T.B. Joshua’s Church donates $2250 to a US homeless organization

Africans are historically known to be ever dependent on the western world, but this week, a Nigerian clergyman made history by becoming the first African churchman to send aid to the United States of America.

T.B Joshua’s church,The Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos, Nigeria on Wednesday made a historic and unheard of move by donating $2250 to a US homeless organisation, the Lord’s Ranch.

The donation surprised many who would never expect a donation from Africa to help the poor in the world’s most powerful and one of the world’s richest of nations, the United States.

Ian Cull of the American news outlet ABC News reported that a local church in the Washington area facilitated the donation of $2250 from The SCOAN to pay for shelter for over 30 men who are either recovering drug addicts or are just homeless. The money was used to purchase quality weather resistant clothing, plenty of food, and new snow tires for the ranch’s van.

“This is quality that will last with the guys and something good they’ve never had in their life,” one of the overwhelmed residents Joseph Boenick said.

“We’ll be warm out in the woods while we’re out cutting wood and doing our job and we won’t be cold. Our feet won’t be freezing,” he asserted, explaining that many of the men were regularly working outside in torrid conditions with barely any protection against the elements.

The head of the US based The Lord’s Ranch, Adrian Simila, was astounded at the generosity meted out by an organisation they had no prior contact with:

“It’s amazing this church in Lagos, Nigeria said they want to do something to help the poor in America because we’re having a financial crisis here.”

This is real, not a scam from Nigeria!

Simila said the gift helped him appreciate that the negative connotations attached to Nigeria through various media outlets are not always true. “This is a real tangible gift. It’s not a scam from Nigeria; this is the real deal,” he acknowledged.

Grateful volunteers at the Lord’s Ranch said the donations will further help them farm their vegetables and take care of their cattle. Boenick, one of the residents, encouraged other ministries to emulate The SCOAN’s charitable acts. “When churches band together, stuff like this is possible. This is so good; this is a big blessing,” he said.

Aside from the global charitable activities, Prophet T.B. Joshua, who is a known philanthropist and also runs a Christian television station Emmanuel TV, sent teams with trailer loads of provisions to less privileged areas in the far reaches of Northern Nigeria. Thousands of bags of rice were sent to Borno, Yobe, Plateau, Niger, Kaduna and Abuja alongside substantial cash gifts, what was said to be a bold message that love is the best means of dousing the political and religious tensions in the area which this month saw many being killed on Christmas day.