One day, in September 1972, a
precocious man, approached a young lady in the streets of Lagos, Nigeria. He
struck a conversation with her, and expertly steered the discussion towards a
subject that was altogether new to the young woman. He told her about the lost
state of all human beings; their helplessness in the face of domineering sinful
habits; and the futility of any self-help effort to make a lasting change in
their situations.
As she listened attentively, he
proceeded to explain that man’s condition had turned him against God, his
Creator. But he quickly told her the story of God’s love and interest in
reconciling estranged human kind to Himself. He truly caught the interest of the
young woman, who was soon confessing her sins, pleading for forgiveness and
receiving Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour.
That young woman was Abiodun Olowu,
at the time, a high school student in Lagos. She knew no church but wanted to
learn more about the God that had changed and transformed her life. Through
divine providence, she got introduced to a young University of Lagos lecturer
in Mathematics, who was passionate about organising youths to meet with and
serve the Lord. Abiodun was to be one of the privileged fifteen persons with
whom the lecturer started the Bible Study group in 1973, which has remained
till this day. The venue was Flat 2, University of Lagos Staff Quarters, deep
inside the campus in Akoka, a suburb of Lagos.
It was the home of William F.
Kumuyi, who will later become General Superintendent of The Deeper Christian
Life Ministry, and Pastor of the Deeper Life Bible Church. Abiodun, then 20,
wasted no time in settling down to digest the systematic and expository study
of the Bible series undertaken by the Bible Study leader, as Pastor Kumuyi was
then known. Thus, began for her, a journey that was destined to alter the
course of her life forever.
Born to the Olowu family of Epe on
January 7, 1952, Abiodun attended Baptist Primary School, Surulere in Lagos.
She had her secondary education at the New Era Girls’ Secondary School, Lagos
where she obtained her West African School Certificate. Thereafter, she
proceeded to the Federal College of Education, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, where she read
Business and Secretarial Studies.
On September 13, 1980 in Lagos,
Abiodun married her erstwhile Bible Study teacher, Pastor William Folorunsho
Kumuyi. He had defied all pressures from friends and family concerning
marriage, preferring instead to pray and wait for God to direct him to the
partner He had chosen specially for him. God answered that prayer in Abiodun.
The marriage was blessed with two sons, Jeremiah and John, both of whom were
dotted upon by their beloved mother.
That marriage expectedly thrust upon
her the role of a helper to her Pastor- husband. Naturally, she threw herself
into the Women Ministry of the church. Through that ministry, multitudes of
women were saved from their sins, and obtained other Christian experiences of
sanctification and Holy Ghost baptism. Many became missionaries and preachers
in their own right. The women ministry under her leadership saw the restoration
of peace, joy and love to many homes, and reconciliation in many broken
marriages and lives.
An energetic, dynamic and visionary
woman, Abiodun Kumuyi, who was fondly called Mummy or Mama by members of the
church, spear-headed the establishment of the Christian Women Mirror magazine.
She used the magazine to teach women all they needed to know to be successful
wives and mothers, accomplished and exemplary Christians and models of
excellence. The magazine, for which she was editor-in-chief until her demise,
has become so popular that it is circulating far and wide and is highly sought
after by readers who are no longer restricted to women.
Like every true child of God, she
seemed to have had an inkling that the Almighty God was about to call her home.
Speaking on the phone from her sick bed on Tuesday, April 7, 2009, she told her
younger son, John: This is the last stage. He did not understand what his
mother meant, but only realized after her transition to glory that she was
passing a parting message to him.
Not even sickness would dampen her
love and commitment to the Lord she served so faithfully and dutifully. She was
unable to attend the Church’s Easter Retreat that year because of her sickness.
But the messages from the venue of the retreat were transmitted to her by
satellite in her home at the International Bible Training Centre, Ayobo, Ipaja,
a suburb of Lagos.
On the morning of Saturday, April
11, 2009, she woke up as usual and joined the Faith Clinic session from the
retreat venue on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. As she listened to her husband
leading the congregation in soul-stirring hymns, she joined and sang with a
surprisingly strong and clear voice. All her weaknesses seemed to have
disappeared. Her face glowed as she sang along:
There is a new name written down in
glory,
And it’s mine, O yes, it’s mine!
And the white robed angels sing the story,
A sinner has come home.
For there’s a new name written down in glory,
And it’s mine, O yes, it’s mine;
With my sins forgiven I am bound for heaven,
Never more to roam.
Those taking care of her were
over-joyed at the sudden transformation. They watched as she sang happily,
then, settled down to listen to the Pastor’s Message titled: The Shield of
Faith, which stressed protection for believers, pulling down strongholds and
preservation in the shelter of the Almighty Father. At the end of the message,
she became engrossed in the prayers that followed; and as soon as she heard the
final In Jesus Name, she said, Amen. Then, she turned her face, shut her
eyes, and passed to glory.
She will be sorely missed as a
loving, caring and amiable mother who was very fond of not just her two sons
and husband, but the entire Deeper Life family. She was always together with
the General Superintendent. They traveled together and worked together. He
rarely got to any place without her companionship. Her commitment to the Lord
was infectious and her love for God’s word was deep-seated. She touched many
lives positively. No doubt, she has fought a good fight, she has finished her
course, she has kept the faith. Praise God for a life well lived.
David Brainerd, a missionary to the
native Indians long ago once said “only one life nd it will soon be past, only what
was done for God would last, and when I am dying how happy will I be, if he
lamp of my life has been burnt out for the”
What would you be remembered for?
Make use of the time you have now to impact live because you never know how much
you have left. Even if you have 100 years to live, Billy Graham never wasted
his years too.
START IMPACTING TODAY!!!
