Meet Our Pastor, James Fabiyi (PhD)
Pastor James Sunday Fabiyi (PhD) was born during the Nigerian civil war (Biafran) to Pa Dada Fabiyi and Madam Victoria Oyeladun Fabiyi in Ekiti state Nigeria. His dad was a diehard traditionalist, ritualist, and polygamist. James’ mum was the last of nine wives. Being the youngest child of the youngest wife, James is the youngest of all children of his father.
In 1982, the Lord called him to repentance and ministered to him in unimaginable ways. It was quite a struggle to take leave of the African traditionalist spiritual orientation which his father had instilled and turn to a God that he was just experiencing the first time. But that God proved superior and persisted in his show of interest toward James. When he could no longer resist the call from an obviously loving and caring God, James asked for a bible teaching church that could help him make sense of all he was experiencing and feeling. He discovered and followed a Christian brother to his church one Sunday. Thereafter, he became a member of a Christian fellowship back in his village, but he was neither a committed nor a consistent member.
By 1987, he had become a regular and much more committed member of the same church he first attended in 1982, the Holiness Preaching Church. In 1989, he became the General Coordinator of a campus fellowship, the students’ arm of the church he attended at the College of Basic Sciences, Ikare Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria. After his graduation from the college in 1989, he co-founded a sister church with another pastor in his village. The Lord began revealing Himself to James, and signs and wonders manifested in outreaches organized by his ministry both on and off campus. The more he prayed, the more God revealed His plan to him about the ministry he had been called to. He soon became the prayer coordinator and general coordinator of the campus fellowship of his former church at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State in 1992 and 1993, respectively. During his National Youth Service (NYSC) he pastored the Nigerian Police Academy branch of his church in Wudil, Kano state.
After his national service in 1998, he became the campus coordinator overseeing three campus fellowships at the School of Nursing, Akure; the Owo Polytechnic, Akure Satellite Campus; and the Vocational College Akure, Ondo State. He never stopped working toward the vision and ministry to which God called him.
Pastor James holds Diploma in Theology at Harvestime International Bible Institute. His teachings are solely from the Bible, a book he always refers to as the Encyclopaedia of books, wisdom, and prayers. He teaches the flock of God about dynamism in prayer life, revival, practical holiness, separation from worldliness, mighty manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and spiritual gifting, amongst many others.
On the secular side of life, James was a University don. Between 1999 and 2001 he was a graduate assistant and between 2002 and 2004 he was a member of faculty at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. He was involved in active research in the field of Wood Chemistry and Polymer Composites. From 2004 to 2007 he took his doctoral program and obtained a doctoral degree at the University of Idaho, Moscow, U.S.A. Between 2007 and 2010 his research work was at Virginia Tech, in the State of Virginia. He is also a prolific scientific writer. His astute writing and communication skills are evident in the over 60 publications consisting of book chapters, peer-reviewed articles, conference proceedings, and result-oriented international conference presentations.
James is happily married to the one and only woman there has ever been in his life; his friend, confidant, and better half, Rebecca Bosede. They are blessed with a daughter; a God-given gem, Dorcas Promise Toluwanimi.
