EXCLUSIVE REPORT – The AME Church EXPOSED!
March 8th, 2009
The African Methodist Episcopal Church is the oldest Black church in all of America; its history can be traced back to the city of Philadelphia in 1787, where Richard Allen and others offered an alternative for Africans in America to worship, when forbidden to do so alongside their fellow White Christians.
The 5th district is where I presently fellowship and in recent years it has been wrestling with issues of impropriety that threaten to tear asunder the very foundation of the church itself.
From allegations of sexual improprieties of bishops who have more than 10 illegitimate children and a number of corresponding paternity suits under gag order, to other bishops inexplicably riding around in Rolls Royces and Bentleys to even more recently, pastors who’ve allegedly stolen hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars from their congregations, it is…in a word…
”Unbelievable.”
One wonders if there is any limit to the amount of malfeasance in the AME church. In fact, rumors presently swirl as to whether an immensely popular, married AME pastor was recently moved due to allegedly impregnating a fellow preacher on his ministerial staff.
Say what?!
Somewhere in between the extremities of the rumors lay the truth and today, The Mo’Kelly Report is taking the first step to unearth just where it begins and ends in the 5th district of the AME church. Today I give you Part I of a three-part series, maybe even a four-part series.
I’ll explain.
In Part I today, I speak with longtime L.A. journalist, Betty Pleasant author of the immensely popular Soulvine column for the Los Angeles Wave and the genesis of much of the coverage of the ongoing battle in AME community. For months I’ve sought to get her on record as to the what, where, when, who and how. And to true to her audacious form, Betty Pleasant appears in The Mo’Kelly Report to give her side of how she chose to craft her coverage. Betty Pleasant did not back down and she is to be commended for it.
In Part II in the coming days, I’ll speak with none other than Dr. Frederick Murph himself; one of the central figures of the ongoing AME scandal and get him on record as to just what did or did not happen at his former church Brookins Community AME. In the interest of full disclosure I acknowledge that I am a good friend of Dr. Murph but in no way will I show him any favoritism. He will have to answer the tough and direct questions and you the listeners will form your own opinion. The quit claim deed of the parsonage, the alleged theft of millions of dollars…he will be on record. In fact, he will NOT have heard this conversation with Betty Pleasant before any of you. All of this is above board and evenhanded in nature.
In Part III, we’ll hear from another 5th district AME minister who is ready to go on the record as to what SHE has seen and her take of the ongoing madness.
(Uh oh…look out now. Hmm…who could it be?!)
And if there is a Part IV, we’ll hear from Bishop Kirkland himself. We’ll hopefully find out why Rev. John Hunter of First AME who admitted to running up a $122,000 personal bill on the church credit card, to this day sits on the committee adjudicating the case of Dr. Frederick Murph. He (Kirkland) too needs to be on record. As of this posting, Bishop Kirkland has been informed of my desire to interview him and have him on the record. All parties will have equal access and opportunity to go on the record. No excuses…folks need to be on the record.
And with that, I share with you Part I, my conversation with Betty Pleasant. Enjoy.
Click HERE
Part II – Interview with Rev. Kupaji Jaliwa
Related:
An Open Letter to Bishop T. Larry Kirkland
BREAKING NEWS!! Philadelphia AME Pastor Forges Dead Woman’s Deeds (3.8.09)
Bethel AME Baltimore Music Director Pleads Guilty to Raping 12-Year-Old (3.28.08)
L.A. Times Front Page Story on Rev. John Hunter of First AME Los Angeles
Betty Pleasant on Sexual Abuse Case of (the late) Rev. Sylvester Laudermill Jr.
The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.MrMoKelly.com. Mo’Kelly can be reached at Mo@MrMoKelly.com and he welcomes all commentary.
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Posted in Uncategorized | 
Tags: 5th District, AME Church, Brookins AME, First AME, Frederick Murph, John Hunter, T. Larry Kirkland
15 Responses to “EXCLUSIVE REPORT – The AME Church EXPOSED!”
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WOW! Ms. Pleasant isn't taking any prisoners. "Because I write EDGY STUFF!" How did you NOT break out into laughter? But this is a great form of journalism, when you take an advantage of a unique opportunity.
Maybe I should cover this on my PR Blog. In fact, let me at least link you.
Feel free…this is going to be rather newsworthy…she was pretty interesting, I'll say that.
