The church arm of the Spokesman Communication Ministries came as a result of direct revelations received by the Pastor and founder of the church, Rev. Prof. G.E. Erhabor. This was supported by several words of prophecy. God revealed to him that he has been called, “to communicate truth and bring hope to this generation” with aim of healing the desolate of this generation.

A prophecy came at a gathering in Edo College Prayer Fellowship meeting (that meeting has produced wonderful men of God in this generation) during a fasting and prayer and all night meeting that Rev.Erhabor will study medicine. He disbelieved because he never liked Biiology and was not good at it.

A second prophecy came from an unknown person in Benin when Rev. Erhabor was about to write his school certificate examination. The revelation was that God has ordained that he will study medicine and that God wants to use him. With his child like faith, he told the Lord that if it were so “let there be no rain in Benin the following day" and it happened thus; those were the days when it used to rain heavily in Benin for long hours and days. After that, he told God to confirm the prophecy by helping him in biology, then he scored 75% in Biology.

These confirmations convinced him that God has called him and the historical pathways to heights in Godly servitude opened. He became the president of the Christian Fellowship in Edo College, later the president of Christian Medical Fellowship in the University of Ibadan and the president of UCH Alumni Christian Fellowship. He became an Assistant Pastor in the Foursquare Church and was one of the earliest pioneers of the college branch, while at the Oranfe branch the Lord had impressed it on him to start a house fellowship. Rev. Elton, an anointed man of God referred to as “the umbrella of evangelism in Nigeria” had earlier told him so. After youth service, one day, God woke him up and told him, “ now I have given you the name of the ministry, it shall be called Spokesman Communication Ministry”.

On December 2, 1986, the inauguration of the house fellowship took place in his residence at House 17, Road 14, Obafemi Awolowo University Senior Staff Quarters, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.. After that first meeting, there was no meeting again until he moved to House 22, Road 14 which was a bigger house. The meeting continued and attendance rose from 20-40 people. The populations consisted of people of different ethnic and professional calling. At that time God had been making it clear that the ministry was to be a multi-dimensional one with an evangelism arm, radio/television arm, a mission arm and a medical-arm. Shortly after the establishment of the ministry in 1997, God began to reveal to Rev. Gregory Erhabor that the ministry must have a church arm.

It is worthy to note here, that at that stage of the ministrythe thought was that the ministry would only be evangelical and taking the word from place to place. The house fellowship was to remain a house fellowship while members will remain as members of their local churches. Dr Erhabor was actually antagonistic to founding a church but members of the ministry mounted pressure. Despite the pressure, he felt God has not called him to start a church. One Sunday morning in Bristol London, he saw a vision. In that vision, he was in Oduduwa hall Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. With the hall packed full and God said, “This is your church”, after that he dismissed the vision. He was later invited to worship at the new covenant church by a friend. He later joined the church and became a regular member of the church, giving messages regularly and handling bible studies. After about two years the Lord said to him, “I have called you to establish a church what are you doing?

On another occasion, the Lord said again, “haven’t I told; that you must go and form a church? Yet again he did not heed until one day when the Lord said,” start this church” many members of the ministry have been urging him to go ahead once God has ordered. Many were already fasting and praying, waiting on the Lord On March 3rd, 1997, the church arm of the spokesman Communication Ministry was inaugurate at the Mayfair Hotel Banquet Hall. Prior to this time, the house fellowship has started meeting at Mayfair Hotel regularly on Thursdays and Sundays.

For reasons of economic advantage, the church had to leave the Mayfair Hotel Banquet hall for the choice of renovating a building at the Mayfair business centre. The building had broken walls with nude women painted on the walls, because it was a disco hall, there was no parking space. After looking at the hopelessness of the building and the environment, the common view was that it was not worth it. During a prayer session in the dilapidated building, the Lord said to him, “ Look at this building, out of the broken pieces of this hall, I am going to build an edifice of hope. “ With efforts from some church members and a loan secured by Rev. Erhabor the building was completely renovated and launched on June 1st of that year.

Before now God has been telling Rev. Gregory Erhabor who was then been referred to as “Bro. Gregory” about the need to have an ordination. Another prophecy came from a brother and he said, “ the whole creation is waiting for the manifestation of Dr. Erhabor and that “ the Lord says you should not bear “Dr. Erhabor but Rev. Dr. Erhabor” he also gave a valuable advice to Pastor, “… please use your money to build yourself, because the responsibilities that you will have in future is very great, equip your car with a cassette player, buy books to build yourself , “ After that revelation the decision to have an ordination was taken. Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa agreed to come for the ordination to have an ordination shortly after that Arch. Bishop sent for Rev. Erhabor so that he could lay his hand on him before he starts the ministry. The message got to Ife between 3:00 and 4:00pm on that day.

With the message, Rev. Erhabor left for Benin in the night to wait for the Arch. Bishop at the church of God Mission an interesting ordination took place as Rev. Erhabor himself recollects, “it was not even an arranged meeting, Arch. Bishop Idahosa just breezed in and began to talk. He pointed at me he slammed his hands on my head, hitting it seriously and that was the last time I saw him till his death. All the major Bishops of the church who were present for the morning prayers witnessed the laying of hand”. The inauguration of the church was fixed for July 26th, 1997. Prof. Onibere spoke at the inauguration, which took place from 24th-26th July, 1997.

The words “Sanctuary of Hope” came because the ministry was to communicate truth and bring hope to our generation. God also revealed to Rev. Prof. Gregory Erhabor among many other things that the church will be a place where people seek and find God, that the church should be where the truth of the scripture is empowered to teach a generation of people that will not be able to endure sound doctrine, that this church will have thousands of worshippers coming to every service to hear the word, the radio messages will also be aired every week and the messages will also be able to in print and that the church must train people to succeed on the earth and to make it to heaven. God also revealed that the church should influence its generation in such a way that Sunday messages become topical issues on headlines during the week; the church must emphasize righteousness and teach the means to achieve it; the church must train people for leadership in this generation and generations to come; the church will grow to have branches all over the world.

The Lord also revealed that a time will come when there will be war, AIDS, poverty, terrorism and general despondency, this church should be able to bring hope and succor to the hearts of the people. The church must be a unique church that is different from all other ones around because it shall be emphasizing fundamental truth.