The Sunday Mail
Tendai Manzvanzvike Divine Appointments —
BISHOP Patience Itai Hove is the founder and president of Elshaddai Ministries International, an inter-denominational ministry she founded when she was 27-years-old as a Women’s Fellowship.
Tendai Manzvanzvike spoke to Bishop Hove about her Golden Jubilee and preaching the Gospel.
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Q: Bishop Hove, I understand that you turned 50 recently. It’s rare for women to reveal their age. How does it feel like to turn 50?
A: It was an excellent experience. Half a century, I owe it all to Jehovah Elshaddai!
Q: In some ministries, the pastor’s birthday is one of the major events on the calendar. What did your flock do for you?
A: We celebrated it on a Big Sunday and I was preaching – doing what I love best and was called to do. But it was not so much of a big deal. We thanked God for a life He well endowed.
Q: What has the road been like since you founded Elshaddai Ministries International almost 25 years ago? What challenges and sweet moments have you experienced?
A: The biggest challenge was other women. Women in leadership pull each other down, and being the only woman founder of a ministry that time, it was very lonely and challenging.
Q: What would you say you succeeded in over the past 25 years; and if you could, what would you do differently?
A: We are building a Transformational Centre for abused women in the Sunway City area (Harare) and, I have managed to mentor a lot of young upcoming women and desire to mentor more.
Q: Apart from the Lord, whom did you travel with along this journey, and have they remained loyal and faithful to your vision?
A: After losing my beloved brother in 2005, it was a blessing to meet brothers like Senior Pastor Jide-David Modede from the UK, and Apostle Rodney Rodgers from the USA. They stood with me during this season.
In my ministry, I have loving sons and daughters who work tirelessly to keep the fire burning.
Q: You are one of the few notable women in full-time ministry in Zimbabwe. It looks like women are shying away from the pulpit. We also see pastors’ wives playing supportive roles, but not leading in their individual capacities. Why is this so?
A: Unfortunately, a calling cannot be sexually transmitted! It’s not automatic for a woman to pastor because she is married to a pastor. Church doctrines differ and that is to be expected. In Elshaddai, women are also considered sons of God.
Q: The scarcity of women in full-time ministry has also given the impression that women cannot lead. We do not have women pastoring mega-churches, founding those churches. What is your take on that?
A: I believe a woman is God’s gift to humanity. She is “God’s good idea” (Genesis 2:18). I have written books on that issue. Let me also add that stigma and stereotypes have made women shy away from founding ministries. And don’t forget that Zimbabwe is a patriarchical society.
Q: According to one of your books, “The Art of Mentoring”, you would love to see women like Apostle Eunor Guti of Zaoga FIF and a few others who have risen to the top mentoring the young generation of women for ministry work. Is this happening?
A: Women struggle for some very strange reasons to push each other up the ladder. There is always jealousy and competition amongst women, but God will see us through. I will do my best with those who come my way.
Q: You are a prolific writer, church leader, wife, mother, grandmother. How do you do it?
A: I have authored 27 books so far, and have four almost ready for print. I also teach through my academy, “Masters Mind”, but still manage to balance and practice family life, work and spirituality without problem. I sleep at least three hours a day, run 4km every day, and exercise a lot.
Q: New technologies mean you do not only pastor the local church, but many can follow you online in real time. Is this an effective way of spreading the gospel? Do the relationships last?
A: Yes, the relationships last and some of them I Skype with from so many different countries, and after this, we do conference calls. A lot have received Christ this way.
Q: You once spoke about a Twitter message you wrote that saved someone’s life in Latin America. What happened?
A: I woke up at 2am to pray and then tweeted: “Please do not commit suicide, you are special.” It was just a prompting from the Holy Spirit to tweet, but someone inboxed me from Argentina saying, “Thank you so much. How did you know I was about to kill myself?” We have kept in touch ever since!
Q: You are hosting your annual conference at the end of this month. Briefly tell us about that, and how you are managing amidst economic challenges?
A The Lord is God. We in Elshaddai are in Goshen as the Israelites were in Egypt. We will not be affected by the economic issues, and we are above that. (Genesis 45:10; Exodus 8:22)
Q: Final remarks for women in ministry, the church and the nation…
A: We need, as women, to complement each other and not compete. We are uniquely different for a purpose and need each other. And, I believe that if one teaches a woman, they would have taught the whole world.
We also have an annual programme of giving back to the Harare community, which is done every February 14th, depending on what day the 14th falls.
This year, our annual clean-up campaign will be done on February 11, where we will sweep First Street from Robert Mugabe to Samora Machel Avenues.
We will also visit Harare Hospital’s paediatric wing where we will clean it up and donate foodstuffs.
While this is an opportunity for the ministry to give back to the community, we also use the platform to mainly pray and speak positively into the atmosphere the things we desire to see in our nation during this Year of Open Heavens. (Job 42:5-6; Ephesians 1:17-19)
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