An installation service was held at the Benin headquarters church in Cotonou on Sunday, May 9, 2021, to present and dedicate Marcellin Kploka (pictured above with his wife) as the new Benin District Superintendent. He succeeds Marcellin Hounmenou who held the position from 1997 until his passing in March.

Prior to the installation, a team of four from the Western and Central Africa (WECA) headquarters at Anthony Village in Lagos, Nigeria, arrived and met with the Benin Board of Directors to confirm the selection. There was unanimous agreement among them.

The service was conducted by Gabriel Ajayi, Anthony Regional Overseer, who had led the team from WECA. He began by reading goodwill messages from Darrel Lee, the Superintendent General, and Adebayo Adeniran, the WECA District Superintendent. Then he gave an account of how prayer and careful consideration had resulted in a unanimous decision. He also reported that in the preceding days, Brother Kploka had been presented first to the zonal coordinators and pastors, then to the ministers and Sunday school teachers, and earlier that morning, to the prayer room workers. All had shown their full support.

Following these remarks, Brother Kploka was asked to step forward, and his wife Marie Louise was asked to stand in the front row of the congregation. Brother Ajayi admonished everyone present to support and pray for the couple to be able to carry out the work God had called them to. Then he asked for those who were in agreement to stand, and all nine hundred and forty-four in attendance stood, showing their approval and commitment.

As the congregation remained standing, the platform ministers, including the team from Nigeria and the Benin Board of Directors, gathered around Brother Kploka and prayed, dedicating him to God’s service. The prayer concluded with a hearty “Amen” from the congregation, and Brother Kploka humbly took his seat on the platform next to the other leaders.

As we join the congregations of Benin in praying for the leadership there, we know God will give strength and guidance, enabling the work to prosper.