Ayodele Joseph Oritsegbubemi Oritsejafor is a Teacher, Evangelist, Prophet, Author, Philosopher, Philanthropist and Founder and Senior Pastor of Word of Life Bible Church, Warri, Delta State, Nigeria. He was born on the 10th of November to Joseph Monday Oritsejafor and Roli Durojaiye Oritsejafor in Lagos State, Nigeria.
His mother was a very devoted Christian who sought for a male child for years and vowed to God that she will bring him up in the way of the Lord, without allowing the things of the world come near him. God answered her prayers and Ayodele was born. After his birth, he could not speak until his fifth birthday when he spoke to the amazement of everyone. He spoke fluently and maturedly like a normal child. It was revealed that his mother who was a devoted member of Christ Apostolic Church, would take him to the church altar for hours praying for God to bless and use him. His father died while he was young. This ushered changes in young Ayo’s life. He was left at the mercy of relatives who didn’t treat him well while his mother remarried and travelled to the United Kingdom with her new husband. Ayo grew up on his own and got involved in drugs and became violent.
On a certain day, in 1972, Ayo got an invite to a crusade while on his way to see a relative in Sapele, Nigeria. He went to the crusade ground half drunk in the company of a friend. This was the day he gave his life to Christ after hearing the word preached with so much depth and clarity. At that moment, he observed that he immediately felt joy, peace and so much love. Right there, he made a commitment to serve God for the rest of his life. He bought a Bible and began preaching about the love of Jesus to anyone he came across.
Ayo decided to go Bible School and enrolled in the New Covenant Bible Institute, Benin City, Edo state. While in Bible School, he was finding it difficult to cope. He often escaped classes and couldn’t even stand in front of people. He found it difficult to preach. He decided to pack his bags to leave Bible School, concluding that the school was not for him but fate had other plans. He saw a vision of himself in suit preaching to thousands of people. He heard a voice saying; “This is what you are going to be doing for the rest of your life, take my word to the world”. Receiving this instruction, he stayed in the Bible School and further enrolled with the Nigerian Baptist Seminary, Ogbomosho in Oyo State, Nigeria. On Sunday 15th of November, 1987, Pastor Ayo started Word Of Life Bible Church by divine authority. Later, in 1979, he proceeded to the United States for further studies at Morris Cerullo’s School of Ministry (El Cortez), San Diego, California.
He hosts “Hour of Deliverance”, a television program which had its debut in 1980. He often says he owes his life’s accomplishments to God, and his success in ministry to the influence of Archbishop Benson Idahosa, Dr. Morris Cerullo, Evangelist Robert W. Schamback, and Evangelist Tommy L. Osborn amongst others.
He became the National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) on the 7th of February, 2005 till 2010. Afterwards, he was elected as the President of the Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN), the apex body of all Christians in Nigeria, becoming the first Pentecostal leader to assume such position and served from 2010 to 2016. He is a proponent of leadership by example and was instrumental in in bringing the crisis in Niger Delta area of Nigeria to an end. He is a servant of God who has been fearless in lending his voice to pushing the Gospel to the world.
Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s Ministries was the first to launch a Miracle crusade (Lagos Miracle Crusade) from Africa to world audience, via satellite, in 1987 with Evangelist Joe Martins. He also set up African Broadcasting Network (ABN), an international satellite Christian television station intended to serve as a voice for the gospel of Christ from Africa to the world. It is a satellite channel broadcasting from London, with a coverage that spans across the whole of Africa, parts of Asia and parts of Europe. It is currently viewed in 75 countries world-wide and online via WebTV. As a keynote speaker, he has ministered in crusades with well over 2,000,000 souls in attendance. He has also ministered and still ministers in various international and local Conferences and seminars which has taken him to well over 50 countries and every continent of the world.
As a prolific writer, he has authored several books amongst which are “Walking in Unity”, “Power through The Church”, “The Battle is in the Mind”, “Be an Over-Comer”, ” Power for the Journey”, “Faith Antidote For Daily Living”, “A Voice in the Wilderness “, “A Man amongst Men” to mention but a few.
Pastor Ayo got married to Helen Oritsejafor in 1997 at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Lagos, Nigeria. Their union is blessed with beautiful triplet sons: Ayodele Joseph, Ayodeji and daughter Ayodeta Helen. The family resides in Warri, Nigeria.
Pastor Ayo is also known as a philanthropist. Over the years, he has encouraged giving back to the society, regardless of religion or race. He offers scholarships to indigent students in various tertiary, secondary and elementary institutions both within and outside Nigeria irrespective of tribe or denomination. He and his wife Helen, partnered with Flight Micro Finance Bank to start an empowerment programme for the people. Oritsejafor, ever since, makes it a tradition to empower the less privileged and to alleviate the sufferings of families all over at the end of every December.
On 26 December 2016, the Word of Life Bible Church in conjunction with the Eagle Flight Micro Finance Bank allegedly held the poverty alleviation programme in Warri.
Oritsejafor has received several awards both internationally and locally in regards of his various peace and humanitarian initiatives. He has been honored with the Golden key to the City of Kalamazoo, Michigan by the mayor of the city. He was also honored with the International Youth Ambassador for Peace Award. He was conferred an Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), one of the Nigerian National Honours at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on 22nd December, 2008. Oritsejafor received an award of ‘A True Servant of God’ by The Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) on the 9th of May, 2013.
Till date, he has remained one of the most sought after and prominent ministers both in Nigeria and beyond.
Sources
Manpower.com
BelieversPortal
