Enoch Adeboye Celebrates His 82nd Birthday Today
Taiwo Ayandeyi
Enoch Adejare Adeboye (born 2 March 1942) is a Nigerian pastor, and the present General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God. He served as the second national president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria.
Early life
Enoch Adejare Adeboye was born on 2 March 1942 in Ifewara, near Ife, in the then Southern Region, British Nigeria.[1] He was born into a very humble family,[2] and often tells the story of wearing his first shoes at the age of 18.
Ministry
Adejare Adeboye joined the Redemed Christian Church of God in 1973 and served as an interpreter before he was ordained a pastor in the church by Pa. Josiah Akindayomi in 1975. He became General Overseer of the church in 1981. For three years, he filled the role part-time at Unilorin before giving up his university position to preach full-time. In 2017, Adeboye announced his resignation as General Overseer, but be retained the role.
The church which was not well known before Adeboye became the General Overseer, has branches in about 198 nations as of (March 2017), including more than 14,000,000 worshipers in Nigeria. Adeboye has stated that he aims to put a church within five minutes walking distance in developing cities and five minutes driving distance in developed cities.
Adeboye is considered a preacher of the prosperity gospel, a claim he does not deny, saying that "Pentecostals have such an impact because they talk of the here and now, not just the by and by… while we have to worry about heaven, there are some things God could do for us in the here and now."
He celebrated his 80th birthday in 2022. Adeboye's foundation donated eight dialysis machines to Wuse District Hospital, together with a reverse osmosis medical water purification system and an electrical generator.
Personal life
Adeboye married Folu Adeboye on 17 December 1967. He is a father to four children (three sons and a daughter) and several grandchildren from the marriage. Pastor Enoch Adeboye lost his son Dare Adeboye on 4 May 2021, who died at the age of 42. In May 2023, a film titled “Enoch” was aired, the movie gives a biopic on the life of Pastor Adeboye to celebrate his 81st birthday and Adeola Emmanuel Abolaji starred as the lead actor.
