Members of House of Faith Ministries (HOFM), N. Brunswick, NJ celebrated their annual Pastor’s Appreciation day on Nov. 06, 2006 in honor of their Head Pastor, Rev. Herbert Saforo Addo.

HOFM is a church on the move, committed to raising visionary leaders and undertaking missions - which in fact is the vision of the church. The church (the NJ branch) started at a humble beginning and now by the grace of God it is experiencing growth in every dimension - spiritually, numerically and in maturity.

Pastor Herbert, a man of vision, has never relented in his efforts to see come to pass what God has in-stored for his people (the church). He believes that the church is not an end in itself but a means to an end and that is to direct and lead the church to experience the fullness of the realities of the Kingdom of God here in earth before they go to heaven.

The theme that runs through all his messages is righteous living and becoming a winner in whatever sphere of life you find yourself. Due to Pastor Herbert’s unconditional love for his congregation, when it came time for the church to appreciate him, it became easy and natural for them to sow back into his life as a sign of appreciation and great love.

The Pastor’s Appreciation Day service commenced with an hour prayer dubbed “hour of prayer”, which was led assiduously by Bro. Augustine. This was followed by a praise and worship session, which one can confidently say is unique only to HOFM. The “atmosphere” was so thick and charged that one can almost cut through with a bread-knife.

Rev. Herbert, himself plays the electronic keyboard and sings as well. His passionate and genuine worship draws even the die-hard spectators to surrender and join in the worship. Mrs. Fanny Adjei, who is the leader of the praise team, releases everything within her into the praise and worship that gives you no excuse to worship the LORD. Praise and worship at HOFM is a new experience each Sunday and they are very thankful to the Lord for that.

The day’s sermon was preached by Rev. Herbert Saforo Addo. The main scripture for his message was taken from 2 Kings 4:8-172 Kings 4:8-17
English: World English Bible - WEB
8 It fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. So it was, that as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat bread. ⁹ She said to her husband, See now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, that passes by us continually. ¹⁰ Let us make, Please, a little chamber on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a seat, and a lamp stand: and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he shall turn in there. ¹¹ It fell on a day, that he came there, and he turned into the chamber and lay there. ¹² He said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. When he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ He said to him, Say now to her, Behold, you have been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for you? would you be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the army? She answered, I dwell among my own people. ¹⁴ He said, What then is to be done for her? Gehazi answered, Most assuredly she has no son, and her husband is old. ¹⁵ He said, Call her. When he had called her, she stood in the door. ¹⁶ He said, At this season, when the time comes round, you shall embrace a son. She said, No, my lord, you man of God, do not lie to your handmaid. ¹⁷ The woman conceived, and bore a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said to her.

. The account of this passage of scripture was about a wealthy married woman from Shunem. This woman saw a need in Elisha’s life and asked him to come for meal in her house.

This became a routine for Elisha anytime he passed that way. According to the biblical account, the woman realized that Elisha was a man of God and so she prepared a room for him to use whenever he was in town. It was made clear that the woman did not do this great service out of selfish motives but rather out of kindness and also because she sensed a need in the life of the man of God.

Rev. Herbert went on further to explain that a good deed done to a true man of God will never go unrewarded. To buttress his point, Rev Herbert referred to Matt. 10:41 “He who receives and welcomes and accepts a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives and welcomes and accepts a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward,”which attests to the fact ones good deed towards a man of God, will be rewarded accordingly.

As in the case of the woman from Shunem, Elisha was compelled to meet a need in her life. That need turned out to be that the woman had no son and her husband was an old man. Not only was the woman childless but her husband’s condition had made the situation hopeless in the natural. Without hesitation the man of God prophesized that she will have a son in a year’s time. This news was met with doubt on the part of the woman but the faith of Elisha was so strong that it superseded every doubt and it yielded the expected result.

Pastor Herbert alluded to the fact that many times our situation becomes so hopeless that we think nothing can be of help since we may have tried other means to remedy the situation and they could not help us.

Pastor Herbert went the extra mile to explain to the congregation that it is expedient for believers to honor their Pastors since that is scriptural and it is something that is expected from all of us. He ascertained this truth by quoting Galatians 6:6Galatians 6:6
English: World English Bible - WEB
6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.

, which says that “Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.”

The message for the occasion was appropriate and it helped explain the misconception surrounding giving, especially giving to the man of God. In my opinion, House of Faith is not only a place where one can have an excellent praise and worship but in addition to that the unadulterated word of God is preached with clarity and power.

The entire HOFM family joyfully welcomes you (regardless of your background and who you are) to worship with them every Sunday @ Linwood Middle School, 25 Linwood Place, North Brunswick, NJ 08902 from 9am to 12noon. Tel: 732-354-0141 (O) / 732-501-5067 (C).