Anita Oyakhilome, a popular personality, especially due to her marriage to Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy Church, led an interesting life that raised the eyebrows of the public in recent years. This article is focused on exploring her life profile, age, marital background, and life experience.
Early Life and Background
Anita Oyakhilome whose original name is Anita Ebhodaghe was born on the 26 of February 1969 in Nigeria. Anita’s life revolves more around the Christ Embassy, a prominent Christian organization. In her childhood, it is alleged that she was brought up in a Christian family, and this probably explained her desire to engage in ministry later in her life.
Right from childhood, she had a desire to work hard in
school, which eventually translated into her ministry. She was able to continue
her education and finish college where she took up English Language and Literature
which helped expand her mind intellectually and ready her for an important time
of Christian writing and service.
The Marriage to Pastor Chris Oyakhilome
Anita Oyakhilome found fame after her marriage to a famous Nigerian pastor, Chris Oyakhilome, the founder of Christ Embassy or LoveWorld, one of the biggest churches in the world with millions of members all across the globe, Christ Embassy is identified with teachings, faith healings, and performances by Pastor Chris.
Anita and Chris Oyakhilome got married in 1991, and both
embraced a strong Christian faith from the onset of their marriage. They both
grew to become prominent personalities within the Christian network. Anita
being an active member of this ministry, she was in charge of some part of
their work, touching the lives of millions through their inspirational
messages. She was involved in the Christ Embassy church as a co-pastor and was actively involved in the writing of the Church’s publications as well as
women’s fellowships.
The couple was blessed with two daughters, Sharon and
Charlyn, who were both baptized as Christians and raised under the faith. Among
the children, Sharon, the elder daughter has been most career-minded, excelling
in both ministry and music under the pseudonym “CSO.”
Participation in Christ Embassy and Ministry
Anita Oyakhilome was well known for her roles in the Christ Embassy Church. She had numerous duties to complete because she not only assisted in the administration of the ministry but also provided encouragement to the many women who attended the ministry’s services. She was a crucial team member in the ministry’s publishing department; she penned articles and devotions that comforted Christians. She was a writer by profession and wrote with the intent to inspire and motivate her readers with messages from the Scripture.
Some of her roles include participation in ‘Rhapsody of
Realities’, a magazine considered a daily devotional of Christ Embassy. In
this way, Anita taught many and the Word got around the world, acknowledging
her as a teacher of the Word and a counselor for whoever was in need. Some
often benefited from her writing in the devotional due to her focus on diction
and commitment to Christian principles.
Divorce and Life After Christ Embassy
Anita and Chris Oyakhilome attracted global attention in 2014 when they stated that they were parting ways and officially divorced in 2016. The decision to dissolve their marriage came as a surprise to many in the church, mainly because both partners were once so active in their call to ministry. There were media reports pointing to irreconcilable differences as the reason for their break up, but no side stated more about the issue.
It elicited a variety of responses, especially among the
congregation of the Christ Embassy since it was painful to see their leaders
break up. Anita, for instance, did not view the divorce as the end of the world
but as the beginning of a new chapter in her life; as she carved a new path for
herself, she distanced herself from her earlier position within the ministry.
After the divorce, sources suggest that she went to live in the United Kingdom,
and has since then, gone back to her normal, less flashy lifestyle.
Since then, she has migrated from the public domain as
she rarely speaks to the media as she used to before. She may not have remained
or continued to be active after her teachings were complete but she engraved
herself into the hearts of the individuals who embraced her teachings
religiously within the Christian faith. To date, her writings which include
Rhapsody of Realities have been inspiring believers across the world.
Life Beyond the Ministry
After the divorce, she changed her surname back to her maiden name of Ebhodaghe which shows a process of liberation and renunciation. This was evident when she decided to withdraw from the public ministry and move to a different part of the country free from her previous associates.
While Anita Oyakhilome is no longer at the center of
attention at the Christ Embassy, her impact and influence can still be heard in the
Christian world. Her teachings are available and her books have already been published,
people still turn to her as a role model especially those who embraced her past
teachings. Also, it has been rumored that she has been writing and exercising
her creativity in other areas apart from the Christ Embassy regime.
Current Life and Speculations
Anita lives and works in the United Kingdom at this time, she is employed as a counselor and an integrated life solution therapist. In her practice, she has been able to integrate different forms of therapies in her line of work.
Her work concentrates mostly on people who face such
issues as stress, abuse, grief, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem,
loneliness, trauma, low energy, or poor motivation to work. Being experienced
in her field of work, she has also assumed other supportive positions with
communities, families, and individuals for more than twenty years in paid work
and volunteering. According to her, having a life solution coach by one’s side
provides all the support one requires to form a deeper connection with the
self, identify talent, and make monumental changes in their life.
Conclusion
Anita Oyakhilome’s life can be divided into several
stages: from being the wife of a popular pastor and an active member of the Christ Embassy church to becoming an independent woman trying to build her
life from scratch. Her marriage to a man of God, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome placed
her in the limelight of the Christian church leadership and her decision to
leave the ministry when she deemed it necessary to do so, showed her
determination to achieve her goals no matter the circumstances.
Today, Anita Oyakhilome, or Anita Ebhodaghe, is a proud
example of a person who decided to start over. Nevertheless, her contribution
continues to be felt through her literary pieces and her impact on the
Christian religion. Although she is now less active in the public eye, Anita
still remains a symbol of hope to those who remember her work in ministry and
faith. I thus propose to read her story as a story of strength, faith and the
discovery of the self.
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