The poetic line by Dylan Thomas, ‘And death shall have no dominion,’ appears to be thin in the light of the fact that Very Rev Dr Honore Mahupego Sewapo is no longer amongst us. The Very Rev Dr Honore’s transition strikes as lightning by clear daylight. Methodist Church Nigeria, Wesley, University, Badagry Diocese, and the University of Ibadan have lost one of the missional, brightest, liveliest, creative colleagues.
Archontissa Honore… Archontissa, in Greek, means man or woman of great power and incredible generosity, whose power to guide or lead people is boundlessly from his ability to give. Since I met Honore, he has always been archontissa, as he has always been to many people, doing way more than most academics contractually bound to mentor, collaborate, or project-manage are prepared to do. Honore lives on as a source of many people’s inspiration and attachment to the Methodist Church Nigeria, Wesley University, Ondo, and the University of Ibadan, for he embodies, in many eyes, this archetype, the enlightened academic: a superb mind, plus the humility of the most loving parent, caring husband one could imagine, an undiminished source of inspiration through his work, ethos and praxis.
Honore’s terrific way of thinking, respectful attention, and endearing care are burning to match. Archontissa! — for one moment, I see your face smiling at us, leaning forward to capture nuance in conversation, sharing your passion for Methodist revival again. Honore’s miraculous empathy and discerning generosity in making people feel welcome for what they had to bring and what they could achieve have come naturally to him, and yet, they appear to be also the result of a mind made up long ago, an unwavering belief in people despite the unquestionably hard work virtual community-building involves, alongside, as it were, all the other things that life throws at us all.
For receivers of Honore’s contagious collegiality and his empathy, which readily turned into practical support and lasting encouragement, we must, haltingly, teach ourselves to maintain it in our relationships. At a time when the spirituality of church ministry and the brilliance of academic works are disconnected, Archontissa Honore remains a model of church ministry/leadership and academics where spirituality and brilliance are not disconnected but bring the best out of the tireless and unselfish way of relating to others.
Archontissa Honore, your immense ambition made you to be the best. You gave everything you had to win, solving abstract problems in a leading, forward-thinking manner with your strong self-confidence and abilities. Your leadership trait is your confidence, which shines like a bright light. Courageous in making hard decisions, Honore, taking on new responsibilities has never been a burden to you. Instead, you seek out new challenges to show your talents. Spiritual and mental strength are some of your greatest weapons.
Honore was probing and rigorous, kind, and generous — an ideal of what we as academics might aspire to be. Honore was and remains one of the great spirits, made more so for his refusal to put himself above anyone. Such kindness and genuine grace came naturally to him. Honore knew how to combine intelligence with wit, humour with a deep sense of spiritual and moral elegance, and discipline with courtesy. I was deeply impressed by his commitment, his enthusiasm and, perhaps mostly, his commitment to truthfulness and hard work. To know Honore was to admire him. To know him well was to aspire to be his friend.
To know Honore’s work on the page and in the many institutions he tirelessly served was to recognize intellectual and academic virtue of the highest order. What an enormous and untimely loss. It is some small consolation to know that more of his work is coming, especially his promotion to associate professor.
Honore provided a bright light to shine the way into new areas of abstract and research. He was thoughtful, eloquent, and brilliant at making insightful connections, leaving many wondering why no one had made such connections before. Honore was also a generous scholar who brought others together in productive conversations. The many conversations that Honore started around the world will continue as his legacy.
I was blessed to have Honore as a leader of the Press Club, Methodist Theological Institute, Sagamu, when I finished my training at the Institute. Very Rev Dr Honore was very focused, and he purposed in his mind, heart, and soul, right from MTI, to excel in academics without compromising or selling his birthright. I maintained contact with Honore and his wife for some years until 2012 when I returned to Nigeria after my postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom.
2012, I was invited as a guest preacher to lead the Immanuel College of Theology, Ibadan, Students’ Assembly retreat. Upon arriving at the College, Honore welcomed me and took me to his official quarters. It was indeed a very happy reunion. He explained his academic development and challenges, especially with his Greek supervisor. Honore took his time learning from Professor Samuel Oyinloye Kolade Abogunrin (1937-2017), and the development later became a firm father-dutiful relationship. Honore’s diligence in his pursuits resulted in his spiritual and academic prosperity and excellence.
Whoever will eat the honey in a rock does not worry about the edge of the axe. Very Rev Dr Honore received the best mentoring from Professor Abogunrin because he prepared himself with the support of his wife and children to bear the commitment and sacrifice necessary to achieve his academic goal.
The testimonies from the Evening of Tributes by the Faculty of Arts, the University of Ibadan, held yesterday in honour of Honore by those who knew him or have benefited immensely from his incredible breadth of knowledge and sound advice, were overwhelming. The Very Rev Dr Honore was described as a passionate minister and a scholar with academic skills and the ability to help his undergraduate and postgraduate students unlock their research abstract problems through dialogue without counting the cost. Always ready to go the extra mile to help others,
Very Rev Dr Honore leaves behind him an astounding body of work, and he will continue to serve as a role model of spirituality, kindness, integrity, and academic excellence for the large number of people whose hearts he touched. Whoever dies from poverty dies a miserable death; whoever dies from work dies a noble death. The Very Rev Dr Honore did not die from academic or spiritual poverty or laziness. He was on sabbatical leave with the National Open University, Abuja. When the unexpected happened, he was going to visit his family in Ibadan and mark his students’ examination papers at the University of Ibadan. The African proverb, “Better to die on one’s feet than to give in to reverses,” resonates with the Very Rev Dr Honore transition. He did not die in giving in to idleness or get entangled with the mundane things of this world.
Our grieves are thin compared to what his wife, children and family are feeling. Our warm sympathy goes to them, and my warmest to his wife and children. Please, let us always remember them in prayer. It is well in Jesus’name.
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