A video of an Ohio pastor Israel Ford disclosing his polygamous marriage has gone viral.
The pastor introduced his second wife at Sunday Service. He invited the first wife Lydia, who took over the microphone and introduced the second one as her sister in marriage to an applause by the congregation.
Takeaways
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LifeWorks Church pastor Israel Ford revealed during a Sunday service that he has been married to a second wife, Minister Shakayla, for nearly three years.
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Ford’s first wife, Lydia, introduced Shakayla as her “sister in marriage,” while Shakayla called the family dynamic “the will of God” and said she had gained from it.
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A video of the Ohio congregation’s surprise announcement has since gone viral on social media.
In the video circulating on social media, the pastor from Ohio and his wife surprised their congregation by revealing that he’s secretly been in a polygamous marriage for three years.
The New York post reports that the pastor in Wickliffe, Ohio also caused a stir online, after he announced in a Facebook post that he had added a second wife to his marriage, writing that having multiple wives was an "unpopular truth" and that limiting oneself to one wife was "unbiblical."
Israel Ford, who is a self-described "prophet," heads up LifeWorks Church with his first wife Lydia Ford. Lydia helped introduce her husband's second wife Shakayla to the congregation during a sermon at the church .
Other online reports indicated that Pastor Israel Ford of the LifeWorks Church in Cleveland, Ohio, and his wife, Lydia, revealed their non-traditional romantic life during a recent service.
“I want to share that… Prophet and I, we are living in what we would call a polygynous marriage,” said Lydia. “Our prophet, he has a second wife. Y'all know her, y'all love her, y'all benefit from her ministry every week… [It’s] a pleasure of mine to introduce to y'all, prophet's wife, and my sister in marriage, Minister Shakayla.”
She then joined the married couple onstage and addressed the audience. “Cat’s out the bag,” she laughed.
“First, I want to just give honor to God, you know, who is leading us and guiding us. And then my husband, and then also my sister in marriage. I want to speak to the fact that I know people have questions, people have comments. and concerns… This is the will of god, and to live it, I have not been slighted not one bit. I have gained so much.”
Shaquayla stressed that they have a happy “family dynamic in the image of what God wants to put in the Earth,” and that people reached out to them because they were allegedly kicked out of “I'm not a pastor… I'm not here to take any light from Pastor Lydia,” she continued. “I'm here to serve, to help to submit to… our husband.”
Israel then chimed in to reveal this isn’t a new development, either. “I just want to just say a few things… Me and Shakayla, it'll be, I think… In one more week, it'll be three years we've been married,” he shared.
It’s worth noting that polygamy is not legal in the state of Ohio, so it’s unclear if the pastor is actually married to two women at once. Violating the Ohio Revised Code Section 2919.01 would be classified as bigamy, a first-degree misdemeanor.
The Root reports that it has reached out to LifeWorks Church for comment but has not received a response as of publication. Two current members and one ex-member verified that the so-called marriage is real as well is the video.
Prophet Israel Ford and his first wife, Prophetess Lydia Ford, who lead LifeWorks Church in Wickliffe, Ohio, introduced his second wife, Minister Shakayla Ford, to their congregation. In a video shared by The Neighborhood Talk, the family opened up about their unconventional relationship, describing it as a reflection of God’s will.
