Agnes Okoh
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Agnes Okoh (May 1905 – March 10, 1995)Okoh, Agnes addendum
/ref> was a Nigerian, an
Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...
who became a Christian
evangelist Evangelist(s) may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a ...
. She was the founder of Christ Holy Church International, an African Independent Church in Nigeria.


Early life

Agnes Okoh was born in Ndoni in
Rivers State Rivers is a states of Nigeria, state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed on 27 May 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria, Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include Imo State, Im ...
, Nigeria in 1905, the only survivor of thirteen children born to Onumba Emordi, a farmer, and Ntonefu, a trader. She received little or no schooling and was illiterate; her parents were not
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, but she would occasionally attend the Catholic church in Ndoni. After her parents had died, she moved to live with relatives in
Asaba City Asaba (''Igbo:'' ''Ahaba'') is the capital of Delta State, Nigeria. A rapidly growing urban area, it is located on the western bank of the Niger River and is the seat of the Oshimili South Local Government Area. Asaba had a population of 149,6 ...
in
Delta State Delta is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South (Nigeria), South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named after the Niger Delta—a large part of which is in the state—the state was formed from the former Bendel State, on 27 August 1 ...
, where in 1924 she married James Okoh, a
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
ian sailor. They had two children, Anyetei and Anyele, and her husband died in 1930. Then her daughter Anyele died in 1938, after which she suffered from severe
migraine Migraine (, ) is a complex neurological disorder characterized by episodes of moderate-to-severe headache, most often unilateral and generally associated with nausea, and light and sound sensitivity. Other characterizing symptoms may includ ...
s and depression. After conventional medicine and traditional remedies had failed, she consulted Ma Ozoemena, a
prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...
ess who lived in
Enugu Enugu () verbally pronounced as "Enụgwụ" by the Igbo indigenes is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the so ...
, and after days of praying, recovered and ceased having migraines. She moved permanently to Enugu, studied under Ma Ozoemena and discovered she had spiritual gifts. While awaiting a call from God to serve him, she made a living from trading in
textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...
s.


Ministry

The call came in 1943 when she repeatedly heard a voice in her head saying "Matthew Ten". After some bewilderment, she discovered that this referred to the biblical instructions of Jesus in
Saint Matthew's Gospel The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ), Jesus, his resurrection, and his mission to the wor ...
, chapter ten, telling his disciples to preach the gospel far and wide. By 1947, with encouragement from Ma Ozoemena, she felt ready to start evangelising, sold her profitable textile business and distributed her money to the poor. She started her public ministry in the marketplace in
Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...
, carrying a bell and a Bible, singing gospel songs, praying and exhorting people to renew their lives in Jesus. Many people came to listen, and some were healed of their ailments. She soon became widely known in Igboland and was invited to visit towns and villages in the surrounding area to evangelise. At each place, she sought the permission of the elders before starting singing, praying, preaching healing and prophesying. Periodically she would return to Onitsha where her mentor, Ma Ozoemena was based. Here she set up a prayer house headquarters in an unfinished building, and trained twelve people, ten men and two women, to join her in her ministry. She endeavored to establish places of worship for her converts. Certain village elders permitted her to construct these buildings on sites known as "evil forests." This posed a trial for the new religious group, as it was believed that the spirits of the outcasts buried there would haunt them. Undeterred, she accepted the challenge, prayed fervently, and successfully erected church buildings without any harm coming to her or her converts. She encouraged the villagers to live in and farm these areas and was known as "Odozi Obodo" (nation builder) because of her ability to overcome the forces of the evil forests. Her ministry flourished, but in 1965 she prophesied that Nigeria would soon be in turmoil, and during the Civil War (1966–1970) in eastern Nigeria, closed all the prayer houses and encouraged her converts to move to the more peaceful area of
Arondizuogu Arondizuogu (Aro-ndizuogu) is a town inhabited by the Aro people, an Igbo subgroup in Imo State of Nigeria. The Arondizuogu community is believed to have migrated from Arochukwu in the present Abia State to their current settlements in Imo State, ...
. The war ended in 1970, things returned to normal, and the Christ Holy Church International, as it was now known, continued to expand.


Legacy

Throughout her life, Okoh was known for her humility and acts of charity. She has had her enemies and critics and survived an attempt on her life. Some people resented her success as a female evangelist. She retired from the ministry in 1980 and returned to live in her birth town of Ndoni. Here she oversaw the building of a primary school and a nursery school, a maternity unit and a public water supply, and she organised the construction of new roads. She died in 1995 at the age of ninety. Her son predeceased her, but her grandson, Daniel Okoh, is the current overseer of the Christ Holy Church International, which currently employs fifteen hundred pastors, and has nearly two million members.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okoh, Agnes 1905 births 1995 deaths Nigerian evangelists Nigerian Christian religious leaders Women Christian clergy Igbo people 20th-century Nigerian people People from Ogba–Egbema–Ndoni