User:Thelma Lee/sandbox

User:Thelma Lee/sandbox

Personal Details
Birth name:	Elvis Allan Mbonye

Born:	March 27, 1977 (age 47)

Nationality:	Ugandan

Residence:	Kampala, Uganda

Spouse: 	Harriet Mbonye

Occupation:	Prophet, Author

Biography
Elvis Allan Mbonye (born March 27, 1977) is the founder and head of Prophet Elvis Mbonye Ministries. While some may label him a modern day mystic, his life is an expression of a modern day prophet. He is a spiritual leader and the prophet with an unprecedented record of prophetic fulfillments. He is known for his numerous national and international fulfilled prophecies and his messages on spirituality and the supernatural life.

Mbonye’s consistent record over the years of the startling prophetic revelations and predictions accompanied by their confirmation and fulfilment attest to the heavenly office he occupies and operates. Based in Kampala, Uganda, his is a prophetic voice that speaks to nations and people from all walks of life. Besides prophesying, Mbonye also unveils phenomenal insight into the universal principles of God, and thus life, through revelatory discourses that are biblically sound. Mbonye’s messages are broadcast through weekly programs called The Power of Prophecy which air on multiple channels in different countries. A few channels which broadcast Mbonye's messages include NTV Uganda, NTV Kenya, TV1 Ghana, EATV Tanzania and many more. He has also featured on other TV networks both in Uganda (UBC) and overseas. In Kenya he has made appearances on the KTN television shows; Command Your Morning, Tukuza, Life and Style and Crossover.

Early Life
Mbonye was born on March 27, 1977 to Leo and Teddy Ntiru in Jinja and grew up in Bugolobi. He was born to a family of 7 children.

Mbonye went to Mbuya nursery school and Kiswa primary school for his primary education. Later Mbonye went to Kigezi College Butobere for his O-level and Standard High School in Zana for his A-levels. He then proceeded to Makerere University Kampala where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Development Studies in 2004 and continued seeking the Lord in seclusion thereafter.

Narrating his childhood memories, Mbonye recalls how he used to have mixed spiritual experiences of the dark world and the heavenly one. "The mysterious world of the supernatural is not a reality I discovered in my latter years. Growing up as a child in Bugolobi, a middle-class suburb of Kampala, I frequently experienced close encounters with bizarre beings, especially during the night hours." he writes in his book, Tasting the Powers of the Age to Come. "Throughout my childhood, as far back as I can recall, up to my early teenage years, I lived with this strange awareness of the spirit realm. At some point in my life, however, my consciousness began to be aligned to the earthly realm and I became conditioned accordingly."

His journey with the prophetic began in 1998 when he was converted in his first year while enrolled at Makerere University. After an awe-provoking encounter with the Person of the Holy Spirit in which Elvis’ “old” identity was virtually dissolved, supplanted with a new nature in Christ. Subsequently, the world of unusual dreams, visions and prophetic revelations was open to him. It would not take long before those around him and others along his path would recognize the prophetic abilities he possessed.

His first prophecy after God had told him of becoming a prophet, was in regard to Indian Ocean Tsunami, which he foretold three months prior. "It was specifically revealed to me that it would happen on December 26 and indeed it came to pass the way I had seen it in the spiritual realm." he said.

Prophet Elvis Mbonye Ministries
Prophet Elvis Mbonye Ministries is a nondenominational ministry of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The ministry founded and presided over by Mbonye seeks to grant people an experiential realization of the eternal God beyond inherited or learned belief. Mbonye’s ministry attracts people from all walks of life, including pastors from various churches, to its weekly Tuesday fellowship- a day Mbonye says was suggested by God under the Zoe Fellowship banner. Over an eleven year period, Mbonye has had to relocate the Ugandan based fellowship ten times due to its exponential growth.

It all began in January 2012; Mbonye started a home based Christian fellowship in Kamwokya with eight members. The fellowship grew to encompass 60 members, and moved from the home which had become too small to a rented hall in a hotel, Hotel Triangle.

In November 2012, Mbonye moved the fellowship from Hotel Triangle to Open House, and his congregation grew again to over 100 members.

In March 2015, the fellowship had rapidly grown to over 400 members which necessitated the move from Open House to Theatre Labonita.

