What tribute do i write about him that would fit his description perfectly? I guess several eulogies have poured out in the past twenty four hours about a man that changed the face of Christianity in Nigeria and beyond from the 70s till date.
Daddy Kumuyi is 75!
I celebrate this man I have fondly referred to as my father (and unarguably so). And after reading so much tributes today from several quarters, I decided to pen mine with the hope that you see why he means so much to the Christendom at this moment. When I see Daddy Kumuyi, I see several men in scriptures all bundled into one…
… Abraham, who left his kindred and started a small fellowship in an obscure flat in UNILAG. At 75, the church has grown in leaps and bounds, spreading across many nations and continents like stars to be ‘numbered for a multitude’.
… Moses, with a rod and a staff leading the redeemed as they travel across the wilderness of life. At 75, that staff is still in hand… B-I-B-L-E.
Isaiah …who is not afraid to proclaim ‘the report’ … At 75, he still proclaims Jesus that was ‘despised and rejected of men…. The Messiah by whose stripes we are healed.
… Joshua and Caleb, though old, but not diminished in strength and wisdom. At 75, he still craves for more mountains and territories. ‘Slowing down’ is not even in his agenda for now.
… David, A warrior, King musician, and shepherd. His love and passion for music and the arts is remarkable. At 75, he still consistently leads the Lord’s sheep ‘beside the still waters’.
… Jeremiah. Whose love for his generation… The ‘lost sheep of Israel’ , draws him to tears. At 75, he stands at the valley of dry bones as a prophet, believing they will yet rise again. He is a prophet that ‘weeps’and ‘sees’.
… Daniel. a defender of the faith even in the face of death. Who would choose to be the last man standing for God where others shamelessly stoop in contempt. At 75, he still chooses the faith uncommon, the faith of our fathers!
Esther…the spirit that is not afraid to take a step at the risk of his life for the deliverance of his people… ‘and if I perish, I perish!
John the Baptist… He has really changed in age…but has not changed in message. At 75, the thrust of his message remains the same. ‘Be ye reconciled unto God’. ‘Jesus Only’. ‘Holiness forever more’. ‘On business for my king’. ‘Jesus is coming again’.
Like Paul the Apostle whose zeal for the cross and the message it brings knows no bounds nor limits. At 75, He is a man who has made himself all things to all men that he might gain all. He loves little children, mingles joyfully with young people, warms up to the commoners, bamboozles the wisdom of the high and mighty. Like Paul, he makes bold the Spirit of God in the heart of man that overcomes the world.
And most of all, I see the passion, zeal, love, and light of Christ in all ramification. At 75, he still radiates Christ. And this is summed up in the song that has become the principle on which his Christianity revolves:
…Jesus only. Jesus ever
Jesus all in all we sing.
Saviour. Sanctifier. Healer
Baptizer and coming King.
Join me in wishing Daddy W.F Kumuyi a happy 75th birthday.
May we all live to celebrate many more years with you. May we also live to uphold the truth of the gospel you have taught us over the years!
We love you!
