Yemisi Ashimolow is the wife of the founding pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), Matthew Ashimolowo, a residing pastor of KICC Walthamstow, London and the head of KICC Winning Women Ministry.
In a recent interview with City People, Pastor Yemisi revealed a lot about her life as a pastor's wife, challenges she has faced in her ministry and marriage .
Read excerpts from her interview:
As a resident Pastor of KICC London, what do you do?Well, I oversee the work of the ministry and whenever Pastor Matthew is not around, I take the church services. We have many departments in the church, I make sure that all the departments are doing what they are supposed to do.
How long have you been handling this?That was just 5-6 years ago. I have been a Pastor in KICC for years but that office was not given to me until 5-6 years ago.
So, apart from being a Pastor, what else do you do?Apart from being a Pastor, I have a Ministry called Winning Women Ministry where I oversee the spiritual lives of more than 5,000 women. Through our regular meetings and special events like the one of every last Tuesday of every month, I meet with the women who are looking for the fruits of the womb and we spend the time to pray. I also reach out to our sub-ministries like “successful wives”, which are married women, then the ladies-in-waiting (single ladies), the mothers-in-waiting for the wives believing God for the fruit of the womb the Positive Parents (single mothers) and the senior-sisters which are mature women of God who are 50 years and above. My ministry is to equip women of God with the necessary knowledge, gifts and talents to enable them to reach their potential in Christ. So, this is what I do while I leave the business part for Pastor Matthew.
But when does KICC lay more emphasis on seed sowing (money)?Well, seed sowing is in the Word of God and we have to abide by it. Most times, people just want to take from God but never want to give back. I see our sowing of seeds as part of our worship to God. Even God told us as Christians that we must not come empty handed to God but when you come, come along with your gift (seed). I don’t think our service is complete without you sowing a seed. It is one of the quickest ways to reach God. It is like you going to see a King without a gift. But we are serving the King of Kings so, why must you got to him without taking your gift along. Therefore, seed sowing is part of our lives as Christians and it is what we do.
On May 1st, 2014, KICC Maryland “Prayer Dome” was dedicated by Pastor Matthew himself. Don’t you think this was wrong as other men of God should have done the dedicating?There is a proverb my husband always say but don’t let me go into it so that I don’t misquote it. There is no single problem in Pastor Matthew dedicating the Dome himself. Yes, you can invite other people to come and dedicate a project for you but I don’t see anything wrong in his doing it.
Now, let’s go personal Ma, how long have you been married to Pastor Matthew?I have been married for 33 years.
Did you envisage that you were going to be married to a Pastor as a Pastor’s daughter?No, no, no! Marrying a Pastor was the last thing in my mind. Because my Dad is a Pastor and as a Pastor’s daughter, I dreaded marrying a Pastor. My Dad has 2 brothers that are Pastors also but of different denominations. I never really wanted to marry a Pastor but God knows the plans He has for our lives.
So, how is being married to Pastor Matthew like?First and foremost, I thank God that I never listened to the Unilag lecturer who warned me against marrying Pastor Matthew otherwise I would have been probably in a one corner room here in Lagos. But see how my life has turned out to be traveling all over the world to preach and minister. The lecturer never saw any future in Pastor Matthew as a Pastor but the lecturer is late now.I didn’t know that marrying Pastor Matthew will end this way even I didn’t want to preach when I married him, I just wanted to be a full house wife but he was the one who really discovered me, and saw the beauty of God in my life. So, he mentored me to be what I am today. And I never knew that KICC would be a big church that it is today.
How did it all happen between you?Okay! I can still remember vividly, it was January 1980, when Pastor Matthew came to my Dad’s church to assist him as an Assistant Pastor. He just came out of Bible School as a fresh graduate then and he was immediately posted to Foursquare Bible Church as an Assistant Pastor to my father even though he had CAC background. And I saw this young vibrant man who was posted to my Dad’s branch. I remember, we were having a serious challenge at that time and we were worshipping outside because our properties were been thrown outside by our landlord over land problem in my area at that time.It was at this period of time that this young and fresh man (Pastor Matthew) came. This man was so committed and the way he was serving God swept me off my heels. Then I told God that God, if only you can give me a man like this young and vibrant man that is newly posted to work with my Dad for a husband but must not be a Pastor, then I will forever be grateful to you. It was his commitment to the Lord that attracted me to him. This young man was so committed to the things of God.
Was it love at first sight?Not really because he was a Pastor and I didn’t want to marry a Pastor but I was only attracted to him when I saw him. I must also confess, marrying Pastor Matthew is the best thing that has happened to me. But you know, as a Pastor’s daughter and having 2 Uncles as Pastors, I wasn’t interested in another Pastor again. But I thank God I married one now.
What has been the challenge(s) so far?Definitely in life there will be challenges. But you need the grace of God to deal with them. And in the ministry, you have to meet and deal with different kinds of people and all of these takes the grace of God.
Marriage-wise?Every marriage has its ups and downs and every marriage goes through challenges and as I said earlier, it only takes the grace of God.