Our Reporter
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has unveiled plans to hold a posthumous thanksgiving service in honour of the late Evangelist (Dr) Uma Ukpai, one of the foremost pioneers of Pentecostal revival in Nigeria, during the fellowship’s 40th anniversary celebrations.
The thanksgiving, set for Sunday, October 19, 2025, will take place simultaneously across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, transforming PFN chapters nationwide into sanctuaries of praise and remembrance for a man whose life and ministry blazed the trail for countless believers.
Ukpai, who passed on to glory on October 6, 2025, at the age of 80, was a founding father of the PFN and a spiritual pillar whose evangelistic crusades and uncompromising message of salvation stirred revival fires across the nation and beyond.
At a press conference in Uyo on Wednesday, the PFN National President, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, represented by the National Secretary, Bishop David Bakare, described the late Ukpai as “a true general of faith and one of God’s most enduring gifts to the body of Christ.”
“Baba Uma Ukpai was scheduled to be the main preacher for our 40th anniversary. But since he has now gone to be with the Lord, we resolved that the entire anniversary should become a thanksgiving celebration of his life, ministry, and the many souls God touched through him,” Bishop Bakare said.
He explained that the thanksgiving service would also serve as an honour to other spiritual icons who have been instruments of God’s grace in building the Pentecostal movement in Nigeria, noting that the fellowship would not mourn but celebrate with gratitude.
“On the 19th of this month, all PFN chapters across Nigeria will lift their voices in thanksgiving — to glorify God for raising men like Baba Ukpai, whose obedience, humility, and passion for souls helped shape the spiritual landscape of our nation,” Bakare stated.
He added that the PFN leadership had already paid a condolence visit to Mama Uma Ukpai and the family, praying for divine comfort and strength.
“Our President, Bishop Wale Oke, who is unavoidably out of the country, asked me to lead a team of senior leaders to visit Mama and convey our love, prayers, and heartfelt condolences,” Bakare said.
Dr Uma Ukpai’s life embodied the Great Commission. Through the Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association, he carried the gospel to cities and villages across Africa, establishing faith foundations, humanitarian outreaches, and revival crusades that brought healing and hope to millions.
From the days of the early Pentecostal awakening to the rise of modern evangelical networks, Ukpai’s voice rang clear — calling men and women back to holiness, prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
As the PFN marks four decades of existence, this year’s celebration becomes more than an anniversary — it becomes a national altar of remembrance, a collective thanksgiving for a life that exemplified tireless service to God and humanity.
“We will celebrate, we will rejoice, and we will thank the Lord for giving us such a great father in faith — a general of the gospel whose impact will echo through generations,” Bishop Bakare declared.
Indeed, the 40th anniversary of the PFN will not only mark a milestone of organisational growth but also serve as a testimony to the enduring legacies of faith that continue to shape the Pentecostal movement in Nigeria — a movement Uma Ukpai helped build with prayer, passion, and purpose.