Acknowledgments

In Nigerian Pentecostal churches, “testimony time” is an integral part of worship. Someone comes forward to publicly testify to the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord in their lives. Or, as they tend to put it, “I have returned to give God all the glory.” When they are done with the narration that led to their eventual triumph, they thank God for what he has done. Some do not stop there. They also thank the human agents – family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers – who participated in making their testimony an eventual reality. Underlying this public performance of gratitude to God and their community for what He has done is an acknowledgment that divine deeds require human vectors. My heart bursts with gratitude to everyone, from family and friends to various institutions, who supported me all through the process of writing this book.

First, I must thank my family for all the support I have received so far. I am greatly indebted to my aunt, Funmilola Akintobi, to my cousins, Damilola, Kemi, and Tobi Akintobi, who took the great burden of childcare off my hands while I carried out the fieldwork for this research, starting when my child was only six months old. I had to leave her with my aunt and cousins, and I never had to add worries of my child’s welfare to the challenges of carrying out fieldwork. All through the years that this work took, they were always there to support me by providing childcare. I have not yet found enough words to express the depth of my gratitude. I should also thank Adeola Emasealu, “Sister D,” for the help and support all through. She has always been there for me as a friend, sister, mother, defender, lawyer, advocate, and adviser.

My gratitude also goes to the people of various Pentecostal churches that I worked with throughout this project. I owe you for all the time you committed to interacting with me, and demonstrating your commitment to helping me succeed. I am also grateful to the pastors of various churches who not only acted as resource persons, but also connected me with those in administration and church departments. Without all that support, I would not be here. I am deeply grateful to Pastor Mike Bamiloye for his help and support. Also, thanks to Daddy Freeze (Ifedayo Olarinde), Oladipupo Daniel, and Olufemi Michael for the interaction.

In the time this project gestated, I have been blessed with the wisdom of my teachers and colleagues who committed intellectual and moral resources to this work at one point or another. Thanks to Dr. Joni Omi Osun Jones, whose nurturing hands shaped this work and its author; I am grateful to Dr. Charlotte Canning, Dr. Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, and Dr. Lisa Thompson for their support. In the years of working on this project, I have racked up a lot of debt to my teacher and now colleague, Dr. Toyin Falola. His interest in this publication work right from the day I concluded my doctorate has been unflagging. Without all his support, moral and material, none of these things would have happened.

My special gratitude also goes to Dr. Nimi Wariboko. It was not until I met you that I fully understood what Nigerian Pentecostals mean when they pray to meet their “destiny helper.” You have been a great source of help to me. When I count my blessings, I count you thrice: at the beginning, at the end, and then I go back to the middle, and count you. Many levels of thanks to my wonderful oga, Dr. Ebenzer Obadare. At first, it was merely serendipitous that I met you in Ibadan that day. Over the years, I have come to see it as divine arrangement. Thanks for all the support.

To my friends who helped me in one way or another, I thank you all. I, however, cannot fail to mention Monisola Onaolapo, my dear friend of many years, for all her support. Thanks to my research assistant, Kalu Chibuike Daniel, for the work he did for me each time I called upon him. I cannot forget my friend, colleague, and editor, Amy Guenther, who pushed me to be clearer in my assertions as I worked on this project. Thank you, Amy. I am equally grateful to the friend community I refer to as “The Famous Five” Tolani Ogunsanya, Adenike Adeoye, Joannah Otashu, Angela Eluwa, and me. Thanks for all the laughs and the witticisms that helped to dilute all the tension of writing this work. Thanks to my friend and brother, Adedoyin Ogunfeyimi, the uber brilliant scholar. I will always be grateful we are friends. I am thankful to colleagues in the Department of African/African Diaspora Studies of the University of Texas at Austin like Lisa Thompson and Cherise Smith for their generosity of spirit. At critical times in this work, they came through for me in ways that were really touching. I am grateful to you. My gratitude goes to Dr. Omoniyi Afolabi and Dr. Moyo Okediji. Thanks for always sending notes of encouragement and good wishes.

At some point through this work, I have enjoyed some benefits offered by institutions and the people who run them. I am grateful to colleagues that I met at The Mellon School of Theater and Performance Research in 2016, especially Rebecca Kastleman and Martin Puchner, for really invigorating sessions. Thanks to the American Association of University Women (AAUW) International, for the support that helped me at a crucial stage of this work. I am also grateful to the John Warfield Center in the University of Texas at Austin for the financial support. Thanks also to Jacob & Frances Sanger Mossiker Research in Humanities for supporting me when I needed it.

Finally, I am grateful to my husband, Marcellinus Ojinnaka, for his unflagging support. He not only encouraged me to push beyond myself when and where necessary, he also gave me the gifts necessary for this work to be done: the time and the space I needed to work for extended hours, undisturbed. Thank you for being a wonderful helper, lover, friend, and supporter. I could not have asked for better!

To all of you that helped and supported me, I say thank you over and over again. You are part of my testimony. You are my testimony.