FMC 6.0 tagged EVOLVE records large turnout of female ministers across the globe. “EVOLVE expects you to change form by growth, by constant development. To achieve this was the dream of Folake Achudume. She was very audacious in dreaming.”
November 11, 2024 will remain a remarkable day in the archives of young female Gospel ministers who gathered at the conference hall of Radisson Blu, a five star hotel in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, for hours long parley on the theme, Evolve.
The parley, which is the vision of the venerated Reverend Folake Achudume who transitioned in August this year, is an annual event organized with the goal of sharpening the life skills and leadership acumen and general upgrade of the status of the female ministers, either spiritually, occupationally or relationally.
Interestingly, the conference venue which was paid for ahead by the visionary leader, RFA, witnessed a large turnout of female ministers from different denominations. The ambiance of the hall was lit with enthusiasm, as the female ministers regaled in beautiful attires. But it wasn’t a fashion show but very serious mind-blowing discourse for the development of a total female minister who is expected to stand up to and stand strong in the face of discouraging moments in ministry, family life and professional career.
EVOLVE – that was the most repeated catchphrase during the seven hour duration of the confab. Evolve in this context describes one developing gradually into her fullness. It leaves no room for stagnancy and stereotypes. As a minister, EVOLVE requires you must steadily transform in all ways. The goal is to ensure that no one is left in her cocoon but like a caterpillar breaking away from the membrane of an egg, EVOLVE expects you to change form by growth, by constant development. To achieve this was the dream of Folake Achudume.
She was very audacious in dreaming. She wanted to transform female ministers from the province to stand shoulder high with their counterparts in the city. So, she thought that gathering the female ministers in an exclusive but posh ambience could contribute to changing the thinking of these ministers. Lagos the Centre of Excellence became her choice – after all “the venue makes the event.”
To complement the grandeur of the venue choice, female ministers were discreetly selected to speak; they turn out to be excellent sharpeners who held the female ministers spellbound for hours.
Pastor Mrs. Yemisi Mathew Asimolowo flew in from KICC, London, Pastor Toyin Poju Oyemade, wife of the founder of Covenant Nation and a business consultant, Sola Adesakin, a chartered accountant with multiple business briefs took the female ministers through the processes of EVOLVE.
One very landmark connect was the rich relationship the speakers shared with the convener, Folake Achudume, as each reminisced on their experiences. Yemisi Mathew Asimolowo eulogized RFA as a woman of vision whose works continues to speak, as evidenced at the large turnout of female who registered for the conference. She expressed utmost joy that the EVOLVE gathering will help raise many RFAs into the world. Her words: “God is raising a new generation of RFA through this conference.” Adding that RFA will be happy looking out from heaven at the occasion, which was dear to her heart.
Yemisi Asimolowo, wife of Mathew Asimolowo, spoke on the topic, Sharpening Your Living Edge. Defining evolve as something developing gradually and submitted that in the race of life, no one has arrived yet, as “life continues evolving, we are changing and developing over time.” She said.
Yemisi Asimolowo further stressed that, “God doesn’t want you to stay in one place and be stagnant. Evolve is the change of perspective. You cannot become what you want to be by remaining where you are, God wants us to keep evolving and to do this we have to sharpen our living edge.”
To sharpen your living edge, she identified growth as an important process. Her words: “Growths is part of life and if you’re not growing God will not be happy. You can pray but you have to take action. You don’t lock yourself up praying and not doing anything.”
Although she observed that change can be scary, nonetheless it is necessary for the female ministers to attain their heights in life. “Evolution can be scary but we have to put ourselves up to be ready to make some changes in our lives. It be scary but we have to believe that God who has started a new work in us will do it. Evolve is changing for the better. These changes have to continue. There is no purpose without evolution, we have to change, we have to move; we don’t have to remain the same.”
She charged the audience, and stated succinctly: “There is a person you have to become to do what you’re called to do. The very nature of a positive life is to evolve. God wants us to evolve, keep changing.”
Pastor Yemisi Asimolowo who shared with the audience how she has evolved over the years, from a humble background, raised up by a pastor father; started life finding herself sharing one room with seven of her siblings, now builds homes for the underprivileged persons in nations, availed the gathering with six critical forces they must integrate to evolve. These are the forces of self-knowledge, vision, information, strategy or planning, excellence and faith.
Self-knowledge
Knowing whom you are will give power to your vision. Your sense of self-worth determines your sense of excellence. Do you really know who you are in Christ Jesus? Change maybe difficult but it’s time to make a change so we can be a blessing to our generation. The knowledge you have is important.
We are the salt of the earth and salt preserves, we are the reason this world is preserved. You’re the light. Shine your shine. You need to be the person God has made you to be. We need one another.
The Force of vision
if you don’t see clearly you cannot act clearly. Are you seeing yourself the way God sees you. Not everyone will see what God sees in you. There are people that their time has expired in your life and such relationship need to stop. If loving you is killing me what kind of relationship is that?
