Lanre Samson found love while in secondary school. She fell in love with a young handsome man who young ladies used to flock around. She used to caution him about his amorous relationships. And he used to tell her that she Lanre remains his special love! They lost touch for years. But fate re-united them only after they had individually embraced God and committed their lives to the Christian faith.
However, though the love was strong, but there was no money! "The marriage took place with faith!" Said Apostle Lanre Samson. And daily her young husband went out trekking, combing the nooks and crannies of Akowonjo, Egbeda and the other suburbs of Agege area of Lagos, winning souls for Christ.Today the couple run a
church that has presence in some major Nigerian cities, in the United Kingdom and in America, with eight primary schools, eight secondary schools, hospitals, college of education and a proposed university with vast acres of land. Lanre Samson here shares her marital secrets with us, and tells us the kind of lifestyle that she kept over the years, to enable her manage this growth and expansion of church and business. She spoke to Paul Ukpabio in Lagos.
You are married to a Bishop of a church. What kind of lifestyle does a woman who is an Apostle and also married to a Bishop live?
The lifestyle that I live with the Man of God has been that of faith. It has been a life of faith. Everything we have today has been acquired by faith. That is because if one does not have faith in God, one cannot fit into marriage talk less of growing in marriage. Also, it is faith that helped us grow and be able to acquire all these things that are around us now. From ministry work, we gradually moved into development projects to help build the church of God.
The marriage has been that of work, work and work. Many a times, the provisions for all these developmental projects are not there, but because we believe in the faith that God will provide, we go ahead. Many times, we have found out that, as we move forward with the projects, God meets our needs.
As an Apostle, what can you say about your ministry?
Our ministry is about touching lives. It is multidimensional. We have a church and we reach out to humanity through building and administration of schools, building hospitals and construction of community projects to ease people's living conditions. We reach out to souls through our branches in different places around Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, London and America.
How long has the marriage lasted?
This is our twenty-third together?
How did love come in for both of you?
It was not exactly love at first sight, but we got to know and loved each other since the time we met as friends in secondary school. We were young, we met and we were close. After some time, we separated, he was on his own and I was on my own too.
Five years later, he searched and found out where I was. He came looking for me in Lagos, where I had relocated. I can recall now that, he was in Bendel State University. I was working then as an Administrative manager in a firm in Lagos. That is where he found me.
He said you are his business partner, would you say your background in Administration has helped?
Yes, I have been his business partner and partner in the ministry of God. However, I use God’s grace when it comes to administering church projects. That is because there are errors that are made here and there during the administration or construction of church projects, but somehow I usually have the ability to discover faults, flaws and lapses. So I use God’s wisdom to manage church work and projects.
Yours has been about the Christian ministry and about winning souls to Christ, so at what point did the need to expand the church to serve humanity through schools and building of hospitals arise?
I believe it came naturally, when the need arose. For instance, five years ago, some women in Otta came to meet the Bishop and I while we were there at Otta. They had no jobs, no money. They requested that we should assist by looking into how we can help them that is, the women in the community. So we rubbed minds together about putting something on ground for them.
That is how one of our empowerment programmes began: A programme to teach women about making soaps, Izal, confectionaries, beads and so on. We had an opportunity of empowering about one thousand women in different parts of Lagos state. In Otta alone, we empowered about 500 women, a lot of them widows, and also awarded them certificates.
We did it and it became successful. Those women are now producing those products. It is amazing how it worked out. Now those women can afford to send conveniently send their children to school and also help their husbands by contributing at home to meet up with financial needs. Don’t forget that, these are women who could not contribute financially at home before. Things are changing and a lot of the women are happier. Today, some of them bring soap and Izal for me to use! See, I am even now a beneficiary of their hard work and confidence to give back to the society.
Is empowerment of women one of the roles of wives of ministers of God? What are your expectations from wives of minister’s of God?
I believe women empowerment should be one of the concerns of pastor’s wives. It should be a situation where people around them should be affected positively. A pastor’s wife should be one who shows love; one who shows concern about people around her. They should always check out to see the looks on people's faces, around them and put smiles on those faces. That is because; the church of God will grow even more if the Pastor’s wife does such.
That has also been one of the secrets for the growth of our church. For instance, in the next few days, we will be going to Ikorodu where we are going for the grand finale of another empowerment programme, where we will be awarding some other women certificates and then also give them some money to enable them take off with projects that they have already been taught. From there, we are more or less also adding new members and more value to our Ikorodu church. Many of the 59 women who attended the course, will likely join the church as new members. It may not be all of them, but more will join through them and through the programme too.
How do you cope with running a church with branches, hospitals, and schools at different levels, from kindergarten to College of Education and University?
The truth is that I do not know (laughs). I guess I cope by God’s strength. Last week for example, we were on school’s parties. You can imagine, one school after another. This week we have end of year party for three schools. And we have to do it all, one after another. It is only the Grace of God that can do it.
Do you have family time?
Yes, I do. I have time with my husband. I also have time for my children. When I go out in the morning, I always ensure that I hurry back home from 4pm. I devote that evening period for the home. On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays I face church matters squarely because I preach and I also do counselling.
