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By Agatha Emeadi
Paul Emmanuel is the founding pastor of Refiner’s Embassy, a Pentecostal church in Lagos.
He has been in the ministry as a baby without knowing he would blow into fulltime ministration. He is also the latest author who launched seven books and full album of 12 songs at a stretch.
In this interview with the celebrity pastor/artiste, who is still single, he said that he was dressed by people around him that destiny is not something one runs away from, but instead prepares for it.
Have you been writing and singing all along and decided to launch them together?
I have been writing quite a while, but just figured the time has to be right for the launch. I believe books come out in their right seasons and when they do, they make impact that they are supposed to make. So, I was not just writing for the sake of writing, but because I know the timing and their titles will be needed at a particular period that we are in now, both in the country and the world as it were. For the seven books which stands for perfection to me, and my first outing with the right timing, so we decided to throw everything out at the same time.
What kind of books did you write, are they motivational, fiction, or play?
Basically, they are motivational. But one would find motivational, spiritual, inspiration, but the centre of it all is the destiny of people. Why we were born, what we came here on earth to do and people understanding that life can be very interesting and at the same time can come with its challenges. So, how do you navigate the challenges of what life throws at us? Whether we like it or not, life will definitely throw things at everybody at some point in time. But what you do and how you respond to it makes the difference.
Do you have target audience or are the books for everybody?
It is for everybody as long as you are alive and on earth. It is very humane. Something that when you read it, I believe it comes from the right place and could be connected. It is not storytelling, instead touching and impacting lives.
When did you start writing?
I started writing when I was in Primary and secondary schools. But did not publish any of those things because like I said it was not time yet. As the right time has come, everything is falling into place. I believe the time has come and things are falling into the right places.
As a writer, are you not worried that the Internet has taken over reading culture?
It is a major challenge because a lot of people do not understand the power of reading. Every human being on earth is a working book based on what they read or think. Everybody here is a product of a book. In this end time that we are, it is given to men of books. So, if people are not reading, it is a major concern for us, but we cannot stop writing because some people are not reading. It is very possible that the few who would read would end up becoming world changers and change the narratives around the system. I am sure that with the right promotion, encouragement and culture, people will get back to reading. That is where parents also come in, teach the children to start reading early enough, let them not waste all time on the screens. Don’t just read for them during bed time, encourage them to read for you. They may not have it all together, but at some point, they will know that these readings are who I am and they will always get back to it.
Talk about your music?
It is a full album of 12 songs that are merged together because we know that everybody listens and loves music at some point. But the kind of music we do are songs that are needed for humanity and people in the season. They are gospel songs which carry inspirations and identifies with the situation of the people. People understand that no matter what people are going through in life, they should know they are not the first to go through it and may not be the last, but know that you will surely come out of it strong.
What motivated the title of the album?
The title of the album is, “The other side.” I have been working on the album since 2019. The story to it is that I went to pray somewhere sometime in the month of May and had a vision where I saw a certain gospel music artiste who was moving from one side to the other while I was moving from another side to the other. So, we met in the middle and he asked what was I doing there, I told him I am a preacher. I said, I also know you as a very popular gospel music artist. In the middle of our meeting, we exchanged baton and locations. So, I got to understand that from 2019 we will start seeing people who are pastors and singers and vice versa. The name of this artiste is Sunny Bado, a Ghanian artiste who lives in America. Today, he is also a preacher and this is where my music started from. It is my first album. Again, ‘The other side’ showcases the fact that everyone knows me as a clergy man, philanthropist, societal transformation and a mentor to very young people within the country and outside. This is something I know I was going to do when the time comes. The title of ‘The other side’ is in two-three levels because there is something in me that everybody knows, again using the opportunity to communicate to everybody that all coins have two sides. The other second side is a better version that can also be a blessing to people.
How long have you been singing?
I started singing when I was five and started preaching when I was six. I have been a baby preacher and singer. That is part of the reasons I wrote a book titled Destiny. There is nothing that I am doing today that has not been destined. It is what I followed and it is working out now. When I was at the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, I joined the music department.
What genre of music do you sing?
I classify my music as a gospel artiste because I am not just into gospel music for the sake of it. There is a background to it. I run a ministry and church and there is no way I would do the full parenthesis without singing as well.
For you to start preaching and singing at a tender age, were your parents pastors?
They were elder and deaconess in a pentecostal church. My parent’s church is Christ Followers Mission. They were very instrumental in holding the branches of the church. For the fact that my father was in the military, anywhere they posted him, he would found the branch of the church in that locality and I was always there. So, any of the pastors that is sent to the branch, would be with us for three months before they get a place for him. In the process of staying with us, they will look at me and say, ‘you have something to do in the future.’ So, I was dressed up by people around us that destiny is not something you run away from, instead, you prepare for it. There are people that things cannot fight especially those who have prepared for the future.
Are you married, Pastor?
Not yet at the moment. But it is something that I am looking forward to.
How do you overcome gestures from female admirers?
The way I overcome these things is that I don’t live my life from the present. I live from consequences. I sit down and calculate the consequences of my action which forms the decision from where I am. So, there is a lifestyle I cannot live because I have taken time to factor the end of it. I know that you cannot separate a destination from a journey. So, I do keep myself by the grace of God.
What are your parents saying to a pastor son?
Well, they contributed in making this happen. Though they did not force me at any point, instead said, ‘If you want to go to a Bible school, we will support you, whatever you want.’ So, they supported me and I went to higher institution, today I am doing what I like.
How was growing up like?
Growing up was beautiful in two different states. My parents were in the military and were posted to Edo and Ogun states. I schooled in both states. I say growing up was beautiful because my parents were Godly, they did the best they could to bring us up in the Godliest way they could. Most times, it is not up to parents alone, but the child as well. If one also has a destiny to live with somehow, to a very considerable extent, one’s growing up will tell concerning that destiny. Even when we were in the barracks, I was usually found among the military officers in the upper echelon, not the barracks-barracks type and I learnt a lot from them. My lifestyle was very different from the regular barracks boys.
