Riva Tims Drops Lawsuit Against New Destiny
Riva Tims dropped the lawsuit against New Destiny Christian Center, the Orlando, Fla.-area megachurch she founded with her late ex-husband, Zachery Tims, in 1996.
The announcement comes one week after she said she was the rightful heir to the church when it announced Paula White, co-founder of Without Walls International Church in Tampa, Fla., as its new senior pastor.
On her Facebook page, Tims admitted that her divorce papers prohibit her from being able to sue the church.
“After careful review of my amended MSA (2009); my attorney Robert Gibson discovered on December 30, 2011 that I released my rights to file a complaint against NDCC,” she wrote. “Therefore by the advice of Mr. Gibson I withdrew the suit. My heart’s desire is that God perfects all that concerns us.”
She continued, saying that as the mother of Zachery Tims’ children—Zoelle, Zachery, Zahria and Zion—and the spiritual mother to many New Destiny members, she “had a spiritual obligation to let my voice be heard. And our voices have been heard nationally. The righteousness we have been taught will continue to sustain us in this process. We are assured that truth will prevail – God is in Control!”
At the end of her statement, Tims said she “will continue to fully support my NDCC family in every effort to manifest the Spirit of Truth.”
In her Dec. 29 announcement of the lawsuit, Tims said the megachurch’s decision is depriving her children the opportunity to receive the inheritance from their father, Zachery Tims, who was found dead in a New York City hotel room in August.
Tims is also concerned the church will lose its original purpose with an outsider as its pastor. The lawsuit points out that New Destiny is worth between $4 million and $9 million, and that White’s church—which she founded with her ex-husband, Randy—is in financial trouble, which has been reported in the press.
Riva filed for divorce after Zachery’s highly publicized affair in 2009. She is now senior pastor of Majestic Life Ministries Church in Orlando, which she founded that year.
In her statement on Monday, Tims thanked her Facebook followers for their “love, support, encouraging words and most of all your prayers.”
Charisma will feature an exclusive interview and cover story with Riva Tims in its February issue. Click here to subscribe to our print magazine or check out Charisma Digital.