In September 2015, the fellowship grew exponentially to approximately 1300 members which resulted into the fellowship moving from Theatre Labonita to a conference hall at the Imperial Royale hotel. On the first day at the new premises, over 2000 people attended the event. During this time, he began a television ministry, The Power of Prophecy which broadcast his sermons every Sunday on NTV Uganda with repeats every Thursday.

In June 2016, Mbonye moved the fellowship from Imperial Royale to a tent at the former Hilton hotel, where the fellowship had grown from over 2,000 members to 6,000 members.

On January 3rd, 2017 the fellowship moved from the Hilton Hotel to the Kololo Independence grounds.

In March 2017, the fellowship moved to briefly to MTN Arena before moving to the Kyadondo Rugby grounds with thousands flocking in to listen to Mbonye. Notably, Mbonye had prophesied about the bombings that had occured in this same location in 2010.

In 2018, the fellowship moved to Cricket Oval for a few weeks but moved back to Kyadondo grounds.

In December 2018, the fellowship moved to the Lugogo Zoe Grounds, a larger more spacious ground that could accommodate the thousands turning for fellowship weekly. Fellowships were held here weekly until the lockdowns of 2020 that suspended physical gatherings.

From 2020 to January of 2022, Mbonye held weekly online fellowships via his Facebook page that drew in upto 15,000 viewers from across the globe. On March 15th, 2022, Mbonye held his first physical gathering of Zoe fellowship in over two years at a brand new multi-million dollar Zoe grounds in Kigo-Lweza. The opening ceremony of the new grounds featured performances from gospel artist Ruyonga, a choir from Kenya, fireworks, cake cutting, and of course, worship with his choir the Zoe Melodies who are popularly known for their impressive voices and unique songs. The fellowship has been meeting at this lake-side location ever since. All these relocations were within the nation’s capital, Kampala.

Mbonye's prophetic anointing has also caught the attention of an international audience who avidly follow his teachings and prophecies.

Prophecies
Elvis Mbonye has garnered a reputation as the prophet with an unprecedented record of prophetic fulfillments and earned many nicknames to this regard, including, the Navigator, Mr. Future and God's man with an eye for tomorrow.

Mbonye has prophesied to, many high profile persons in the Ugandan government, opposition politicians, the army, the Police, media, music industry, business sector, Pastors as well as ordinary people.

In all his prophetic utterances, the first and most outstanding prophecy was when he foretold the exact day and month of the 2004 devastating Asian tsunami. This prophecy ushered him into the realms of national and international prophesy. Some other prophecies that came to pass include the Mabira Forest wrangles in 2007, the anti-gay bill, exposure of some Pentecostal Pastors’ dealings, the 2010 Kampala terrorist attacks, crashing of three UPDF choppers in Kenya the South African Xenophobia attacks in 2015 and the United Kingdom’s planned withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit). Mbonye has also prophesied about numerous international political figures and heads of state such as, William Ruto, Angela Merkel , Donald Trump  , Boris Johnson , Joe Biden  and Vladimir Putin , accurately depicting circumstances around their rise to power as well as different challenges and events during their terms in office.. He has also given numerous international prophecies concerning every major sector, from entertainment to technology. In 2017 and 2018, he prophesied about the Oscars. He recently prophesied about the earthquakes in Turkey, the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank , the Titan submarine tragedy , the insurrection in Russia stemming from Alexei Navalny's death and many more.

Mbonye has been known to give prophecies at the beginning of the year that become headlines and breaking news to the rest of the world as months go by. Videos on his YouTube channel depict different years in prophecy with a retelling of major events throughout each year, preceded by a video of the prophecy given at the first Tuesday of the year, usually weeks to months or sometimes even years before a major global event occurs.

All these prophecies were given in front of the Zoe fellowship through the years and a number of prophecy videos can be found on Mbonye's YouTube page.

Events
Prophet Elvis Mbonye has also drawn attention for the lavish celebrations held to celebrate him every year.

Birthday
Birthday celebrations were first held for the Prophet at the Kyadondo Rugby Club grounds, where his fellowship was being held in March 2017. The event has continued every year since then on the closest Tuesday to his birthday of March 27. The celebrations have garnered the attention of Ugandan media for the glamor and pomp on display as well as what has become an Mbonye-standard fare of performances, cake and fireworks.

During the lockdowns, birthday celebrations were continued on a smaller scale at Sheraton hotel in Kampala. A few local dignitaries joined the celebration physically while most of the Prophet’s followers and well wishers joined in virtually via a live stream.

