Pastor Mofolasaye (1938-1943); Pastor J. L. A. Ogundiran (1944-1949); Rev. William Jaiyeola (1950-1959); Rev. Moses A. Olugbami (1960-1992); and Rev. S. T. Osasona (1993) to date.
The first and only ordination of deacons to be carried out by the church was on 10th December 1978.
The following people were ordained. 1. Deacon E. K. Mebanidu 2. Deacon J. K. Oshatoba 3. Deacon S. I. Fagba.
Evangelism: When we consider the area of Evangelism, First Baptist Church Ekinrin Adde, has planted the following Baptist churches.
- Ebenezer Baptist Church, Ekinrin Adde.
- Emmanuel Baptist Church, Ekinrin Adde Founded in 1916
- First Baptist Church Ohun, founded in 1916
- First Baptist Church, Iyara
The Church purchase a church Evangelism Bus in 1985
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- FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH MOPA.
The first church to come to Mopa was the SIM/ECWA Church, which was established in 1911. The people of Mopa whole heartily accepted the Christian faith and the church grew very fast. The white SIM missionary built a Station at Mopa. They were surprised at the rate the Church grew, so after sometimes they began to introduce certain regulations that will eradicate polygamist from the church. They first removed from office all the polygamists that were holding any office in the church. This annoyed the polygamists especially those that were holding offices in the church and they left the church enmass. The list of people that left the church at that time was as follows. 1. Mr. Luke Olorunleke. 2. Mr. Samuel Akande Waya 3. Mr. Jacob Jeminiwa 4. Mr. Isaiah Daramola 5. Chief Solomon Iwalaye 6. Mr. Simeon Arotiba 10. Mr. Jeremaiah Jeanji 11. Mr. Samson Alonge 12. Mr. Simeon Jeminiwa. 13. Mr. Jonal Zaba 14. Mr. John Osafenwa 15. Mr. Samuel Kolade 16. Mr. Job Ajebi 17. Mr. John Osafenwa Ojongolo 18. Mr. John Akande 19. Madam Elizabeth Omolola 20. Madam Hannah Osajagan 21. Madam Naomi Abayomi. 22. Madam Dorcas Fasari. 23. Madam Lydia Akande. 24. Madam Serah – Ilaro. 25. Madam Lydia Ogun 26. Madam Rebeka Osa. 27. Madam Abigael Zebe. 28. Madam Ruth Arotiba 29. Madam Mary Gabriel 30. Madam Rhoda Iwalaiye Aroniya.
These people people moved out S.I.M Church in 1919. Initially, they did not know what to do but they began to worship at a member’s house on Sundays. Later they discovered that Chief Solomon Iwalaiye has a spacious place where they could worship. The space was his weaving room (Ile Aso). They therefore approached Chief Iwalaiye who willingly released his weaving room to them as a place of worship. At this time Chief Iwalaiye was still a member of the S.I.M Church. He was in fact the Church Treasurer, the new group later approached Chief Iwalaiye and asked him to leave S.I.M Church and join them. He was initially reluctant, but he later agreed to do so. The next problem for the Church was which mission organization they will affiliate with. One of them Samuel Akande Waya who had lived in Lagos introduced the group to the Baptist Church which they all willingly accepted. Instantly, Jacob Akande Waya was made the First Leader and he linked the new Church with the nearest Baptist Mission at that time. That was the new Baptist Mission at Igede. The Church formally started to worship as a Baptist Church from 1920.
About a year the first group left S.I.M Church in Mopa to from the Baptist the Baptist Church, the S.I.M Missionaries in Mopa again gave a new directive that all polygamists in the Church must not sit among the congregation. They created some benches at the back of the Church for the polygamists. These made some other group headed by Luke Daniyan to leave the Church. Those that left S.I.M Church at that time included:
1. P. Luke Daniayan 2. Pa. John Adegboro 3. Pa. Joshua Alabi Aiyejoto 4. David Selowo 5. Pa. Paul Ayeni 6. Pa. Samuel Soje 7. Pa. Malachi Sango 8. Abraham Okunrinmeta 9. Pa. Joseph Lemo-Belolo 10. Madam Naomi Daniyan 11. Madam Lydia Osa Bello 12. Madam Esther Ayeni 13. Madam Rachael Adegboro 14. Madam Martha Soje 15. Madam Deborah Osa Bello 19. Madam Abigail Oni Daniyan 20. Mr. Gabriel Odu and 21. Madam Labawon Owu.
This group did not join the Baptist Church immediately they left S.I.M Church. They first started top worship at the residence of Pa. Luke Daniyan, but later they decided to join the Baptist Church and this was in the year 1921.
By the time this new group joined the Church Chief Iwalaye waving room was too small for the Baptist Church so the Church quickly erected a Church building around 1922.
