The General Superintendent, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi turns 78 on Thursday, with Preident Buhari and hundreds of thousands of members felicitating with him.

Born in June 6 1941 into the family of Mr. Gabriel Kumuyi Akinfenwa, Comfort Idowu Kumuyi Akinfenwa, an Anglican family in Erin-Ijesha, Osun State, Nigeria, he completed his secondary school education in 1961, and in 1962 started teaching mathematics at Mayflower School in Ikenne, Ogun-State, from where he proceeded to the University of Ibadan and in 1967 graduated with a first-class honours degree in mathematics. He became a born-again Christian in April 1964.

Though he grew up as a church boy with Christian parents in his early days, he lost interest in Church at some points in his life.

Pastor Kumuyi has this to say:

“I grew up in a very strict Christian home”, he told Isaacson, “We would get up in the morning, read the Bible, sing hymns, and go to church regularly. When I went to secondary school I lost interest in the church because our principal taught us atheism. But after a while I thought again and started going to various churches in town.

Eventually, in 1963, a group of singers and preachers from a Gospel church got permission to come to the school. I understood the Gospel message, and was born again on April 5th, 1964. I read John Wesley, Charles Finney, Spurgeon, and lots of other books. I got involved with the Scripture Union, and I grew.”

He gained a first-class degree in Mathematics at the University of Ibadan; then went back to Mayflower School to teach. After five years he went to the University of Lagos to do a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and became a lecturer there in 1973, and from there, he started a small Deeper Life Bible Study group.

Ministry and Personal Life

In 1973, while serving as Math Lecturer at The University of Lagos, W.F. Kumuyi started a Bible study group with 15 university students who had come to him requesting training in the Scriptures.

A former Anglican who joined the Apostolic Faith Church after being baptised, Kumuyi was in 1975, expelled from the church for preaching without credentials. However, he continued his independent ministry, which later became the Deeper Life Bible Church.

By the early 1980’s that small group had grown to several thousand, at which time Deeper Life Bible Church was formally established..

Buhari greets Pastor Kumuyi at 78

President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with Pastor William Kumuyi of Deeper Life Bible Church as he turns 78 years.

Buhari in a congratulatory message signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Thursday, recalled his meeting with the respected cleric.

The president said that he met Kumuyi at the State House, Abuja, last October, during which the latter shared deep insights about the country.

He also recalled that the cleric had used the opportunity to pray with him and for the entire country, particularly in respect of the then forthcoming general elections.

He remarked that Kumuyi exuded divine wisdom and temperate nature at all times.

The president prayed God to give Kumuyi long life and greater grace to serve God and humanity.