Founder and Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, has shared the compelling reasons behind his relocation to the United States during a virtual interview with Seun Okinbaloye on the ‘Mic On’ podcast. The discussion, which focused on leadership and the role of the younger generation in Nigeria, was streamed on the Mic On YouTube channel on Sunday.
In the one hour and thirty-minute video, Adeyemi disclosed that the COVID-19 pandemic, the EndSARS protests, and particularly a series of troubling dreams about Nigeria, influenced his decision to stay in the US.
“When COVID-19 started, all our children were in the US, so everyone stayed with their families. We stayed with our children. The week services resumed was when EndSARS started, so we were preparing to return to Nigeria,” Adeyemi explained.
However, a sequence of disturbing dreams made the couple reconsider their plans. “My wife had a dream in which she traveled to Nigeria and returned to the US, which was a bad dream. I told her I wouldn’t say I liked this dream,” he shared. Three days later, Adeyemi had a similar dream where he was violently attacked in Nigeria, prompting him to call on divine intervention.
These experiences led them to take the dreams seriously, especially after family members in Nigeria also expressed unease about their return. “We decided to take it seriously, especially considering a dream we had three days earlier. We prayed fervently, sensing danger,” Adeyemi said.
The repeated dreams and warnings from family members convinced them to stay in the US. Adeyemi revealed that they held a Zoom meeting with the top 120 leaders of Daystar Christian Centre to discuss the situation. The church leaders supported their decision, agreeing to keep the church running in their absence.
Adeyemi noted that staying in the US allowed him to realize the strength of the systems they had built in Daystar, emphasizing the importance of building resilient structures. “I’m passionate about building systems so the church does not collapse. It is fantastic, and we call it an organizational miracle,” he remarked.
After nearly three years, Adeyemi felt the Holy Spirit’s clearance to return to Nigeria. This period marked a shift in his focus from pastoring a local church to undertaking a global mission. “The focus shift is to do that global walk while we keep Daystar running, leveraging technology,” he concluded.
Daystar Christian Centre, based in Lagos State and inaugurated on November 18, 1995, continues to thrive with branches across various states in Nigeria.
