Riva Tims Announces Public Memorial for Zachery Tims' Birthday
Riva Tims, the ex-wife of Zachery Tims, announced Tuesday that a special gathering would be held next week to remember the late pastor on his birthday at the Florida cemetery where he was buried last summer.
Tims, who recently revealed in an interview how her marriage to the late charismatic preacher fell apart due to infidelity, shared in a post with Facebook followers Tuesday afternoon:
"The Children of Dr. Zachery Tims will be remembering their father on his birthday with a special memorial gathering on Wednesday, April 18th 2012. It will be a brief program but you are welcome to join them at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 400 Woodlawn Cemetery Road, Orlando (Gotha) FL 34734 at 6:30pm."
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Riva Tims recently sat down for an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and shared how her marriage to Tims became broken when the former leader of New Destiny Christian Center began to succumb to the pressures of becoming somewhat of a "celebrity pastor." The couple founded New Destiny Christian Center in 1995 in Apopka, Fla., not long after getting married. The pair eventually grew their ministry from a handful of congregants to 8,000 members. It was around that time, according to Riva Tims, that she noticed a breakdown in their marriage -- and the primary warning sign was the frequency with which her husband traveled.
"It was always a reason why I couldn't go," Tims told CBN. "That's when I knew."
Eventually, she became aware of an affair, but 42-year-old Tims appeared more focused on keeping his ministry together rather than healing their marriage, according to his ex-wife.
"In the beginning he was remorseful he got caught and that's the part that hurt. There was no running after me, coming after me. He was trying to keep everything together," Riva Tims said.
The couple eventually divorced after 15 years of marriage and Tims left the church -- she says she was pushed out -- but they remained friends.
Zachery and Riva Tims, their four children and the late pastor's mother had recently gone on vacation together before he was found dead last summer.
Zachery Tims' body was discovered in his New York City hotel room on Aug. 14, 2011. The official cause of his death has not been made public and the late pastor's mother has been vigorously fighting to keep the New York City medical examiner's office from divulging the cause and manner of his death. Madeline Tims has said in court documents that revealing how her son died would prove embarrassing to his family.
Reports surfaced in the days after his death that, according to sources close to the investigation, Tims had what appeared to be drugs in his pocket and a possible drug overdose was being considered in the case.
Riva Tims also shares her testimony in a new book on surviving a broken marriage, her ex-husband's death and the controversy that ensued over the battle for leadership of the church they founded together. Published in March by Charisma House, When It All Falls Apart: Find Healing, Joy and Victory Through the Pain, is Tims' "road map God gave her to reach a place of healing and wholeness."
Tims is the lead pastor of Majestic Life Ministries in Orlando.
