“… Don’t be afraid to step out by faith concerning anything God is asking you to do. Knowing Jesus is standing, He will rescue you. He will not let you sink” – Gloria Bamiloye. [1]

Celebrating and thinking of Sister Gloria Olushola Bamiloye nee Obembe at 60 will continually exhort us to take that risk, jump off that cliff, and dare. For all who knew her or had the privilege to watch or work with her, a Gloria-shaped hole in our lives can never be filled with earthly ambitions. Sister Gloria-shaped hole, unquantifiable mission, and skilful impacts in homemaking, drama ministry, and gospel filmmaking are the heavenly yearnings in our bodies, souls, and spirits that drive us on our spiritual and eternal quests. Sister Gloria, a Nigerian gospel actress, dramatist, producer, director, scriptwriter, and author, is the vice president/co-founder of Mount Zion Drama Ministry and the wife of the popular gospel filmmaker Evangelist Mike Bamiloye. [2]

Sister Gloria at 60 resonates with a time dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of women and their contributions to the world in which we live, both historically and presently. As a mission friend of the Mount Zion Drama Ministry, I now celebrate Sister Gloria for helping to establish and project Nigeria’s reputation as the birthplace of the Gospel film industry. Globally, the invention of the motion picture camera was not without women’s input. Mummy Gloria at 60 provides a model of women who continue to create movies and television programs that have not only entertained and amused us, enriched our minds, and broadened our outlook, but they have turned many souls to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. We honour decades of missional discipleship Drama Ministry and Gospel filmmaker innovators who continue to push the boundaries of Gospel art and music.

Sister Gloria, at 60, is an example of a rising pioneer tide of female directors recognised for their contributions to filmmaking. During the silent Christian film era, Sister Gloria and her husband pioneered working as directors, producers, screenwriters, and editors. They remain creative, visionary, and prolific.

Born on 4th February 1964, in Ilesha, Osun State, she was singlehandedly raised by her mum after she lost her dad at an early age. Born into a Muslim family, Sister Gloria later became a Christian after the conversion of her elder brother to Christianity. Sister Gloria was trained as a teacher at the Divisional Teacher Training College (DTTC), Ipetumodu, where she met her husband. She attended the Oyo State College of Education, Ilesa, where she studied English Language and Religious Studies.

With her husband, ‘the Mount Zion Faith Ministries began with the name Mount Zion Christian Productions on Monday 5th August 1985. The ministry’ borne out of burden and vision in the hearts of Evangelist Mike and Gloria Bamiloye to evangelise the world through drama and film productions’ was founded on spiritual preparation with faith in God, fasting, and prayer. On Friday, 11th July 1986, the ministry had the first drama presentation titled ‘Hell in Conference at St. Margaret Girls Grammar School. Ilesa during the first Nigerian Christian Teachers Conference.’ [3] Sister Gloria was joined into a Holy matrimony with her husband on Saturday 8th October 1988. The marriage is blessed with three wonderful children and grandchildren.

In her choice of Evangelist Mike as her husband, with the help of the Holy Spirit, she saw beyond the man. She said, “I want to believe it is the work of the Holy Spirit because naturally, not that you do not have people trying to woo you, but that is why it is very important to give your life to Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit…one thing that God opened my eyes to see was the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit actually works in our lives. Definitely, it is not easy to say yes to a man who has no steady job or things of life. These are the things many of our ladies are looking for these days: somebody who has arrived. But if you have the Holy Spirit inside of you, you will see beyond the man. During those periods, God actually showed us the future with the help of the Holy Spirit, so when I saw Brother Mike, I didn’t see him as just a man, but I saw a man who was loaded with the power and the gift of the Holy Spirit, I saw future, I saw beyond him. So, when I was saying, ‘We have work; are we not working now?’ you can imagine that what I was seeing was not for then but for now. That is why it is very important that before you choose somebody, don’t choose by what you see now; let God open your eyes to the future of that person. So I think that is what helped me then to trust the Holy Spirit to see beyond him, to see the future of that man and the plan of God for that man. That is what we believe in, and that is what gave me the confidence to say, ‘This is the right man for my life.’ I think we should give kudos to the Holy Spirit.”

Christian Drama Ministry is beyond borders or a quest for fame for Sister Gloria and her husband, Evangelist Mike. With almost 300 movies, many of them are ‘in French, Nupe, Hausa, Portuguese Creole, Ewe, Lingala, and Hindi. Evangelist Mike said, “We have room for missionaries to translate the movies into other languages. We cannot do everything, but we give out scripts, and they do the translation.” 

Sister Gloria’s passion as a virtuous wife and mother is aptly described in her favourite book and chapter in the Bible, Proverb chapter 31. In an interview, Sister Gloria shared her perspective on Christian home and marriage: “Every married woman must have the vision for her home because that is the primary ministry for every married woman. Not that God can’t use you beyond your home, but whatever you will be eventually if the home is not standing, you cannot go far. Though in our modern world, many are despising the home, thinking they can go far…when your home is standing firmly, then God can take you anywhere; he can use you to any level. That is why I always talk more about the woman: stay in your home, raise your children, help your husband. You won’t lose anything; rather, you are building yourself, and you are establishing your future. All these children are the future; if you don’t raise them now, you are neglecting your future, and anything can happen, but if you want to have peace at the end of the day, you want to have rest, build those children, keep your home, you will laugh at last.”

Sister Gloria Bamiloye at 60 is about Gloria-shaped hole in Home Making, Drama Ministry and Gospel Filmmaking. This is a God-shaped vacuum in our hearts that any created thing cannot fill but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ. The Gloria-shaped hole beyond our small beginning calls us to always look at the more fantastic future in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Happy renewing Diamond Jubilee’s 60th birthday to our beloved Sister Gloria Olusola Bamiloye. The rest of your years shall be the best in Jesus’ name.

  [1] https://www.entrepreneurs.ng/gloria-bamiloye/#:~:text=Gloria%20Bamiloye%20Background,on%20people%20through%20her%20mother.

[2] http://dejiokegbile.com/evangelist-mike-60-ecumenical-icon-and-a-knight-of-prophetic-drama/

[3] http://dejiokegbile.com/evangelist-mike-60-ecumenical-icon-and-a-knight-of-prophetic-drama/