White garments and bare feet: how the Celestial Church of Christ began in Porto-Novo in 1947
On Sunday mornings in Lagos and Cotonou, streams of people in flowing white garments walk barefoot into their churches. They are members of the Celestial Church of Christ, one of Africa’s largest indigenous churches.
The church was founded in 1947 in Porto-Novo, in what was then the French colony of Dahomey and is now the Republic of Benin.
The founder
Samuel Bilewu Oshoffa was a carpenter and trader of Yoruba descent. According to the church’s account, in 1947 he went into a forest to buy wood, got lost and spent several days there. During that time, he said, he received a divine call to lead a new church. After returning, he began to pray for the sick and to preach, and followers gathered around him.
Prophets and white garments
The Celestial Church belongs to the wider family of African independent churches known in Nigeria as Aladura, or praying churches. They emphasise prayer, visions, prophecy, healing and spiritual protection, and they combine Christian worship with African forms of expression. Members wear white robes, known as sutanas, during worship. White symbolises purity and holiness. Shoes are removed before entering church, following the example of Moses taking off his sandals on holy ground.
The church has strict rules on dress, diet and behaviour, including bans on alcohol and certain foods.
Nigeria and beach prayers
The church spread quickly into Nigeria, especially among the Yoruba. Its headquarters moved to Nigeria, and a large camp at Imeko, Oshoffa’s hometown area in Ogun State, became a centre for pilgrimage and gatherings. Parishes were planted across West Africa, Europe and North America. Many Celestial parishes hold services and vigils on beaches, and members go to the seashore to pray, bathe and seek spiritual cleansing. The sea plays an important part in the church’s practice.
After Oshoffa
Oshoffa died in 1985 after injuries sustained in a car accident. The church faced leadership disputes in the years that followed, with rival claimants to the position of pastor. Celestial services are lively, with singing, drumming, clapping and prayer. Visioners and prophets play an important role, and many people visit for spiritual guidance and healing. A carpenter lost in the woods in 1947 started a church that now has millions of members. On beaches in Lagos and Cotonou, its white-robed faithful still gather to pray by the sea, a sight that has become part of the coastline itself.
