African Theological Archministry

African Theological Archministry
AbbreviationA.T.A.
Established1 March 1970; 54 years ago (1970-03-01)
Type501c(3) NPO
Legal statusActive
HeadquartersOyotunji, South Carolina, U.S.
Official language
English
Chief Executive Officer
Oba Adejuyigbe Adefunmi II
Executive Director
Olofundeyi Olaitan[1]
AffiliationsOyotunji African Village (O.A.V.)
Revenue
less than $50,000
Websitewww.oyotunji.org

The African Theological Archministry (ATA) is a charitable and spiritual 501(c)3 nonprofit organization chartered in the state of South Carolina in 1980. It spawned as a cultural, historical and spiritual movement in New York in the 1970s from the "Sango Temple", a branch of the ancient spiritual traditions of the ancient Isese of the Yoruba and Vodun of the Fon. that was founded by Oba Efuntola Oseijeman Adefunmi I, born Walter Eugene King in Detroit, MI.[2]

In 1970, King was crowned "Oba" in West Africa and took the regal name "Oba Efuntola Adelabu Adefunmi I". He then moved the congregation of practitioners that had grown around him to South Carolina, where they subsequently founded the Oyotunji community.[3] The group has grown over the years, having nineteen affiliated centers in the United States in 1988.[4]

  1. ^ "The Spirits That Protect Key West". www.oyotunji.org. The Blue Paper | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases. 22 December 1970.
  2. ^ Deolu (September 11, 2015). "Must See! The Village in America where the Yoruba culture is being practiced". Information Nigeria. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  3. ^ Matthews, Carol (2009). New Religions. Infobase Publishing. p. 91. ISBN 978-1438106458. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  4. ^ Murphy, Larry; Melton, J. Gordon; Ward, Gary (November 20, 2013). Encyclopedia of African American Religions. Routledge. p. 26. ISBN 978-1135513382. Retrieved 8 January 2018.