The force of information
You need more information to sharpen your edge. You cannot excel in life without info. When people are speaking big English, tell them to break it down. You keep learning, when you stop learning you stop evolving.
The Force of strategy:
Strategy is what helps people win. Your plans and steps to take in execution of your plans.
The force of excellence
we must be excellent in what we do. You must distinguish yourself in what you do. You don’t have to do everything but the one thing you do, be excellent. Compete with yourself, try to be better than what you were before. The force of faith. Faith is necessary to obtain what vision has for us. We need faith for that vision to come to pass. We need to trust God.
Pastor Toyin Poju Oyemade had an encounter with RFA just two years ago through her social media ministry and she quickly travelled down to Abeokuta to know more and get more from RFA. That moment soon culminated into strong partnership in the Kingdom. Unknown to Pastor Toyin, her husband has been a regular guest at Victory Life Bible Church where RFA was pastoring. That discovery further sealed the relationship.
She said of RFA: “RFA was someone who touched my life. Not everyone can gather this way in the absence of the convener; that we are here shows she was a woman of influence.”
Yemisi Asimolowo further stressed that, “God doesn’t want you to stay in one place and be stagnant. Evolve is the change of perspective. You cannot become what you want to be by remaining where you are, God wants us to keep evolving and to do this we have to sharpen our living edge.”
To sharpen your living edge, she identified growth as an important process. Her words: “Growths is part of life and if you’re not growing God will not be happy. You can pray but you have to take action. You don’t lock yourself up praying and not doing anything.”
Although she observed that change can be scary, nonetheless it is necessary for the female ministers to attain their heights in life. “Evolution can be scary but we have to put ourselves up to be ready to make some changes in our lives. It be scary but we have to believe that God who has started a new work in us will do it. Evolve is changing for the better. These changes have to continue. There is no purpose without evolution, we have to change, we have to move; we don’t have to remain the same.
Meanwhile, Sola Adesakin who has known RFA for 20 years, acknowledged she has been positively impacted by her life and ministry. She spoke on wealth creation for Pastors’ wives and remarked that a time when female ministers sat back waiting for their husbands to provides for them was completely over, and the world’s economy today demands that one must engage multi-streams of income to stay afloat.
Adesakin spared no emotion telling it straight to the gathering that EVOLVE mantra can only become relevant when the female ministers were financially buoyant. She admonished all to take responsibility to embrace financial literacy as the best approach to bail oneself out of financial mess, debt and bankruptcy.
In her account, Adesakin told how despite working as a chartered accountant she was beset with debt burden, until she started learning financial literacy and taught others how to get out of debt, was when her financial liberation started. She was quick to debunk the notion that because the economy is bad, that’s why finances of people tank, rather in all economies, financially intelligent people prosper.
She echoed: “I have prospered in this economy, I have seen people prosper in this economy. The mandate is for us to make money and manage it well. Leadership is by evidence not just by prayer and anointing. We must teach people not just the way of God but the methods of God.”
Drawing palpable lessons from the story of the widow 2Kings 4, she developed an EVOLVE model, as:
E. Express Your Need
You have to be real and ask the right questions on your finances. The widow went straight to introduce herself to Elijah and share the problem. She didn’t pretend or try to package a bad situation to look good – forming –but put it how it was; her economy was really bad. And she got instructions on what to do to solve her problem. What was the instruction? “Go and sell the oil.”
So after the miracle of supply of oil, she was instructed to go and sell it. “The anointing is not enough to get you what you need, you have to work hard towards what you need. To evolve, there’s a part you will play and there’s a part that God will play,” Adesakin stressed.
V. Value collaboration
Value collaboration is a vital key for success in business. This is where synergy -maximizing competence and resources of others – come in to elevate your work. This is where you need people around you; money is in the hands of people. The woman had sons who helped her get the vessels. Try affiliate marketing. Monetize whatever you’re doing.
O. Organise and take action
Take action and reach out. Monetize your passion, monetize your experience, and partnership, monetize your potential.
L: Leverage
You don’t need to be a fashion designer to sell clothes, get labels and sell what someone else has done for you, put label and sell. Your ability to get more is about what you did with what you have.
V. Visualize your Goal
The woman came to Elisha and said she wanted money to pay off the creditors. Many people don’t have goals. Set a goal on what you need. If you don’t have a goal you may not know what you need the money for, and once the money comes, you may spend it on something else. So, be intentional. Know what you want.
Through the story of this woman, I have learned how to get out of debt. I’m now teaching people how to get out of debt. Even as a Chartered Accountant, I was living on IOUs and money wasn’t steady in my life. At a point I thought it was a spiritual problem, until I gained awareness on financial literacy.
E. Empower
Empowerment is knowledge, and knowledge is the capital you need to advance your life, business and career. Prov 21:20 says, “There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but the foolish man spendeth it up.”
