Pastoral Interview

AS THE FATHER HAS SENT ME, I ALSO SEND YOU ...

A large number of missionaries engage in acts of community building. The most important responsibility of missionaries is to teach people about Jesus Christ and the great commandment to love God and to love one’s neighbor. In my interview with missionary pastors Stephen and Favor Ikechukwu Esiobu, I learned about their journey, their obstacles, and the joys of being a missionary pastor.

SHARE BRIEFLY ON WHO YOU BOTH ARE, HOW YOU MET AND HOW YOU CAME TO FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST?

Pastor Stephen: I came to faith in the year 1997 in High School. I was very stubborn and strong-willed, even though I grew up in a Christian family. Because of my rebelliousness, I almost ended up in prison. Since God showed me mercy by delivering me from that situation, I decided to follow him and never looked back. Pastor Favor: I also grew up in a Christian home. In university I turned my back, although not completely, on the things of God. In 2010, at a youth convention that my brother invited me to, I had a life-changing encounter with the Lord and served Him ever since. HOW DID YOU MEET?

We met in church (Chuckles). Pastor Favor: I greeted him politely the first time I saw him, but he simply ignored me, and I resolved never to greet him again. He approached me one day prior to youth service and, to my surprise, I found him relatable. I made the best decision of my life by marrying him. Pastor Stephen: For me, it was love after the first conversation. I was certain she had to be my wife. After much prayer, God enabled us to marry, which was also my best decision.

HOW AND WHY HAVE YOU DECIDED TO BE INVOLVED IN MISSIONS WORK?

We have a heart for souls, a desire to see God work in our generation, and joy in our hearts when we witness it. Coming to South Africa was not our plan it was divinely orchestrated. After we got married, the commission we serve under, Grace of God Mission International, under the Leadership of Bishop Dr. Paul C. Nwachukwu, ordained and anointed us for missions. Our commission is known for going for missions to places where the gospel is hard to reach; however, we ended up in Atlantis, South Africa. WHAT DIFFICULTIES DID LANGUAGE AND CULTURE POSE TO YOUR WORK IN SA?

It was initially difficult, particularly with the music, as the sound of music in South Africa is quite different from that of Nigeria. Going out for evangelism and outreaches was also quite challenging, especially when we were new; reaching the unsaved in our community was particularly difficult. Now by God’s mercy and Grace we have learnt to an extent, the sound style and a little bit of Afrikaans, to reach the people properly. In addition, God has blessed with co-laborers within the community who work with us to reach the people.

TELL US ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR MINISTRY WORK IN SOUTH AFRICA.

We started our Missionary work August 2013. We were pregnant with our first baby, we only knew two families here in Cape Town who received us and aided our settling in. They took us to Atlantis and that is where our work in SA started. The beginning of our work was little, heavy and it took a toll on us financially, emotionally and physically. However, God always

showed up when it’s the heaviest. Every challenge became a learning curve and a stepping-stone. We started with outreaches, women and men seminars, street and market evangelism, house and hospital calls, outreach programs for the homeless, GBV victims’ shelter visitation etc. Every second Sunday we did food schemes and then home cells on Wednesdays. All these including the main weekly activities, which is standard for Thursday evening and Sunday morning. Our goal coming to South Africa is Winning Souls and preaching Christ and we rolled up our sleeve and did just that from week one, time and place not minded. WHAT WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO FEELS LED TO MISSIONARY WORK AND CHURCH PLANTING?

The best profession, occupation and work in this life is the work of a Missionary, because the reward is eternal. Winning souls and watching the

Holy Spirit transform them is satisfying. The road maybe steep and narrow but the Holy Spirit guides into all truth if we stay obedient, and trust him. He will bless the work you do (2 Timothy 4:5). Please note, you are a servant, working for God, not for yourself, the soul you win is not yours, the church you plant is not yours, and the people who love you are not yours. It all belongs to Jesus. Learn to get rid of ownership mentality, which is rooted in pride. Find people who have done this before you, and have seen results, ask the Holy Spirit to help you locate the true ones, and humble yourself to learn from their experiences. Let the Word of God be your Compass. Avoid following the crowd; instead, develop the ability to be alone at times. (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Finally, pray, without ceasing and pray in the Spirit at all times. That is when you put the enemy to flight!

HOW HAS THE CHUCRH TRANSFORMED FROM WHERE YOU STARTED TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?

We started out in a garage, moved to a classroom, then to a small hall. However, here we faced most of the terrible challenges any foreign missionary could face, from the hall owners. We now occupy a bigger space at the Old Shoprite Centre in Atlantis. We are trusting God, for a land, that will not just hold the church building, but facilities for community development work, especially for the youth.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN REACHING YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY?

We work amongst Afrikaans speaking people which a very challenging. They are extremely hospitable people, especially if they know you are trustworthy. There is a certain stigma attached to Nigerians and unfortunately, we have to bear the brunt for that as well. Nevertheless, God always finds a way to turn the tables around, and the church continues to grow. We also faced financial challenges, but as the word said in Matthew 6:33, Seek first God’s kingdom and every other thing shall be added, and so it happened and it still happens. This work is solely an evidence of God’s providence.

HOW DO YOU GET YOUR CONGREGANTS TO PARTICIPATE IN CHURCH LIFE? DO YOU HAVE SPECIAL MINISTRIES?

The various departments in church consists of Men’s Ministries, Women’s Ministries, Youth and Children’s Ministries, etc. From these ministries we reach out to the need of our community. We appointed workers to co-head these outreaches so we can reach more people. As soon as a person is born again and converted, in the foundation classes and spiritual maturity classes we teach the importance of soul winning. Therefore, with this we involve everyone in the work of reaching out to those in need in our community.

HOW HAS COVED-19 IMPACTED YOUR MINISTRY GOALS FOR THE YEAR?

It affected the evangelism scheme set up by the church and affected various other outreach projects. We are now online more frequently than we were previously, which is one positive outcome of this crisis. Even though strict Covid-19 regulations are in place, people continue to be skeptical of indoor worship. Thus, on Sunday evenings, we take the gospel to the streets, and we stream all services live on our Facebook page.