Sunday Adelaja

Sunday Adelaja
Sunday Adelaja (2007) Sunday Adelaja (2007)
Occupation	Author Pastor Founder
Spouse	Bose Abosede Adelaja
Children	Perez, Zoe and Pearl
Website
http://www.pastorsunday.com/

Sunday Adelaja is the founder and pastor of the Embassy of God Charismatic church in Kiev, Ukraine. He immigrated to Ukraine from Nigeria and achieved prominence despite the characteristic prejudices faced by people from outside the former USSR area, and particularly blacks, in the former-USSR countries.

Embassy of God and Adelaja have faced lots of criticism from the local Eastern Orthodox Church authorities and from political groups hostile to the Western world.

Life, Education and Mission

Sunday Sunkanmi Adelaja was born in the village of Idomila Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria. He became Christian in March 1986 just before graduating from high school. After graduation Adelaja received a scholarship to study journalism at the Belarusian State University in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR. He was threatened there by authorities for a picture in his house of Jesus and in spite of danger began Christian activities in Russia during his studies. After graduating he was barred from returning to the country due to his missions work he married, took a job in Kiev, where he eventually founded and became pastor of the Embassy of God church. This church has greatly influenced the city of Kiev, having also been credited with starting the peaceful gatherings that lead to the Orange Revolution. Sunday Adelaja has denounced in Ukrainian media his implied initiation of the Orange Revolution. His Embassy of God in Kyiv is related to ruling mayor Leonid Chernovetsky who is in overt opposition to the principle actors of the Orange Revolution, including Premier Yulia Tymoshenko.

He now works to equip church leaders in Western Europe and Nigeria, with a focus on helping the church to spend less on itself and more on the practical works that bring change to lives, governments and cultures. His passion is birthed by a love for God that leads him to spend a week out of every month in prayer and fasting.

Accusations of fraud

Adelaja, pastor of Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations in Kiev, was accused in November of being involved in the dealings of King’s Capital, a financial group led by a member of his congregation. The company drew many of its investors from the church, also known as God’s Embassy, promising as much as 60 percent returns on investments.

But last month, several church members went to authorities saying they were unable to recover the money they invested, which left many of them bankrupt. Police later arrested one of King’s Capital leaders, Aleksandr Bandurchenko, on suspicion of fraud.

On February 5, 2009 a criminal case against Sunday Adelaja was filed on suspicion of fraud. Adelaja was ordered not to leave Kiev. Investigators say they have testimony, including testimony by officials, indicating that Adelaja was involved in the financial machinations allegedly committed by the King’s Capital financial group. Kiev’s Mayor Chernovetsky had earlier said that Adelaja was not involved in the financial machinations at King’s Capital.

See also

• Embassy of God

External links

• The Embassy of God church
• ChurchShift Sunday Adelaja's book that became #6 on Amazon.com's bestseller list
• Money won't make you rich Sunday Adelaja's latest book in English
• Pastor Sunday Adelaja is on Facebook
• Pastor Sunday Adelaja to receive William J. Seymour award in The Christian Messenger, India's Evangelical Newspaper (April 2009)
• Sunday Adelaja Marks 15 Years in Ministry Despite Controversy in Charisma magazine (April 2009)
• The previous General public prosecutor of Ukraine, Sviatoslav Piskun: Lutsenko has broken the Constitution in case of pastor Sunday Adelaja
• The Minister of Justice does not support Lutsenko’s accusations against Adeladja
• Deputy of the Head of Administration of the President of Ukraine Igor Popov is disturbed at the Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko’s actions against Sunday Adelaja
• Political Scientist Olexandr Doniy, from the same party as Luzhenko believes Sunday Adelaja has never been involved with King’s Capital
• Sunday Adelaja Accused of Supporting Investment Scheme in Charisma magazine (December 2008)
• Sunday Adelaja's biography at the website of Family Aid International, an Embassy of God partner organization
• The Unlikely Ambassador in Charisma magazine (October 2007)
• Pastor Speaks at the United Nations in Charisma magazine (August 2007)
• Ukraine's Influential Church Leader Shifting the Way Americans Think Church in The Christian Post (June 2007)
• European Pastor Wants to Change the American Church in Charisma magazine (June 2007)
• Nigerian pastor finds new flock in Ukraine in BBC NEWS UK (October 2006)
• Wall Street Journal: "Man With a Mission"
• Adelaja Watch, website critical about Sunday Adelaja, and the organization behind the website, The Centers for Apologetics Research, is as well critical to Benny Hinn, C. Peter Wagner, César Castellanos, David Yonggi Cho, John Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth E. Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Oral Roberts, Rick Joyner, Rick Warren, Rodney Howard-Browne, T. D. Jakes and Tommy Tenney via their Apologetics Index.