COVENANT ARK MINISTRIES
The name, COVENANT ARK MINISTRIES, came into existence through a Revelation given by God to Evangelist (Snr Elder) EROTU IKWAN UDEAGHA - while he was in detention at the LOME CIVIL PRISON in TOGO. The Revelation was given on JANUARY 4th, 2005. Evang EROTU spent 618 DAYS in detention.
THE MINISTRY:
a) COVENANT ARK MINISTRIES is established to run an intensive, effective and active Prayer Ministry in the PRISONS, REMAND HOMES, HOSPITALS, CENTRES FOR THE HANDICAP AND ORPHANAGES; and as a back-up to the WORD of God Ministry.
b) In COVENARK ARK MINISTRIES, we do the work of Evangelisation and Counseling Against Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Against Consumption of Intoxicants such as Drugs, Tobacco and Alcohol.
c) In COVENARK ARK MINISTRIES, we bring people to the Lord Jesus Christ - with the Word of God - through INDOOR and OUTDOOR REVIVALS & CRUSADES.
ABOUT PRISON:
There are three places in the World where people are NOT willing to go. No person of sound mind and good health is ever willing to go there. The three places are :- HOSPITAL, PRISON and GRAVE.
PRISON:
The Prison is a very big and the highest School of Learning where people do NOT want to go in as students - even as no Entrance Examinations and Tests are required to go into it. People do Not want to go to prison for so many reasons.
But, prison is a school that will never lack students. Prison is the oldest ( or one of the oldest) Centres of learning in the World. Many prominent leaders of diverse areas of life and scholars of great repute have passed, and are passing through this great and famous Institution.
INMATES:
There are three categories of Inmates in the prison:-
a) The first group of the inmates are those who are in the prison as punishment for the crimes and offences they committed - and according to the charges against them. Ecclesiastes 8:11, I TIM 5:24a
b) The second group of the inmates are those who are innocent of the charges that brought them there. But, they are in the prison to suffer punishment for crimes and offences which they committed in the time past - unpunished and forgotten. I TIM 5:24b.
c) The third group of inmates are those who are innocent of whatever charges that brought them there. They may there because somebody wanted to intimidate and punish them unjustifiably, or by human error etc. ROM. 8:28.
All these three categories of people are in the prison according to the WILL of God for their lives. This is a basic TRUTH. No person is in the prison by accident or outside the will of God.
WRONG APPROACH:
Some ministries come to preach the Gospel in the Prisons - without understanding the basic problems of the Prison Institution. The Prison is supposed to be a place of Reformation and Transformation. But, we observe, with dismay, that many who go into the Prison come out from the Prison more ruthless and hardened in the evil way. For example, someone who went to Prison on pick-pocket Offence graduates from the prison as a determined Armed Robber.
REASONS:
There are fundamental factors responsible for this ugly scenario.
a) DEMONIC FORCES: The Prison is an arena of war - a battle field between the forces of darkness and the Power of the Gospel of Christ Jesus.
The Kingdom of darkness is determined to increase its fold among the prison inmates - and it does so through the various Criminal groups in the prison: Murderers, Armed Robbers, Rapists, Drug Addicts Fraudsters etc. These groups recruit new and unsuspecting inmates into their groups - by providing for them those basic needs of the inmates. They entice them with those things which are not available to the ordinary inmates - but are very necessary.
Some of the inmates have the opportunity to hear the Word of God in the prison. But, the Word of God preached, without a material assistance to them that hear/receive the Word does NOT give the necessary encouragement. Assistance in FOOD, CLOTHING, MEDICAMENTS and SUNDRIES are very important in winning Souls for the Lord Jesus in the prisons.
COUNSELING:
The prison inmates who hear the Word of God also need effective and result-oriented Counseling programme. ACTS 20:27, PSA 33:11.
These inmates need to know why they are in the prison; what brought them to prison; the consequences which follow if they do NOT turn away from such.
The Counseling enables the inmates to see a rosy, fruitful and fulfilling life outside the criminal and fast lane of life.
The Word of God constantly gives the Way and the Light out of the old destructive way of life that brought many to prison. PROV. 23:26.
