Ayodeji Adesina is the pastor of the Blessed Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church in Dartford, United Kingdom. In this interview with SEYI SOKOYA, the cleric, currently in Nigeria for a healthcare and empowerment outreach, speaks on how he became a pastor without formal training and emphasises the importance of supporting the needy as Christians.
WHAT is your mission in Nigeria at this time?
We are here to fulfill one of the core assignments God has given us as Christians: to reach out to the needy. We are achieving this through our initiative called “Hope is Here Outreach and Crusade.” This marks our third year of outreach. Two years ago, we visited Ibadan; last year, we were in Erunmu—my hometown—and this year, we have returned to Ibadan. Another reason for this initiative is to fulfil my covenant with God. I experienced a near-death situation, but the Lord spared my life. During a serious illness, I promised God that if He healed me, I would come to Nigeria to give back to the community I came from. As soon as I was healed, we began planning for the Hope is ‘Here’ initiative.
How has the experience of supporting the needy in Nigeria been in the last three years?
It has changed us more than it has changed the people. Initially, we thought we were coming to be a blessing to the people, but the entire experience revealed God’s purpose for our mission. Our engagement with the community over the past three years has shown that we have a significant role to play in giving hope to the underprivileged.
The free medical outreach and empowerment workshops we provide have created opportunities for startup businesses. Our distribution free food profoundly impacting many lives. In our first year, we distributed about 150 food packs; last year, we gave out approximately 325 packs; and this year, we prepared 400 packs. This progression reflects the growth of what God has placed in our hands. The more we undertake these initiatives, the more fulfillment we experience as a team.
This year, 11 team members came from the United Kingdom and one from the United States to participate in the outreach. We feel immensely blessed, as we have many people who have benefited from the support. This journey has opened our eyes to the needs within the community. The more we serve, the more God reveals additional opportunities for us to make an impact. For instance, we have added a “Widow’s Might” project to our outreach, where we will provide N5,000 to each widow every month. We have started this with 45 widows and we plan to increase it to 100 this week. We are grateful for the grace we have received and for how fulfilling this experience has been for us.
Do you believe the country’s current situation has driven this initiative and increased support for those in need each year?
I believe this is true. The more we engage with our community, the more we recognise the needs around us. We are receiving requests from individuals facing serious medical situations. The challenges in our country have heightened our awareness of these greater needs, and we are striving to respond more effectively to them.
What is your view regarding some denominations that reject medical assistance and solely rely on prayers, anointing oil, and water for healing?
In the Seventh-day Adventist, we believe that God has bestowed medical wisdom upon practitioners. Therefore, seeking medical help is not contrary to our faith. Medical assistance and spiritual support go hand in hand. Our outreach programmes reflect this belief, as we provide both medical aid and spiritual care. We understand that spiritual healing can occur through prayer or medical intervention—ultimately, that is God’s choice. We cannot dictate how God operates, but as human beings, we recognize our role in doing what we can with the knowledge we have been given. We believe that science and faith can work together to benefit the community.
I think part of the challenge is that many Nigerian clerics lack exposure. People serve God according to their understanding and experiences. We seek greater enlightenment and education, even congregants will become more knowledgeable. This awareness will help us realise that faith is not limited to a narrow view and that God can work through various means.
What has your experience been as a Black pastor abroad?
My experience has been fulfilling. [Relocating] abroad really changes your perspective. When you minister in a different context, you are reaching an entirely different audience. In Nigeria, many prayers focus on confronting threats from enemies. In some cases, what people pray for may not stem from actual afflictions, but from a mindset that views everything as a threat. When you minister abroad, you encounter societies where people are not deprived of basic needs or luxuries, which require a different approach to ministry. The way faith is practiced abroad is significantly different from Nigeria. For example, in Nigeria, you might pray for protection against armed robbers or other threats before bed. However, in a society free from such dangers, you have to ask: what do you teach people to believe in?
Our pursuit of God should go beyond seeking solutions to our problems and afflictions. We must recognise that even in times of comfort, we still need God. This understanding defines what ministry looks like in this context.
Are you saying that it is not ideal for Nigerian clerics to base their prayers solely on warfare and enemies?
Not entirely. There are indeed cases where enemies are at work; the Bible acknowledges this. Spiritual afflictions do exist. However, I suggest that not every issue arises from this. If you pray against spiritual afflictions when the problem is rooted in life’s realities, you are missing the mark. It is essential to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discern whether a situation is genuinely a spiritual concern or simply a result of life’s challenges. Life happens to everyone, including those living abroad. When difficulties arise for some Nigerians overseas, they often attribute them to issues back home because their mindset hasn’t shifted.
In Christianity abroad, serving God is not merely a reaction to problems; instead, it is a genuine appreciation for who God is, even in times of comfort and abundance. God is not only the God of difficult times, but also the God of good times.
Is the government of this country doing enough for the healthcare system and empowering the youth?
I believe the government is doing what it feels is possible, but there is always room for non-governmental organisations, ministries, and individuals to contribute. The core message of Christianity is to reach out and help those in need, which we, as Christians, are called to do, with or without the government’s support. However, the government can do more, especially for the underprivileged.
Recently, I visited the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan and I was shocked by the condition of the facility. I am confident that there are individuals in Nigeria, including those in the government, who can improve the situation for those facing medical issues. The overall condition of UCH during my visit was distressing; one could hardly boast about it being a hospital. It is shameful.
