Ley celebrated for her work in community

Many amazing people have been nominated for a Cross of St Piran this year for their contributions within the Diocese of Truro.

In this series we will be speaking to some of those who will receive the award.

Ley Adewole received the Cross of St Piran for her work brining Christ to the wider community through music.

 

Despite her selfless work and many achievements, Ley Adewole was still surprised to be nominated to receive a Cross of St Piran.

Ley, co-founder of Falmouth Community Gospel Choir, was nominated to receive the award for her work in bringing church to the community. She has shown Jesus’ love through music and the choir, which welcomes all.

The nomination citation reads: “Ley has infinite patience, passion, warmth and enthusiasm and a belief that everyone can sing…

“…The choir is far more than performances; it’s a supportive community enhancing the lives of its members.”

When Ley, a worship leader at New Street Church in Falmouth, heard she had been put forward for a Cross of St Piran award she was taken aback.

She says: “It was a big surprise to be nominated. I am really honoured.”

Always loving Jesus

Since a small child Ley has always been singing, and over her life she’s seen God using this talent to create community and point people to Jesus.

Ley grew up in Coventry and attended a Pentecostal church where her father was an elder.

“I have always had a faith in God, and church is a big part of my life,” she says. “I loved Jesus from a very early age and I made my commitment at 11 years old.”

As a teenager, she remembers thinking about faith and asked herself; was she going to follow Jesus completely or walk away?

“At 16, I definitely wanted to serve Jesus,” she says. “I was at a big youth conference and the whole room was filled with sunlight.

“The light was a real and deep presence of God’s love.

“I fully committed.”

And this commitment still runs through everything she has done and does in her life.

Ley trained as a radiographer, but after a few years working in a London hospital, she started to feel uncomfortable and wondered if she was meant to be doing something else. Opening a newspaper, a job vacancy seemed to jump out at her – a social officer caring in the community, helping those with mental health issues, and assisting with emergency housing needs.

Hundreds applied and she was selected. She found it a role which connected her with her Christian faith.

Always singing

“I have always been singing,” she explains. “Since the age of four I have been singing, it’s something I always did.”

She was spotted singing and was invited to take part in four gospel shows for Channel Four – this began her professional work in music. It was while at Kensington Temple church in Notting Hill, God again changed the direction of her life. She remembers: “I was invited by David Grant, and his wife Carrie, who asked me to do work with them. I started singing behind recording artists including George Michael, Take That, and Diana Ross

“I was often a guest singer with the London Gospel Community Choir.”

“I was singing with a lot of different recording artists but the last and very best before I moved to Cornwall, was Stevie Wonder.”

Always faithful

In 2000, Ley relocated to Falmouth to be with her husband, who was a junior doctor. She remembers this decision surprising people.

“They were shocked and asked, ‘why are you going there?’,” she remembers. “I said, ‘my husband is there; I need to go’.  People asked ‘are there any black people down there? What are you going to do for work?’ but I just knew I needed to go. I said, ‘I’ll just go for 6 months’ – but now I have been here 26 years.”

Her life in Falmouth grew. She had three children and was in a group called Grace Notes. She also ran gospel workshops in schools and a 10-week workshop for parents – which resulted in the adults being invited to perform at ParkLive Falmouth music event.

“I kept saying this is a workshop not a choir, but the organiser said, ‘bring them anyway’,” Ley remembers.

In 2013 she created the Falmouth Community Gospel Choir and people from across the county, from the Lizard to St Ives, from Newquay to Fowey, signed up to be part of it.

She said: “I show them how to create the gospel sound, to sound authentic.”

Ley says everyone has challenges in life and gospel music can help.

She says: “When you explain and let people know the roots of gospel are from the enslaved people, persecuted people, locked up people, and how gospel is born out of that, it encourages people to hope and keep holding on.”

Ley believes everything good that has happened in her life is because she trusts in God and His plans are good.

She says: “When God says to do something, I have learnt to surrender and trust him. You can rely on the Holy Spirit to open the right doors.”