The newly appointed lead Pastor of the Fountain of Life Church, Jimmy Odukoya, has revealed he has scriptural backing for his mode of appearance, his dreadlocks, beards and earrings.
The Pastor who is also a Nollywood actor, made this known in an interview with BBC News Pidgin on Wednesday, 20th September 2023.
Pastor Odukoya also disclosed that his calling into the ministry was by God Almighty and said that his new role as a senior pastor has a lot of responsibilities and his main objective is to advance the ministry.
Speaking on his dreadlocks, which have continued to generate reactions from social media users, he stated;
Na God call me as I am. This new position is a big responsibility. So all of my focus is here. As for my dreads, most people don’t know I can back up everything I do with scripture.
Pastor Jimmy Odukoya- Fountain of Life Church
Pastor Jimmy Odukoya
If you say I’m wrong to keep my hair as a pastor, I can tell you that God told Samson not to cut his hair in the Bible. That means long hair is not a bad thing. Also, if you say the pastor is keeping a beard, I can tell you that the Bible says that when Jesus was tortured, they pulled hair from his face. If you say this pastor is putting on earrings, I can tell you that in the book of Exodus, when the children of Israel got out of Egypt and wanted to do golden calf, they collected jewelry, rings, and earrings from their sons and daughters. Anybody can do what they want. A personal opinion is different from saying something is sinful. You should not use your own personal opinion to judge me.”
However, he refuted assertions that he was fresh to the ministry, stating that he had received his ordination as a minister in 2009 and had been appointed as a pastor in 2012.
Story: Christy Dung
Credit: BBC News Pidgin