Pastor Kumuyi Marries Secretly In London

Details have emerged on how the General Superintendent, Deeper Christian Life  Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, 71, remarried secretly in the United Kingdom, with  most of his congregation not knowing anything about the wedding.

P.M.NEWS gathered that the Deeper Life pastor did not want a high profile wedding  that would have been the case if he had wedded in Nigeria and chose to do the  wedding in the UK with few leaders of the church travelling with him for the event.

It has been 18 months since he lost his first wife, Biodun, and key leaders of the  church had mounted pressure on him to remarry. He had told them he would pray about  it.

It was also gathered that Kumuyi’s new wife, Esther, is a widow with two children  from her previous marriage, the same number of children the founder of the Deeper  Life had before he became a widower.

Though many members of the church expected Kumuyi to remarry so that he would not be  lonely considering the nature of his ministry, they were caught by surprise as many  of them were not aware  that their pastor had remarried.

It was learnt that Kumuyi had court and church wedding in the UK, but it was low  keyed and strictly guarded with the names of the officiating ministers not yet known  as at press time.

When contacted, the Ministry’s Church Secretary, Pastor Livinus Nnadozie confirmed  that Kumuyi had indeed remarried and that the wedding was conducted in the UK, but  refused to give details. He asked our reporter to go to the Administrative  Department of the church to get details.

On why Kumuyi did not do his wedding in Nigeria, with members of his church in  attendance, Nnadozie said the church was fully carried along and that he would not  be talking to the reporter if the church was not carried along.

According to him, the people who needed to be involved in the wedding were fully  carried along, adding that “we have no problem with the way the wedding was carried  out.

“We are satisfied with the wedding and we knew about it.  Nobody is complaining and  we are satisfied.”

Sources in the church told P.M.NEWS that key leaders of the church across the nation  who could not make the trip to the UK for the wedding were invited to the  International Bible Training Centre, IBTC, Ayobo, Ipaja recently where the video  clip of Kumuyi’s wedding was shown to them.

However, some members of the church expressed happiness that their pastor had at  last remarried.

A member of the church, Francis Faluyi said: “I wasn’t surprised that our pastor has  remarried.  I am shocked and not shocked at the same time.  The wedding was so  sudden and we thought it would be in Nigeria; it is like a secret or private  wedding.”

A female member, Mrs Favour Osesusi said: “When I heard it, I was a bit surprised.  This is the best for him and I wish him well.”

Another woman, Igezuyan Korede said she was excited when she heard of the wedding,  saying that “for a man of his status and calibre, he demands a secret wedding.  I  felt he is walking in the steps of his forefathers.  When David in the Bible was  old, a woman was sought for him to please him.”

As for Olumide Adeliyi, it was good that Kumuyi had remarried because he needed a  woman to help him in his ministry, adding that “what pains us is the secrecy of the  marriage and that could influence up-coming youth to do secret weddings too.”

Responding to a question whether he would remarry after his late wife, Biodun,  passed away, Kumuyi had told reporters that it was too early to think of a  replacement

His former wife died at the age of 57 in the early hours of Saturday, 11 April, 2009  at her residence at the International Bible Training Centre following a brief  illness, while she was the National Woman Co-ordinator of the church.

She was also international co-ordinator of the women ministry in Africa and other  continents where the church has branches, and was editor-in-chief of the  well-circulated Women Mirror magazine published by the church.

Kumuyi, 71, was introduced to the Apostolic Faith Church, and became born again on 5  April 1964. He started the Deeper Life Bible Church as a 15-member Bible Study group  in his official quarters  at the University of Lagos in August 1973. He was at the  time a Mathematics lecturer. The church now has over one million members in more  than 60 countries.