4) PRAYER MINISTRY:
The Prayer Ministry is the basic programme that should should be put in place in every prison -- as a fundamental tool of transformation of the lives of the inmates.
A prayerful inmate, with Word of God, sees in the spiritual, a very good and bright future - away from crimes and violence. An inmate must be thought how to pray and to stay on prayers - MATT. 26:41, I THESS. 5:17, PHILIPP. 4:6.
If the right spiritual being is formed and nourished in the inmate, the transformation of life has begun.
PRAYER PARTNERS:
Formation of small Prayer Partners must be encouraged among the inmates that hear the Word of God. Prayer partnership involves individuals choosing among themselves partners that will help them share and carry their individual burdens and problems in prayers.
Our Lord Jesus Christ worked with prayer partnership in His earthly ministry. MATT 17:1, MATT 26:36-38; GAL. 6:2.
Prayers become more committed and active, with quick results - when shared among few partners. MATT 18:20,19,18.
REHABILITATION :
The first thing an ex-prison inmate needs as he steps into his freedom is a well tailored Rehabilitation Programme. The stigma many societies attach to the ex-inmates does NOT help them. The ex-inmates are ostracised, neglected, rejected and dejected by their families and the Society. Many of these ex-inmates, out of these hostile frustrations are drawn back into the old ways they would have abandoned. This should NOT be so.
So, COVENANT ARK MINISTRIES is putting in place a Rehabilitation Programme - with the assistance of any interested groups, ministries and individuals, that will enhance the self-independence of the ex-prison Inmates.
ABOUT THE COORDINATOR:
The Coordinator of COVENANT ARK MINISTRIES is Evangelist (Snr Elder) EROTU IKWAN UDEAGHA.
Evang. Erotu Ikwan was born on 7th October, 1958.
He received Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour, in February 1987, and became a born-again Christian in CHRIST ASCENSION CHURCH- TOGO. Evang Erotu became a Sunday School Teacher in the Church in 1989; and today he is the Superintendent of the Sunday School Board of CHRIST ASCENSION CHURCH-TOGO.
Evang Erotu is an ordained Elder of his Church and also he is the National General Secretary of Christ Ascension Church-Togo since 1991.
Evangelist Erotu is married.
Evangelist (Elder) Erotu Ikwan was unjustifiably detained in the Lom� Civil Prison for 618 days for failed transactions his Company had with a foreign Supplier under a Credit Insurance scheme.
In the Prison, God gave Evang Erotu this Ministry, COVENANT ARK MINISTRIES. The work of this Ministry is to carry the ministration of the Word of God and Prayer to Prison Institutions, Remand Homes, Hospitals, Homes for the Handicap and Orphanages.
God, also, gave the Evangelist the work of carrying the Word of God to the people through a Radio ministry by name, COVENANT HOUR RADIO MINISTRY. The Radio Ministry was given on June 10th, 2005.
While in the Prison, God used Evang Erotu Ikwan ( with the help of other ministers) to transform the EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH in the Lom� Civil Prison into a Living Church. Evang Erotu ministered there as a Pastor and rose to the position of the most Senior Overseer of the Church from November 2004 to November 2nd, 2005, when he regained his freedom.
CALLED MINISTERS: Through the ministry of Evang Erotu in the Prison, some fourteen young men received full and higher Calling as full-time ministers and Co-labourers with God in His Vineyard. These ministers were, and are still the Prayer Partners of Evang Erotu while in Prison. Some of these partners are already free from Prison.
And the Prayer Partnership Programme Evang Erotu formed in the Prison is still existing in the Lom� Civil Prison today. The name of the prayer partners is HELMET OF SALVATION PRAYER PARTNERS.
OUR AIM:
COVENANT ARK MINISTRIES is established to carry the Word of God, with all the above issues mentioned to all the Prison formations in TOGO and in the entire West African Countries.
Our aim is to present the Word of God to the Prison Community, the Sick, the less privileged, the handicapped and the Orphans in the most active, effective and corrective perspective.
OUR APPEAL:
We are appealing to individuals, groups and ministries who share this burden of the ministry to come forward, that we may join hands and work together as a team to help humanity
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