Divine Appointments: Following in father’s footsteps

year, many people felt this signified the end of the ministry by this man of God.
This period also witnessed a flock without a leader of Pastor Chiweshe’s calibre, while at the same time talk started doing the rounds if there could ever emerge someone from the church who could match his feat.
But a few months after Pastor Chiweshe’s death, his son, Talent Chiweshe has emerged and the young pastor is poised to fill in his father’s shoes.
The young pastor, who cut his pastoral teeth under his father’s tutelage in AFM Zimbabwe, has launched his own ministry, Lifehouse International Church, whose provisional base of worship is the State Lottery Hall in Harare.
This is not a new development. Many pastors work with their family members, with some of them holding influential positions. James, Lord Jesus’ brother became one of the major pillars of the early church, although he was not among the twelve apostles.
Franklin Graham, son to famous United States of America tele-evangelist Bill Graham is now leading the ministry after his father retired.
The only difference here is that Pastor Chiweshe, Jr decided to start his own ministry.
Our reporter, Richmore Tera (RT) caught up with Pastor Chiweshe, Jr (PC) and the following is a discussion he had with him.
RT: You were brought up in the AFM church where your late father was an evangelist. What prompted you to start your own ministry? And did you leave the AFM Church with the blessing of the church elders?
PC: Yes, I was brought up in the AFM church where my family are members. I decided to start my own ministry just as a way of expanding faith and the God-given talent that I feel can expand only in my own ministry.
It was also a way of practicing my calling as a pastor and win souls for God since I feel I can do this better elsewhere.
But, this does not mean that I have anything against the AFM Zimbabwe church because it is my father, mother and everything else.
In fact, I left with the blessing of the church elders and I am free to go back to that church and further the work of God with them.
RT: You are a young man in your late 20s and some people feel you are still too young to lead a ministry?
PC: Age is nothing but just a number in the eyes of God. God has a way of using people despite their age. How many characters have you read about in the Bible whom God used while they were still very young or vice versa?
Remember David was still very young when he defeated Goliath and started serving God.
So for me, it is not about age, but the mission that God wants me to carry out in my life that is important. That is why I always pray for wisdom everyday because there is no substitute for wisdom.
RT: If you are in your late 20s, then what it means is that you started pastoral work while you were still very young.
PC: True. I served as a junior pastor under my late father in the AFM church. That was about four or five years ago. The only challenge that I faced was that I started performing pastoral duties without going through training at the church’s Bible College so in essence, I was not as recognised as other pastors who underwent that type of training.
RT: Do you think you can fill in your late father’s shoes?
PC: I will never feel his big shoes, because they were very big and still are. He had his own anointing and he was more of an evangelist, while I have my own way of ministering. That is why I said that I still have a lot to learn from the heritage that he left and from the Lord’s wisdom.
RT: Prophet Makandiwa of United Family International Church is also AFM Zimbabwe’s spiritual child. He worked with your father, and when Evangelist Chiweshe was translated to glory, he said acknowledged that he was one of Evangelist Chiweshe’s many spiritual children. How is your relationship with Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa like?
PC: We did not just originate from the same church, but he is also a close relation of our family. We sometimes meet and talk, although these days these meetings are few since he is now a very busy man running his ministry. But we are very close and I respect him for the anointing that he has and he is putting it to good use by leading God’s flock on the right path.
RT: What can people expect from your ministry considering that there are many ministries that are mushrooming these days?
PC: Winning souls for God is top priority. While some preachers always like to preach, talking about prosperity and satisfying the carnal man, my approach is more directed towards the spiritual man and that spiritual man should be fed by the Word of God.
I am also worried by the church politics that is going around and threatening to rip the modern day church apart.
In the near future we expect to acquire a place where we can construct our own church building, but for the mean time we are using the State Lottery Hall for our services.
Forthcoming events
Event: Fountain of Life Ministries 2012 Revival
Dates: January 2-15
Venue: 82 Greengrove Road, Greendale
Time: 6pm – 8pm
Theme: Year of the Great Harvest
Speakers: Pastors L Tavengwa; S Mashonganyika; W Wandikani and more.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.'” (1 Corinthinians 1: 18-19)