Pastor Chris Oyakhilome loses mother

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, founder and president of LoveWorld Incorporated, has lost his mother, Deaconess Angel Oyakhilome.

Oyakhilome disclosed her death while speaking during the ongoing Global Day of Prayer programme on Friday, revealing that she died earlier that morning.

The cleric described his mother as a loving and remarkable woman whose influence shaped his childhood, Christian faith and development.

‘Yesterday Friday morning, my sweet mum went to be with the Lord. You know the Bible is very clear as to where a child of God goes,’ he said.

Remembering his mother

Oyakhilome said he had spent time with his mother and his siblings in the weeks before her passing, using the opportunity to express his appreciation for her role in his life.

He said that over the past six or seven years, he had made it a point to thank her whenever they spent time together.

Oyakhilome credited his mother with teaching him basic personal discipline, how to dress and other values that influenced his life.

‘Thank you for teaching me how to brush my teeth, thank you for teaching me how to dress. I am preaching today, to the whole world, and it’s because of you and daddy,’ he said.

The pastor also credited his parents with providing a home where he and his siblings were introduced to Christianity and taught to follow what he described as the right path.

‘Thank you for giving me and my siblings a home where we could know Jesus Christ. Thank you for showing us the right path,’ he said.

‘In Christ, you don’t lose them’

While mourning his mother’s death, Oyakhilome said he did not regard her passing as a permanent loss because of his Christian belief in eternal life.

Responding to descriptions that he had ‘lost’ his mother, he said, ‘No, I didn’t lose mum. In Christ, you don’t lose them.’

He explained that, in accordance with his understanding of Christian scripture, her departure from the physical body meant she was immediately present with the Lord.

Oyakhilome said he was not ready to give a full eulogy for his mother yet, noting that there would be an appropriate time to do so.

‘Today, I’m not eulogising her for the moment, there’s a time for that,’ he said.

Describing her as ‘amazing’ and ‘sweet’, the cleric said people often observed that he bore the strongest physical resemblance to her among his siblings.

He also encouraged his siblings to remain thankful despite the bereavement, noting that many people lose their parents much earlier in life.

Further details about Deaconess Angel Oyakhilome’s funeral arrangements are expected to be announced later.

Deaconess Angel Oyakhilome was the mother of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, Rev. Ken Oyakhilome and Kathy Woghiren.