Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is the general overseer of Christ Embassy Church, along with his wife, Rev. Anita Oyakhilome. Pastor Chris is mostly based out of Nigeria and South Africa while his wife operates from the UK and Europe. This living apart has led to speculations of separation over the years, but the couple have withstood it all so far.
However, the latest information from the UK arm of the church seem to have moved beyond rumors that the couple have divorced or separated secretly from their marriage. The members are asking after the whereabouts of Pastor Anita on a Facebook page dedicated to teasing out the domestic and pastoral issues between Pastor Chris and Anita, and how it affects the church.
According to posts on the page, members want to know why the couple has not been seen together both in the church and outside the church lately, and why Pastor Anita in particular has not been playing her usual role as UK/ Europe overseer, and writer for the church monthly devotional, Rhapsody of Realities.
In one of the opening posts on the Facebook page, a founding admin said;
Dear brothers and sisters, please the object of this forum is very clear. We have not set this up for the ignorant. If you have no idea about what is happening in this ministry right now, then we suggest you make some enquiries and then come back here to participate sensibly or you simply 'walk on by'. Some of the posts here are made by people who have been in this ministry way before some ignorant talkers here even heard of this ministry. Intelligent conversations are made with adequate information. Out of love for our woman of God, we have created this page. Some people know how she gave her whole life to us. Worked so selflessly and tirelessly to bring in to being what everybody now enjoys as Christ embassy UK/Europe and loveworld TV. We now hear that there is a rumour about her mental state. This is the same rumour that was going round within the Christ embassy staff community in Lagos. The devil cannot use these people to harm God's anointed. We ask all of you to pray for our woman of God. Those against her, from pastors to staff, the Lord will put them to shame, one after the other. In your churches today, please remember to pray earnestly for her. God bless you all and please only constructive posts on this page, we may be forced to delete your post otherwise.
The profile picture of the page was captioned thus;
Photos like this of the pair are rare in Christ Embassy, but this is how it should be! Pst. Chris is never spotted with his wife by his side - not during ministry conferences, not during conferences by other ministers such as in India early this year, and NEVER during the monthly communion service transmitted live from a Tv studio. Meanwhile other high ranking women in the ministry close to Pst. Chris always travel with him and are seen around him. Why? Hundreds of thousands of people consider Pst. Chris and Rev. Anita as role models, but should married couples see them as role models, especially now that Rev. Anita has not been seen in the church since Jan 2014 and Pst. Chris does not find it fit to address his congregation who support him with so much money?
Below is the reported account by the Page admin of what Pastor Chris said to elders in the church about the issue;
SUMMARY OF PASTOR CHRIS' SPEECH ON 16/05/2014 IN A MEETING WITH ALL UK PASTORS AND DEACONS AT CHRIST EMBASSY BERMONDSEY.
(In bracket are my comments).
- I am here for your concerns about the ongoing domestic issue with my wife and I know it affects you directly been the ones under her leadership.
-This is not an organisation or a political party, so it's not a place for you to air your opinion or scrutinise what we do. We had a vision, started and you joined us. If you don't like what we do, you can get out. (we thought the bible is our standard and we should be able to check things taught and done with the God given manual)
- Churches where members air their views never grow (says Pastor Chris but we found out that history has it that churches that members can't talk grow big to breakdown or collapse)
- Some pastors wives think when they marry a pastor they are equal to the pastor. My wife thinks so, as a matter of fact, Rev Tom was her pastor before I married her and Rev Ray and Evang. Owase were her leaders long before I married her. How come she thinks she's senior to them now? (before now, she was vice president of BLW Inc).
- I already started Christ Embassy before I married her. I didn't marry her and said we should start Christ Embassy. I was already pastoring. I already set my sail and knew my direction before I married her. I only said come and help me. (Meaning no time for family previously known to him).
- Be careful of the friends you keep. My wife keeps friends who bring out the worst in her and help her see the worst in people instead of keeping friends that will help her vision especially as the wife of a global pastor like me. (Rev Tom once described her as the grace they have and they miss her a lot, he said, she is the one that would still see a reason to believe in someone every other person condemned, when did this change).
- Bitterness is prolonged and accumulated anger. My wife is always angry and bitter.
- Allegations are either false or twisted information. The current situation is not as a result of what I did or what I didn't do. I didn't do anything to have caused an upheaval. (All the blogs claim she only asked for family time and togetherness and excuse from the numerous ladies).
- You don't join a woman to fight her husband. (wouldn't it be the same the other way round, you don't join a man to fight his wife? Didn't the CEC members, zonal pastors, position seekers; family etc all join Pastor Chris to fight Pastor Anita?)
- I'm not teaching you what is wrong, at least I have 2 girls who will one day marry and I want to them to enjoy it. (Ironically, Pastor Chris brought his daughter to the pastors' meeting to hear all of the above about her mother, what trauma will that cause the child? We thought parents avoid arguing in the presence of their children.)
DO YOU KNOW PASTOR ANITA? WHO IS PASTOR ANITA TO YOU? ARE THE DESCRIPTIONS OF HER ABOVE TRUE? IS HER HUSBAND'S ACTION JUSTIFIED?
Some members have started to share their opinions on the whole matter;
It is with a very heavy heart and tears in my eyes that when I got to know about the things said about our mother Rev. Anita at the meeting with Pastor Chris in UK on 16/05/2014 along with many other things said before then. I related closely with her as one of her personal ushers and the Rev. Anita I know is a mother in every sense of the Word. Her humility is out of this world and to hear her being described in such condescending terms is so distressing and how she is now being portrayed is absolutely ludicrous. I personally believe these meetings with Pastors and Deacons (I understand another one is holding in Dallas, Texas) is an avenue for 'programming' the minds of the brethren to portray Rev. Anita in a bad light such that brethren will see her as a bad person. Truth is those of us who have been in the ministry for many years are past deceiving (apart from some of those who are apparent 'sell-outs' cos they want to protect whatever they are getting from the ministry). We pray that God should arise and fight for our woman of God and answer the cry of her heart and wipe her tears and justify her!!
