ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Bishop Kola Onaolapo (of blessed memory) was the founder of Abundant Life Gospel Church worldwide with its international headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.
Born on July 27, 1957 to Pa. and Mrs. Onaolapo, at Erin-Ile, in Kwara State, Nigeria, he was seen as a peculiar child.
Kola Onaolapo started his primary school education at African Church Primary School, Erin-Ile, and completed it at Zaria, Kaduna State in 1968. He later went to Government Secondary School, Patigi, in Kwara State.
In 1975, he gained admission into Ahmadu Bello University’s School of Basic Studies and was admitted into the University’s Faculty of Science where he studied Chemistry.
He received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1976 as an undergraduate and began to preach the gospel while in the university. He was actively involved in evangelistic outreaches in Samaru, Zaria. As a student Pastor, he preached in many crusades in Zaria. The passion with which he preached made many doubt whether he was a student or a pastor.
After graduating from Ahmadu Bello University in 1982, he was employed by the Plateau State Government to work as a teacher in Jos. While he was teaching, he had an encounter with God.
Bishop Onaolapo usually woke up at 3:00 a.m. to pray. However, on one fateful day, as he woke up to pray, he heard a voice call him saying: “I will be calling you to preach the gospel”. Two weeks later, the same voice called him again, instructing him to fast and pray in preparation for a visit from God.
He started the prayer and fasting as instructed. Then, the following day by 4:00 am, while he was trying to relax after a session of prayer, he was visited by Jesus Himself in his room. He touched his palms and said: “Go and start a living church for me and call it Abundant Life Gospel Church. John 10:10 is your anchor Scripture for this mission”.
After that encounter, his passion to preach the gospel grew stronger.
On 23rd August 1984, he started Abundant Life Gospel Church at Bishop Smith’s Memorial Primary School, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
With his undiluted teachings of the Word, high moral standard, impactful Kingdom principles and the help of the Holy Spirit, he was able to pastor the church and sustain it, to become one of the fastest growing Pentecostal churches in Ilorin and its environs.
His evangelistic drive and crusade strategies, made ALGC thrive with a large number of people, accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Many received the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in Tongues for the first time in their Christian journey. Other branch churches were soon established in the region in response to the aspiration of the people.
In October 1991, Bishop Kola Onaolapo relocated to Lagos, Nigeria to plant another Church, which is now the international headquarters. His belief in grassroot, one-on-one soul winning evangelism inspired the vision of the Kola Onaolapo World Outreach Ministry, (KOWOM), from where he conducted the Kola Onaolapo World Outreach Ministry, (KOWOM), from where he conducted the Enough is Enough Crusade and other outreaches around the world.
Again, his passion for the gospel propagation and to gather men of God; pastors, evangelists, church overseers, missionaries; assisting them to prosper in the Kingdom assignment prompted him to establish the International Fellowship of End-time Ministers (IFEM) and the Superior Festival (SUPERFEST).
His relentless passion for evangelistic outreach made him tour around the world; West African Countries, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States (especially Baltimore, Maryland in the U.S). During those times, he built a cordial working relationship with Church leaders and Ministers of God. He also worked selflessly with other great men of God through affiliations with the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the United International Association of Pentecostal Bishops (UIAPB) and Kingdom Way College of Bishops (KWCB), in Maryland, United States.
He was happily married to Rev. Dr. Janet Onaolapo and they were blessed with four children.
Having fought the good fight of faith, finishing strong, the Lord called him home on 14th October, 2012.
Though he is no longer in our midst, his great works still speaks of how much he loved the Lord and the work of the Kingdom. His legacy stands out as footprints on the sands of time. Abundant Life Gospel Church remains strong, thriving in the anointing of this great visionary!
