1 December 2008
Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe — Skeletons are beginning to tumble out of the mysterious deportation of Zimbabwean pastor, Pastor Edmore Andy Chijena of Christ Embassy Church last August. It is understood that church members lost millions of Pula when they gave away huge sums of money and property such as houses and cars to the church.
Little did they know that the generous contributions will be misappropriated by the pastor and his relatives.
Though Chijena who managed to turn Christ Embassy into a crowd puller of note is said to have pocketed P2.7 million that members contributed to build a church at a plot near Game City, where a college is currently located.
Saddened church members say the man they fondly called Pastor Andy established and administered a building fund around 2005 or 2006. The money was meant to build the headquarters of the church but this never happened.
Pastor Andy told the church members that he had found a plot near Game City and the owners, the Roman Catholic Church through their estate agent were allegedly selling it for P4 million. The landowners were allegedly asking for a down payment of P1.5 million. Pastor Andy told the members that they needed to contribute funds to raise the P1.5 million and the faithful raised around P2.7 million.
Some church members sold their houses and cars to contribute to the project. Others were asked to take loans and to pledge their life savings. Information at the church shows that a member, Robert Lunda gave away three houses in Tsabong, valued at P400,000 and P700,000 house in Block 9 Gaborone. However, Lunda denied knowledge of the Block 9 house when the Monitor interviewed him on Friday.
He no longer goes to Christ Embassy Church. Sources say he quit when he realised that his Block 9 house was transferred to Pastor Andy's Zimbabwean cousin. Lunda confirmed that he is no longer a Christ Embassy member but refused to say why he quit the church. The Block 9 house is currently occupied by the deported pastor's wife.
An elderly couple, gave away their car and retirement house in Block 8 to the church. The house valued at around P600,000 was sold and the proceeds used to buy a white Mercedes Benz C Class worth P200,000 for the pastor's close relative. The rest of the money was used to open a hair saloon for the pastor's wife in Extension 2, African Mall. After realising the money was used for other purposes, the elderly couple got frustrated and left the church.
Another member, who later became a pastor gave her house in Block 3 to the church. The P800,000 got from selling the house was squandered by the pastor. Over P200,000 in cash contributions was the only money accounted for and deposited in the church coffers.
Church elders say the current pastor - Andy's wife - Felicity is just like the husband. The money from other church branches are transferred to her personal bank account no 1020573 at Barclays Bank Industrial Branch in Gaborone.
Monitor Turned Away
Not for the first time, the glamorous woman pastor at the Christ Embassy Church, Pastor Felly refused to answer phone calls from the Monitor on Saturday evening. Her cell phone kept on ringing but was never picked. Despite attempts to send her SMS messages twice on Saturday evening, Pastor Felly did not respond to the Monitor.
After our countless phone calls were ignored, the Monitor team on Sunday morning rushed to pastor Filly's church at Block 8, before the start of the 9am Sunday session.
Her talk -of -the- town P700 000 black Jeep was parked outside the church premises, but church bouncers dressed in suits and stylish sunglasses would not let the Monitor team in.
They claimed she could not be seen, without even trying to check if the pastor would entertain the Monitor team or not.
It is not the first time that the Monitor team has hit against a brick wall in trying to interview pastor Felly. In August when her controversial husband was deported, the Monitor made attempts to interview her but it was not easy, as certain church elders who promised to fix the interview never honoured their word.
Although Pastor Felly could not grant us the interview the Monitor established that the Sunday service was a special one called Thanks-giving, when church members are encouraged to thank God for having seen them through the year, by making special monetary offerings to the church.
Interestingly the "Thanks-giving service" coincides right with month end when pockets of church elders are still bulging.
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i think serious action should be taken for those pastors. they were suppose to deliver people from the sins not to cheat them. God will curse them for what they did.
I wish churches would stop using Gods name in Vain to extract money from its parishoners They should be banned because it is the vunerable that are targetd