On October 14, 1944, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the first meeting was held. Thorough comparisons of the teachings of The Apostolic Faith with those of the other Pentecostal groups were made. Their individual spiritual experiences were also examined on the Word of God. The result of the meeting was the adoption of Apostolic Faith doctrines and teachings because they were (and still are) based on the Word of God. This was communicated to the international headquarters of The Apostolic Faith in Portland, Oregon, USA. Thus began the Apostolic Faith as an organization in Nigeria.
As the organization started, these three officers of the Christ Apostolic Church tendered their resignations from the CAC with a determination to walk in the fullness of their new-found light. It was not an easy decision. With no support from anywhere and with no means of livelihood whatsoever, it was a step of faith into the unknown.
What did the future hold? Would people be as enthusiastic as they were about the doctrines? Would they want holiness without compromise? As things developed and God revealed more of His will, we saw many virtues and outstanding qualities in this man of God. We realized that God knew His man and this man knew his God, and we understood why he determined to bring Timothy out of the miry clay of sin, clean him up and fit him for His high and noble service.
The resignation of these three evangelists was not taken lightly by the General Executive Council of the CAC at Ibadan. They tried to lure them out of the decisions but it did not work.
REV. OSHOKOYA, REV. ABBEY, REV. OBAKOYA
Finally, Timothy Oshokoya and Lucas Obakoya were called before the General Executive Council to openly defend the reason for their resignations.
They made plain that they had found the yearning of their heart for the Truth which could not be compromised, that the doctrines, as preached by The Apostolic Faith, clearly stood (and still stand) on the Word of God.
At last, the council meeting ended with one of the elders adopting the saying of Gamaliel in the Acts of the Apostles 5:38,39: “For if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” With this, they let them go. Waves of persecutions and victimization followed in the wake of their resignations.
Realizing that the new-found faith would be more appreciated by a reading public, Brother T felt the group should be brought to town where the bulk of average elites—teachers, civil servants, and employees of private companies—were living in those days. In those days, Agege was just a village 22 miles from Lagos. So the group began to meet around 1946 at 26 Little Road, Yaba, Lagos, at the sitting room of one of the converts, Sister Juliana Shenbanjo. At that time, Sister Shenbanjo was holding prayer meetings in her house in the morning and Brother T and others came in the afternoon to hold their own meetings, during which they read tracts or large papers and prayed.