Although
it was greeted with mixed feelings, Nigerian gospel singer Nathaniel
Bassey has brought Christians together with his praise and worship
challenge called #HalleluyahChallenge.
Nathanien Bassey leads over 60,000 people in a live Instagram praise session
It is perhaps an unlikely setting for a praise and worship session.
But every day at midnight, thousands of worshippers around the world
have logged on to Instagram to lift their voices in praise and prayer,
united by one hashtag: #HalleluyahChallenge.
More than 60,000 people have joined in the Instagram praise and
worship in an hour long midnight gathering, which is the brainchild of
Nigerian gospel singer Nathaniel Bassey.
It all started with a simple post on his Instagram page on the 31st
of May, where Bassey signaled his intention to start a 30-day midnight
praise challenge throughout the month of June.
Even Nigeria's expensive internet data costs have seemingly not
deterred eager worshipers who have flocked to the livestream on his
Instagram and Facebook pages.
At its peak on Monday, CNN observed that around 68,000 people
joined the Instagram livestream, while over 50,000 joined the Facebook
livestream.
Statistics from Evolve Press reveal 10,000 posts with the hashtag "#HallelujahChallenge" and over 18,000 with the hashtag "#olowogbogboro" making it the number one trend in Nigeria.
Bassey said he did not imagine the movement would become so popular on Facebook and Instagram.
"I had a sense which is the leading of the spirit to praise God the whole of this month," Bassey told CNN
"Against the backdrop of the challenges in the world today
especially in our nation, with the scourge of terrorism and the
recession ... it has brought a sense of hope and respite. It is a
reflection of the desire and hunger for answers and for hope," he said.
Bassey frequently shares testimonies of participants who say taking
part in the challenge has yielded results and a change in their
circumstances.
"He's on course to build the largest congregation ever with 1 phone and Instagram /Facebook" said Facebook user OO Nwoye.
"One lesson I have taken away from the success of this
#hallelujahchallenge is have a specific/consistent theme and go live at a
time the audience would not be distracted. This has helped in the
pulling together the mass compared to others who have tried adhoc live
streaming." he added.
The #Halleluyahchallenge has also gained the attention of popular
Nigerian celebrities like Funke Akindele, Don Jazzy and Toke Makinwa who
have also shared the hashtag with their followers.
The movement has however not been without criticism. Media
entrepreneur, Joy Isi Bewaji criticized it in a Facebook post calling it
a "cute online revival."
"This... will change nothing... We have had too many spiritual revolutions. What we need is a mental one."
"You cannot pray Nigeria to greatness... It is not up to God to
save the rot in our educational institutions or fix the drainage on our
roads. It's up to us. And we can't do any of that on our knees. " she added.
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