By Josephine Agbonkhese

Reverend Funke Felix-Adejumo, an evangelist admired by many for her depth and charisma, is the author of over 80 inspiring Christian literature.

Together with her husband, Felix Adejumo, she presides over a large congregation at Agape Christian Ministries which is headquartered in Akure, Ondo State.

In this interview, the popular marriage counsellor speaks, among sundry issues, about her Winning Edge Conference which held last weekend in Lagos; an annual event that gathers thousands of women.

You gather thousands of women every year; if it were in your powers, what would you love to change among women?

That would be their mentality, self-esteem, and perception of life. A woman is not inferior in any way to the man.

The African woman in particular is faced with so many challenges: geographical, cultural, financial, historical, religious, social, personal and ethnic, etc.

Over the years, the woman was only ‘seen’ and not heard’. Things are changing though, but not at the expected pace. Every woman deserves honour. Every woman deserves dignity. No woman deserves to be abused or maltreated no matter the situation.

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That’s why women need to understand that no woman should stay in an abusive relationship.   The covenant of life is superior to the covenant of marriage; you need to stay alive to be marriageable.

Thus, as a woman, you must believe in yourself. Like yourself. Love yourself. Invest in yourself. The totality of a 21stcentury woman’s financial life should not depend on her husband. No matter how little, a woman should add value to her family life.  Financial dependency is one major reason why many women stay in abusive relationships but that’s not the best way to live.

A lot of women feel short-changed in marriage; they believe marriage slows them down but do you think this is true of the institution?

No, I don’t! Marriage is a plus not a minus. Marriage is a blessing not a curse.If you marry your friend, you are indeed blessed.

…but are women at a disadvantage in marriage?

Not all women. I am not! And I know many that are not. Every woman should invest in herself; it breeds respect in marriage.

Many marriage teachers focus on women changing. Are you bothered the male-child is not as prepared to make sacrifices as the girl-child?

The realisation that these conversations cannot be held in isolation of the men is one we are not just embracing but working towards. I host the “Boy Conference” annually to teach teenage boys and youths. My husband holds an annual men’s forum “Men on the Run” to help teach men life lessons to equip them for life’s journey including marriage.

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I’m aware that many church leaders are doing things at various levels. We must all just be consistent at it so we can achieve the outcomes we desire

The female empowerment movement popularly called feminism is catching up in Nigeria. What will you say to feminists in the country?

Feminism is about seeking equal benefits for the woman. Such as equal pay and policies that support the woman’s development. Feminism is not all about “man hating”. Men are a critical part of life just as God has made it.

You are known to be a prolific writer; when is your next book coming out?

By God’s grace, I have published 89 books and some of my books have been translated to French language. My books are on Amazon and are being sold in bookshops in Lagos.

The latest, ‘My head is fit for a crown’, was launched during Winning Edge 2019.

What was different about this year’s Winning Edge Conference?

The Bible makes it clear that God’s intention about us is that everything that carries His signature must get better and better.  It is the Lord’s doing that each year, more and more women are drawn to attend the conference.

Each year, we strive by the grace of God to offer more than spiritual impartation. For example, this year, we offered a “Shop for free service for widows” where they were able to shop for clothes, shoes and food at no cost. Last year, we had MTN partner with us by providing generators and solar lamps towards this. Every year, we try to meet more needs, and God has been faithful.

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Apart from our returning speakers Bishop Felix ‘Remi Adejumo (Nigeria); Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo (England); Mrs Jumoke Adenowo (Nigeria); Pastor Tumise Ewedemi (United Kingdom);   Pastor Rose Shaboka (Tanzania) and evergreen music ministers like Ebenezer Obey, Nathaniel Bassey and Tope Alabi, Winning Edge 2019 featured new speakers who shared their personal journeys of faith and testimonies, and inspired ladies to aspire some more, dare some more and increase their circle of influence.

For the first time, we hosted Pastor Poju Oyemade, Dr Cindy Trimm, Pastor Bola Godman-Akinlabi, Mrs Nkechi Harry-Ngonadi, Pastor Laurie Idahosa and music ministers Tim Godfrey, Midnight Crew and a host of others.

People hardly believe you are a grandmother; what do you do to keep looking younger?

(Laughs)  Thank you for the compliment! I do my best to worship God and be thankful consistently. I am blessed to be happily married to a most secure man- Prince Felix AdérêmíIshola Adejumo. I call him ‘my Oasis of Calm’.   He is my number one Mentor. After my Lord Jesus Christ, my husband is my ‘Safe Haven’.

He has mentored me over the years to give myself peace of mind and never to compete with anyone but myself. My husband is quiet on the surface but solid with a Capital S on his inside. My entire life got on a meaningful direction when God blessed me with this gem of a man.   He regularly tells me things like: “Darling, I believe in you, don’t die under  my shadow”; “I made up my mind a long time ago never  to oppress you.” “I am more than an African husband; I’m a Bible-husband”; “What you cannot get today, you will get tomorrow, don’t worry yourself to death.”

A woman is affected by what she hears.  I have been privileged to hear positive words from my husband and those words have helped in making me the person I have become today by God’s Grace.  I am eternally grateful to the Lord for the honour of being Mrs. Felix-Adejumo

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I also try to eat healthy; I don’t miss my medical check-ups and appointments.  But ultimately, it is what God gives that we gather. A man can receive nothing except it is given to him from Heaven, says John 3:27. So God is the giver of life and we maintain it with wisdom.