In 1985, the Highway to Heaven Church was officially established. The name was based on Isaiah 35:8, which says, “a highway shall be there and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness….” The first floor of the Wesley Foundation building, located on the campus of Tennessee State University, would serve as the meeting place. Souls were saved and filled under the anointed teaching and preaching of Pastor Adebanjo. God confirmed His word with signs and wonders following. Many were drawn to the church because of the love and compassion of Elder Adebanjo, as well as the healing anointing that rested on and continues to rest on the ministry.
Within a very short time, this small congregation would relocate to the Jurisdictional Headquarters, located on the corner of Meharry Boulevard and 12th Avenue North. Pastor Adebanjo and his small congregation were committed to doing the Lord’s will. Efforts immediately commenced to clean and renovate the newly vacated building. Church members prepared meals as a form of outreach and ministry to the local student population. However, time at this location was to be short-lived. God had other plans.
Psalms 37:23 says, “The Lord orders the steps of a good man.” As Divine providence would have it, Elder Adebanjo had been sent occasionally by his Bishop, the late H. Jenkins Bell to minister in his stead at the Cane Memorial COGIC. Little did Pastor Adebanjo know that God was calling and preparing him to Pastor the church.
In 1986, again by divine providence, the late Bishop H. Jenkins Bell asked Elder Adebanjo to come and serve as the permanent pastor of the Cane Memorial Church of God in Christ, located at 2080 12th Avenue South. Elder Adebanjo was somewhat apprehensive about accepting the position because he had already started a new job and was unsure how his new wife would react to the move. But little did he know that God had already spoken to his wife, First Lady Adebanjo, concerning this momentous move. Elder Adebanjo prayerfully accepted.
So, in the spring of 1986, Elder Adebanjo merged the Highway to Heaven Congregation with the Cane Memorial congregation. To say the least, these were very turbulent years. But with the help and strength of God, the congregation persevered through immense adversity and opposition, determined to do the work of the Lord.
After several years of seeking God, Pastor Adebanjo changed the name of the church to The Living Word International COGIC to better reflect the vision God had given him for the ministry’s direction. Flags representing the various nations were positioned around the church to emphasize Pastor Adebanjo’s call to the nations and the international fervor of the ministry.
Being the man of faith that he is, chairs were placed down the middle aisle of the church to testify to all of the faith he had in God to fill the church and to his expectation of the greater things to come. During this time, various outreach and in-reach programs were established.
Renovations were made, including some structural changes, new carpeting, new kitchen appliances, the installation of a handicapped ramp, and the establishment of a successful Daycare. The radio and television ministry went to a new level. It was from this location that Pastor Adebanjo pioneered the Racial Reconciliation Task Force and founded Evangelistic Ministries, which provided housing for homeless families in the Nashville area. Many wonderful things happened at the 12th Avenue location. Most importantly, souls were saved and reclaimed, bodies healed, and many miracles were wrought. There would be mighty visitations from the Lord. The 12th Avenue location was to be the place of worship for 19 years.
Reflective of Pastor Adebanjo’s apostolic anointing, it was during this same timeframe that Pastor Adebanjo started another church in Cookeville, Tennessee. Once again, naming the church Highway to Heaven. It was operational for approximately 3 years. The church was closed because Pastor Adebanjo was unable to place a permanent pastor in the location.
