I KNOW WHO I AM......2021

 

Last year May 17th 2020 when I was on a roll consistently posting blogs I wrote an article titled ‘I know who I am.....’ to date it is one of my most read blogs. It gave an overview of my life as a child born into what I would term a ‘moderate’ muslim family but given freewill and leeway by my parents to practice what ever religion I wanted as long as I believed in something!

To appreciate this post I would be nice for you to revisit...link here👈🏾

l will recap though, I rounded up last paragraph of that blog explaining how I had attended a church for a number of years but felt something was missing and how the last straw was when family members accompanied me to the church one Sunday but were struggling to stay awake as they were bored and not being carried along with the service. That confirmed all my suspicions. 

In my last sentence I wrote “I then made a decision....” and rounded off with this cliff hanger promising to complete blog post with a part 2. 

Two sisters from another mother, Noline and Modupe were not happy with the abrupt manner in which that post ended and both called telling me ‘Ola you better complete that post with the part 2’ I promised I would. But unfortunately never did. 

One year and approximately 2 months later an unexpected event happened that has made me revisit that post and continue where I left off. 

The decision that I referred to in the last paragraph of the blog was actually to find another church. But the question is how does one ‘look for a church’?

I mentioned my plans to a few people. I particularly knew the type of church I would not be attending but nothing more. 

Revd. Dr. Femi Bosun Idowu (F.B.I)

Then one day Uloma forwarded an image to me via whatsapp it was a flyer for a church that was about to open in Stevenage, an invitation to attend their maiden service. I looked at the flyer, deep purple in colour and it was the simplicity that got me, Strong Nation (New Covenant Church) Revd Femi Idowu and Revd Enitan Idowu. I had an engagement so could not make their maiden service but promised myself I’d attend the following week.

So it was on this bright Spring morning I strolled into Strong Nation for the first time with a stressed out teenage daughter, who was sitting for her A levels at the time.  Myself, forever the sarcastic and cynical person I am walked in with a deep breath imagining what I was about to face. I had conjured an image of a pastor and Mrs sitting on some throne-like cushioned chair, cordoned off from the congregation with the deacons, deaconesses and church elders sitting behind them. However I walked in and the layout was so simple. I noticed a couple sitting on the front row of chairs with welcoming smiles so I made a beeline for them making my way to the front and rooted myself firming behind them. They looked back and said hello. When the amazing choir finished singing the gentleman stood up and walked up onto the stage, it was only then that it dawned on me that he was the pastor. One hour later he had finished his message and I just knew things would never be the same again. Something within me shifted. Even my daughter who had an A level exam the next day said she felt much calmer after hearing the word.  

The Famous FBI Hat!

Let me introduce Revd. Dr Femi Idowu, He has busted all my preconceptions about the African Pentecostal church. He’s also a GP. Medical practitioner and I have always wondered how does a man of sciences balance his faith with his career. He has never complicated Christianity neither is he judgemental or too preachy. All and sundry are welcome to attend without fear of condemnation: dreadlocked hair, sleeve tattoos, piercings, sagging jeans.  His ethos for our church Strong Nation is to ‘Raise Thinking Christians’ so basically he wants us to read the word and ‘get it’ and not become the kind of Christians that will always be quoting what he said rather than what God’s promises for us. We are accommodating, diverse and unique. 

Pastor Enny & Revd. Dr. Femi Idowu (FBI)

He has drawn out characteristics that I never knew I had within me and a few weeks of attending Strong Nation he came up to me one day and told me he wanted me to be the lead on Evangelical team👀. At the time I asked him “Evang....what???’ And for each excuse I gave he had counter argument. In the early days the night before we would go evangelising I lay in bed filled with dread at the embarrassment of seeing people I knew often praying for bad weather, then the irony as in the early hours of the morning he would text to say weather forecast was bad so the team should wrap up warm, get our Wellington boots and umbrella’s! And he would show up in his leather jacket and his favourite leather base ball hat looking so ‘Street’ and ready for the trenches with him it’s alway about winning souls and never about him. 

One Sunday after service I naively I asked him why was the Sunday offering collected before his message as I felt that after hearing him people would be blown away and more inclined to giving more but he explained as a Christian you don’t come to church to pay for a service, the message should not be the determining factor of how much you want to give. And that in fact you don’t want people to show up for church get so mesmerised by the person preaching and they carried away and start giving more than they actually want to. This explanation really resonated with me.  

FBI on the mic: Christmas Carols @ Stevenage Football Club

Being relatable as pastor is very important, we have quarterly musical concerts and at the end when you think he has walked onto the stage to give the closing prayer, he’ll often ask us to draw the blinds, switch of the lights and the church will be in pitch darkness. And then I’ll ask us to flip our phones  and switch on the flashlights and wave them in the air as we sing along to our favourite song ‘Onise Iyanu’ Yep, he thinks he is rockstar and actually is😎 

He often wears a baseball hat with the initials F.B.I. The first time I saw this hat I really wondered what was going, thinking to myself ‘Pastor really needs to be calming down’ until I found out initials stood for his name Femi. Bosun. Idowu. Or another term he coins from the acronym. FBI is ‘Favoured Beyond Imagination’. 

Intentional is a very apt word that describes him! 

He never sweats the small stuff. I recall when the pandemic came and Strong Nation went virtual with Zoom sessions, I set my Zoom picture and display name same as my blog name ‘Risi By Name’ and that photo of my crossed legs and red shoes 😏. I recall someone once asking me whether I thought it was an appropriate image for a church zoom session. I did give it some thought but decided that I would not be changing it, knowing that my zoom avatar would be the least of Pastor Femi’s concerns. And recall occasions when I decided not to ‘on the video’ during a session and he will say ‘Aunty Risi I like these your red shoes, but can we see your face please?’ 

With him it was all about winning souls without bible bashing or being judgemental  Hence his mantra is to raise ‘Thinking Christians’. 

Sadly on Wednesday 21st July 2021 Revd. Dr. Femi Idowu passed on. It has shaken us to the core and words cannot possibly express what we feel.  

FBI we are going to miss you so much, but will be forever grateful for the memories.I am so grateful to have been part of your journey I want to believe that you knew the impact you had in my life. Thank you for the seed that you planted within us. 

Rest in perfect peace pastor. 

Atmosphere shift now....🙏🏾

#IAMSTRONGNATION