Late Pastor Connie Madubuko, in her life time, was always fun to be with. Equally a delight to interview, in one of her interview sessions with The Fore Runner magazine, she revealed all her intimate secrets…
About is Pastor Connie
Pastor Connie is a child of God and also a servant of God. I was born into a family of nine and I happen to be the fourth. I went to secondary school and at the university level I read Computer Science. When I graduated, I worked with a computer firm, IBM International Computers Limited before venturing into full time ministry.
My background.
I was born into the Egbe family of Umuodo in Ezi, Oshimili Local Government Area of Delta State, but married to Apostle Anselm Madubuko who is from Orsumoghu in Ihiala L.G.A of Anambra State.
How I got born again.
I am Apostle’s first convert. I never heard about Jesus because I was born into a family where we never went to church. My father was a pagan and never for one day went to church. When I came to Lagos, I met Apostle Madubuko and in that process, one day he told me that he had given his life to Christ. Then I was used to reading ‘fat’ novels. I was pondering on exactly what he meant by him giving his life to Christ. I asked him such questions like “Who is this Christ that you had give your life to?” I thought that he (Anselm) had gone crazy. It took him about a week to explain and convince me. What really made me give my life to Christ was that he was praying for me and in the process began to speak in tongue. Then, I did not understand. I was like, ‘what language are you speaking?’ He then told me that God gave him the language. He furthermore explained the baptism of the Holy Spirit to me. That convinced me and I began to cry and something came over me and I gave my life to Christ.
How I met the Apostle.
I met Apostle Anselm as an unbeliever. I went to visit a friend of mine and I didn’t know that my friend was having a get together. When I got there, I met over 25 men. (May be I will call them boys). All my life I have also been bold and outspoken. So I came in dressed up and they were like whao! Who is this chick? I kept looking at them and starting wondering if they had not seen a human being before. Apostle was among them, but out of all of them, he had the boldness to walk up to me and asked for my complimentary card. Then I was working with IBM. I can’t really remember what happened, probably, I was talking to somebody. I just gave him my card and he said, “I work with Tom Ikimi and he is married to one of the Egbes. Is she your relation?” I said no. I was just like take the card and go away. When I was going, he came out and gave me a walk. To be very frank, I did not even capture his face properly, though he told me his name. On Monday, that was two days later, I got a call from him. He said he was Anselm and I asked, “Anselm from where?” I later remembered him when he explained. And he said, “Would you like to go to a party?” I asked him when the party was, to which he replied the coming weekend. I agreed because then I loved going to parties. I later gave him my address and he came to pick me for the party. That was how the relationship started. We went out for about nine (9) months before he informed me that he had given his life to Christ. So, we needed to part ways which we did. The parting of ways that I mean was that we never slept together anymore. He avoided me like a plaque. But in spite of all this, he never let me go fully. He kept seeing and telling me about Jesus. Actually, we parted ways for about a month before I gave my life to Christ. But at that point it was just like nothing was happening between us. To me then, I thought that the relationship was still on but to him, the girlfriend-boyfriend thing was over. Even at the point of my giving my life to Christ, he still stood his ground that we won’t do the things we used to do before. He said that we should remain like brother and sister in the Lord. You see, the moment I gave my life to Christ, God gave me the grace because I really gave my life. I gave my life from the bottom of my life.
The marriage proposal.
When I gave my life to Christ, he was having a fellowship in his house. Then Pastor Tunde Joda (of Christ Chapel) used to come and fellowship with us on Fridays. Then one day as I was sleeping I had a dream. By this time we were just like church members because he said that we must not discuss anything about friendship because at the right time, God will show us our life partners. In my dream, a man walked up to me by the window and begged to be my husband. To me, even when I was going out with him as an unbeliever, I never had the impression or intention of marrying him because I looked at him as a playboy and felt that there was no reason wasting my time with him. But I noticed that he wanted a serious relationship which I didn’t not want. I just wanted to go out with him. So after I saw him in the dream, I was a bit bothered because since I was born again, I believed that God will give me a man I will settle down with, though I was not thinking about marriage then. One day he called me and said that we should go out for lunch. When we were strolling back (along Animashaun Road, Surulere) he came and held my hand. He asked me, “how will you feel if we start a family?” I just asked him how that would be possible when we won’t sleep with each other.
