IDAHO FALLS – Father Akinpelu James Lawal is settling into his role as the new priest at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Idaho Falls.

The 35-year-old Nigerian man began his service on June 1. He replaces Mother Lea Colvill, who left after three years to take on a new call in Colorado.

After living in Idaho Falls for the last three weeks, Lawal tells EastIdahoNews.com “it’s been a beautiful experience” to see how the community has welcomed him.

“I have a family who has allowed me to stay with them until my apartment is ready. That is beautiful,” Lawal says.

Lawal felt some reluctance moving into a community where the majority of people are white. He wasn’t sure how he would be received, but he’s grateful for the warm reception.

“We stick together, we eat at the same table, we live under the same roof and we do things in common, so it’s been beautiful,” says Lawal.

This is his first time serving in this capacity and he’s glad to serve.

Although he has never set foot in Idaho and has no ties here, Lawal says he felt God’s call to come and serve in this area.

“God instructed me to come,” Lawal explains.

Lawal’s background

Lawal has been working as an ordained minister for the last five or six years, but started preaching long before that. Church service has been an integral part of his life.

Lawal stood before congregations as early as age 12.

“We had fellowship in a church that was supportive, that gave us a platform to minister. I started out as a drummer minister (playing drums in a Christian band during worship services). We also mounted a pulpit to teach the word of God,” Lawal recalls.

He was involved in Bible study groups, teaching other people. At one point, he became the youth president of the group.

These experiences shaped his decision to lead a life of ministry.

He had a conversion experience around age 28 that he says was similar to the Apostle Paul’s experience in the New Testament.

“I had a personal encounter with Christ,” he says.

Lawal says his mind was unsettled about whether or not he was a Christian. Despite years of church service, messaging from other ministers caused him to doubt.

“In Nigeria, preachers I listened to growing up (would say), ‘If you never come out and stand before the pulpit, you are not saved.’ That’s the message they were preaching and it affected me,” says Lawal.

Eventually, he came to realize what was true and the message was “very simple.”

“It’s about confessing that you belong to him. If you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you believe in your heart, that’s salvation,” Lawal explains.

Hearing that wasn’t enough for Lawal, and he sought further guidance from God.

“If I am truly yours and I truly belong to this kingdom, I want to see you, God,” Lawal recalls saying in prayer. “He showed up that very night.”

Lawal says he saw Jesus on the cross four times in a dream. He heard God say to him that Jesus had gone to prepare a place for him. That settled his concerns and set him on a path of ministry.

“My call is even deeper than my conversion,” says Lawal. “It was after the order of Peter.”

Just like Peter was told “Put on your shoes … and follow me,” Lawal says he received a similar message.

Several years later, he remembers getting a prompting to look up in the sky. He looked up and saw a plane flying overhead.

“God said, ‘That will be your experience very soon,’” Lawal says. “I had never been on a plane before … but it came to pass.”

While attending seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, he came across a verse in Isaiah that spoke to him and provided reassurance.

“Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards,” Verse five of Isaiah 61 says. “And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God.”

He graduated from Luther Seminary and did ministerial work for a couple years before moving to Idaho Falls.

Lawal’s mission and message

Despite the challenges of being a minority in a new place with a different culture, he sees it as a great opportunity.

His mission, as he sees it, is to “pronounce and proclaim the name of Christ and the kingdom of God here in Idaho Falls.”

His message to people of all faiths is to “work together as a team” to see “how the light of the gospel can shine forth.”

“Let’s see how the love of God can be felt and seen everywhere. Let’s see how the banner and name of Christ alone will be lifted high,” he says.