Faith Abiola Oyedepo is a Pastor, Ardent Teacher of the Word, Author, Administrator, Role Model and wife of Bishop Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide also known as Winners’ Chapel and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria. She was born on the 5th of February, 1958. She comes from a family of 8 children, with her being number 6. She gave her life to Christ in 1976 as a teenager. After completing her Primary and Secondary education, she proceeded to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, then known as University of Ife for her Bachelor’s Degree.
Formerly named Florence Abiola Akano before her name was changed to Faith Abiola Oyedepo by her husband after marriage, she is very well known and celebrated for her role in strengthening the family unit and portraying a model lifestyle for others to replicate. While schooling at the University of Ife, she met David Oyedepo in 1976, who was then a student of Kwara Polythenic at a motor park. They courted for about 6 years and she got married to him in 1982. Brother David was so poor that during his wedding eve, he wasn’t buoyant to afford a hotel room, he slept in his rickety Volkswagen beetle, yet Sister Faith agreed to marry him. In Bishop David Oyedepo’s words, “I was in courtship with my wife then, she was my fiancee. I documented my vow and I invited her. We entered into a church and I showed her the vow. Would you still be willing to follow me, even though I become blind, lame or handicapped? I asked her and she said yes. I asked her to sign and she did”.
When the time drew near to get married, Brother David and Sister Florence went to meet an elderly family member of the clergy for counseling. He asked, “David, what do you see happening in your marriage?” He replied, “I see a hitch-free marriage”. The elder asked, “How do you mean?” He replied, “We have been in courtship for about four years now and it has been wonderful”. The elder then said, “It is easy not to step on each other’s toes when you are not living together, but when you start living together, it would be impossible not to step on each other’s toes”. David answered “Sir, you and I are sitting on the same sofa, why am I not stepping on your toes? For two reasons: I am not blind and I am not wicked”. The respected father in the faith nodded his head quietly.
Prior to marriage, her husband’s soujourn into the pastoral calling and having a tabernacle began when he revealed he received a mandate from God through an 18 hour vision in May 1981, to liberate the world from all oppression of the devil through the preaching of the word of faith. After that encounter, David called his partner, Faith Abiola Akano, along with Brother David Abioye, Emmanuel ‘Oset’, Joseph Ebrohimen and Dickson Olorunda among others and shared the vision with them. Shortly after, a weekly teaching program took off known as the “Faith Liberation Hour”. Also, a group known as the “Powerhouse” was assembled which engaged in prayers and fastings among other activities in order to actualize the heavenly vision. This is the inaugural vision that led to the founding of the Living Faith Church World Wide in 1981. She believed in his vision. At the wedding in 1982, the beetle Volkswagen was used to convey her and her husband back home. David refused to borrow money for a flashy car for the ceremony. Faith never complained.
On September 17, 1983, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, ordained her and her husband, David, to become pastors and officially commissioned the new church which was named “The “Living Faith World Outreach Centre” (LFWOC) at the time. While the ministry grew, Faith and David had to make certain sacrifices to ensure the growth of the ministry. At the time, her salary was One hundred and fourty naira (#140) while that of her husband was three hundred naira #300. They went through several financial challenges but she never for once complained and believed in God and her husband’s vision.
After marriage, there had been occasions where we’d agree that Faith is a strong, understanding, virtuous and rare woman of faith. Things were still challenging for them even after the birth of their first son, David Jr because there was no money. There were days when she and her husband would go hungry for 3 days without food because they understood that they would never borrow. Faith, David, and son, David Jr would sometimes feed on cerelac (baby food). When the couple had their second son, Isaac, there was no money for a naming ceremony. They refused to touch the church’s money. People kept praying for her and her husband as they seemed to be crazy and needed deliverance because of their level of faith. She kept the faith. It was from one financial challenge to another but thank God for His grace upon the ministry. Those days are over.
In 2014, she almost lost her life to death as she battled a serious illness. She woke up one day on her sick bed in USA and unexpectedly saw her husband who had flown in quietly from Nigeria and had refused to wake her up. He was kneeling on the floor by her legs and crying ‘Lord, heal her and prove that you sent me”- She got healed miraculously. That experience renewed her passion, zeal and hunger to impact the world by doing the Lord’s work. The experience of her illness was captured in her book ” Rescued from Destruction”. She has been a great contributor to helping her husband move his ministry, preaching the word with a sense of urgency and passion, writing books and impacting lives. She co-pastors the Living Faith Ministeries, worldwide, alongside her husband. Her contributed efforts in the works of God endeared so many to her all around the globe. She has a ministry to families and homes, which she has dedicated her life to, by showing people the perfect will of God for their homes and relationships. She has been a mother to people, enriching their lives and providing a shoulder for them to lean on.
She is passionate about improving educational standards in Nigeria and holds a post in her husband’s church as she is currently the Vice President (Education) of the Living Faith Ministeries as well. She is currently the Chancellor of Convenant University. Together with Bishop David Oyedepo, they have contributed immensely to raising the standards of Education in the country by building great and quality colleges and Universities such as Convenant University, Landmark University, Crown University, Faith Academy and Kingdom Heritage Model Schools.
She is a well-known Author whose books have sold million of copies worldwide. Her stance on building the family unit has been put together in her write-ups and also communicated through media outlets. She has written several books on Family, Marriage, Youth Empowerment and Women Empowerment. Some of these books include, “Raising Godly Children”, “Marriage Convenant”, “Understanding Womanhood”, “Success in Marriage”, “The Healing Scriptures”, “Rescued from Destruction”.
She is also one of the facilitators of the Bishop Oyedepo foundation, a foundation aimed at alleviating the challenges of the less privileged in Nigeria. The foundation also awards scholarships and grants to the less privileged.
She has been married for 38 years to Bishop David Oyedepo who happens to be one of the main founders of the Nigerian Christian Charismatic movement. They are blessed with four lovely children, namely: David Jr, Isaac, Love and Joyce. Two of her sons, David Jr and Isaac Oyedepo were ordained as Pastors in May, 2007 by Kenneth Copeland. David Oyedepo Jr is now the resident pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, while Isaac, the second son, heads Winners Chapel Maryland, USA.
A mother of faith, humble, virtuous and rare. We celebrate an embodiment of wisdom and grace.
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