Category Archives: crime
COGIC to try $4 million Delaware theft case
ST LOUIS – COGIC bishops allegedly are set to put one of their own on trial during the denomination’s 2010 St Louis convention. As you can see from the title its about money again. It appears nothing will get you brought up on charges in the nation’s largest pentecostal denomination quicker than stealing money. Not sexual abuse, not sexual misconduct, not even crime. But retribution against theft is swift.
Theft is a serious crime and should be dealt with, but are the denomination’s leaders aware that the 10 commandments also mention sexual sins?
A clergy member (who asked that his name be with held) told GCM Watch that Bishop Thomas Hosely, head of the denomination’s Delaware “jurisdiction” could possibly be removed and the case turned over to criminal courts pending outcome of the ecclesiastical trial. Hosely is scheduled to be tried November 10th in COGIC’s new meeting city. Hosely who was consecrated into the bishopric in April 2009, stands accused of stealing an estimated 4 million dollars allegedly left in place by his predecessor the late Bishop LT Blackshear.
In March, COGIC fired longtime senior executive assistant Supt Dickerson LS Wells over $20, 000 in missing funds.
The denomination also failed to act on general board member JD Husband’s widespread sexual sins/crimes. That is, until he embezzled over $5 million dollars of church money.
But still no action on the mounting cases of sexual abuse, sexual misconduct and sexual harassment perpetrated by COGIC clergy members. In other news, Bishop Charles Blake, however, did take time to tell a St Louis reporter about COGIC’s great music and the millinery couture of its women.
Related: The 103rd Annual Convocation: Great God, Good Lord, Say What??
Clergy sex crime cases 5th, 6th for COGIC denomination in 2010
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Rev. Dr. Laneer Fisher, pastor of the Miracle COGIC in Alquippa, PA in suburban Pittsburgh was arrested and charged with indecent assault and corruption of minors [source]. Laneer, who was arrested August 31st, allegedly has a history of sexual improprieties with young males. This is the fifth known case of clergy abuse/misconduct this year for the nation’s largest pentecostal denomination.
The pastor of a church in Aliquippa was arraigned yesterday on charges of molesting two teenage boys.
The Rev. Dr. Laneer Fisher, 38, of Moon, who is the pastor of the Miracle Church of God in Christ on Wilker Street, was charged by Aliquippa police with unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault and corruption of minors. He was charged with those crimes as well as aggravated indecent assault, sexual assault and indecent exposure by Beaver Falls police.
“My client vehemently denies these allegations and will defend himself against them,” said attorney Dirk Allen Goodwald, who wonders why the two young men waited until now to go to police.
“My client understands that these allegations stem from a time when these people were young and came from broken relationships and that they may have misinterpreted, misconstrued, misunderstood and could not accept the nurturing and caring from a pastor and man of God.”
Then on October 13th, Palm Beach, FL police arrested Michael Charles Campbell pastor of the House of Worship COGIC in Deland, FL [source]. According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Campbell devised a scheme to sexually molest a 15 year old girl. He later used the same scheme on a 13 year old girl.
A former funeral home employee accused of sexually molesting a teenage girl, then photographing another in the nude, is a pastor at a small DeLand church.
The suspect, 46-year-old Michael Charles Campbell, is pastor of the House of Worship Church of God In Christ in the 300 block of South Woodland Boulevard.
Campbell, charged with lewd and lascivious molestation and lewd and lascivious conduct, was also employed by Lohman’s Funeral Home in Daytona Beach, police said.
The day police say he accosted the 15-year-old girl at a beachside motel in Daytona Beach in the spring of 2007, Campbell first picked up the girl at her residence. He was driving a hearse with a body in it, one he was supposed to deliver to Daytona Beach International Airport, a police report shows. Investigators said Campbell told the teenager’s father that he needed the girl to help him do some work at the funeral home. The youngster’s parents agreed and Campbell went to get the child.
The national church’s leadership however continues to deny that the problem of clergy sexual abuse is anything significant. Enoch Perry, head of the church’s legal department told a gathering of leaders last year that the denomination had only had about 20-25 cases since it began in 1906. Asked by the Memphis Commercial Appeal about the mounting sexual abuse documented by Report COGIC Abuse, Bishop Charles Blake downplayed the cases saying too much attention was being given to them. He later admitted that COGIC spends $800,000 a year on sexual abuse cases.