From 2022 to 2024, celebrations have been held at the fellowship's grounds in Kigo-Lweza, all kept in theme of extravaganza.

Honor
The day of honor for Prophet Elvis Mbonye was first held on September 1st 2017 at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala. This one day event culminated in weeks of debate and controversy as the public criticized Mbonye and his followers for the events. In spite of this, the friends and partners (remnants as they refer to themselves) of Prophet Elvis Mbonye have made it a tradition to honor their man of God every 1st September. These celebrations have always been glamorous and have left many onlookers in awe wondering how the ‘remnants’ are able to pull off these luxurious events every year. The event has been held every year since 2017 with ever growing grandiose displays of wealth, glamor and excellence.

The event has been noted for the sophisticated decor, music performances, fireworks, cake cutting and the jaw dropping fashion statements made by all in attendance.

This grand event has even brought in musicians from the United States to honor the Prophet. In 2018, Micah Stampley made an appearance, followed by Ron Kenoly in 2019. Amid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, the event was still held but on a smaller scale, and a live stream broadcast for Remnants all over the world. 2021 saw the event held in Kenya. In 2022, the end of lockdowns also saw the return of Micah Stampley for the day of honor. 2023's honor event had Paul Wilbur flying in to join the celebrations.

Television Broadcasts
Mbonye's messages are broadcast weekly through a program called The Power Of Prophecy. In 2017, NTV Uganda became the first channel with a weekly broadcast on Sundays at 11:50am and repeats on Thursdays at 12:00pm. The show still airs weekly but at the 6:00pm time slot. In 2019, NTV Kenya started airing the show at 9:00am on Sundays. Prime TV Zambia, TV3 Ghana, TV1 Rwanda and TBN Asia have all been added to the roster of channels airing The Power Of Prophecy.

In addition to the TV broadcasts, The Power Of Prophecy is also streamed live on Mbonye's website.

Criticism and Controversy
While many may look at his prophecies in a positive way, Mbonye has also had to deal with attacks from all sorts of people including some pastors in Pentecostal churches. Mbonye has received criticism for some fulfilled negative prophecies, his wealthy lifestyle, flamboyant dress code and the affluence of his congregation. However Mbonye says he is not concerned about the opinions of men because he has seen God and is answerable to Him. Despite the criticism, his growing record of fulfilled prophecies has won him admirers and many continue to flock his Tuesday evening fellowships.

Lifestyle
Prophet Elvis Mbonye is said to have a luxury lifestyle as seen by his dressing, homes and cars. He has been seen arriving to fellowships and cruising around Kampala in a slew of luxury wheels. His fleet of expensive cars includes two range rovers with personalized license plates, 'Elvis' and 'Elvis 2', a Mercedes Benz and at the end of 2019 was seen with a Mercedes Maybach with the number plate 'Prophet'.

At his Tuesday fellowships, Prophet Elvis arrives with a convoy of luxury vehicles including his personal range rover and a police escort. In 2020, Mbonye released pictures on his Facebook page which gave his followers some insight into the wealthy Prophet's lifestyle and exquisite living experience. From poolside pictures to views of multiple living rooms in his multi-million dollar house, the glamour he depicts as a man of God was seen to be present in his personal life as well. “Hell is stuffy, poor, sickly, and degrading. I have been to heaven and it is a glamorous place with streets of gold. All attributes about God are glamour and beauty and I'm of God, so I will unapologetically be always on the side of what is rich. I have heard shallow debates where politicians defend themselves for being in air-conditioned cars. You want me to be in a car where I sweat? (He laughs)." Mbonye mocks the culture that demonizes wealth and exalts everything broke.

The flamboyant man of God has also been hailed for his elegant fashion sense and even won a few trophies for it. In 2016, he won the Abryanz Style & Fashion Awards (ASFAS) for the best dressed traditional religious leader. His socials and website are filled with pictures of his weekly Tuesday fellowship meetings, showing off his well tailored suits.

Prophet Elvis is a staunch Arsenal fan and says he likes watching movies, especially thrillers, detectives and comedy.

Books Written by Mbonye
Elvis A. Mbonye, Tasting The Powers of The Age to Come (Xlibris Corporation Publishing, 2012).

Elvis A. Mbonye, Let The Prophets Speak