Bishop David Abioye of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (aka Winners Chapel) has said his relationship with his mentor Bishop David Oyedepo will not stop even after retirement.
Speaking at his valedictory service on Sunday at the church’s Abuja branch known as Goshen City, Abioye said he and his wife were grateful to Oyedepo for the lessons learnt under his tutelage.
“My personal relationship with God’s servant, which commenced even before the birth of the mandate, has spanned close to 45 years covering several spheres of life including ministry, our nuclear and extended families, social spheres etc,” he said.
“This relationship is quite extensive and deep and we shall continue to be a part of it as we engage in post-retirement activities in full submission to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as taught us over the years by our fathers and mentors.”
He said that his adventure into Christian ministry was not a subject of being desirous or having an ambition but simply fulfilling purpose.
The 63-year-old said further, “Such is the story of my adventure with Bishop Oyedepo. Greatness is not a thing to wish for. But a journey to make by following, which by God’s help I have engaged myself since my first encounter with him in January 1980. Then I was about to be 19 years old.”
In his tribute to Abioye at the event, Pastor Paul Enenche noted that making a difference is superior to making a living. “That is what I found about the life of Bishop Abioye,” he said.
Abioye’s life, according to him, is about “making meaning not just making money. Making impact not just making income. The struggle to make a mark, not a struggle to make a name. The struggle to know not the struggle to be known.”
Abioye’s retirement follows guidelines in the church’s constitution known as the mandate. A valedictory service was earlier this week held also for Bishop Thomas Aremu.
Only the founder Oyedepo has the privilege of lifetime service.
