- Reveals How He Plans To Run FOUNTAIN Of LIFE Church
Pastor Jimmy Odukoya is the Lead Pastor of Fountain of Life Bible Church founded in 1992. He served as Senior Pastor until his dad died in August 2023. Following the death and burial of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya this September, the Board of Trustees announced Jimmy Odukoya as the Lead Pastor of the Church.
Recently he spoke to BBC News Pidgin. Pastor Jimmy Odukoya opens up on his journey to become the Lead Pastor after his dad’s death.
We hear you have been announced as The new lead pastor for fountain of life church, can you confirm that one to us now?
I am the lead pastor of the fountain of life church, I was ordained as a minister in 2009, so it’s not today, I was ordained in this church as a pastor in 2012. So since 2012 I was the lead pastor of the youth church, till about 2020 or 2021. So those who know, know, and if you don’t know no problem.
But I have been in this ministry as a licensed minister since 2009.
What are some of the challenges you have faced so far?
I have seen things in this life so nothing shakes me again, because I have experienced plenty things in my short time. I have lost my father and my mother, two of the closest people to me. I have lost my grandpa, my grandma, plenty people in my life. So when all the things you fear a lot has happened, so there is nothing again. Over the years when that kind of thing happens, everybody in the family becomes close because you know that this life nothing is sure, so all of a sudden you just become closer.
So even when my father remarried, and the wife also died, the constant in the family was my father, my father was a strong man. It is not anything that you see coming, you know it wasn’t like we saw it coming that my dad would die soon, so everybody could prepare. If you ask me I will tell you that popsi will be alive till 80,90 because he was full of life, and always preaching everywhere. So I just reasoned that he would be alive till 90.
How will you address the issue of dread that people always talk about now that you are a lead pastor?
It’s God that called me as I am. its God that called me, in that season of my life, this position is a new responsibility, so all of my focus right now is here. As for my dreads hmm that matter is long, because people already know that anything I do, I can back it up with scriptures. If you tell me ooo, I will say no problem let’s look at the bible, so if you want to tell me long hair is wrong, check the bible, God told Samson not to cut his hair, so that means it’s not a bad thing. If you say pastor you have beards, but the bible says Jesus when they were touching him, they pulled his hair from his face, that means he has beards.
And when they say pastor you are wearing ear ring, I say no problem go to the book of Exodus when the children of Israel as they came out of Egypt wanted to make a golden calf, all of them brought their jewelries, they collected the rings and ear rings from their daughters and sons of Isreal; God’s people.
So anything you people want to ask me, you see everybody can do whatever they want to do. Personal opinion is different from sin, if you like long hair, no problem, if you like short hair no problem. But if you tell me that because you have short hair, long hair is a sin, that’s where we don’t agree.
Now that you have moved into ministry, how will you handle the career, the acting, and the ministry? Will your acting career be on hold?
At the time I started to act, people said I can’t do the both of them, that church will not accept me, the world will not accept me, that they will push me aside, but if God sends you somewhere he is the one that will clear the path for you, you understand? When I started acting people told me it was not possible, but you see what God has done, I was there for 6 years in the industry that is very hard to break into. God helped me, not only in Nollywood, but even to Hollywood, so one thing I have come to know is that with God nothing is impossible, anything can happen.
So as God has told me to be in the ministry, how I will manage it, whether it’s production, behind the scene or whatever, it’s God that will figure out what will happen.But as I am now, if someone say because popsi has gone it’s church I am facing that, does not mean I can’t act, once an actor is always an actor.
The question I ask my self is what will people learn from this role that I play, this character, because the idea people have is that because I am a pastor the role I am supposed to play is only good roles , but good and bad exist. The more you see bad, the more you appreciate good. So if we are telling a story and everybody is good, what do you want to learn from the story?
If I can play a character that shows you bad, and the more bad you are the more trouble you get, that’s lesson that we are learning, life lesson. Nollywood started because we want to teach people moral lessons. For most Nollywood movies you know that anybody that does bad will meet it at the front, because we teach them that good is good, bad is bad.
They always say that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, how are you ready for this task to lead the church?
For this kind of journey of life, it’s God’s hand oo, I don’t rely on my strength, there is no amount of preparation and experience that you can say okay, for This kind of work, it’s always God you hold, no matter how prepared you may think you are. It’s God. This kind of work will force you to be humble.
This position will force you to be humble. Everyday you will be holding God to please help you, it’s not by power or might. You know you will be in this kind of auditorium, all the people there, God let me not disappoint you, let me not disappoint them, let me always speak what I am to speak, that kind of thing.
I can’t talk by myself that that’s what I want to do, no it’s God, how are you directing me? What do you want me to say? Constantly you just stay connected. So my preparation is prepare to hold God always.
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