Pastor Atinuke Adesanya is the founder and senior pastor of Grace to Grace International Ministries, Dagenham, UK. She spoke with Sunday Oguntola on the challenges of being a female church leader as well as the many humanitarian strides of the church. Excerpts:
What kind of a church do you run?
The church is about 15 years, but we started Grace to Grace International Ministries some five years ago. It’s a family church and we believe in the power of the word. One of the things that make us different is that we do more of projects. We believe in helping the less-privileged.
What bought you home this time?
From time to time, we go to nations to alleviate suffering. We have been to Uganda, Kenya, UK and Nigeria for projects. What we do are projects not because of churches. We have a project in Ikorodu that people thought was going to be a church. The purpose is to help the masses, so that they can see the other sides of Christianity. We have to be able to show people the same grace and mercies that we have received from God because we are the only Bible now that people are reading.
We are more into humanitarian projects. Jesus not only walked on the streets of Jerusalem and Judea but he met individual needs
What are some of the projects you have done in the UK for a start?
In the UK right now, we started a foundation called Atinuke Adesanya Foundation. What we do every Saturday, we go to Dagenham Library and we are recognised by the council there. We give aids to people. We offer medicare because we realised there are lot of cut downs in the UK. A lot of the hospitals, especially walk-in-centres, have been shut down. What we do every Saturday is to do blood check and cholesterol check. We also assist the less-privileged because some of the benefits have been cut down. We give them food and it is amazing.
In Nigeria, what have you done?
We are doing the same thing we do abroad over here. We have been able to do empowerment programme. We have concentrated in Isawu parts of Ikorodu. We have trained people there and released them to stand on their own. Some of them are now self-sufficient.
What new programme is in the offing?
It is called GAMP 2014, meaning Grace and Mercy Programme. What we want to do is to launch it on 3rd May. We have doctors and nurses coming from abroad to run checks on people. You find out that people don’t go to the hospitals. In fact, abroad even where there are facilities, people are just afraid to do checks because they don’t want to hear any bad news. But what they don’t know is that what you know, you can fight and that can prolong your life.
In fact, I was talking to a colleague in America who stated that cancer kills more blacks in America. The white Americans have higher vulnerability to cancer but they detect early and work round it. But blacks don’t care to know. That is why it kills more blacks.
So we are focusing on Isawu, Igbo Olomu and Agric communities in Ikorodu. We want to check their blood level, cholesterol and train them on computer. We have free laptops that we want to give out to outstanding students among our trainees. We are bringing used clothes, bags and even shoes that we can distribute to those who want.
Why did you choose Ikorodu of all places?
There are no specific reasons why we chose Ikorodu. At least, I am not from Ikorodu. One of the reasons why we chose Ikorodu is because we have a land there. We want to build a health centre, church and bible school in the future on the land.
When you do stuffs like these in this part of the world, you must have a political or religious agenda. So, are you starting a church any time soon in Ikorodu?
Yes, we are starting a church in Ikorodu. We are starting with a house fellowship. And you must know that land has been there for the past eight years. So, we are not doing this empowerment because of the church. If we wanted to do that, we would have started eight years ago. We just want to touch people and empower them.
Are these projects sponsored solely by the church?
Yes, they are.
No grants whatsoever?
None, I can assure you. The sponsorship is solely by the church. The last one was from the church’s purse. This GAMP, I just shared with them what we want to do and my people are dangerous givers.
It must be a big church then to be able to handle such projects?
Yes, it is.
Is it dominated by Nigerians?
We have members who are Nigerians, Ghanaians, Jamaicans, Sierra Leones, Zimbabweans and others.
How is it like being a female church leader?
It is the same everywhere. A lot of people believe that women are not supposed to lead churches and I always have a simple illustration for them. I tell them if a man drowns in a river and he needs assistance, will it matter to him if a woman offers to help him out? Everybody keeps saying it doesn’t matter. So, I have challenges as a female church leader. People wonder why my husband is not in the ministry. There is an evil I have seen here.
If a man is called, the woman automatically joins him in the ministry and I believe it should not be like that. Ministry is not by nomination but by calling. That a man is called does not mean the wife should join him. Same with the woman who is called.
My husband is not in the ministry with me and I don’t have to force him to join me. He is into secular practice. Our first son is a pastor and I did not influence anything. When God called him, it was glaring to everyone. Everybody knows that going by what he does in the kingdom that he has a calling. He had to go to Oral Roberts University, came back to London and joined the church. I can’t force my husband to say he has to be a pastor. He recognises the call and anointing of God upon my life. He supports the church and has his own work.
I have a lot of challenges with acceptance until people come around and see what God is doing through us. I have a deliverance service every Tuesday and people see what God is doing. Demons are crying out, God is delivering people and the barren are getting fruits of the womb. Then, people don’t mind again that I am a woman of God.
People have challenges with female preachers. They say they are not submissive at the home fronts. Is that true with you too?
I really can’t speak for myself. If I had some of my members here, they would have been able to speak for me because I can’t blow my own trumpet. If my husband were here too, he would have been in the best position to talk on it. For example, I don’t travel without his permission and I travel a lot. Today, I have spoken with him, feeding him on what I have done. So, we are pretty close. I wish he was the one speaking now.
Well, many female preachers also hardly have time for their children, making many of them become delinquents. Maybe you can blow your trumpet on how well or badly your children are doing now.
I have four children, and by the grace of God, all of them have turned out good. My first daughter is here. Last year, she told me she wanted to move back to Nigeria. So, she is here. She is finishing her youth corps in February. She said she wanted to see life and be part of what she came from. Now, she is the manager in a micro-finance company, LAPO Bank in Ikeja. She is standing out and doing a marvellous job there.
I have my second child, who is a pastor. Both of us are in the ministry and we stand shoulder-to-shoulder. My third child has just graduated from the university and I have my last child in college. Every one of them will say that I am a good home manager despite my schedules. When I come back from church on Sundays, my first point of call is always my kitchen. I don’t allow my house helps to cook my food. I have to cook and look after my husband. What I don’t do recently is the cleaning of the house but I supervise that too.
My house help in Nigeria says she has never seen a woman like this. Up till now, I do my cooking myself. I don’t allow my house help to do it for me because I consider it as laziness. And I believe no one can cook to my taste.
So, churches have to be humanitarian?
Yes, we should be. I know many are not but may God open their eyes to see it. Church is not about the gospel; it is about what we want to offer. For example, we do a church humanitarian project but I have people whose school fees I pay. I have to take the burden off them. I preach the same to my members and some of them are following suit. They ask for names they can help and I offer from the many on my list.
I believe that pastors will come to realise as time goes on that showing people the human sides of God makes the gospel easier to preach. As we help people, you feel inner joy. The people appreciate what you do and the news spread quicker about Christ. But beyond the appreciation and what people say, you feel the joy. I don’t believe in living for myself but helping people to find fulfilment in life. When you help people, you are building a nation because the deposits you leave in them make them to be able to help others too.
So givers don’t lack?
Never, givers never lack. The Bible says give and it shall be given to you. I tell people that when you give, it returns to you in multiple folds, not in the same measure. You find that because we give, our members are not where they used to be. There are testimonies of greatness and uplift.
Where are the branches of your church back in Nigeria?
We have two in Lagos. One in Ayobo and the other in Iju Water Works.
Why do you choose such average and not highbrow communities?
That is because we want to reach out to people in those areas. Those in Lekki are comfortable already. They need Christ as well but that will be later. We are interested in those down, down there for now.
By the time we go to Lekki, they will easily reckon with us.
