AJ Gomez reports
A reported 40,000 people have gathered at London’s ExCeL Arena for Pastor Eze’s New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations (NSPPD) annual UK conference.
The atmosphere was one of pure intensity, much of it owing to the curation of the day’s six-hour programme of worship and prayer.
A Spiritual Rally
From Nigerian worship leader Emmasings’ opening set to Pastor Jerry Eze’s closing words, every moment was either a celebration, or the declaration that the next one was imminent.
When two pastors of the ministry took the stage there were no introductions or preamble. They launched straight into speaking in tongues and the force of their delivery was mirrored by the audience. Their presence demanded, almost provoked, a zeal that became tangible throughout the venue.
One declared, “The shouting side is the winning side!” The other built on it: “You are not shouting like you know that the walls have now crumbled! You are not shouting like you know that you are leaving here with your evidence! You are not shouting like you know that all the negativity that came with you is not permitted to go back with you!”
Ten more minutes of such declarations followed — promises of marriages arriving sooner than expected, of immigration papers being delivered swiftly — before the two pastors, hand in hand, proclaimed: “Can we be the first to say to you…Congratulations!” Their felicitations cementing the declarations as though fulfilment had already arrived.
With the opening declarations complete, attention turned to those who had seen past prayers come to fruition and testimonies were called for.
Declarations Realised
The first testifier was a woman who described her long struggle to leave Nigeria for the UK. Her family had a history of deportations, and her initial visa application had been denied. In tears, she’d tuned into an NSPPD livestream where Pastor Jerry declared: “You’re crying about your visa? Go back, this time it will not take seven days.”
Encouraged, she travelled to Lagos to seek help, she encountered another NSPPD follower who directed her to the British Council in a neighbouring city. There, both the gatekeeper and a staff member turned out to be members of the ministry as well. With their support, she completed the required exam and her application was approved.
The next testimony was from a nurse who said a false accusation against her had led to a prolonged legal dispute. The ordeal forced her to leave the UK temporarily and return to Nigeria, before eventually being cleared to resume her job. During one of her trips to Abuja, Nigeria she unexpectedly met the man who would become her husband after having given up on relationships for 27 years.
Following several more testimonies, the conference continued its dynamic back-and-forth between declarations and celebrations. Minister Dunsin Oyekan commissioned attendees to leave their burdens behind and enter a sacred space. Hands rose, each holding physical prayer points visualising areas of life awaiting breakthrough. A sea of papers were hoisted high: employment contracts, diplomas, pictures of desired homes and loved ones needing prayer, and, in the case of the woman to my left, a personal list of ‘new beginnings’.
“What God cannot do…does not exist”
Once Minister Oyekan completed his session, Pastor Jerry Eze assumed the stage. Over the next two hours, he guided the crowd through the protocol he has established at NSPPD: the continuous exchange of declarations and celebrations. About an hour into his prayers — there were bursts of prophecy that attendees were urged to claim.
Cameramen darted across the venue, trying to capture each claimed miracle as ministers rushed from person to person with a mic prompting them to explain the miracle they had just received. People were coming out of wheelchairs, dropping crutches, and jogging around their section of seats.
It became almost like a competition between the ministers, “We found one here!” voices shouting, then another, “Pastor Jerry over here!”— the crowd erupting each time a miracle was claimed.
A man who had been confined to a wheelchair for 14 years walked across the floor. Elsewhere, another man who had suffered persistent waist pain bent and squatted in demonstration of his healing. A young woman who had been on crutches earlier in the day danced freely, laughing as she moved without assistance. A stroke survivor took her first unaided steps, a woman removed her hand braces and clenched her fist effortlessly, while a young girl regained full movement of previously paralysed eye muscles. What about the woman who had been unable to walk without pain due to a tumour? She ran across the arena with her arms raised in joy.
Such occurrences underscored the ministry’s mantra, “What God cannot do does not exist”.
Amen to the biggest testimony
The chaos of healings and miracles gave way to a sobering conclusion. Pastor Jerry’s birthday had been the day before, and standing before a London-themed cake, he received the crowd’s rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’.
But with NSPPD’s trademark being its spiritual electricity; a calm and gentle ending wouldn’t suffice. Just before leaving the stage, Pastor Jerry delivered one final declaration: “The person with the biggest testimony for next year is the one with the loudest amen right now. I announce that your prayers are answered, a new level has been achieved; what you are about to hear next will be congratulations. Receive it right now!”
As expected, 40,000 amens rang out in a joyful contest, each trying to better the former. More declarations. More celebrations.
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