For some of us who grew up in Wukari in the 80s, the well advertised coming of Deeper Life Church Overseer, WF Kumuyi, means a lot. It is more than a crusade. It is a travel through time to a certain period of our lives when plenty was happening. It is also kind of poetic, too, that a man who shaped most of our childhood is coming at a time we have grown and now even lead others. It’s as exciting as it is full of memories.
The eighties were interesting times under those streets lights in Wukari. Great tunes by Shalamar, New Edition and Musical Youth were burning the airwaves, and disco was at its peak. But for us, that was the world, and we were not of it. We were deeply immersed in the teachings of Deeper Life. The church, found in Lagos, had come to the town via an NYSC member. It started in our current governor’s family compound between 1982/83. I was also attracted to the genre of Christianity that emphasises an ascetic, simple lifestyle. Growing up with my mom and with really nothing to show for wealth or social class, the church became the best escape. It was a great decision. The “new church” helped us shun all the vices associated with school years. It helped us gain some serious level of respectability among the adults as we told them what was right and what was not based on the Bible. We were almost frenzy in our conviction. In school, we tormented teachers and students as we preached fiery sermons of hell fire. We were determined to be those Israeli kids in Babylon with an exemplary lifestyle. Brother Agbu Kefas (Taraba’s current governor) will often organize retreats for kids ( we were barely kids, too). He eventually wrote a book entitled Watch Out The Race! We were in form one or form two back then, but such was our zeal that we actually traveled to Lagos to meet Kumuyi at a workers meeting held in Ayobo, Gbagada. In Wukari, we used a classroom at St Marys primary school. Brother Adaba will sing his soul out. Brother Jethro (Currently Taraba state House of Assembly Majority Leader) will pray his heart out. Brother Yusuf Adda actually copied Kumuyi verbatim, sounding like him and even behaving like him. As usual, I held leadership positions: worker, student leader, and later Campus coordinator of the church. We were on a roll.
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