AFM Pastor marries church secretary four months after wife’s death
Religion

AFM Pastor marries church secretary four months after wife’s death

AFM PASTOR’S WEDDING CAUSES A DIVISION

…Reverend weds 4 months after wife’s death.

…Marries church secretary

Already divided by internal politics, the Apostolic Faith Mission was in more chaos when the senior pastor wedded a church secretary four months after his wife’s death.

Reverend Amon Chinyemba under Reverend Cossum Chiangwa’s AFM wedded Nyaradzo Chibhememe over the weekend and the ceremony has gone viral.

Rev Chinyemba’s late wife, Siphiwe Chinyemba, died in August this year.

On Saturday the wedding was officiated by Rev Manyika in Hatfield.

Rev Chinyemba dismissed the suggestions through the church spokesperson Reverend Peter Kefias Mujokeri saying their Constitution has no clause which stops a bachelor to marry and to contest for presidency.

Rev Mujokeri said the memorial service for the late reverend’s wife and clothes and utensils were distributed before Rev Chinyemba started dating Chibhememe for about a month before their wedding.

There are those who took the issue to the media claiming that the two had been dating before the wife died, but the official position is that they only started dating last month. Some brethren in the church said that the Reverend married Nyaradzo so that he would qualify to contest for AFM presidency next year.

However, Rev Chinyemba- through the church spokesperson, Rev Peter Kefias Mujokeri-responded to the suggestions saying their constitution does not have a clause , which stops single members from marrying or contesting for presidency.

Rev Mujokeri said there was no breach of any church regulations by Rev Chinyemba when he married Nyaradzo who had been widowed for the past 20 years.

“Rev Chinyemba had no pressure to marry his new wife Nyaradzo Chibhememe who has been widowed for the past 20 years,” said Rev Mujokeri.

“The two fell into a relationship for one and half months before tying the knot and his three daughters-Prudence, Patience and Precious-are grown ups and married.

“Yes Prudence was supposed to be married according to custom on 12th December 2020, the date was moved to next year to allow the wedding to take place.

“Rev Chinyemba’s marriage was not a secret and at one time he met Dr Ezekiel Guti with the intention to be allowed to marry one of the ZAOGA widows, but it was not God’s will.

“He saw it best to take his secretary as his wife since she has been widowed for some years and he took AFM Council co-workers as part of his bridal crew.

“Those who are making noise about this wedding could of the other faction as you know that the AFM split is still pending before the courts of law.

“We would like to suggest that church politics is at play here and might be the other faction members who are up to tarnish Rev Chinyemba’s name,” said Rev Mujokeri.

One AFM member posted on Facebook alledgedly saying that the marriage was done for the purposes of next year’s presidential election.

“Pakaitwa error pakuchata kwamufundisi Chinyemba nekuda kwekutsvaga hupresident hweAFM,” said the member.

Another AFM member claimed that Rev Chiangwa deliberately missed the wedding to avoid being included in this issue.

Reverend Chiangwa did not immediately respond to comment on the issue.

“We are not being traditional in suggesting that he was quick to find another wife since the word of God does not forbid him to do so when his wife died.

“However, the wedding disturbed church members considering that his new wife is the church secretary and this suggests that their love relationship has been burning for some time when his (Rev Chinyemba) marriage subsisted.

“Vanga vakamirira kuti muti ngauwe tiwane tsotso uye muchato wavo wakatadzisa mwanasikana wavo kuti aroorwe iro date rakanga ravepo.

“We have many unanswered questions about the wedding especially the leadership when Rev Chiangwa failed to attend.

“Overseer Nhamburo was the best man and is vying for the post of deputy president and among the bridegroom team was Overseer Makarichi vying for the position of secretary and Rev Munemo.

“We are informed that Rev Chiangwa decided to leave the country ahead of the wedding day to avoid being dragged into this unholy matrimony.

“Rev Chinyemba has compromised his words of wisdom by failing to be wise when wisdom was calling for his attention,” said the member.

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