Chris Oyakhilome (also known as "Pastor Chris") (born December 7, 1963) is a Nigerian Christian minister who is the founding president of Believers' Loveworld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, a Bible-based Christian ministry headquartered in Lagos.
Video Chris Oyakhilome
Ministry and theology
Oyakhilome's ministry holds meetings in the United Kingdom and the United States, and has "healing school" sessions in South Africa and Canada. Oyakhilome also hosts Higher Life conferences in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, UK, US and Canada, and organized the Night of Bliss South Africa event at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. Oyakhilome also operates an International School of Ministry, which held one of its Ministers' Network Conferences in 2016 with 5000 ministers in attendance from 145 countries, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Oyakhilome runs an online prayer network using social media to send messages to Christians in several countries. He had over 1.2 million followers on Twitter in 2013[1], over 1.9 million followers on Facebook[2] and operates a smartphone messenger called KingsChat. Oyakhilome is also the author of the daily devotional "Rhapsody of Realities".On Rhapsody website the "Rhapsody of Realities" devotional is only available for download in over 143 languages either on Apple or Android. Oyakhilome also hosts Higher Life conferences in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, UK, US and Canada. In 2015, Oyakhilome was given an honorary doctorate from Ambrose Alli University, and Benson Idahosa University.
Maps Chris Oyakhilome
Personal life
According to his official Biography, Oyakhilome was born on December 7, 1961. He was the eldest son of the family of Tim Oyakhilome.
In 1991, Oyakhilome married the head of UK agency and fore-runner Rev Anita Ebhodaghe. They had two daughters (Sharon and Charlene) and divorced after 25 years of marriage on the basis of "Unreasonable Behavior." Anita Ebodaghe filed for divorce on April 9, 2014 at the Central Family Court in London. They divorced in February 2016. After the separation, they also decided to share custody of their two children.
Mission
Oyakhilome is known for his philanthropic works, which include aiding the poor, the sick, and the dispossessed, both materially and spiritually. Over a ministry career spanning more than 30 years, he has raised men and women from poverty, healed the sick, and provided a message of hope which has been broadcast to every nation in the world.Pastor Chris's Inner City Mission Project declares that "every child is your child"; this project saves and assists orphaned and indigent children in inner cities across the globe.
Future Africa Leaders Award is an initiative of Oyakhilome to explore, educate, mentor, highlight and empower intelligent and genuine Leadership Potentials deposite in the lives of young Africans.
Honors
Benson Idahosa University announced it is honoring Pastor Chris Oyakhilome with an honorary doctorate degree in divinity. In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ernest B. Izevbigie, described the occasion as historic, in that; the University was honoring a man whose life has impacted people both locally and internationally.
He noted that there were many striking similarities and homology between the graduand being honored and Benson Idahosa University adding that Rev. Dr. Chris Oyakhilome worked as a staff with the Church of God Mission International (CGMi) after his secondary school days where he was opportune to study the ministerial works of the late Archbishop B.A. Idahosa. For a man whose life has been the epitome of the manifestation of a call of divinity, nothing could have been more exemplary. This was much highlighted by Vice Chancellor Izevbigie who aptly noted that the University is in recognition of the achievements and great works of a man whose evangelistic strides transcend the globe, particularly in translating the widely read "Rhapsody of Realities" into 837 languages. Pastor chris proceeded to Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, where he obtained a degree Architecture. He also has a Ph.D. in Theology and Pneumatology and has received numerous awards/honors .
Controversy
Oyakhilome's statement about marriage has been a subject of controversy. As the General Overseer of Christ Embassy, Pastor Oyakhilome has come under strong criticism from Nigerians on social media over his religious views on gender equality.
A Facebook post on the official page of the church's online ministry, cited an excerpt of the clergyman's message titled 'Who is a husband and what is his role?', in which husbands were defined as "masters" as opposed to "male partners."
Oyakhilome's ex-wife, Anita, had on February 8 finalised her divorce from the pastor and dropped his last name for "Obhodaghe."
Oyakhilome has also been a target of criticism by the Treatment Action Campaign for his support of faith healing as a supposed cure for HIV/AIDS.
Writings
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome penned many books, including "Rhapsody of Realities,", distributed monthly around the world.
References
External links
- Pastor Chris Oyakhilome Online
- Chris Oyakhilome Christ Embassy
- Chris Oyakhilome Digital Library
- Android app
- Chris Oyakhilome Facebook
- Chris Oyakhilome Twitter
Source of article : Wikipedia
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