Movies star cum Pastor, Valiho Osagie, has stated that church ministers are actors.
“Been in the Lord’s vineyard you act every day. If you can’t act for your church members they won’t get the message you’re preaching.
“So, as a pastor you’re an actor. You must be able to convince the people. Every day of my life is acting. You must showcase and tell the people.
“May be you’re telling someone ‘Jesus loves you’ and you are frowning. How will the person relate the look on your face with what you are saying? It is two different things. But if you’re saying ‘Jesus loves you’ with a smile on your face and the person is seeing the love on your face he believes. And that is acting.”
Valiho briefly left the movies scene in 2016 when he went into the Lord’s vineyard as a Pastor of the Living Faith Church(aka Winners Chapel) in a suburb of Benin. Now he is playing the role of a police officer (Osadolor) on the set of Enakhe, a series on the multichoice cable TV channel currently being shot in Benin.
“It is always a delight to be on set because acting is an inborn thing. It is what God gave to me as part of his gift while I was coming to planet earth.”
Going further, he said of his involvement in Enakhe: “It is a good experience and it is also huge. I am glad that I am part of it by the special grave of God.
“The Bible said: “Except they see they will not believe. Drama is very powerful. That’s why I am planning a very big festival called Gospel Drama Festival Competition.
“For the Christians my advice to them is for them to know the power that’s behind drama. Even Jesus when you check through all His days in the Bible He was telling stories. And story is drama.
“The parable of the sower; the parable of the ten virgins; the parable of the lost child, the prodigal son, returning home. All these are drama and they are very powerful. I discovered that drama is the tool for evangelism.
“Some people go to church for the fun of it at the end of the service they may not even remember the sermon. But if it is dramatised you will see the picture sticks. They will keep remembering that message. That’s the easiest way of bringing people back to the vineyard.”
On his return to acting, Valiho said: “I am always available for movies roles as far as it would promote humanity and it will sanitise society. That’s what we stand for – correcting the society norms. It will make the society a better place for us all to live.
“That’s why Jesus admonished us. He said: ‘Love God. The first is also as the second. Love your neighbour as yourself.'”
