Gideon Akande, a former pastor of the Deeper Life Bible Church, has lambasted the church’s General Superintendent and Founder, Pastor William Kumuyi, for reportedly inviting ‘Philistines’ to a church-sponsored event.
The invitees, according to the furious Pastor Akande, are “strangers with odd souls.”
He claimed Kumuyi had strayed from the church’s unction and instead focused on winning souls, which was the Deeper Life Ministry’s initial mission.
Pastor Akande’s vex with Kumuyi stemmed from the church’s invitation to former First Bank of Nigeria Chairman Ibukun Awosika, gospel singer Dunsin Oyekan, and co-founder of Andela, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, for a program, and to Akande, the invitees are Philistines who should have nothing to do with the church.
In an open letter addressed to Kumuyi on Saturday, Akande told the GO to “go home and rest” if he was tired of running the church instead of ruining what took him years to build.
In the letter, Akande wondered if there were no successful people within the fold of the church that would warrant Kumuyi going as far as inviting strangers to a program organised by the church.
The body of the letter reads:
LETTER TO PASTOR KUMUYI: IS THERE NO PROPHET IN ISRAEL?
“When I was in Deeper Life Bible Church then, as a youth instructor, for all the district, regional and state programs, we would invite the best educators, doctors, professionals and others, all successful members of Deeper Life with the same spiritual quality and values and those programs impartations are part of my business success today.
“But today, look at the flyer, are you saying there are no more successful people in Deeper Life Bible Church than those strangers invited?
“Are you saying there are no anointed brothers who can sing better than Dunsin from all the global crusades with different ministrations from Deeper Life choirs?
“Are there no prophets in Israel that DLBC and Pastor Kumuyi are busy engaging Philistines to their altars because they are obsessed with popularity, anyone popular now is invited?
“I hope you will not begin to invite Christian comedians in the coming years.
“I am no more in Deeper Life Bible Church, God called me into media evangelism but Deeper Life remains my home church.
“Sir, Pastor Kumuyi, If you are tired, go home and rest but don’t ruin what you have built for years because I am scared.
“This is how old RCCG that Rev Akindayomi built collapsed and new model of RCCG emerged. It started gradually by inviting strangers who come with strange spirits. I can’t imagine the various strange spirits those youth will be imparted with in this program.
“May God help His servant and His church.”