Another says;
This African culture of unaccountability, dishonesty and shadiness, as well as dominating the people - must be dealt with. When Pastor Benny Hinn was separated from his wife, he spoke to his congregation about it. He asked for prayers and support. He showed his congregation that they were important to him and they meant a lot to him. He was honest. And God turned that trial into one of the biggest testimonies of our time by bringing them together again! Pastor Benny Hinn did not go around bringing down his wife in the presence of his pastors and trying to find undeserved support. Pastor Chris should learn from people like this. Don't be an African, Be a Christian.
The Page admin reiterates the purpose of the page;
By the way, every post on this page is absolutely accurate. Those who know what is happening will fully understand these posts. In fact, if people get to know exactly what pastor Chris has been doing behind the Alter for many years, nobody will ever believe. And that is why pastor Chris thinks he has the upper hand in this issue. To get rid of his wife quietly and it will be business as usual. He is confident that nobody will believe anything Rev Anita says. Unfortunately, to an extent he is right. People have so surrendered themselves at his feet, that they will refuse to believe any act of unrighteous he is involved in (lets not go into that). Thats why this page has been created. If a man is unrepentant, if he cannot apply his own messages in his own life but expects you to, if he cannot love the woman he has married (like he teaches his congregation), if he expresses one persona in front of the cameras and a completely different one behind the cameras, if he cannot learn from one of the most 'financially' important people in his life/ministry, Strive Masiyiwa (who talks about his wife in public, sits beside her in public and travels the world with her) - then, at least, his congregation deserve know! This is truly the end times. But it is indeed sad that the gifted Pastor Chris wants to make himself part of the signs - perhaps because of the amount of money, people and influence, he has acquired.
A Pastor Ade who seemed to know more about the issue wrote;
Pastor sir, in 2001 when the Pentecostal fellowship of Nigeria rose up to persecute we all prayed and in unity God gave us victory, sir, this time, there are no physical external forces exuding spiritual challenges as it seems now but there's division among us on the issue at hand. Pastor this paragraph is not to say you should tell us anything about this matter sir but an assurance of our mother’s well being because the May ROR and other events around did not confirm that something good is been worked out for her.
Pastor sir the news in Lagos in the staff community before the release of the May edition of the ROR is about gradually fading her out starting with May ROR. We trust you are sorting this issue at hand out and we are praying, like someone commented on the blog by consolation brima of her heartfelt prayer since she heard about it. Pastor sir, the May ROR is saying otherwise, hence our outcry. Pastor Anita was almost inconspicuous in this edition and the modification was not announced during the communion service like other modifications done in the past with similar materials. Pastor sir, she's our mother and it's only normal that we are concerned. Pastor sir, she has been part of our lives just like you have been. She cried when we cried and rejoice when we rejoice. Just like David and Jonathan (2 Samuel 9:1) it becomes so difficult for us to watch her go through so much pains. We know the zonal pastors were quick to do a turn around from her despite professing her as mother on global platform and this is shocking. Pastor sir, you taught that evil prevail when good men do nothing. You also taught us about effecting changes. You said when we see things not going right, do we just pack our bags and exit or we do like paul who when he got to the Ephesians church as saw the coldness he asked in Acts 19:2, ‘have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?’. Pastor sir, Rev Tom preached during Pastors *** ladies and men in ministry in Gateway hotel, Abeokuta on Sons, Strangers and Slaves in the House. He said strangers will leave in the face of anything uncomfortable, slaves would finish their terms and leave but sons in the house will remain and help make changes in any situation, hence our plead that you look into the matter with love and kindness. Pastor you taught us in Bible Seminar 1 and 2 that love wins and can win anyone.
Pastor sir, at the wake of the announcement in her church of her not coming to church, the following day 27/01/2014, some people posted on some african social blogging sites that pastor Anita been away from you is a mutual agreement and you were both fine with it and it’s for the sake of the gospel as we have always believed but at the time of the post she was already broken about the same thing. Another reason why we are concerned.
Pastor sir, the attitude of the UK zonal pastors gave me a serious food for thought. They hailed Pastor Anita as their mother but in the face of a small trial they decamped. Pastor sir, I also thought with all these talk around, and the type of discussions around every category of brethren, I asked myself, God forbid and I pray that God will lengthen your days and give you good health but if you close your eyes to glory what will happen to the ministry. Will the work go on, will the vision and passion for the gospel outweigh personal ambition. Would we all stay in unity and carry on the work or it will be free for all fight for position or will it be freedom at last. Pastor sir, you are a man of wisdom and I believe you may already know some of these things. Pastor sir, you told us about how you invited a female preacher long ago to minister and he talked about ladies wearing trousers and the brethren who I imagine some of them were wearing trousers on the same day yelled in agreement with the preacher. You said to us to know the love of men is fickle.
The 3rd reason is the global service but in all we believe that God has her best interest and you are a man of God and a loving father that have her best interest at heart.
Appeal to our dear mother, Pastor Anita, We know you are hurting and we pray that God will comfort you. For the sake of the word, your 2 girls and all your children across the world and the body of christ, please forgive. Let your graciousness flow again sweet mum. We love you very dearly and look forward to seeing you.
It cant happen
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