Our Story

The story of LivelyHope World Outreach begins in 1986, when a young architect encountered the Lord Jesus Christ through a servant of God in the home of one of his clients. That encounter — unexpected, personal, and decisive — changed the direction of his life entirely.

Later that year he met his wife, Patricia, and they married in 1988. From the beginning, theirs was a partnership in life and in purpose.

In November 1990, over the course of several spiritual encounters, Rev. Benson Ezem received a clear divine instruction: to walk more closely with God and to take the Gospel beyond the walls of the local church. He had been serving faithfully under the same minister through whom he came to faith — contributing through the church building department, applying his architectural skills. But he felt called to more.

Following civil unrest in Kano in 1991, the family relocated, eventually settling in Port Harcourt in 1992. There, they joined another ministry and continued serving — but the burden for outreach only grew. With the blessing of his church leadership, Rev. Ezem began organising Divine Living Seminars: life-transforming teaching events reaching communities, schools, and individuals across Abia State. By 1996, these efforts had expanded significantly.

In 1998, he and his wife — alongside four other families — were commissioned to plant a new church in another district, where he served as senior pastor. Outreach continued in parallel. In 1999, initiatives reached communities in Umuahia, distributing school materials, food, and humanitarian support.

Then in 2004, a new mandate came: raise an altar of praise and worship. This led to the founding of Sweet Fragrance — a music outreach and worship programme that has run every year since. That same year, the formal foundation structure was established.

The ministry was officially registered in Nigeria on 15 September 2005. From a single encounter in 1986, it had grown into an organisation impacting lives through the Word, worship, education, and humanitarian service.