Successful People Woman-of-Virtue
Pastor (Mrs) Abimbola, RCCG Ogun 5 Provincial mummy speaks on her golden era life.
- Narrates how God ordered her steps to meet her husband in an unexpected way
- ...Counsels pastors' wives on how to remain relevant in ministry with their husbands.
By Charles Segun Adegbite
A paragon of beauty and brain, Pastor Omobolaji Loveth Abimbola is an embodiment of God's grace and a talented gospel music evangelist. She is the Wife of the Pastor in charge of Ogun Province 5 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG), Sagamu, Ogun State, Pastor Joseph Olusegun Abimbola.
On Saturday, 19 September, 2020, she joined the club of Quinquagenarians, as she attained a golden age and celebrated her 50years of existence on earth.
Golden jubilee, of course, is a special year in the life of any individual, organisation, club, union, society or nation. When you turned 50 as an individual, you joined the elders club, and many changes begin to happen in the physiological aspect of your life.
With half a century of numerous experiences, Mummy Abimbola(as she is foundly called by her numerous church members and spiritual children) has a lot of things to talk about.
As a pastor and spiritual mother, with her humility and simplicity, she won't however, speak the way worldly people do.
The emulation of her parents in the Lord, Pastors Enoch Adejare and Folu Adeboye, would make her to keep ascribing everything she could boast of to the glory of the Lord.
Pastor Joseph Abimbola with his golden birthday girl.
BIRTH, EARLY LIFE & EDUCATION .
Born on 19 September, 1970, into the Olaitan Osunderu Family of Ijebu Mushin, Ogun State, she grew up as a staunch Anglican family member where the habit of going to church on time and having no room for lateness was inculcated in her.
Little Omobolaji, at age five, entered St. Mary Primary School, Ijebu Mushin. She later attended Comprehensive High School, Ijebu Mushin and got transferred at Form 3(now JSS 3) to continue her studies at Jibowu High School( the then Premier College), Lagos, where she completed her secondary school.
She thereafter gained admission into The Management Institute, Lagos, where she obtained Ordinary National Diploma(OND) and Higher National Diploma(HND) respectively.
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PROPERTY NEWS
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..Pastor Mrs Abimbola Story continues 👇
JOB & BUSINESS CAREER
She secured a job as an Advert Executive with the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, and worked there in early 1990s.
The boom in the mortgage and loans banks industry then led to her leaving the job of an Advert Executive to work with Swift Finance Company.
After working briefly there, she left to join her husband in his pastoral work.
As a virtuous woman who won't be a liability to her husband, she ventured into business also.
Pastor & Pastor (Mrs) Abimbola: What God has joined together...
SPIRITUAL & MINISTERIAL LIVES
Her spiritual growth began when she was 16years old. According to her, "I became a born again Christian in Deeper Life Bible Church in 1986."
Her ministerial journey, however started in 1989 when she joined the Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG). She had discovered she had a singing ministry, which she had not been able to develop while in the Deeper Life. But when she joined The RCCG, she began to develop the gift and soon set up a gospel musical band called Minstrel Voices.
"I became a born again Christian in Deeper Life Bible Church in 1986."
By continually stirring up the gift of God in her through singing, she grew up more which led to her invitations to minister in songs in many churches.
"I got invitations from a lot of top people like the Chairman of Pfizer then; and many others. I was in the choir department and was the head of the department then." She disclosed.
Pastors Abimbolas with their children, during the 50th birthday anniversary.In fulfillment of the biblical principles which says "In all labour there is profit"(Proverbs 14:23), as she was going about her ministerial assignment one day, God rewarded her with answer to her prayers for a God-given husband in a miraculous way.
"Before I got my God chosen husband in a miraculous way, a lot of brothers had been coming here and there, showing interest in me, proposing to marry me. But because I was very focused, I didn't answer them. All I was doing then was praying to God that he should direct me, so that I won't make mistake in my marital journey.
"I didn't see any vision or get any leading, or an order to agree with any of the brothers. In fact, how I got to know my would-be-husband was a mystery. And how we got married was a manifestation of God's involvement," she said.
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FEATURE IN SPECIAL EDITION OF WHO'S WHO IN NIGERIA
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DIVINE INVITATION
She was a member of the RCCG Raboni Parish (now called The Master's Place) at Gbagada Phase 2, in Lagos in those days. One day she was invited for song ministration in another RCCG parish, Pentecost Parish, along Airport Road in Lagos. As she was going for the ministration in a commercial vehicle, a traffic warden stopped the driver of the bus at a road junction. In the course of dragging an issue with the traffic warden, they began to engage each other in some arguments.
This led to a serious delay at the spot, making it impossible for her to reach the place she was going for ministration on time.
"I got invitations from a lot of top people like the Chairman of Pfizer then; and many others. I was in the choir department and was the head of the department then."
The church was a big parish All efforts to get another vehicle she could quickly board to the place, proved abortive. And In those days there was nothing like a mobile phone through which she could quickly call those who invited her, to let them know the situation she found herself in.
Likewise, the host-to-be could neither communicate with her nor know whether to come and bring her from there or not.
When she discovered the time has passed by fast, she concluded it was better for her to look for a nearby parish of the RCCG
where she could fellowship that evening. She hoped to reschedule the ministration the next time she gets in contact with them.
