Pastor Tola Odutola, founder and senior pastor of Jesus House Baltimore, has recounted a surprising conversation he once had with a group of married men while discussing plans for a couples’ dinner.

According to the clergyman, the men were discussing an upcoming dinner where members were expected to attend with their wives. However, he became confused when the men emphasised that everyone should come with only their wives.

Speaking in a video shared online, Odutola said he innocently questioned why anyone would bring someone other than their wife to an event specifically organised for husbands and wives.

He said one of the men responded in a way that left him stunned, claiming that every married man present had a “side chick.”

“I was shocked, so I asked a question. I said, ‘So who would you bring to a husband-and-wife dinner if not your wife?’ Somebody must have looked at me and had pity on me and said, ‘P00r pastor.’ And the boy said, ‘I’m telling you here, there’s nobody here that does not have a side chick.’ I said, ‘I don’t.’ And everybody looked at me,” he said.

Pastor says he has remained faithful throughout his marriage

Odutola explained that he has been married for 36 years and has known his wife for 39 years. He stressed that throughout their relationship, he has never been involved with another woman.

The pastor expressed gratitude to God for helping him remain faithful, describing the situation he encountered among the men as something he had been protected from.

“I think God has shielded me for too many years from this kind of foolishness. I’ve been married for 36 years; I’ve never done another woman. Even in the 39 years I’ve known my wife, I’ve never known any other woman. I said, ‘What’s wrong with you guys?’” he added.

Odutola said he was particularly surprised that some of the men involved identified as Christians.

His account has generated reactions online, with social media users discussing marital fidelity, extramarital relationships and the assumptions people sometimes make about married men.

The pastor also urged people not to assume that every married man is involved in extramarital relationships, stressing that his own experience should not be included in such generalisations.