By Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi
An intense debate ensued in Nigeria’s foremost online forum after a user sought to know the actual gains of the crossover service that Christians enthusiastically attend on New Year’s Eve. The blogger went on to initiate a poll that asked something like, “Did you attend last night’s Crossover Service?” The survey returned the following verdicts: 244 respondents (55%) registered that they didn’t attend; 158 others, making up 36%, answered in the affirmative; while 36 voters (8%) categorically stated that they’ve never attended the watch-night church service all their lives. As it were, 63 per cent of the population weren’t in the Lord’s sanctuary to ring in 2026.
Describing crossover service as “a waste of my time”, the original poster (better known in that community as Op) explained that “I went to numerous cross-overs but it never improved my life in any form. I should’ve spent my time sipping wine at home. For the past 4 years, I haven’t gone to any crossover service and my life has been blissful.” If only the author knew the real blissful life they are missing by avoiding that important service. There were other scornful comments that dismissed crossover service as “a noisy thing” and “mere ritual”.
Here’s what another user had to say: “You gain more from partying with others out in the streets, halls, and clubs, as you get a chance to make new friends, network, and have a good time without dealing with the regrets of the past year. Imagine walking away this evening with at least 5 contacts that could help change your business or outlook for the better in this New Year. How many of those who attend your night vigils do you know of that can, in fact, help you in any way or form?” There goes a typical carnal reasoning!
Those with this kind of orientation are bereft of the very essence of crossover service. Their previous presence at the supernatural meeting must have been either out of herd mentality or to fulfill all righteousness. They never went with the intention of having an encounter. Psalm 63:1 teaches how to approach such a service: When you deny yourself of every comfort to seek God early enough, He goes ahead to “pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground” as promised in Isaiah 43:3. What this means is that the Lord gets to meet you in your very point of need. This awesome intersection of heaven and earth can’t possibly happen while one is lounging somewhere or snoring at home!
Dividends from crossover service are so mind-blowing that several churches have retailed it as “Beginning the Month with God” or “Command Your Month” programmes. If they can so prayerfully gather each month, why not hold something grand to herald a new year? Granted that the wild singing and dancing make crossover service look like a jamboree, it’s the worshippers’ way of expressing gratitude to God for preserving them from the perils of the outgoing year and for the promises of the next 365 days. Also, their prayers are like an expectant mother’s travail in the labour room because they want to give birth a year after their likeness. It is therefore understandable why the serious spiritual transaction is “a noisy thing” or “mere ritual” to the uninitiated.
It’s only the person who wasn’t diligent in seeking God that returns from a crossover service feeling empty or without clarity on how to approach the New Year. Like a seed, the word of God is planted in the hearts of those worshipping in spirit and truth, making them grow fruitful all through the year. The author of the thread, who still enjoys a life of bliss despite taking a break from crossover service for the past four years, apparently doesn’t know what he’s missing. According to 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT), “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” It is pure love for God that can inspire someone to wait upon Him in a vigil, foregoing sleep and worldly comfort.
The respondent, who thinks he’s better off with social hangouts where he can find connections, must understand that a quintessential crossover service offers much more. Of all the blessings that watch-night spiritual meeting packs, none compares to the Word of God that’s readily available. No other place guarantees the release of the Now Word than when saints gather in God’s presence during New Year’s Eve. Crossover Service offers numerous avenues for the release of the Word bespoke for situations. Apart from when the Message is being delivered, worshippers can encounter Rhema during the praise and worship sessions, prayers, Testimonies Time, and Prophetic Declarations. Not even striking a new friendship with 10 high-net-worth individuals can empower you like the Word. Little wonder the psalmist declared in Psalm 119:162, “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.“ Other versions used “loot” in place of “spoil”.
For all their discordance with the crossover service, the dissenters didn’t even present the conventional New Year Service as a viable alternative. It therefore means that as far as they are concerned, being in church on the morning of January 1 is also a waste of time if the New Year doesn’t fall on a Sunday. Yet, it was during a New Year’s Service on Thursday (you won’t be mistaken approximating this as man’s crossover service) that Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio received and acted on the Word that guarantees him peace and progress in 2026. This followed the sharing of “Principles you can adopt in the New Year to be able to have peace” by Rev Fr Donatus Udoette, the priest in charge of Sacred Heart Parish, Aka Offot.
The Parish Priest, who doubles as the Vicar-General of the Catholic Diocese of Uyo, said, “The first is that you have to let go of your painful past. No matter what it is, it’s time to move on. This is what God is telling you in the New Year. It is time to leave behind the people who slandered you. Unless you leave the past behind, you cannot grow.” Touched by the homily, the Senate President said, “As the priest was speaking, he wasn’t the one speaking, but the Holy Spirit was speaking through him. He said, ‘Leave behind old things that happened in 2025 so that they don’t drag you backwards…
“I have almost nine cases in court against some individuals who defamed me, who lied against me, who slandered my name. But I listened to the priest and suddenly realised he was talking to me. So, I hereby direct my solicitors to withdraw all lawsuits against them,” Akpabio asserted. What a smart resolve! You see, in an emergent election season, politicians are better off with more allies than enemies. They can also do with all the concentration they can muster rather than distractions. Given how redoubtable some opponents can be, the Holy Spirit just stirred the Senate President away from needless battles that pose a threat to his political chances.
Reckon that the Senate President caught this divine direction by being in the secret place of the Lord at the turn of the New Year. For more indisputable dividends of crossover service, nonconformists should follow church proceedings this and subsequent Sundays, to watch fervent attendees of the watch-night service share testimonies of various divine encounters that impacted their lives, families, careers and businesses.
*VIS Ugochukwu, a Sage, Poet & Storyteller, can be reached @sylvesugwuanyi