Senior pastor and founder of Omega Fire Ministries International Johnson Suleman has revealed that a branch of the church in South Africa was destroyed by fire.
Apostle Suleman disclosed this during a church service, stating that the resident pastor had reported the incident to him, saying the building had been burnt overnight.
He said the ministry had operated in South Africa for about eight to nine years before acquiring the property.
According to him, the building was purchased after years of renting, with most of the funds coming from his personal resources.
“Our pastor in South Africa called me to tell me that they have burnt down our church. We own the building, my personal money in that church was about 90 per cent,” he said.
Suleman said the fire destroyed everything in the building, including chairs, sound equipment and documents. He added that the children’s section was also affected.
“They even burnt down the children building, all documents burnt down,” he said.
He said no items were removed from the building before the fire, adding that the incident happened at night.
Suleman said the church’s CCTV cameras did not capture those responsible. He added that the situation raised suspicion of internal involvement.
“They did it overnight. The CCTV camera could not pick the person. It was the job of an insider who knew where the cameras were,” he said.
He said he felt distressed after hearing about the incident but chose to remain calm.
“As a human being, I was broken. And the Lord said to me, thank me. I went to my knees and thanked God for everything,” he said.
Suleman said efforts to get another building were difficult at first but the church later secured a new place.
He said the resident pastor found a building and he approved payment for three months’ rent.
“To get a building to rent, it was hard. That Saturday morning, they went in search of a building to rent, they called me to say they have seen, and I said pay for three months and move in there,” he said.
He added that some members were upset and considered taking action, but he advised them against it.
“Members were angry, some of the young South Africans were ready to put up a fight. I told them to leave the matter,” he said.
Johnson Suleman said the church is now using another location for its activities.