I believe that Nigeria has enough resources and capable individuals who, along with the government, can revive our healthcare system. The allocation of funds could be better managed to ensure that the underprivileged have access to medical care. We can only appeal to the government and pray that God touches their hearts to do what is necessary.
Can you give us insight into how you received your calling?
It is a funny story. I remember when I was a young person about to graduate from Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where I studied Agriculture (Plant Science). I had always been active in church. That year, we had a youth crusade in Erunmu, which was one of the reasons we took our outreach there last year. At that crusade, I preached, and at the end of it, the pastor in the town, Baba Oloyede, called me to the front. He told me that God had revealed to him that no matter how much education I pursued, I would ultimately become a pastor. I laughed at the thought because I never imagined it.
Afterward, I pursued Fisheries Management for my postgraduate studies at the University of Ibadan, but I left that field when I moved abroad. I have worked as an auditor for over 20 years in London, specialising in internal and external, and now I am an IT audit.
Along the journey, another pastor approached me and said God had shown him that I should preside over the Blessed Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church. I was amazed because, in our doctrine, you don’t appoint pastors without formal pastoral training and obligations to the church. At the time, I was the first elder at Holloway Seventh-day Adventist Church in London, which is the second-largest Adventist church in the United Kingdom. I was serving God there, even without any pastoral training.
Interestingly, God worked things out in a unique way. We had a new pastor, and I worked closely with him for 11 months. After attending a conference where he was elected as the president of our conference, he returned to his seat and said to me, “Ayo, I am sending you to Blessed Hope Church to become their pastor.” That was how it happened. This was in 2007, and I have been pastoring the church since January 2008 without formal training. I believe it is God’s mandate, and the evidence of His work is evident.
All my church elders are with me in Nigeria for the ongoing outreach programmes. Our church is well-known in the conference, and I am considered a Lay Pastor. We are the only lay-led church in the conference, and I attribute all the glory to God. Meanwhile, I still work full-time, and I thank God for a job that allows me the flexibility to balance my ministry and career without conflict. Importantly, I have strong support from my elders and the entire church.
What is your message to Christians and Nigerians in general?
I urge Christians in Nigeria to follow the teachings of Christ. The Bible tells us that when Christ returns, it won’t matter whether we regularly attended church or gave tithes. Instead, He will ask if we took care of His sheep, reminding us, “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink.” When they ask Him when they did these things, He will respond that whenever they cared for the least of His brethren, they were doing it for Him.
What Jesus truly desires is the love that flows from us as a church, reaching out to the needy and the poor in society. The Bible also says that he who gives to the poor lends to the Lord. If we can fulfill this calling, we will have completed our mission as Christians. I believe the Christian church in Nigeria should focus less on acquiring jets or constructing cathedrals, and instead concentrate on serving the people we are called to minister to. Only then will we accomplish the work of Christ.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has some unique beliefs, particularly concerning its doctrines, which some people view as controversial. How do you see this?
The Lord has entrusted the church with a unique message about the completeness of the biblical teachings. One distinctive aspect that sets us apart is our observance of the Sabbath. We believe Saturday is the true Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, as ordained by the Lord, rather than Sunday. Many preachers have claimed that God transferred the sacredness of the Sabbath to Sunday, but Scripture does not support that. Throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, it is clear that Saturday is designated for worship. This is also why many Jews and others whom God has enlightened continue to observe the Sabbath on Saturdays. The truth about the Sabbath is a vital message for us.
Another unique belief of the Adventists is our understanding of the state of the dead. Many people believe that when someone dies, they immediately go to heaven, resting in the bosom of Abraham or a similar state. However, we hold that when a person dies, their body returns to the ground, and they are in a state of death. The breath of life returns to God, but it is not a spirit that lives on. Therefore, we do not believe that deceased saints are in heaven enjoying eternal life. Instead, we understand they are in their graves, as the Scriptures teach.
The Bible says that at the Second Coming of Christ, the dead in Christ will hear His voice and rise. If they were already in heaven, how could they hear His voice and return to life? This presents a complication for those who believe that the dead are already in heaven. The Scriptures clearly show that they are dead and remain in that state. When Christ returns, the dead will hear the voice of the archangel, the tombs will be opened, and they will rise from their graves. We have seen a similar event when Jesus rose—tombs of holy men were opened as the first fruits of Christ, and we believe the same will happen at His second coming.
We strongly believe in the physical return of Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord. While some people think that the rapture will occur, leading to people disappearing, we believe that Christ will come back physically. As the angels said to the men of Galilee in Acts 1, “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner.” These are foundational beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and we preach the complete Scripture that the Lord has entrusted to us.
Did Jesus worship on Sunday or Saturday?
According to Scripture, Jesus worshipped on Saturdays. He stated that He did not come to change the law but to fulfill it. Nowhere in the Bible do we have an account of Jesus changing the Sabbath. Some may suggest that Paul changed it, but the Book of Acts shows that Paul also worshipped on the Sabbath. While fellowship can occur at any time, observing the Sabbath, as commanded in the Ten Commandments, is distinct; it says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Worshipping on Sunday is not supported by the Bible. In fact, the Catholic Church acknowledges that it was responsible for changing the observance of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Therefore, anyone who worships on Sunday is, in a sense, recognizing this alteration made by the Catholic Church. This is the primary reason the Seventh-day Adventist Church has chosen to follow the Lord’s commands without modification.
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