Emmanuel and Blessing Ogunyemi and a team of Nigerian church leaders founded Life Builders Ministries International in 2001. Emmanuel spent fourteen years on the faculty of West Africa Theological Seminary in Lagos, the region's largest non denominational seminary, serving as a professor, academic dean and vice president for academic affairs. He has also been senior pastor and district superintendent with Gospel Faith Mission International, an indigenous evangelical church with over four thousand branches worldwide. Blessing, an ordained minister, worked alongside him as a teacher and women's counselor. Through two decades of ministry, Emmanuel and Blessing have built a network of Nigerian church leaders who now form the core of Life Builders' leadership team. Emmanuel holds a PhD degree in Educational Leadership from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. The Ogunyemi's have four children - two boys and two girls.
Board Executives
Jon Ashworth, M.Div., M.A., (Board Chairman)
is a social emotional specialist with Child and Family Connections (a program of the Lake County Health Department) in Lake County, Illinois. He has worked with children and their families for the past 16 years. In his work at CFC, Jon focuses on professional development, clinical consultation, and systems building. He also provides consultation to El system stakeholders regarding issues pertinent to individual children and families. Jon also serves in other part-time teaching and consulting roles, including work with the Illinois chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics and with Erikson Institute in Chicago.
Scott Morcott, MD, (Board Vice Chairman) is the Medical Director of Passport Health which is the largest provider of travel health counseling and immunization services in Chicago. Dr. Morcott served in the US Marine Corps as a Naval Flight Surgeon where he served as a medical officer in remote duty stations in the Pacific. This experience generated an interest in travel health and preventive medicine. Dr. Morcott has a private practice in Family Medicine and specializes in the provision of Integrative Medicine with a focus on health promotion through encouragement of healthy lifestyles. Dr. Morcott received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his medical doctorate from the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Morcott completed an Associate Fellowship in Integrative Medicine with Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona.
Tina Iosue, (Board Treasurer) is Chairman of Iosue Associates, Inc., a service company that provides merchandising and marketing solutions to large corporations. The head office of the company is in Lake Forest, Illinois. She has been involved in many aspects of Church music ministry, including pianist, organist, choir director, children's choir director, adult choir member and hand bell choir member. Tina has served as facilitator of women's bible studies and is currently co-facilitator of an adult Small Group Bible Study. Tina is married and has been richly blessed with two sons, four daughters, two sons-in-law and three grandchildren.
Nigeria Board Members
Pastor Emmanuel Oluwanimotele, B.A., M.Sc., (Board Chairman) is Resident Pastor, The Gospel Faith Mission International, Akure, Nigeria
Reverend Olubambi Francis, B.A., M.A., (Board member) is National Executive Director, Vision International Christian Ministries, Lagos, Nigeria
Pastor Olusegun M. Okundare, N.CE., (Board Vice Chairman) is Senior Pastor and District Superintendent, The Gospel Faith Mission International, Ode-Aje District, Ibadan, Nigeria
Pastor Folaranmi Jacob, B.Sc., P.D.G.E., (Board Secretary) is General Overseer, Soul's Preparation Bible Church, Ise-Ekiti
Reverend Pius Usenu, B.A., M.A., (Board member) is a Seminary Administrator and Lecturer, West Africa Theological Seminary, Lagos, Nigeria
Aleem R Ola, H.N.D., (Board Treasurer) is a Technician with the Chevron Oil Company, Lagos, Nigeria
Emmanuel Ogunyemi, Ph.D. (A.B.D), (Board member) is President and Founder of Life Builders Ministries International
Blessing Ogunyemi, B.A. (Board member) Co-Founder of Life Builders Ministries International
