The Sunday Mail
THE mother of rising gospel artiste, Pastor Michael Mahendere, was disappointed seven months into her pregnancy when an ultrasound scan revealed that she was carrying another baby boy. Having had three boys earlier on – Akim, Misheck and Amos – who today make up part of the Mahendere Brothers gospel outfit, she needed a daughter
“My mother didn’t want another son. So she started complaining after going for a scan when she discovered that she was carrying another boy. That’s what she told me,” Pastor Mahendere said.
But like the biblical Mary who was told that what she was carrying was holy, Pastor Mahendere’s mother was told that she was carrying a prophet.
“In a dream, she was told that she carrying a gift. She was told to name me Micah. Michael and Micah have the same interpretation.
“Since then, she has cherished me. She says she was given some instructions concerning me,” he explained.
Pastor Mahendere is the fourth born in a family of seven children.
Now, it seems like he has grown to become a respected worship leader in gospel music.
Last Saturday at the Call to Worship music night, Pastor Mahendere sent gospel music lovers into a frenzy and left them clamouring for more when he appeared on stage to churn out songs that have propelled his popularity from his ‘Getting Personal with God 2’ album.
The popular tracks ‘Mweya Mutsvene’, ‘Mumoyo’ and ‘Hallelujah’ from a 12 track album have been rocking radio airwaves, street corner stereos, cellphone ringing tones and music galleries since their release.
During his perfomance, Pastor Mahendere said ‘Mumoyo’ was “downloaded” from his spirit after he had an encounter with his “father” and leader of United Family International Church, Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa.
“He (Makandiwa) called me and my wife. We went to his house until evening and had dinner with him. He said you are now going to be a minister. It’s not a title but sort of an empowerment that I was given by a man of God. And he anointed me several times saying now it’s time for you to explode. When I went home, that’s when I started having revelations of these songs.”
That gave birth to the track ‘Mweya Mutsvene.’
“I had a dream when l got home, it was as if I was just crying. I was just talking to the Holy Spirit saying, ‘I love you Holy Spirit, ndinokudai mweya mutsvene,’ and that’s when l composed the song.
“We were taught to have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, how the Holy Spirit is a divine personality, and we were taught to speak with him.
“I write every song out of an experience and that song will also bring an experience to the people who listen.
“The track ‘Mumoyo’ came from the heart. At times we focus on what’s not happening and forget to see what we have.
“So when it came into my mind, I started focusing on what God is doing now. Not having what I want to have now doesn’t mean God isn’t doing something. So I wanted people to focus on the current things that God is doing,” he said.
“The album ‘Getting personal with God 2’, was endosorsed in church by Prophet Makandiwa. He said this is it, this is going to go far, this is going to explode. The moment he spoke about it, we started seeing the expansion,” he said.
“I didn’t know that he (Makandiwa) was going to be the platform, the wings to that. He was speaking about my strength, in a way dealing with my weaknesses.”
Pastor Mahendere is working on his next album titled ‘Getting Personal With God 3’.
“Sometime during the Easter conference (April 2016) when we were planning to record ‘Getting Personal With God 3’, I got sick because of the songs that were in my spirit. lt was like when one is pregnant.
“I would have sleepless nights. I was in a very terrible state and I told the guys I work with that if we didn’t record I would die. I was praying about it then came our “grandfather”, Prophet Victor Boateng.
“We were having a conference with about 50 000-60 000 people in attendance and he prophesized about what I was going through.
During that time, I had done a single titled ‘Mandiri’ as a way of fundraising for the coming project. But I had not told my father about that.
“Prophet Boateng revealed that I had done something without Prophet Makandiwa’s knowledge.
“He said if I kept myself well in the ministry under Prophet Makandiwa, ‘Getting Personal with God 3’ would propel me up.
“He said it’s not about your voice, it not about the powerful songs, it’s the wings of your father, the influence of the man of God, the grace of the man of God, the impartation. If I was going to give this album another title I would call it ‘Breakthrough’,” he said.
Pastor Mahendere’s nine track album is set to be launched in July.
The album carries collaborations with his brother Amos and South Africa’s artiste Loyiso Bala, among other tracks.