Then, one day, after fellowship and I was just coming out of one of the rooms, he handed me a letter proposing marriage to me. It was then that I remembered the dream. From there I knew that God was showing me that He wanted me to marry him. Then, the fear I was having left me and I agreed to his proposal.
The vision of Revival Asembly.
Well, I am neither the one God gave the vision nor the General Overseer of Revival Assembly. God gave Apostle the vision and he let me into the vision. By the grace of God, I am trying to run with the vision. God gives a man the vision, and I am the wife. He is the head. My assignment is to try and run with the vision. I am sure that he must have said it many times. There was no time I wanted to be a pastor’s wife. But God ministered to me and I didn’t know that he was praying too for God to minister to me.
The confirmation.
There was a confirmation that happened. He never came out to tell me that he wanted to start a ministry, but I noticed that he kept doing the work of God. My house then was like a church. People started coming to the house for prayers and counseling. One day I was in the room praying and I had a transformation. Something came over me and I left the room. I didn’t know that the Lord was also speaking to him too. After I left the room, I felt different and I went and told him that I heard the voice of God say ‘that you should go and start a ministry’. He just got up and said ‘thank God’. So, God really spoke to me and I know that this vision is of God. It wasn’t something planned.
In the beginning.
When the ministry was about to start, I contributed my little quota. After I told him that God said that I should release him for his ministry, he set out to look for a place for the church. He later got a place at Oritshe Street in Ikeja. I remember that after he got the place, he set a date for the inauguration and dedication of the ministry. He also said that he was going to a praying camp before that day. He left for about four or five days and I had to do the painting and bought some chairs. In order to do the work, I sold some of my cloths at the Yaba market and other things. With the money realized, I bought paint and asked some people to clear up the place because I believe in excellence even though there was no money then. By the time he came back from the camp, the place was at least ready for the church to start.
My healing ministry.
Well, I wouldn’t know when it started, but I noticed that I will sit down to talk to somebody and God will begin to show me some things in the person’s body. You know what I mean. As I counsel somebody, I will begin to feel that may be the person has headache or fibroid; it will be like someone is sitting with me and telling me what to do or say. In fact, I wouldn’t know when I will divert from the conversation into something like, “do you have an ailment?” Then, when the person answers in the affirmative, I would then pray with him. Usually, they come back to testify. I never knew that it was a ministry. Even when I have programmes, people will come and testify that ‘you were doing this and God healed me’.
At times I will be ministering and will begin to feel pain on a particular part of my body and then the Holy Spirit will say to tell me that there is somebody here that has such problem. Some other times, before I go for programmes, at night, while sleeping, God will tell me that ‘when you get to this meeting, there is a particular thing I want you to mention’. On several occasions I forgot because I didn’t know that it was God. I felt that it was my mind and my passion to see the sick ones healed. You know that there is compassion one has that makes me feel sad seeing people suffer. I always feel like giving every one according to their heart desires. I never knew that it was a healing ministry. It now dawned on me when I became bold and not afraid anymore. I became closer to God and can hear Him speak. Then, I noticed that this is an area God called me, especially going by the testimonies of people.
About is Apostle Madubuko
A woman should know her husband. I know him more than he knows himself. I know him very well. He is a man full of passion for Christ. I am not saying this to flatter him, but what I am today, I got from him, though my strength in the ministry is from God. He is a person that goes all out for something that he believes in. He is never double minded, but pursues a vision with all he has. Even before he got born-again, when he was an architect, he was doing it with zeal. He is also a straight forward man. He is a man that has compassion for people and he loves doing what he is doing. He loves God. As a husband, he is a loving husband. I don’t know how to qualify him.
