Tuesday 30 June 2026
Hundreds attend funeral ceremony for Bishop Jacob Kehinde Afolabi
by Onoshe Nwabuikwu, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Tuesday, June 30, 2026, was a very rainy day in Ottawa, exactly as the weather had predicted. So, the intermittent showers were expected, more or less. However, right after 12 noon, as the 1 o’clock service time approached, the relatively mild showers turned into a deluge, a brief but very heavy downpour. As if heaven itself were sending a welcoming party for its son, Bishop Jacob Kehinde Afolabi, as though saying: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” None of the day’s damp, wet weather proved to be a dampener as the Beechwood Funeral Home, where the funeral service took place, was packed. In fact, at some point during the service, around 1.47 p.m., Rev. Dr. James McKeown Quainoo asked that anyone who had been touched by the bishop to stand up and nearly the entire hall stood up. Bishop Afolabi, the reason for this gathering, laid in a casket covered in a vibrant floral bouquet.
The service, which was officiated and presided over by Rev. Dr. James McKeown Quainoo, formally began with Oriki Ibeji, a panegyric chanted as a praise-singing song to eulogise twins in the Yoruba language, one of Nigeria’s major languages. Bishop Jacob Kehinde Afolabi was a twin, as his middle name, Kehinde, signifies he was born shortly after the other half of the twins (Taiwo). The Oriki Ibeji was followed by words of welcome from Rev. Quainoo to the guests, and Pastor Nevile Ally said the opening prayer. Guests then sang “Amazing Grace,” the first of 4 hymns. There were Bible readings from grandchildren, reflections from family, and eulogies from Pastors who have encountered the Bishop from far and near.
One of the other hymns sung was “To God Be the Glory,” said to be Bishop Afolabi’s favourite hymn. Service ended with the closing hymn, “Abide with Me,” as Ilu ati Gan Gan (talking drums) served to usher pallbearers and the Afolabi family out. Because of how well the service had gone with guests intermittently encouraged to praise and exhort, it was only during the recessional procession, as the casket started to be carried out, that his widow, Elizabeth, uttered a loud wail that reminded everyone of the finality of death.
Be that as it may, if living in the hearts of loved ones is not to die, as the saying goes, Bishop Jacob Kehinde Afolabi will continue to live on. What stood out during the service was that Bishop Afolabi was a deeply devoted family man. His children all spoke glowingly of how present he was in their lives, even when he was physically thousands of miles away. One of his daughters, Kemi Afolabi Bossman, who couldn’t stop her tears, spoke of how wonderful he was as a grandfather. It was also palpably noticeable that Bishop Afolabi was deeply committed to his life service as a Christian and missionary. From the eulogies from Pastors Baudon Minani (Christ’s Chapel Bible Church, Ottawa); Femi Olawale (Assembly of Pastors & Leaders of Canada); Archbishop Dunstan Maboya (Calvary Assemblies of God worldwide Churches, Tanzania), and other clergymen, it also became clear even though the Bishop may have met these people as acquaintances and colleagues, he’d embraced and turned them into his immediate family of Christ.
Bishop Jacob Kehinde Afolabi passed away on June 13, 2026. He was 86 years old.
Short Bio:
Bishop Jacob Kehinde Afolabi was born in Ghana on March 27, 1940, to Nigerian parents. He worked in Ghana’s gold mines from an early age, where his schooling was sponsored by one of his supervisors. He began his studies in electrical engineering in Ghana, received further training in Nigeria and got certified in electronics engineering.
He worked with the then Western Nigerian Television (WNTV) in Ibadan, Nigeria, and also worked in Zambia. He arrived in Ottawa, Canada, in 1990, and expanded his knowledge by studying theology at Saint Paul University. After working in a couple of churches, including Bethel Pentecostal Church, in 1996, Bishop Afolabi, his wife Elizabeth, and 10 other families founded Christ’s Chapel Bible Church, CCBC, in Orleans, which now has a permanent office on Saint Laurent Boulevard, Ottawa.
The late Bishop Afolabi was also a prolific feature writer for Black Ottawa Scene for several years as a spiritual leader and social justice advocate.
Click on this link to read our interview with him in his office on January 2014:
In conversation with Bishop Jacob Afolabi – Black Ottawa Scene
