Bushiris resume church duties after short break to mourn their daughter

Self-proclaimed prophet and leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) Church Shepherd Bushiri and wife Mary have resumed their church duties after taking a short break to mourn their late daughter, Bushiri announced on Monday.

“My wife and I are delighted to inform you all that we are back from a short break we took from the pulpit following the passing of our daughter Saint Israella.

“We took some days off to be with the Lord as the Lord was dealing with our faith and faithfulness. We also took the opportunity of this break to be with family,” he wrote.

Bushiri thanked supporters “from every corner of the globe” and church leaders “for ensuring that church services, across all our branches in 73 countries, remained intact and vibrant”.

Bushiri's 8-year old daughter died two weeks ago after a lung infection.

On Monday evening the Bushiris hosted a virtual service via their prophetic channel. Mary thanked their supporters and her husband for teaching her “how to accept the will of God”.

“When the Lord called Israella, I knew it was the will of God. The same God who allowed it will be the one to help us through it every day,” she said. Bushiri told congregants the family will continue “to serve the Lord” despite being “slain”. 

The Bushiris fled SA last October after being released on R200,000 bail by the Pretoria magistrate's court because they “feared for the safety”.

The embattled couple was facing charges of money laundering and fraud in connection to a multimillion-rand investment scheme.