Despite taking on his latest duty, Jimmy Odukoya, the new lead pastor of the Fountain of Life Church, says he would not stop performing.
On September 17, the actor, who is the son of the church’s late founder, Taiwo Odukoya, was chosen the new senior pastor and chairman of the board of trustees.
Odukoya expressed his devotion to his acting career in a recent interview with BBC Pidgin, despite his new duty as the church’s main pastor.
Many people, he added, questioned his ability to balance two duties at first. He did, however, tell how God took him from Nollywood to Hollywood in six years, adding that “nothing is impossible with Him.”
He said while he is currently focused on his pastoral duties, he believes that acting can still be a means to teach important life lessons.
“When I started, people said I could not be a pastor and an actor together. They said the church and the world would not accept me,” he said.
“I was there for six years in an industry that is hard to break into. From Nollywood, I moved to Hollywood. God has shown that with him, nothing is impossible.
“Although I am focused on the church now, that does not mean I cannot act. Once an actor, always an actor.
“The question I ask myself is: What will people learn when I act like this character? The idea people have is that as a pastor, I should only play good roles, but good and bad exist. It does not matter if it is a good or bad role; the motive is to teach people lessons.”
Odukoya passed away on August 7 in the United States at the age of 67. He was buried in Lagos on September 9.
