CHURCH leaders on Monday urged Christians to live lives of unwavering devotion to God and selfless service to humanity.

The advice was given by a Senior Pastor of Faith and Miracle Church, Abeokuta, Rev. Femi Adesina. He said believers should strive to leave behind a legacy that would continue to speak after their death.

The advice was given as family members, ministers of the Gospel, friends and admirers gathered in Abeokuta, Ogun State, for second remembrance anniversary of the late Reverend Fola Achudume.

Making reference to 2 Kings 19, he recalled God’s declaration that He would defend Jerusalem for the sake of David, years after the king had died, saying the biblical account demonstrated that faithful service to God leaves an enduring impact.

“What will God remember you for,” he asked.
“It is not how long one lives but how well one lives. People will not remember your houses, your cars or the money in your account. They will remember your service to God, your love for humanity and the lives you touched.”
According to him, Jesus left believers with two enduring responsibilities: to love God wholeheartedly and to love their neighbours, adding that every other earthly possession would be left behind at death.

Also speaking, the Assistant General Overseer of Victory Life Bible Church International, Rev Adeoye Adeyanju, urged members of the church to sustain Reverend Achudume’s legacy by emulating her commitment to God, evangelism and service to humanity.

He said the greatest tribute to her memory would be to continue the values she lived and worked for rather than merely celebrating her life annually.

One of the highlights of the programme was the presentation of an educational empowerment package to Olatinko Imo, the sole beneficiary of the RFA Educational Empowerment Initiative.
Presenting the package, Pastor Mrs. Funke Adeyanju said the initiative reflected Reverend Achudume’s enduring passion for supporting education and raising lives.

The remembrance programme began on Sunday with a thanksgiving service attended by members of Royal Ladies International, the interdenominational women’s ministry founded by the late cleric. Dressed in royal purple attire, her favourite colour, they led the thanksgiving session before members of Victory Life Bible Church International and other worshippers joined in celebrating her life and ministry.

Addressing the congregation during the thanksgiving service, the General Overseer of Victory Life Bible Church International, Apostle Lawrence Achudume, spoke emotionally about life since the passing of his wife.

He recalled pleading with her in her final moments not to leave and disclosed that the experience left him unable to pray or study the Scriptures for a period.

The cleric also revealed that before attending the thanksgiving service, he returned to the room where his wife breathed her last.
Admitting that the pain of the loss remains, Achudume said, “Sometimes I still want to break down. But God is faithful.”

Reverend Fola Achudume died on August 3, 2024. Born in 1968, she was the co-founder of Victory Life Bible Church International and founder of Royal Ladies International, an interdenominational women’s ministry. She is survived by her husband, Apostle Lawrence Achudume, and their four children.