Pastor Adeboye reveals an unforgettable meal he ate

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye has revealed an unforgettable meal that he ate in his village home of Ilesha in Osun State.

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Speaking on Sunday on the topic: This Unforgettable Meal, being the 70th series on the theme: Going Higher, with text taken from 1st Kings chapter 19 from verse 19 to verse 21, Pastor Adeboye narrated how he was eating pounded yam when he was informed of the death of Pastor Josiah Oluwafemi Akindayomi.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Pastor Akindayomi is the Founder and General Superintendent of the RCCG, founded in 1952 through a vision God showed to the late founder of the mission.

Adeboye, fondly referred to as Daddy GO, stressed that immediately after he was informed of the death of Pa Akindayomi during the meal, he knew all his plans of becoming the youngest Vice Chancellor (VC) in Africa were over.

“How can I ever forget the meal I was eating as I sat in my little house in Ilesha in those days? I have come to visit my mum and I was eating pounded yam and then I heard a car stop in front of the house.

“And I said who could that be because nobody was supposed to know I was there. And then the door opened and Pastor Mulero came in. And I said what’s wrong? He said finish your food. And I said it’s Papa, is it not? He said yes, papa passed away last night.

“And I knew immediately that all my plans of becoming the youngest Vice Chancellor in Africa were over. That was the beginning of becoming a full-time pastor. I can’t forget that food. I didn’t finish it. The morsel that was in my hand came back into the plate,” Pastor Adeboye recounted.

TNG reports that the RCCG GO, who used to be a lecturer of Mathematics at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) before he resigned to become a full-time pastor, has again and again spoken about his dream earlier in life to become the youngest university VC in not just Nigeria, but the whole of Africa. According to him, becoming the youngest university boss was his goal in life, until 1973 when everything changed totally.

Recall that in the early 1970s, Adeboye was already married to Pastor Mrs Foluke Adeboye (nee Adeyokunnu). He and his wife faced the challenge of having children. They had two children through caesarean section and the doctors had advised them against having more. But the couple desperately wanted more children and they embarked on a spiritual journey to seek a solution. This brought them to the RCCG in the year 1973 which was then headed by Pastor Akindayomi.

In one of his sermons, speaking on the power needed to fulfil one’s destiny in life, Pastor Adeboye said: “I thought I would be the youngest Vice Chancellor in Africa. That was my goal. But somewhere along the line, I gave my life to Jesus Christ in 1973. And before the end of that year, I got baptized in the Holy Spirit”.

Upon being called into the ministry, his initial duty at the church at that time was to translate Pastor Akindayomi’s sermons from his native Yoruba language into the English language as an interpreter. As time went by, Adeboye began organizing Bible Study meetings, Crusades, Revivals, Outreaches and the evangelistic programs known as the Holy Ghost Congress, which proved to be very successful.

Pastor Akindayomi was so impressed by the young Adeboye that he decided that he was the man that would succeed him. In 1981, Pastor Akindayomi died and Adeboye took over the mantle of leadership as the church’s General Overseer based on an instruction left by Akindayomi prior to his death.

“After Pa Akindayomi’s death at age 71, I took over as the General Overseer of RCCG in the year 1981, not by merit but by divine appointment which had already been revealed to Pa Akindayomi before his death. Although there were several controversies after I assumed office, my appointment was formalized by the reading of Pa Akindayomi’s sealed pronouncement after his burial,” Pastor Adeboye had said.

As the new leader of the RCCG, Adeboye worked hard to expand the church’s outreach and in recent times, the church has branches in as many as 179 countries in the world. Pastor Adeboye is today considered to be one of the most influential pastors in Nigeria and one of the richest pastors in the world.

TNG reports that Pastor Adeboye studied at Ilesha Grammar School, Ilesha, Osun State, Western Nigeria in 1956. It was at this time that he discovered his passion for science and mathematics in particular. After his primary and secondary education, he pursued tertiary education and obtained a Bachelor’s (BSc.) degree in Mathematics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria in 1967.

He also got a Masters (MSc.) Degree in Hydrodynamics and a Doctorate Degree (PhD) in Applied Mathematics, both from the University of Lagos, in 1969 and 1975 respectively.