The United Family International Church (UFIC) founded and led by Emmanuel Makandiwa, officially opened its mega-church building in Chitungwiza on Sunday, 09 April.
The building, which accommodates 30 000 people was officially opened by Makandiwa’s Ghanaian spiritual father and mentor Victor Kusi Boateng.
Boateng heads the Power Chapel Worldwide, which is headquartered in Kumasi, Ghana. He said:
I thank the prophet for running the church smoothly. I think some nations can take lessons from him, the organisation and everything.
Boateng was accompanied by the Ambassador of Ghana to Zimbabwe Alexander Grant Ntrakwa and Mayor Harold Moore of Wardley, Georgia, US.
Also speaking at the event, Makandiwa said the church intends to build another structure that will become the national headquarters in the near future. He said:
When we decided to build this structure initially our hope was to be able to accommodate everyone inside this building, but the numbers are even much bigger now.
This place can no longer be our headquarters and once we are done with this one we move on to the next project.
UFIC spokesperson Prime Kufakunesu said the church was built by Makandiwa and his wife Ruth using their personal resources. He said:
The church was built by the prophet, his wife, and his family.
Construction of the church started in 2011 but was delayed due to clashes with authorities as it is built on a wetland. Said Kufa:
Although the construction began in 2011, we were stopped three times due to some municipal council issues.
We had to pay twice for the stand in the process and lost about six-and-a-half years of work.
According to The Herald, the UFIC conference was attended by more than 70 000 people.
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