House Hold of God General Overseer, Pastor Chris Okotie, has announced that he and his wife will be splitting up after four years of marriage.
Pastor Okotie,who allegedly broke the news to his congregation few hours to the end of the service and this left members speechless and puzzled for seconds.
Okotie drew the attention of the church after the June brethrens birthday celebration (a monthly programme to celebrate those born in different months of the year) of the church service and made the pronouncement.
“Stephanie and I are no longer married. We have separated. You can see she’s not in church today. It’s due to irreconcilable differences and you should please respect our wishes at this time because there is no going back,” he was quoted to have said.
It would be recalled that the House Hold of God pastor got married to his second wife, Stephanie Henshaw, who is also a member of his ministry, in 2008 after he had separated from his first wife due to unresolved issues that were undisclosed.
A lot of controversy trailed his marriage to Stephanie, a widow and mother of three. Pastor Okotie had earlier divorced his first wife Tina, who is now living in the United States of America.
The marriage between the estranged couple started during a thanksgiving service held in his church on August 10, 2008. Okotie created a stir when he told his congregation that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that his bride had never been married before. The woman, who was married, was dead and this one is born again, a new creation and quoting the bible, he said, “old things had passed away”- so also was the fact that she was once married. Okotie had also dispelled the belief that the bible is against re-marriage after divorce in a situation where the spouse is still alive.
“There is a difference between a man abandoned by his wife and the one that divorces. The only thing that breaks a relationship is a divorce and even when there’s a divorce, the bible says you can re-marry,” he said at the time.
Okotie had ignored opposition from his church members and other relatives concerning his decision to wed Stephanie, claiming he had heard God clearly at the time.
Culled:Dailytimesnigeria
Pastor Okotie,who allegedly broke the news to his congregation few hours to the end of the service and this left members speechless and puzzled for seconds.
Okotie drew the attention of the church after the June brethrens birthday celebration (a monthly programme to celebrate those born in different months of the year) of the church service and made the pronouncement.
“Stephanie and I are no longer married. We have separated. You can see she’s not in church today. It’s due to irreconcilable differences and you should please respect our wishes at this time because there is no going back,” he was quoted to have said.
It would be recalled that the House Hold of God pastor got married to his second wife, Stephanie Henshaw, who is also a member of his ministry, in 2008 after he had separated from his first wife due to unresolved issues that were undisclosed.
A lot of controversy trailed his marriage to Stephanie, a widow and mother of three. Pastor Okotie had earlier divorced his first wife Tina, who is now living in the United States of America.
The marriage between the estranged couple started during a thanksgiving service held in his church on August 10, 2008. Okotie created a stir when he told his congregation that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that his bride had never been married before. The woman, who was married, was dead and this one is born again, a new creation and quoting the bible, he said, “old things had passed away”- so also was the fact that she was once married. Okotie had also dispelled the belief that the bible is against re-marriage after divorce in a situation where the spouse is still alive.
“There is a difference between a man abandoned by his wife and the one that divorces. The only thing that breaks a relationship is a divorce and even when there’s a divorce, the bible says you can re-marry,” he said at the time.
Okotie had ignored opposition from his church members and other relatives concerning his decision to wed Stephanie, claiming he had heard God clearly at the time.
Culled:Dailytimesnigeria
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