At the installation ceremony of Rotarian Dr. Wole Kukoyi, recently, ONYEMA OKEMEFUNE (08035088889) of City People Magazine, had a chat with Bishop Kehinde Stephen of the Methodist Church, where he revealed how he is enjoying his retirement.
He also told him how his job as a Bishop of the Methodist Church, has taken him to virtually, every part of the globe. Even at retirement, he is not severed from the church entirely. Little wonder he said though he is retired but he is not tired.
Sir, may we meet you formerly, for the benefit of our readers!
My name is Kehinde Stephen, retired Arch Bishop of Methodist Church Nigeria. I used to be Arch Bishop of Ibadan.
Sir, what do you do now that you are retired?
I wake up everyday at my leisure, making myself available for people who want counsel, knowing that I still have a little to contributed to the church and the society and as such, I make myself available for such people. I also keep myself bussy by walking around which also enables me to keep fit and generally being happy with myself, my family and people who come around on a daily basis.
Can we talk of your growing up days?
Ah!Growing up days, that was many years ago in a village 40KM from Ilorin Kwara State. I was born in that village that is about 40KM from Ilorin in Kwara State.
What is the name of that village?
Afo, very close to Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.
Can you tell us the schools you attended from Primary to Secondary and all of that?
Well, I have told you that I have been in the Methodist Church from childhood, so my pedigree has been in Methodism, from primary school, high school to the seminary etc. All the schools I have attended are Methodist Institutions.
Sir, when you are not giving counsel to people and you are not in the church performing one role or the other, how do you unwind?
How do I unwind! You know, I am not severed from the church totally, having served the church for so many years, I still remain in that kind of service, even in retirement. I try to keep myself physically fit, I do a bit of reading and occasional writing. I also enjoy keeping abreast of what goes on in the world that we are in by way of listening to the news and reading news stories and articles. I also get amazed about innovations and inventions all around me.
Let us talk about your growth in the church to the position of Arch Bishop
You know, because my parents had a lot to do with the church, like my father was a Chatchist and a medical dresser in the church attached to the early Methodist missionaries, so that was how I grew virtually in the church so to speak. I have remained there all this while. And apart from having my background in the church, I also received my calling to be a Minister of God. It has been a very exciting experience for me moving from one location to another all along.
Apart from going to the Methodist Institutions like you mentioned. When did you receive the calling to be a Minister of God?
I received the calling to be a Minister of the Most High God, early 1970s and I decided to start taking lectures to be a local preacher within the church, reading the scriptures, saying prayers and occasionally when the opportunity is given, taking sermons and essentially, reading a lot of literatures. That was how I began. I also tried to be close to some Christian organisations who helped to train and nurture me, like the Student’s Christian Association and partly scripture union, all those influences really helped to shape my developmental process.
When exactly did you become an Arch Bishop?
That was in 2006 and I retired as an Arch Bishop in 2018.
The Methodist Church has many dioceses, where exactly were you domiciled?
I started in Remo, Shagamu, that was my first station as the first Arch Bishop of Remo from there, I moved to Lagos and become the Secretary General and Administrator for the entire, Methodist Church in Nigeria. I worked with the late Sunday Mbang who was my primate then.
Sir, with, all these activities, do you find time at all for the family?
Well, sitting right beside me is my lovely wife, that shows how much interest I show in my family. I will say unequivocally, that I am devoted to my family but atimes, the nature of the job and responsibility of the office come with its own challenges, so there are occasions when I wished that I could be more with my family. How ever I must say without any iota of flattery that my family has been very understanding especially, my dear wife.
Has your role in the Methodist Church taken you to places that ordinarily, you wouldn’t have gone?
Yes, first it was limited to certain places and later to every square meter where we have influences in Nigeria. I would say, I have moved round the entire length and breath of Nigeria. Outside the country, I have been to Europe, South America, Asia, United States of America because at the same time, I was a member of World Council of Churches and I had responsibilities in that area too and that also made me to travel a lot to places. In all, I would say that I am widely travelled. In the World Council of Churches, I was a member of the Executive Committee and one of the moderators from 2007-2013. As we speak, I still have a great deal of relationship with the World Council of Churches and the Board of World Methodist Church.
Sir, I am sure you have children, how many are they?
Yes by His grace, I have two children a male and female. One of them just celebrated his 40th birthday.
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