The church established the First Primary School in Mopa in 1932. However, the School was not registered to take the First School Leaving Certificate for a long time. The S.I.M started the second Primary School kin Mopa in 1937. The S.I. Primary School was registered immediately the First Class got to the final year class to take the First School Leaving Certificate Examination while the Baptist School, that started five years before the S.I.M was yet to be registered. This was made possible because the white S.I.M missionaries based in Mopa approached the then District Officer who was also a white man based in Kabba for such a favor. Since Baptist had no white missionary around for the Baptist School.
However, around 1945 the white District Officer (D.O) was to travel from Kabba to Isanlu to attend to a function, Pa. Luke Daniyan gathered some members of the Baptist Church to wait for the D.O in front of his house. When they sited the D.O’s car coming Pa. Luke Daniyan moved and stood, in the center of the narrow road stretching out his Agbada. The D.O had to stop, Pa. Daniyan led the others to protest to the District Officer over the non-approval of the Baptist School to sit for the First Baptist Leaving Certificate Examination while that the S.I.M that was established five years after that of the Baptist had been granted approval, The District Officer praised their courage and explained to them that the School was not approved because they do not have qualified teachers. He however, promised to take a second look at the matter. The next year in 1946 the School was approved for First School Leaving Certificate Examination.
The Baptist Primary School at Mopa has turned out many great Nigerians prominent among them are:
Dr. J.E Adefoto – Former Federal Minister for Industries, Health, and later agriculture.
Chief S.de John, the late Chairman Levantines Group.
Senator (Chief) S.B ONIYI Former Permanent Secretary Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
Chief S.B Daniyan – Former Managing Director Nigerian Industrial Development Bank and Former Federal Minister for National Planning.
Professor Daramola – Former Chief Medical Director, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
In 1962 the Mopa Community embarked on building a Secondary School. When the construction work on the first phase was completed and the School was to commence operation a 9 man committee was constituted of the committee on how the institution was then to be run. Six members of the committee were Baptist, while 3 were SIM/CWA. The committee decided that the school be handed over to either the Baptist Mission or the SIM/ECWA Mission to run. This seem acceptable to the community. So letters were sent to the two mission bodies asking them to take over the school. The Baptist replied to say that the convention is not in a position to run the school. While the SIM/ECWA accepted to run the school. The school started operating in 1964 with the name ECWA Secondary School Mopa. The Baptist members in the community were not pleased with the reaction of the Nigeria Baptist Convention to their request.
Later the community decided on another project the General Hospital Mopa. The first phase was completed in 1977 and Mopa community unanimously agreed that the Baptist be invited to run the hospital since the secondary school had been, handed over to ECWA. A letter was written to the Nigeria Baptist Convention over this matter. Again the convention turned down the request of the community. The community had to hand over the Hospital to Kwara State Government in 1979. The reaction of the convention angered Baptist Church Mopa that the Church publicly pronounced that hence forth the Church will no longer have anything do with the Nigerian Baptist Convention. For 3 consecutive years, the church refused to attend any convention Programme and also stopped their 20% contribution from going to the convention. In 1980 the convention sent a delegate of 5people with Rev. Prof. Osadolo Imasogie as the Head to First Baptist Church Mopa to plead with the Church to return to the convention. The church Pastor them, Rev. J.O Omole led the Church delegates which stated their grievances. The convention delegate accepted that they were wrong but pleaded for forgiveness. The Church agreed to forgive and forget. The convention left a gift of N10,000.00 for the Church.
The church considered what to do with the money and decided to use it for capital project in the name of Baptist in Mopa. It was used to begin the Baptist Girls High School Mopa which took off in 1981.
The Pastoral history of the Church is as follows: the dates are known for the earlier ministers and some of them were also teachers in the Primary School.
1. Teacher Bada 2. Teacher Ajayi 3. Teacher Michael
4. Teacher Ipin Sagba 5. Teacher J.O Oyedele
6. Rev. Tade Okediji 7. Rev. Kehinde 8. Pastor S.O Tade
9. Pastor Bamikole 10. Pastor Fagbure 11. Pastror Okunola
12. Pastor Orisamola 13. Rev. Akinwumi 14. Rev. Falana
15. Rev. T.A Akande 1965 – 1970
16. Rev. J.O Ogunmola 1971 – 1973
17. Rev. J.O O,ole 1974 – 1980
18. Rev. Ade Fasoro 1981 – 1989
19. Rev. Adewuyi 1991 - 1999
In the area of evangelism the Church had founded the following Baptist Churches.
First Baptist Church Orokere Amuro
First Baptist Aiyedayo
First Baptist Church Oke-Agi
First Baptist Church Mopa was organized in 1946.
The old Church pastorium was built in 1935. The new one which is an Ultra-Modern Four Bedroom Bungalow was built solely by Chief S.B Awoniyi and donated to the Church in 1995.
The present church building which can sit over 100o people is the fourth church building by the church. The first worship service to be conducted in this church building was the marriage ceremony of the author of the thesis on 26th December, 1978.
The hanging bell in the Church was bought by members of the church residing in Lagos. It had to be conveyed to Mopa by foot (year not indicated) by some home members led by Mr. Luke Olorunyomi. It was hanged on a tree in front of the Church, but later it was removed to the tower of the present church.