"Before I got my God chosen husband in a miraculous way, a lot of brothers had been coming here and there, showing interest in me, proposing to marry me. But because I was very focused, I didn't answer them. All I was doing then was praying to God that he should direct me, so that I won't make mistake in my marital journey
DIVINE DIRECTION TOWARDS MARITAL LIFE
"Suddenly I saw a big signpost of RCCG in front of me. I trekked down to the church to fellowship there. I never knew the pastor of the church was the man that God has been preparing for me as my would-be husband." She said, while narrating her experience.
She disclosed further thus, "Unfortunately also, he wasn't the one ministering in the church that day. So I didn't meet him because he wasn't around; it was his assistant that ministered."
The person that came to welcome her as a first time worshipper in that parish gave her a card form to fill.
"And I said there was no need filling the form because I was already a member of the RCCG and won't be coming to that parish to fellowship again. Somehow the woman persuaded me to fill the form for the sake of, at least having it on record that there was a new guest in their church that day. And I did."She explained.
Pastor (Mrs) Omobolaji Abimbola with her husband while cutting her 50th Birthday Anniversary cake
Speaking further, she said, "when the parish pastor later came to the church another day, and he was checking those guest cards one after another, when he got to mine, the card just caught his attention specially, and he paused and began to gaze at the name with full attention, despite the fact that he had never seen me or known anything about me."
She disclosed thus; "As he was staring at the guest card filled by me, according to him, God just spoke to him that that is your would-be wife, go and visit her. So he traced the address and visited me, despite the fact that he had never seen me, my picture or anything that can show the description of the person I was then," she added.
TAKING THE STEPS OF FAITH
The pastor took a step of faith by visiting her the first time at home but he couldn't meet her. "Since there was no mobile phone then, there was no way he could call to me that he would be visiting on a particular day and time.
"Our security guard who told me about his visit simply said your pastor came here to look for you. And I told him the person couldn't have been my pastor because my pastor didn't know my house and he never told me he would be coming for me to give him the description of our house and the direction to the place." She added.
"As he was staring at the guest card filled by me, according to him, God just spoke to him that that is your would-be wife, go and visit her.
Since she had never met this man the guard was talking about and no previous discussion with him or about him, she simply ignored the message.
Meanwhile, it was the time his parents have been asking him to bring his would-be wife. And he had none yet as a pastor.
When he visited her the second time, they couldn't recognise each other . He simply introduced himself as the pastor of the church she attended that day. He then invited her to come and minister in his church. "Since I didn't know he wasn't marry then, there was no way I could even imagine that he came for the purpose of starting a relationship with me. "She disclosed.
According to her, "The day I went to their church to minister, as soon as I finished ministration I just left the church because all I was thinking was that he came just to invite me to his church for ministration . However, God just worked things out and the marital relationship began.'She added.
HOW I GOT MARRIED & THE OBSTACLES FACED
According to her, "Before we got married, challenges came to threaten the God's plan for our marriage. I'm an Ijebu woman and he is an Ijesha man. And there was this wrong old belief among the Ijebu and Ijesha that it was a taboo for an Ijesha and Ijebu to marry each other. According to elders, Ijebu and Ijesha had engaged themselves in series of interethnic wars in the olden days; either many decades or a century(ies) ago.
So, my would-be mother-in-law then said interrogatively, "how can Ijebu and Ijesha marry? That's not possible." The opposition was so much for me that I said that I was no longer interested in it. But since there was God involvement in the marriage, He made his will to prevail. And we succeeded in getting married." She explained.
So, my would-be mother-in-law then said interrogatively, "how can Ijebu and Ijesha marry?
THE LESSON WE LEARNT
Narrating her experiences, she said, "We however learnt again that there is no will of God that's trouble-free, but victory is assured. There were a lot of obstacles, but God gave us victory over all of them and the glory returned to him." She explained.
The Abimbolas: A testimony of God's faithfulnessREVELATION OF A BETTER FUTURE
"During the early stage of our marital life, there was a revelation. Less than a year after our marriage, I had a dream in which I saw a rose that blossomed and soon faded away. I then saw another one coming out, and it blossomed very well. I narrated the dream to my husband and he interpreted it as a revelation of a better future, after the pre-marital challenges we faced have gone." She added.
MESSAGE TO PASTORS WIVES
She then counselled pastors' wives , saying "they should support their husbands; both at home and in the ministry. My husband is supporting me because I'm also supporting him in the ministry. " She disclosed.
"For instance, when we started, I could have said, as a nursing mother, I can't be going to church too early in the morning. I could have told my husband to go first while I join him later, as some pastors' wives do. But I wasn't doing that.
"That kind of life, not cooperating with the husband, shows there is no oneness among the couple. That means, the pastor's wife is not being supportive. Some of them won't go to church workers' meetings or get there late, whenever they decide to go. This will make the workers and other ministers to start asking questions and begin to suspect that something wrong must be going on between the pastor and his wife." She explained.
Accordng to her,"As a pastor's wife, support your husband's ministry as your personal ministry, and everything will work well, because the ministry of your husband is your ministry also.
"It doesn't matter if you are the finance minister for this country, if you support your husband the Lord will bless you more and elevate you." She added.
She made it clear that the pastors' wives are being called Parish Mummies, Area Mummies, Zonal Mummies and Provincial Mummies "because their husbands are occupying those positions. If the husband leaves that position and another person occupies it, that wife will no longer be addressed with that title of parish mummy, area mummy or zonal mummy.
"So, let them continue to support their husbands so that God can continue to promote them together." She said, in conclusion.
In view of many virtues seen in this woman, some of which are stated above,
Pastor Omobolaji Loveth Abimbola is our
Successful People Woman-of-Virtue
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