History was made as a house belonging to odd fellows (Ogboni) sect became Area mission house in Sokoto Area

The Odd Fellows house was built in 1934.

The foundation stones of the mission house were laid beside the Headquarters Assembly, 37 Ahmadu Bello Way, Sokoto recently.

The turning of the Ogboni house into the mission house came to reality at the time of the incumbent Sokoto Area Superintendent, Pastor J. O. Soyoye.

The foundation stones of the mission house were laid by Pastor Cornelius Ajayi Ogunyemi, the Zaria Area Superintendent on behalf of LAWNA Territorial Chairman and Vice president of The Apostolic Church, Nigeria, Pastor S. S. Jemigbon. Pastor Ogunyemi was assisted by Pastor J. O. Soyoye, the Area Superintendent.

In his sermon, titled, 'Then the people rejoiced' (II Chronicles 29:9), Pastor Ogunyemi emphasized the reasons for the people's joy. 'The people rejoiced because they offered willingly with perfect heart', he added.

He enjoined the saints to emulate the people of the old by giving abundantly and with perfect heart, saying the work is God's work, and not man's work, so it is in God's record book.

He gave kudos to Kaduna Saints for their cooperation towards the work as they offered money and materials for the work of the temple in the Area.

Meanwhile, Pastor J.G. Okuode made an appeal for generous donations towards the great work. In his plea, he narrated a short story of an Indian woman who threw her robust child into a river for crocodiles (their gods) but spared a lean, almost dying child.

When a missionary asked why the woman threw the robust child into the river, the woman replied that 'we give the best to our gods'.

Pastor Okuode stated, 'if people would give such to unprofitable gods, how much more should we give our benevolent God who gave all to us, even the so great salvation. Thereafter people donated generously to the work of the mission house.