I had to fix my "typo" on the word "Bentley" in that post and also added another article at the end that mentioned they have EVEN MORE DEBT that the pastor knew about, but others are now learning of. I guess once the newspapers started investigating...
It was Pimp Prime Rev. Ike who said:
"The Bible says that Jesus rode on a borrowed ass. But I would rather ride in a Rolls Royce than to ride somebody's ass!"
I'm surprised the pimps don't claim (as in lie and say) that the term "ass" in Greek was a term that could mean "best ride in town" to justify their actions.
As a member and former leader at the 1st Mt. Olive Free Will Baptist this has been a very enlightening experience. I have read just about all of the articles that have come out and most hit the nail on the head in terms of accuracy, but as a "insider" there are some things that have been implied that need clarification. The Bentley was not a gift from the church to the Pastor. The church provides a leased vehicle for the Pastor as part of his compensation package. The Bentley was never approved by the leadership of the church. Although church leaders were not pleased with the fact that the Pastor was driving a Bentley, most probably did not know that the vehicle was being paid for by the church (can you believe that?)
The church Fiscal Officer resigned under a cloud of suspicion in August 2006 that he was misappropraiting funds (which is a fancy way of saying he stole money). This had been occuring for a two - three year period, which correlates with the unpaid taxes, water bill and mortgage issues. Although the CFO was entrusted with executing his duties, ultimately it is the responsibiity of the Pastor to oversee what is going on, which is obvious that he failed to do. He probably failed to do this because he was cris-crossing the country serving as an assistant for a prominent Bishop who recently reaped the benefits of being buddies with Tyler "Madea" Perry to the tune of a multi-million dollar donation to his church.
For a church so rich in history that is heading to over 70 plus years of service, the last several years has wipped out a church with a strong legacy. The church fell into the trap of extravagant living and although it held the public face of a model ministry, on the inside it was rotting at its core.
This is exactly why people like myself and IndCon, and the folks at pulpit-pimps.org are getting out the word about these people: Because they are bringing shame to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It's one thing to pastor a large church, and to derive a decent income from that. But when you take it to those extremes, when you start taking time away from preaching, and taking money away from where it's needed, then that is acting outside of the will of GOD.
I'm sorry to hear about your experiences there, SA. I hope you can find a church that sticks to the truth of the Scriptures.
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