Riva Tims
Substance Abuse Was Zachery Tims' 'Lifestyle,' Ex-Wife Says
By Anugrah Kumar ,
Christian Post Contributor
February 11, 2013|9:51 am
More than one-and-a-half years after her former husband was found dead inside a New York City hotel room, Riva Tims tells a lifestyle magazine that she believes the late Florida megachurch pastor, Zachery Tims, did not have a struggle with substance abuse, but it was his "lifestyle."
"I had no idea it was so much. I'll put it this way: It's one thing to have a struggle; it's another thing to have a lifestyle," adds Riva Tims, who along with Zachery Tims founded New Destiny Christian Center (NDCC) in Apopka, Fla., in 1996. "When it's a struggle, there's grace. But when it's a lifestyle, there's no grace."
She also says she was perhaps an enabler while married to the NDCC senior pastor. "Looking back, he probably felt like he could just do anything. I was an enabler in a sense."
The Late Pastor Zachery Tim
Titled, "What Really Happened to Pastor Zachery Tims," the story in Ebony also carries quotes from friends on what could have led to his death on Aug. 12, 2011.
Police at the time said Zachery Tims was discovered on the floor of a room in the W Hotel in Times Square. An autopsy conducted on his body was inconclusive, but reports surfaced that a small glassine envelope holding white powder was found on the pastor.
Ebony remarks that with the late pastor's mother demanding that the medical examiner not release the autopsy report, the mystery may never be solved.
According to his biography on NDCC's website, Zachery Tims had a troubled youth before he was "miraculously saved, instantly delivered from drug addiction, and called into ministry."
Pastor Tims was very open about his struggle with substance abuse and his violent youth. In his book, It's Never Too Late, he thanks Jesus Christ for saving him and for using his life as a testimony to let others know that "God is in the recycling business and can change a messed-up life and make it beautiful."
When the pair divorced in 2009, Riva Tims left NDCC to found her own ministry, Majestic Life Ministries. But following her former husband's death, she filed a lawsuit against NDCC, claiming it was her "heritage and legacy," after Paula White was appointed as the new senior pastor last January.
In a public statement, NDCC said it wishes the best for Riva Tims and her ministry, but that she has no legal grounds to make claim over the church. "Obviously, we are saddened by the course of action Pastor Riva Tims as chosen to pursue. Her lawsuit is completely without merit and we are extremely confident in our legal standing."
Riva Tims has said, "My concern, as the mother of the children of the late Dr. Zachery Tims Jr., Zoelle, Zachery III, Zahria and Zion Tims is that they will never have an opportunity to receive the inheritance their father left for them. As the co-pastor to many that were birthed into the Kingdom of God at NDCC my concern is that the legacy and vision of NDCC will be abandoned."
Riva Tims Opens Up About Failed Marriage With Late Pastor Zachery Tims
April 4, 2012|3:40 pm
Months after the death of Pastor Zachery Tims, his ex-wife, Riva Tims, is finally speaking up about the events that led up to her late husband's death and the difficulty she experienced that led to their divorce.
Meeting at a local church at age 22 and marrying, the couple had a love for each other and an even deeper love to serve God and win souls. Shortly after their marriage, they were eager to begin their ministry."So we labeled ourselves as an outreach ministry. So, our whole goal was to pull people in from the streets, not to pull them from other churches but really to get those that were unsaved," she said in an interview with CBN.
"I think the people felt our love, they felt our sincerity and we were young. We had a lot of zeal for the Lord, a lot of excitement."
They quickly grew their Florida church from five to 8,000. But along with an attendance boost came a heightened level of celebrity with the church community. This began to take a toll on the couple.
"There was somewhat of a distance that began to take place. I could still connect, but I knew that there was something different."
She realized something was wrong when her husband began to travel a lot and prevented her from traveling with him.
"[There] was always a reason why I couldn't go. That's when I knew."
Her suspicions were affirmed when his extramarital affair was uncovered. She was hurt by the affair but more so by his reaction to them. When asked about his level of remorse, she said, "In the beginning he was remorseful he got caught and that's the part that hurt. There was no running after me, coming after me. He was trying to keep everything together."
FULL STORY
Zachery Tims' Cause of Death to Remain Sealed, Appeals Court Rules
By Nicola Menzie ,
Christian Post Reporter
March 7, 2012|3:31 pm
Zachery Tims' mother won a temporary victory Tuesday when a New York City appeals court ruled in favor of her request to keep medical officials from making public the Florida pastor's cause of death.
In a decision filed Tuesday, the five-panel New York County
Appellate court granted Madeline Tims' request to prevent the
City of New York and the city medical examiner's office from revealing what
killed Tims, who was found dead in the W Hotel in Times Square on Aug. 12,
2011.
The New York City Law Department, representing New York City and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), had agreed to keep the cause and manner of Tims' death private until Judge Kern had made her decision.
However, Madeline Tims filed an appeal on Jan. 11, with the effect of temporarily preventing the City from making that information public. The law department responded with its own claim on Jan. 27, challenging the request and insisting that it was unlikely Tims would be successful in her appeal.
According to court papers filed March 6, 2012, Tims' motion for an injunction against NYC was granted on the condition that her appeal against the Supreme Court's decision is filed by July 9.
Oquendo had argued before Judge Kern late last year that since New York City has no right to publicly disclose autopsy reports in full, neither should it be allowed to disclose information contained in those reports – such as the cause and manner of death. Judge Kern decided on the side of the OCME.
The court's interim decision allows Oquendo to once again argue why NYC must keep Tims' cause of death quiet, however NYC officials have expressed confidence that Kern's decision will be upheld.
"We are confident the appellate court will ultimately uphold the previous decision," Ave Maria Brennan, Senior Counsel with the NYC Law Department, told The Christian Post Wednesday in an emailed statement.
Zachery Tims, who founded New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Fla., was succeeded by Paula White as senior pastor of the church he led for 15 years. Although no official cause of death has been provided, Madeline Tims initially told the court that disclosing her 42-year-old son's cause of death would be an emarrasment to her, his children, and his NDCC congregation.
