ASK - HELP AYO BECOME NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN EDUCATOR

Hi, my name is Jeff Reinders and I am asking for your help in raising money to help Ayodele (Ayo) Stephen Ode complete his Ph.D. in Christian Theology so he can return to his home country of Nigeria as a Seminary Educator. His story and his love of Jesus have touched my heart. I hope it will touch yours also.

I was introduced to Ayo through my sister and brother-in-law, Cindy and Rich Trubey. They live in Upland, CA (Southern CA) and attend Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Claremont, CA. Through their church, they learned about Ayo and were moved to help him and asked me to consider helping also.

Cindy and Rich extended food and lodging to Ayo in their empty nester home at the beginning of the Fall 2022 school year and because of threats to Ayo's family back in Nigeria from Boko Haram, have agreed to also provide food and lodging to his wife and three young boys. They arrived from Nigeria on January 7 and are now in school and getting used to living in America. As you can imagine, financially supporting a wife and 3 young boys in Southern CA while attending school full-time to attain his Ph.D. in Christian Theology is challenging at best. He has 4.5 more years of study and I would like to help him raise $25,000 to help defray living costs during this time.

Ayo is a beautiful soul dedicated to the mission of sharing the love of Jesus. I hope to help him in his calling. Below is his story. Please read and if you are touched like I am, donate what you can to help him and his family.

FROM AYO:

Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus,

I bring greetings to you in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I am Ayodele Stephen Ode, originally from Nigeria. Currently, I worship at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Claremont. I am a graduate of Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota. I graduated with a Master of Theology in Pastoral Theology and Ministry, in June 2021. In August 2022, I started at Claremont School of Theology to earn my Ph.D. in Religion. My goal is to return to Nigeria to help train new Christian Teachers and Pastors. I do not know how this will all work out but I trust God's calling and believe through the work of the Holy Spirit this will work out.

My spiritual journey started in my childhood. I often say that in my home, my Dad and Mom were the Pastors. They taught and modeled the life of Christ to me and my siblings. I started loving the Lord very early in life and began ministering for Him by helping people in my community. I gave my life to Christ as a teenager, deciding that I would serve Him from that point forward. My initial intention was to serve God part-time in various ministries within and outside the church while I pursued my ambition for secular education and career. But “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). During my mid-20s, God called me into full-time ministry. I obeyed Him and went for my initial training in a seminary in Nigeria for 5 years, and I’ve served as pastor for 14 years now, both in Nigeria and the United States.

I have loved being a Pastor and congregational teacher but I now feel God is calling me in an expanded direction. Nigeria, and Africa more widely, are in dire need of trained educators and coaches in Christian theology who will go into both schools and institutions to train more people, and most importantly young people, in subjects of Christian religion, Biblical theology, and all courses related to Christian knowledge.

In the northern part of Nigeria where I come from, Islamic religious study departments and schools can flourish because they have government funding that supports institutions and the training of new Educators. I know there are Nigerians who want to become Pastors but they need financial help and trained Educators who can help prepare them. My prayer and desire are to complete my training so I can join the growing team of Christian scholars who will train more people locally in Nigeria who'll in turn go into the world and win more souls into God’s Kingdom through sound doctrine and Biblical teaching.

I humbly write to appeal for your support financially. Claremont School of Theology has offered me a scholarship of 50% tuition reduction. and a part-time job. In addition, Cindy and Rich will host me and my family in their home for a while. But I still need to raise the balance of my tuition and support my family during the next 4.5 years while I complete my education. I trust in the Lord that he will provide. As such I am asking for your help as I seek to serve others through higher education. Would you please prayerfully consider

contributing to making this opportunity possible?

We would also appreciate it if you can share this story with others you think might be interested and willing to help sponsor my education.

Thank you very much for your kind consideration of this request,

Ayodele Stephen Ode.

Email: [email redacted]