Zachery Tims Funeral To Go Private, Shrouds More Mystery

Pastor Zachery Tims' wake was held Friday at New Destiny Christian Center. Thousands of mourners around the world for a tribute service and a public viewing.

Tims' funeral arrangements are set for Saturday 11 a.m., at First Baptist church of Orlando, but the ceremony will be held privately and will not stream live online.

The change comes after the church had initially said it would broadcast the funeral live for supporters who couldn't make it to the location.

Church representatives also posted a flyer for those who wanted to send flowers or gifts to instead send donations to the Bank of America for the Dr. Zachery Tims Jr. Children's Trust.

Several ministers have expressed interest in speaking at the late pastor's funeral on Saturday, but the most recent rumors suggest Bishop T.D. Jakes had been tapped to deliver Tims' eulogy.

We're going to consult the family as to the order [of] who will speak, said an anonymous source.

Tims' interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Orlando, according to the New Destiny Christian Center's Web site.

Zachery Tims' Death Remains a Mystery

Pastor Zachery Tims, senior pastor of Florida-based megachurch New Destiny Christian Center, was found dead in the W hotel in Times Square, New York, on Aug. 12 during his visit to the city for a speaking engagement and meetings.

The most shocking revelation from the police report was the presence of a glassine envelope containing white power on Tims' person. While there has been no official determination of what the substance was, many suspect that the white power to be illegal drugs.

Police said there were no signs of trauma to the body and foul play wasn't suspected. An autopsy was inconclusive and authorities are awaiting the results of toxicology tests.

Tims had a history with substance abuse, but said he kicked him habit when he found God.

I was 19 and terribly bound by cocaine, he explained in his book, titled It's Never Too Late, published by Charisma House Publications.

Tims ran to the home of a man in his neighborhood known as the Holy Roller and said, I'm ready to get saved.

After discovering Christianity, he earned degrees in accounting and theology and worked at a ministry in Baltimore. In 1996, he and his ex-wife Riva moved to Orlando, where they founded the New Destiny Christian Center.

The church has since grown to more than 8,000 members, and its broadcasts reach 100 million households. The church is well-known in the Apopka area for its charitable deeds for the poor.

In 2009, he divorced his wife of 15 years after admitting to having an affair with a stripper.

Despite the potential controversy, Tims' follows have focused on the lasting spiritual legacy the preacher left behind.

Dr Tims heart was a giving one even outside of the church, a commenter said on Tims' megachurch's Web site.

As 1 example people may not know, he bought ederly [sic] people food each day at a resteraunt [sic] each time he ate. He never told them he bought it. He'd quietly ask a waiter to give him the ederly [sic] person or their table's check and don't tell them who paid.

Throughout the week, his followers have created tribute videos and asked the public not to judge.

Monday night, hundreds of members of his New Destiny Christian Center packed the church to remember their pastor. His ex-wife Riva made a speech at the event.

Tuesday afternoon, dozens of black ministers gatheredin a prayer vigil for Pastor Zachery Tims.

New Destiny Christian Center is currently looking for a permanent pastor, and Riva Tims is among those who are being considered.

The search now begins for a new pastor and Riva Tims is among those being considered.

She is one of the people that you can see that there's a lot of love for her because she helped him build this ministry from where it is. It started with six people and it's up to over 7,000 people right now, and she was a very key part of that and that's why people love her still, said New Destiny Christian Center Executive Director Samuel Anderson.