COGIC officials: “no comment” on repeat clergy molester
Reporter Brian Haynes said “At the church Friday night, men in all black suits said no church officials were prepared to comment on the arrest.” Four days later, there has still been no comment by COGIC officials, a passive noncommital pattern the denomination’s current leadership has made policy since public awareness of growing sexual abuse cases came to light.The “no comment” position is the same one the denomination took in the 2005 case. Rev. Lawrence Daniels, operations chief for Church of God in Christ churches in Nevada, said he had no comment about McCurdy or his future at the church on Tonopah and Vegas drives.
“In viewing your site I came across some disturbing information regarding one of the profiles listed. It is of utmost importance that you remove the information regarding Elder McCurdy, from your site as the allegations were found to be false and were completely dismissed. Once investigated it was merely and attempt to extort money from this Great Preacher and community worker. In Order to preserve the integrity of your site and to keep you from any legal actions I suggest you remove the false information immediately. If you require further verification please contact the North Las Vegas Police Department which will confirm the dismissal of these unfounded charges. There was a news article in the local news paper stating that the Police Department would not pursue charges because the accuser lied. It is very important for us not to be instruments used by the enemy to destroy a person’s character. I do believe that one who commits such crimes against humanity should be punished. In this case it is NOT merited”
CNN interview about Bishop Long yeilds painful surprise
ATLANTA – Earlier today, Bishop Eddie Long finally emerged from four days of near seclusion, declaring that he would “fight” allegations against him [AP source]. Long emphasized twice that he wasn’t “perfect”. Reactions have been varied, but many have said it was an “expected” speech, But on yesterday, developments took a stunning turn. Don Lemon, a CNN news anchor interviewing three young adult members of New Birth admitted that he was the victim of a homosexual pedophile. More after you watch this video.
A personal surprise for me. One of the young people interviewed, John Campbell III is my cousin. Campbell’s grandfather, Texas Bishop A. LaDell Thomas is the former vice president of the Church of God in Christ’s powerful Board of Bishops.
Bishop Thomas was himself involved in COGIC’s most infamous case of homosexual molestation as a member of the investigating board in the case of Bishop John D. Husband. He was the person Gwen Fox said told her to sue the church because he was convinced of Husband’s guilt.
Don Lemon’s admission was personally painful for me to watch and I understand intuitively how he felt having been a victim in my youth of a predator who “groomed” me to like him, then threatened me with exposure if I told about our “relationship”.
Its also another signal marker in this developing story, as Lemon noted, that the stories of these young men cannot be summarily dismissed without serious comprehensive consideration as to their veracity. Any person who has been in the grip of a predator with authority instantly recognizes the signs, the words, the traps and the deception you are led into. And the long and brutal road to recovery in the face of many who immediately revictimize you because they cannot picture the predator as someone like this. Long did say that he was “not the man portrayed on television”.
For some victims, a consistent and knowledgeable support system can mean the difference between a healthy, productive life and perpetual dysfunction going forward.
The panel of young people reflect the type of deep denial among African American Christians about certain leaders and their propensity to commit such detestable acts. Confronted with the attorney’s description of Long’s alleged pattern of predatory activities, they all struggled to explain it rationally.
The evolving situations with Bishop Long hopefully will help to open up much needed dialogue and solution finding as well as educate the black community on the mountains of broken youth and adults in our midst who have been silent victims of predators in authority.
EDUCATE YOURSELF
- Visit Report COGIC Abuse
- The devastating long term effects of sexual abuse/molestation on males
- How the predator’s “grooming process” works. Information here and here.
Should a registered sex offender hold church office? [UPDATED]
That’s the question some member churches are asking in the wake of a controversial appointment made by a COGIC bishop in Kansas City, MO.
With news of the Catholic church’s incredible dereliction of duty in the public eye almost daily, one wonders if the nation’s largest black pentecostal denomination is getting the message.
Frank Douglas, Jr. bishop of the Church of God in Christ’s Western Missouri jurisdiction has appointed and installed a registered sex offender as president of AIM (Auxillaries in Ministry) which, among other things, has oversight of youth and children.
According to a leading Kansas City newspaper, In 2001, Leland Ted Jones former deputy at Wyandotte County (KS) jail was sentenced to 41 months in prison plus three years’ probation after pleading no contest to two-year-old charges of attempted aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated sexual battery. His original charges were rape and aggravated criminal sodomy of a female prisoner [source].
