December 25, 2001 was like any other Christmas day for her. The morning came usual. After her bath, she was ready to walk her way to God of Glory Christian Church, in her Ikosi-Ketu, neighbourhood. Little did she know that God has an embarrassing package waiting for her; little did she know that though she would walk to the church but she would drive her own car back home. Pastor Abidemi T. Williams, the General Overseer of the

Mary Olatunji could not be bothered about the car. In her wildest imagination, she never thought of it. “In fact whenever I passed by the car before Dec. 25th, I hardly look at it.” The mother of four, 1971 secondary school graduate who trained as a caterer at Young Women Christian Association was at her duty post - toilet, where church members regularly found her. Her mind was not fixed on the proceedings in the church as workers were being called and given presents by the pastor. But then, like a thunderbolt from the blues, her name was mentioned. She did not hear it. She was right inside the toilet cleaning up some defecation a child just splattered all over the water closet. The report of many footfalls on the ground struck her attention and she peeped out. A crowd was surging towards her, shouting, “Mummy, Mummy, its you, it’s you.” She momentarily forgot where she was or what was happening.

Not until she came face to face with the Pastor who said “Congratulations, you are the best worker of the year 2001” that she knew what was happening. In a moment, she was led to the spot where the car was parked. Her gele (head-tie), which had fallen while being carried to the Pastor was brought to her and the camera began to click. She was given the key to the car, a red-coloured Golf.

Mary Olatunji, who was born into the Catholic Church, gave her life to Christ in 1985. By the rights of marriage, she joined Trinity Apostolic Church and later joined Mountain of Fire and Miracles, Onike, Lagos. The hardship suffered during the perennial fuel scarcity, hallmark of the then military regimes, necessitated her worshipping in a church in her Ikosi Ketu neghbourhood. She became a member of God of Glory Christian Church (Breakthrough Family) in 1999 and in the year 2000, she opted to become a church worker.

“Opting to work for God is deeply rooted in my history and experience. First of all, Mary said, it is my belief that to be known in the church and be reckoned with as a good Christian, you need to join a department and work for God. Also, God has done so much for me that the only way I can show gratitude further than praising Him is to work for Him. I wondered which department would really exert me? Ushering? No. I’ll only be standing and collecting offering. Protocol? No. I’ll only be directing people. Vineyard? Taking care of the church premises, toilet, etc.? That could cost me energy and time. But now that I have no big money to spend for God, I will wash toilets for Christ”

“But why toilet of all places? Pretty women like you would opt for neater departments” she was asked. “I knew what I wanted. I was conscious of my decision,” she said, “and once I make up my mind on anything, it will take only death to prevent me.” And so the dedication to duty began.

Not a few members of the church would have noticed the 42-year-old woman either sitting by the church toilet or sweeping the floors. What struck some church members is the humility with which she carries on even when anybody could have been angry, for instance, when a user messes up what she had just cleaned.

“Certainly, several users could make you angry. People will use the toilet as if we who clean it are worthless but once you allow God to take control of your heart, you hardly see faults. Those who get angry are those who come to impress people or the pastor. People with motives other than service can hardly withstand such departments. Devil always show church workers why they should discontinue their services. Devil always haunts them but once you know the importance of the race you are running, you don’t give up.”

Mary also found further challenges in the characters of women in the vineyard department. “We have more women than men and you know women will talk, gossip, provoke one another. All of us come from different backgrounds, having various understanding and confidences in God.” Many said some would express displeasure in the enervating nature of the duty finding encouragement in the fact that after all, they are not being paid. “But I’ve never been bothered about their indifference; I always admonish them that a church worker should close his/her eyes and ears and work, while looking up to God for reward.”

"...It is my belief that to be known in the church and be reckoned with as a good Christian, you need to join a department and work for God. Also, God has done so much for me that the only way I can show gratitude further than praising Him is to work for Him..."

Joining the church in 1999, and becoming a church worker in 2000 and being recognised in 2001 was meteoric. Was she eyeing the car when it was first announced that a car would be given out?

“No,” Mary said, “I never thought of a car gift. In fact on that day, a lady in my department called me and said ‘Mummy, the pastor said the best worker would be given a car today. I said so what? Can toilet cleaners like us ever win it? The lady was so engrossed with the car thing but I was not interested in her discussion such that when my name was called, I did not hear it. I was right inside the toilet when suddenly I saw some people rushing towards us shouting ‘Mummy, Mummy, its you, its you.’ I never knew what was happening again until they carried me into the church!”

“I must confess sincerely that I thought nobody would remember us. I thought the high and mighty in the church; the big spenders would win it. My expectations from God were that He would remember me by blessing my children in their studies and my husband who was just getting out of stroke. Getting a car was just outside my calculations”

Mary Olatunji was not alone in her state of pleasant shock. Her children and husband were also at a lost. “When I took the car home, my neighbours who heard the news accosted and congratulated me. But when my husband heard, all he could say was ‘Motor ke! Motor ke!’ (Could it be true that you got a car free?) And I said ‘Motor ni o. Kokoro re o, particulars re o, motor lo wa ni ita yen o.’ (Yes it’s a car. Here are the key and particulars. The car is parked outside)”.

Winning the car came with its positive and negative effects. While it helped in repositioning her economic clout, it also generated some kind of bad blood among a few friends and co-workers in the department.

“Having won the car, some people changed to me while some were genuinely happy. Naturally we have more women than men and you know women will talk, gossip, and provoke one another. All of us come from different backgrounds, having various understanding and confidences in God” Mary said.

According to her some began to express displeasure in the enervating nature of the work, complaining that after all, they are not being paid. If I made a suggestion on how to carry out an assignment, some would reply angrily that would I now be controlling them because I won a car. Some would even say I should go and do it alone after all, I won the car. It often bother me that why should people speak this way? But when I remember that God gave me the car because He said ‘I will bless those whom I will bless’, I stopped being worried about such comments”

“On the other hand, the car came as a divine and timely intervention in my economic calculations, which nose-dived when my husband suffered stroke.” Her restaurant at the University of Lagos packed up when her husband fell ill. Later, she went into Day Care business, which did not work out fine. She then joined her sister at Tejuosho Market in Yaba, Lagos. “I was still in this quandary when the Lord remembered me. Today I go to the farms to buy eggs, which I distribute to retailers.

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