Why people prefer Apostle.
People have two types of motive and you know every thing depends on motive. If you say that people prefer to go to him, it depends on what they want to discuss with him. There are some people who will go to him because what they want to discuss is an issue they feel a man can handle better than a woman. Even some women feel that there are certain issues he can handle better than I can. Yet there are those who have some ulterior motives. We have seen it happen so many times. Again, I believe that most people prefer to see him because he is the General Overseer. It is like when you go to the hospital, you will like to see the Chief Medical Director instead of the other doctors. It is good that people go to him, at least it puts me in a better position to do other things. I am not the General Overseer and I am not wishing to be one. God called him and gave him the vision, so if the people go to him more than they come to me, it is a good development. It shows that he has the qualities of a General Overseer.
My home and my ministry.
There is something about ministry. When you have a heart for ministry, you will find out that God will give you the grace to be able to cope with it. I know that I am busy everyday doing one thing or the other but because God wants my presence, I will be there even against all odds. Though other domestic issues need my attention especially my children, who need my love, car and attention, God’s work is God’s work and should not be neglected. God comes before marriage, children and before anything else. The ministry comes first and God has given me the grace so I have no regret or complaints.
Missing him
Whenever Apostle travels, I know it is for the purpose that God has called him. Whenever he is back, I am so glad. You know, I once asked him if he misses me whenever he travels out and he said, “Listen, once I get there, I switch off because I will be very busy, but once it is time for me to come back, I start thinking about you. I notice that when it is like two to three day for him to come back, my phone rings every other minute.
My pastoral office.
As a pastor, there is this desire in your heart for the people under your calling or your ministry to excel in all things. At times you imagine that if you are God, you would have given to everybody according to their desires. When you become a pastor, you don’t choose what you want to do. The only thing you will choose is to decide that you want to serve God and when you serve Him, He puts you where He wants you to be. All the programme we do like ‘Operation Emmanuel’ is what we should do as pastors and it was a vision founded by Daddy (Apostle). God gave him the vision and he started it, but I am just running with the vision. Though I am in healing ministry, my responsibilities are not limited to that of the ministry. I still minister as a pastor, minister deliverance, preach the Word as well as do other things that need to be done as a pastor. I also do administrative duties, I do cleaning, cut grasses or any other thing. In fact, I work as a labourer in the house of God. I can do anything even if it is mopping the floor as long as the work of God will go on. All I want is to see the vision and desire of the people accomplished.
What’s my freak?
Some people like cars, but I like good things of life like looking good. I like fashion and other good things of life. I also like good cars, dresses, shoes. In particular, I like looking young for my husband. It makes the marriage work. It is good to see couple look good. But, my greatest freak is this work of God. All my days, from morning till night, all my activities are about this ministry. I don’t know if that is an addiction or freak. In fact, I live my entire life from home to church. I am not a public figure and I don’t want to be one. This is why most time I shy away from appearing on television.
What puts me off?
People who are not straight forward. People that are one thing in your presence, but another in your absence. Also people who gossip put me off.
What turns me on?
Good people, straight, blunt people. Those who are themselves and don’t pretend. I love such people.
Why I wear low cut?
I have been wearing low-cut all my life. Even when I left school as an unbeliever, I used to wear very thick afro low-cut. About five months ago, I called Apostle and told him that I was tired of this low cut that I wanted a change, but he said no. You see, you must do what a man wants, if not, I would have changed it. That’s why when I dress; I dress for him and not for anybody. All this fashion I wear is not to show off, but because that’s what he likes. I have been wearing low-cut for life, except for a few occasions I changed it in the past. I like looking trendy because I have a man who looks trendy. I have to follow his footsteps.
Vision for Revival Assembly.
I want this church to get to where God has purposed for it. We have a vision and God is the author of the vision and He will carry this church to where He had destined it in His mind.