Sunday, April 27, 2025, was a memorable day at The Family Fellowship (TFF), the newly founded church of Pastor Idowu Iluyomade and Pastor (Mrs.) Siju Iluyomade. A glamorous Thanksgiving service was held to celebrate veteran journalist and publisher of City People Magazine, Dr. Seye Kehinde, who recently turned 60.
The service took place at The Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, which currently serves as the church’s worship venue. The event witnessed a large turnout of attendees, majorly staff and associates of the highly revered publisher, who came together to honour him in the presence of God.
The celebrant, accompanied by members of his team, arrived at
the venue as early as 9 a.m. They fully participated in the church’s Sunday
service, which featured praise and worship, a prayer session, testimony
sharing, a sermon, and the grand thanksgiving session.
Dressed in a stylish, butter-colored, well-stoned lace outfit,
Mr. Seye Kehinde received a standing ovation as he danced joyfully through the
church aisle, accompanied by his staff, church members, and other well-wishers.
Pastors Idowu and Siju Iluyomade joined in the celebratory dance, leading Mr.
Kehinde around the church hall in an atmosphere of heartfelt thanksgiving to
God for the gift of life at 60.
Popular gospel artist, Tosin Alao, led the band in serenading
the congregation with timeless thanksgiving melodies, setting a lively and
joyous atmosphere on the dance floor.
During the service, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade took a moment to
extol the many admirable qualities of the celebrant. In a heartfelt speech, he
emphasised the importance of living a life of purpose, stating that when
individuals get to heaven, they would not be asked trivial questions but would
be assessed based on whether they fulfilled their divine assignment on earth.
"If you fail to accomplish your God-given mission," he said,
"there are consequences. Everyone must discover and pursue their
purpose."
Pastor Iluyomade praised Dr. Kehinde for exemplifying a life
of purpose both within and outside the church. He revealed how Dr. Kehinde,
without any prompting, had begun transcribing sermons preached at TFF almost
immediately after the church's inception. "Before you could say ‘Jacob
Robinson,’ the sermons were already transcribed," he humorously noted.
This passion led Mr. Kehinde to also help publish The Handmaidens in
Citypeople Magazine, through which he began publishing spiritual materials and
church teachings, reaching wider audiences who might not typically pick up
traditional religious books, but would eagerly read City People magazine.
Highlighting Dr. Kehinde’s selflessness, Pastor Iluyomade
disclosed that the publisher often dedicated several pages of his magazine to
the church’s activities and messages without charging a single naira. "It
wasn't until I later saw the standard advertisement rates — four hundred
thousand to five hundred thousand naira per page — that I realized the
magnitude of what he had been doing for us. His contributions run into
millions," Pastor Iluyomade said, drawing applause from the congregation.
He concluded by praying for God’s continued blessings on Dr.
Kehinde, thanking God for helping him discover and walk firmly in his divine
purpose. "God will take you higher," he declared warmly.
In his response, the celebrant expressed profound gratitude to
the church, Pastor Iluyomade, and his wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Siju for the honour
bestowed upon him. He also revealed that City People magazine would be
celebrating its 30th anniversary next year, thanking God for sustaining him and
his vision through many years of challenges and triumphs.
-Jamiu Abubakar
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