Posted on 08/15/2011 1:51:56 PM PDT by Immerito
The pastor of a large Florida congregation was found dead in a Times Square hotel room Friday.
The body of 42-year-old Zachery Tims, a senior pastor from Orlando, was found on the floor of his room at the W Hotel on Broadway, police said. No criminal activity was suspected as of Sunday.
Tims founded the New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka with his wife Riva in 1996. The church has grown to a congregation of 8,000 people.
Two years ago, Tims divorced his wife of 15 years after admitting to an affair with a stripper, reported Black Christian News in 2009.
Tims had turned to religion after a troubled childhood. In his memoir, It's Never Too Late (Charisma House 2006), he writes that he was convicted of attempted murder at age 14 and spent two years in juvenile facilities. He overcame a drug addiction and became a pastor because "God had a greater plan," his website says.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
for later
The evil vultures at PMSNBC laugh, dance and celebrate...
Surrounded by their children, Zachery Tims, center, and then-wife Riva Tims cut the ribbon along with Orange County Commissioner Bob Sindler and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, far right, at the grand opening of the New Destiny Christian Center Community Youth Recreation Facility on Friday, June 17, 2005.
I don’t think he ever reformed. He found organized religion to be a more acceptable method to steal than street crime. (That’s not to say all pastors are that way.)
He headed The Church of the Divine Profit.
Was he chasing a burgular down the hallway and snap a tendon?
I agree. With all points.
He committed the affair, he divorced his wife, and yet he was still senior pastor of an 8,000-member church? Um...OK. I know that as Christians we’re supposed to forgive, but him keeping the leadership position seems a bit much.
One church I was in (Presbyterian Church in America) had an elder get caught in an affair. After the service one Sunday, he had to come up front and admit it in front of the congregation. Then the pastor led us in prayer for him. He stayed a member of the church, as he was repentant and struggling with it and trying to put his marriage back together, but he wasn’t an elder any more after that.
}:-)4
I'll take awesome question for $100, please Alex.
Anyone who’s been to New York City knows that the words “stripper” and “Times Square” kind of go together...
I don’t know. That seems a little harsh, although it could be what happened.
But even after accepting Christ, sincerely, humans are still human, and will sin. I know
Maybe 20 years ago. Now it's more like "Times Square" and "Flagship store for familiar retail chain."
For that former elder to stay a member of the congregation after having to be publicly rebuked says something about his sincerety, though...that takes an incredible amount of humility.
Should I look him up on wikipedia? What’s his story? I can probably guess, but I’m just wondering.
that's window dressing.
A man over forty walking down the street alone will be approached by three hookers on a single block.
he must have turned gay.
Not anymore. It’s just a huge tourist destination, and the W Hotel is a pretty expensive hotel.
Sounds to me like the usual “divinely inspired prophet” who ran off the rails. The sad thing is that they often start off with good intentions.
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