The appointment came almost immediately after Jones’ roughly seven year prison and probation period finished.
Jones was installed as pastor this March by Douglas, who himself was just installed as bishop by Charles Blake in 2008.
Some members of the organization are livid about it. An unnamed source contacted GCM Watch and said there is trouble brewing over the decision. The source said a number of churches are planning to leave the already small jurisdiction.
“Our AIM president is a registered sex offender and our bishop, Frank Douglas Jr., was aware of it and wanted to give Eld Ted Leland Jones a second chance. Needless to say, the support for Bishop Douglas’ leadership is fastly eroding. We have at least 7 identified churches that are planning on leaving the jurisdiction.”
If churches are ready to disfellowship over this, it appears to be a serious matter. The source stated that Jones’ status was made public after “some of the saints pulled him up on family watchdog”.
As of posting time, Bishop Douglas did not respond to requests to comment on the situation. COGIC’s operating manual (commonly called the Black Book) doesn’t appear to offer any guidance on this situation, so perhaps its clergy are left to make decisions on their own. Is this the type of “second chance”, Rev. Jones needs?
Back when we launched ReportCOGICAbuse.com, a question came up dealing with the application of Galatians 6 which addressed restoring a brother who has been “overtaken in a fault”. Here’s our response which may well apply in this situation;
Galatians 6 which states that spiritual members of the Body are to restore a brother who is overtaken in a fault is certainly to be considered in these cases. And no one is beyond forgiveness and restoration. We do need to understand the connotation of “overtaken” as opposed to pursuit and maintenance of a sinful lifestyle. However, sexual crimes pose a legitimate caveat for Gal 6. To wit, a sexual crime and a sexual sin ( or fault) are not automatically interchangeable, thus consequences come to bear. If a brother committed a sexual sin, forgiving and restoring him or her would be the sole jurisdiction of the church or at least those who are spiritual. Galatians 6 is applicable. If a brother committed a sexual crime which is also sin, the church does not hold sole jurisdiction and Galatians 6 is only applicable in part. While such a one can be forgiven, restoration (and restitution) is in the hands of the state. When we unjustly use scripture to protect individuals from facing the consequences of their crime, we become partakers of their sin and instead of facilitating the intent of Gal 6, we thwart it.
What do you think? Should a person who is currently on a registered sex offender list, be restricted from holding certain types of church positions?
UPDATE 05.06.10 1343
This has taken another strange turn. Sources in Kansas City informed GCM Watch that Ted Jones has been replaced as AIM Chairman by Supt. Jackie Cortez Vaughn [video], another recent appointment by Bishop Frank Douglas. While Vaughn is not a sexual offender, the source provided public information showing that Vaughn was incarcerated as recently as March. The video was posted March 27, 2010 while documents show Vaughn being released from a Wyandotte County detention facility March 18th. The saga continues…
Writer’s note: The previous attribution of Wyandotte County to “MO” was a simple parenthetical error which has been corrected. It has zero bearing on the facts of the case at hand.
Memorial service for slain preachers approaching
On Sunday, May 16th a Prayer Vigil is scheduled to honor the lives of Steven Ocean and Tite Sufra, two courageous young black men shot to death while sharing the Gospel on the streets of Boynton Beach, Florida on January 30th.The event is sponsored by Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, and Dr. Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, and leaders in South Florida. The vigil will take place from 3-5 PM in the parking lot in front of the Boynton Beach City Library, 208 South Seacrest Boulevard, near where Ocean and Sufra were murdered.
“Just as we honor those who die while serving our country and communities, we must also honor Steven Ocean and Tite Sufra, two fine young men who were killed in the line of Christian duty,” said Dr. Gary Cass. “We will pray for their families, the community and for justice. This tragic event was largely ignored and under reported. This vigil is our effort to pay these two men the respect they deserve. All Christians, especially those who minister on the streets, are urged to come and take back the streets of Boynton Beach for Christ.”“Our hearts are broken for the families of Steven Ocean and Tite Sufra. It would be unconscionable not to honor these brave young men,” said Rev. Patrick Mahoney. “The best way to honor their memory is to return to the very place where they died, pray for the community they loved and then share God’s love and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. We will not concede even one street in America, but will assert our right and duty to proclaim Jesus is Lord.”
