Understanding Hallelujah Challenge, the viral worship movement

When popular Nigerian gospel music act, Nathaniel Bassey, made his intention to start a 30-day midnight praise and worship session called the Hallelujah Challenge known on May 31, many must have thought he was joking. The announcement, made via his Instagram account, indicated that the challenge would hold throughout June.

And so began the Hallelujah Challenge, a 30-day prayer and praise live stream session which viewers connect to from 12 midnight till 1am daily, and saying it’s taken the internet by storm is an understatement. With over 70,000 participants joining the singer via his Instagram account as well as over 90,000 logging on through Facebook on the midnight music live and worship sessions, it has become a phenomenon of sorts. Bassey, from time to time, leads these live worship sessions and with June about to end now, the Hallelujah Challenge has become a movement, drawing thousands of people from every part of the world.

With the rainy season on at the moment and internet service epileptic most times despite its largely expensive nature, it has not stopped people from participating in the live stream daily worship sessions. Worshippers are more than willing to contend with the intermittent pauses of the video feeds.

Different hashtags have been created on social media platforms for the movement, with the most popular being #Olowogbogboro which means “the One with the outstretched arm” in reference to God while there are other tags such as ”just like that”, “Jehovah overdo” and ”suddenly followed” to accompany the testimonies of miraculous interventions from participants who have experienced one breakthrough or another.

The convener himself frequently shares testimonies of participants who say taking part in the challenge has produced a change in their circumstances. While sharing a testimony on behalf of a sister over restored health, he wrote: “I want to testify about the powerful Hands of Jehovah and His faithfulness. I joined the Hallelujah Challenge on day 15. On Day 18, as we were praising God, toward the end of the Hallelujah praise, you asked us to take two minutes and present our prayer requests to God, you asked also to envision, to see our miracles. One of my requests was the healing and health restoration of one of my sisters who lives in Belgium. She has been in coma since May 11. The doctors stated that the medications were not working and that there was no hope. But Glory be to God and our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ because where there is no hope, Jesus is our hope. As I presented my sister’ health conditions to God on Day 18. Today June 19, my sister came out of coma, left the ICU and is talking.”

Another testimony he posted is of how a woman’s breast lump disappeared. “I joined the Hallelujah Challenge on the 3rd day when my friend introduced me to it and I diligently connected to the livestream daily. I read testimonies upon testimonies but it appeared I was not getting mine.

“I found a somewhat painful lump in my right breast in the middle of May, which grew progressively as the days went by. As we worshiped, I praised him with this concern in my mind and checked daily, but the lump was still there. I saved the testimonies of the two ladies who testified about breast lumps disappearing and I read them over and over again.

Yesterday, after I read the note from the dear lady who said “Olowogbogboro did not do it”, I read a material from my Pastor (attached) which was a confirmation of the Hallelujah Challenge and I decided that on the 21st night, I would ask for nothing. I would just praise. And I confessed “I walk by faith and not by sight. was healed by Jesus and I remain healed. I am not moved by what I see or feel. I maintain and insist on my healing. This morning, I woke up…the pain was gone! The lump was gone, the hardness had disappeared,” he wrote on another’s behalf.

Clearly unprecedented in the Nigerian music circle, the Hallelujah Challenge is now so popular within and outside the country that statistics reveal there are more than 500,000 posts #Hallelujah Challenge and #Olowogbogboro, making it the number one trending topic in Nigeria for the month. Little wonder then that CNN did not just get wind but reported the worship project.

So far, Nigerian celebrities including Rita Dominic, Kate Hanshaw, Funke Akindele-Bello, Uche Jombo, Ini Edo, Don Jazzy, Adesua Etomi, Omoni Oboli an D’banj have taken part through their Instagram pages.

Beyond attracting participants, the challenge has courted criticisms also. Some critics say it is just another fancy hangout for celebrities but Bassey remains unperturbed. “There is absolutely nothing on earth that is without criticism, anything that has greatness on it must be criticised and more so the gospel has always been opened to criticism,” he