SANCTUARY OF LIFE MINISTRIES INC
THE SANCTUARY OF LIFE MINISTRIES INC., a registered Charity Organization in Canada, was initially inaugurated in Lagos, Nigeria, in December 1999. However, several events and ministry services culminated in the ministry’s birth and inauguration. On the 21st day of July 1989, as a student at the defunct Oyo State College of Arts and Science (OSCAS), Ife-Ife (Now Osun State), the founder of this ministry, Reverend Wisdom Akinola Babalola, had a genuine encounter with the Lord during a campus fellowship meeting and became born again. Two weeks later, he submitted himself to water baptism at the famous Opa Dam of Obafemi Awolowo University and received the Holy Ghost baptism, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, the same day. That experience started his spiritual training/development and commitment to Kingdom service. He received early spiritual nurturing from Scripture Union Nigeria (part of Scripture Union Worldwide) and several leading Christian ministries in Nigeria.
During his undergraduate studies between 1991 and 1994 at The Polytechnic Ibadan (Eruwa Campus), Nigeria, Reverend Wisdom Akinola Babalola (Known as Bro. Sanya Babalola) was active in Campus Christian service, as the Bible Study Coordinator and eventually the President of the Christian Union Fellowship (the largest student Fellowship on that Campus at that time). He was very passionate about the body of Christ among students. The Holy Spirit led him to coordinate the formation of the Central Christian Body (CCB) in 1993, an organization that brought all the Christian fellowships on campus together through ‘joint evangelism/crusade activities,’ ‘occasional corporate fellowship,’ ‘joint fellowship,’ among other activities. That body celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023. Thirty years later, the CCB remains vibrant, and its vision has expanded beyond what Reverend Wisdom envisioned over thirty years ago. He has been very active, leading and guiding the body for the last thirty years. During the 30th anniversary of CCB, despite being the visioner and founder, he chose to step aside and relinquish the leadership to one of the leaders who had been consistent for over twenty-five years to guide and lead the body into the future, to breed new leaders and enable him to focus more on the Sanctuary of Life Ministries Inc.
Also, as a student seeking to reach out to his coursemates in the Mass Communication Department, and with the support of a passionate Christian lecturer, they inaugurated a departmental fellowship, “Christ Communicators,” in 1994; this fellowship remains actively involved in inter-departmental evangelism on that campus to date. The Lord’s hand was evident and strong in his life during and after his college days. After college, he pioneered several Christian works and outreaches and was ordained into the Ministry in December 1999. Reverend Wisdom’s calling to the work of the Ministry was revealed and confirmed in Isaiah 49:1-6.
Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for naught, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.
5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Isaiah 49:1-6 (KJV)
Shortly after his ordination, the Sanctuary of Life Ministries Inc. was inaugurated in Lagos, Nigeria. He served as Lead Pastor of its Church arm (Full Redemption Bible Church) in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos, Nigeria, for seven years, from 1999 to 2006. Afterwards, the Ministry focused on outreaches. As an outreach ministry, SOLM helped and supported other ministries/churches in Nigeria in various capacities to advance the Kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
He relocated to the United States of America and arrived in California on Thanksgiving Day of 2015; God instructed him not to start a new work of ministry at that time, but to serve with the Ministry that warmly received him. In obedience, he served at Blood of Jesus Prayer & Deliverance Ministries, headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The General Overseer, the entire pastorate, and the membership warmly received him, and he served in various capacities at one of the ministry locations in San Bernardino from 2016 to 2019. After four years of serving, the Lord told him it was time to recommission the Sanctuary of Life Ministries Inc. in North America. The General Overseer of the Blood of Jesus Prayer & Deliverance Ministries in Los Angeles, California, recommissioned the ministry in December 2019 in the city of San Bernardino. This marked exactly twenty years since the first commissioning in Lagos, Nigeria.
As of 2019, the instruction received was to focus on electronic ministries, using all social media platforms to preach and broadcast the Gospel. Reverend Wisdom was very reluctant to go that ministry route despite being a Mass Communications graduate. Until then, he had never done any live or recorded gospel videos on social media. He was camera-shy, so he was very reluctant. The Lord gave this instruction before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He eventually yielded to the Lord, and the outcome was amazing: online broadcasting of gospel messages daily, weekly, and monthly, plus specialized conferences from 2019 throughout the pandemic period, as God drove him further into the center of ministry operations, Reverend Wisdom Akinola Babalola moved to Canada in 2021, and God gave the new marching order that it was time to start a location-based church. The Sanctuary of Life Ministries Inc. is a registered not-for-profit organization and registered Charitable Organization in Canada.
The Sanctuary of Life Ministries is an Evangelical, Pastoral, and Teaching-based ministry focused on Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas (North, South, and Central). Beyond location-based ministry operations, the ministry fully leverages electronic media to preach and advance the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Sanctuary of Life Ministries’ core teachings focus on abundant life, faith, love, prosperity, hope, and capacity development/building. The ministry believes in “Holy Ghost Fireworks” and emphasizes the Holy Spirit’s personality, whose indwelling enables Christians to live Godly lives. A praying ministry that operates and encourages the full manifestation of the gifts and fruits of the Spirit to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. Recently, the Lord opened a door in Kenya to a mission-field church that will soon become the center of mission work for all of East Africa.
The Sanctuary of Life Ministries is the umbrella body of this commission and its church arm, responsible for all operations and activities in the Americas, Africa, and Southeast Asia. A separate mission work covering intercontinental support and crusades falls under the Wellspring Alliance for Better Global Outreach (WABGO) umbrella. WABGO also focuses on achieving sustainable global human development from a scriptural and spiritual point of view in Africa and Southeast Asia through preaching, teaching, and the practical demonstration of the Words and Works of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
WISDOM AKINOLA BABALOLA
For about fourteen years, Reverend Wisdom combined his ministry work with his corporate career as a Sales, Business Development, and Account Management expert working with leading telecommunications companies in Africa and the United States of America until December 2015, when he relocated to the United States of America.
Reverend Wisdom is rounding up his Doctoral degree studies in Strategic Leadership (DSL) at Regent University, Virginia, United States. He holds a Master of Science degree in Health Services Administration (MSHSA) from California State University, San Bernardino, United States, a Master of Business Administration from Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, and a Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Mass Communications from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria. Likewise, he holds post-graduate certificates in Project Management and Health Informatics from George Brown College, Toronto, Canada.
In 2005, he graduated from the famous Word of Faith Bible Institute (WOFBI), the ministry training arm of Bishop David Oyedepo Ministries International in Lagos, Nigeria, where he obtained a Basic Certificate, Leadership Certificate, and Leadership Diploma, all in Ministry. He also attended CECOM in 2014 in Ibadan, Nigeria, for his Leadership Foundation Course and the Christian Fundamental Certificate Course in Ministry. Seeking further knowledge, he also holds two postgraduate certificates in Health Informatics and Project Management from George Brown College, Toronto, Canada.
Reverend Wisdom Akinola Babalola is a licensed and ordained Minister of the gospel in Nigeria, the United States of America, and Canada with full rights and privileges. He operates as a Pastor, Teacher, and Evangelist. Reverend Wisdom is married, has children and a grandchild, and his immediate family is actively involved in the Ministry’s work.