Did your background prepare you for all these?
I think it did in a way. I come from a Catholic background. My parents were both Catholics. However, later in life, precisely seven years after they got married, they changed to Pentecostal church and that was, Christ Apostolic Church. It was there that I learned to pray well. Before I got married, I was attending ‘Agbala Itura Church’. It was there that my spiritual life was also built up. I started fasting; sometimes I was on three day or five day dry fasting. There I received spiritual empowerment to stand on my own.
What does it take to be the wife of a Bishop?
It takes faithfulness to God. That is because when you say you want to work for God, then you have to be faithful and God will be faithful to you. But if as a woman of God, you mingle things together, things then will not go well for such a woman in the home and in ministry life.
If you are faithful to God, He will lift your home up and He will lift up your husband’s ministry and yours too. The bible says that ‘though your beginning may be small, but your latter days will be full of increase.’ So it’s about faithfulness. He will lift you up beyond human comprehension if you are faithful to Him.
What is the greatest challenge that you or other pastor’s wives face?
I wouldn’t know because I do not have any challenge. The Lord God is my strength at all times. When I pray, He answers my prayers. So, I am not pressured or challenged in any way. Over my children, He settles me, and over my husband, he settles me. Whenever I notice my children doing what I do not like, I take it up in prayer to God. I go on my knees to face any challenge. And before I know it, the mountains turn. Things turn around to favour me.
What fond memories of childhood do you have?
I grew up in Ile Ife. It was peaceful and we had happy times in the family. My parents were religious too.
Any regrets?
No regrets at all.
You are now used to laying out projects and accomplishing them. So, what does success mean to you?
Success means being in Christ, having God’s presence in daily life.
What’s your fashion sense like?
I wear anything that looks good on my body. I wear suits a lot. I don’t wear anything that shows some parts of my body. I wear clothes that do not expose my body. That is very important to be. As women, we should be modest and be virtuous in nature and character.
You are hardly seen at society events, any special reason for this?
(Laughs) I attend events, but it actually depends on the events. If it is church event, you will see me there. But if it is ‘owambe,’ you are not likely to see much of me there because, my work is much. So even if the ‘owambe’ party requires that I must be there, in that case, Daddy (Bishop Tom Samson) can always be there, because most often, I am always busy with one school matter or another or with church work.
But as a public person, social life is also necessary…
Yes, I agree with you, but also the work here is enormous and I cannot split myself. That is why Daddy is there too.
We know you like accessories because you are usually adorned with them. But what kind of accessories will you not do without?
(Thoughtful with a puzzled look) I wear anything! But what ever I wear, must look nice and not be a fake! However, I do not wear expensive jewellery. I do not go beyond my borderline. I do not also copy others in whatever I wear. If you are wearing expensive jewellery, that is your own business. I wear what is good on me and moderate.
What do you look forward to having in life, that you have not had yet?
I desire more anointing, more favour, more grace to work fervently for God. I want to do more God’s work. I want to impact more lives, to help the younger ones grow.
Most of the time, you are always with people, when are you most close as a family or close to your husband?
We are most close in the bedroom. That is in the evening when he comes back and also in the mornings when we wake. At least we sleep together. When we are together in the bedroom, that is when we gist. He tells me about the places that he went to, the people that appreciated him and so on. That is the time that we are mostly close.
Don’t you get worried that women in and around the church may get unduly interested in the Bishop, more so as he is also a good looking man?
(Laughs, then with raised voice replied) When I was in school with him, I used to see many girls with him. That was when we were in the world, when he had not given his life to Christ. I had not given my life to Christ then too. At that time, we used to go for summer coaching, and I would see him with chains of girlfriends. I remember usually standing by the window and watching him. When he looks in my direction, I would put out a finger and warn him to be careful of those ladies. After that he would come around to me and tell me that I am the special one.
So how have you been handling that now?
I don’t count such things at all. I am a woman that does not bother about such things. If you bother about such things, it can only lead to hypertension. Why should one bother about things that will disturb your soul? What I do is, I believe in the Lord and commit my home into His loving care and He takes care of us. I do not worry whether one woman is after my husband or not.
Tell us about your most fulfilled moment doing Christian work?
That was when I ministered at our church and there was so much unbelievable anointing. There was also another time I went to London, and I ministered and there was great deliverance. Even four weeks ago, I had such in London. I thank God for such moments because there was much testimonies.
You travel often, what have been your experiences and what are the peculiar differences that you have noticed during your travels?
In london, so also in the USA, people over there generally live quiet lives. They are into work, work and work. Not many people go to church over there. They are mostly glued to their work. However, over here, poverty is much, so more people come to church to pray, they come for deliverance.
With regards to such differences, what do you advice Nigerians to do?
My advice will be that we pray more. That is because an average Nigerian knows that they are many battles in the home front and they need deliverance from family backgrounds. We need to pray. Anyone that cannot pray can not get deliverance. There is the need for prayers to overcome spiritual hindrances, that is when God will be in total control of someones life. We need to be delivered from the clutches of ancestral curses and the like. We need to hold on to God.
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