The impact of christ apostolic church on Yoruba diaspora in the New York District

Abstract

Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) is one of the African Independent Churches that emerged in Nigeria after the second decade of the 20^th century. From inception, the Church has made considerable impact on the social, economic, political, religious and educational development of Nigeria. Findings revealed that the emergence of modern Pentecostal Churches like the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Mountain of Fire and Miracles, Living Faith Chapel, to mention but few are seen to be flourishing, popular and embraced by the Yoruba Diaspora, but the activities of CAC among this ethnic group have not been much focused and documented in any elaborate and systematic form. This was what inspired this study to examine the extent the Church has been embraced by the Yoruba Diaspora in New York, United States of America. The choice of New York State among a federation of 50 states in America was that the first Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in that country was in Manhattan, the capital of New York state, which also brought the uniqueness of New York state into focus as a centre where African Christianity is flourishing. It therefore becomes germane to examine the impact of CAC on the New York state, where major percentage of members of the church is of Yoruba extraction. Materials were gathered through interviews and participant observation. The study is historical and descriptive. The paper found that CAC in New York is influential in the areas of evangelism, corporate social responsibility to immigrants, provision of job opportunities, etc.

Keywords: Impact, African Independent Church, Yoruba Diaspora, Christ Apostolic Church