Thank you Mo for this series. I have seen some stuff on John Hunter that will make you shake in your boots.
Did you know that he is not "legally" married to his woman Denise? Yeah, she is really Marilyn Denise Brown and is legally married to her husband back east. She never divorced her husband and John never asked her to marry him.
It's a scandal going on up in FAME these days. They both have about 4 different Social Security Numbers man. I have not seen anything like this since the days of Al Capone.
Again, thank you for exposing not only John Hunter but all of the 5th District Corruption. We need to talk so I can share some documents with you from the Feds.
Peace,
Brian
Brian J. Email me at Mo@MrMoKelly.com…
This is only the beginning.
Mo its about time the truth came about the 5th District and the sexual preference of some of these Bishops,Elders and Pastors.Let the truth be told!
Here's a "nice" note sent my way today, posted on a message board in relation to the series. Just had to share it. Keep in mind, it was a "religious" message board.
________________________
Hello Mr. Morris Kelly. Nice to see you posting on FAMEGATE man. Are you sleeping with Frederick Murph yet? Is he your lover or just your bedroom boy toy when you need to get your freak on? Why did his IRS Statement come to our church showing $270K owed for Gambling Winnings?
We always knew there was something up with you and Frederick at Brookins man. You both are on the Down Low. I hope females request your AIDS test before getting with either one of you "FOOLS".
________________________
I guess Mo'Kelly is doing something right! Don't they know their hate only makes Mo'Kelly stronger? Guess not.
Someone put your AME interview on a website I visit. Great work. Do you plan on getting any interview from the higher ups? I would love to hear from those that often move preachers instead of seating them. I would also like to know why do the local church pay so much in conf. dues, etc. --
Mahogany…I've put in requests to the higher-ups. I can't say I'm optimistic they'll allow themselves to be interviewed. There's ostensibly nothing for them to gain. I would love to ask the question(s) you've suggested, but I don't think they will allow themselves to be interviewed. Too many lawsuits and controversy right now for them to say anything on the record. I'd like to be wrong, but I doubt it.
I have been an AME for the past 20+ years, this is a personal action at the hands of Kirkland. Where does it end so that the church can heal, Murph is definitely a preacher on fire. If Kirkland does not watch it, Brookins will be empty, remeber Murph gives a word to empower all, the unemployed, homeless, broke, rich, prosperous. Be careful Kirkland, the ditc you dig for someone else could be for you and Nixon. Let It Go.
Murph is only guilty of trying to do everything possible to fill the pockets of the Bishops, robbing peter to pay paul, why do we pay so much during conferences, where does this money go? As christians we only want to hear the word of God, the personal dealings and finances are not our problem. I wish all of the involved parties peace and love.
onfirmation Number: 300428
Confirmation Time: 2009-07-16 18:6:4
Your Contact Information
Name: Mr. John Moten
Address: 2628 Wynncrest Ridge Dr.
Wildwood MO 63005-6728
County: St. Louis
Email: mjmoten@aol.com
Home Phone: 636-273-5784
Work Phone: —
Information About Company that Complaint is Against
Name of Company: Wayman A. M. E. Currch
Phone: 314-361-4123
Address: 5010 Cabanne
St. Louis MO
County: St. Louis City
Web Site: waymanamestl.org
Email:
Contact's Name: Rev. Timothy E. Tyler
Contact's Title: Pastor
Details of Transaction
Date of Transaction:
Amount of Transaction: 5,000
Payment Method: Check
Details of Complaint
How and where did you learn about product or service?
Member of Church
Description of Complaint:
This complaint is filed against Rev. Tyler who until October 2008 was pastor of Wayman. In May 2007 the men of Wayman held a golf tourament for the John & Estelle Moten Scholarship Fund. The event netted about $5,ooo, which at Tyler's insistence was placed in the church's Central Budget. Sometime later Tyler had two church officers to sign a check transferring the funds to a checking account under his sole control. When asked about the location and availability of the funds several times Tyler returned $2,963. When asked about the remaining funds Tyler has refused to respond. I can provide details and supporting documentation. The funds were clearly raised for a single purpose. Tyler is a pastor in Denver at Shorter Community A. M. E. 3100 Richard Allen Church Denver, CO 80205.
Did you sign a contract, warranty agreement or similar papers?
No
What action have you taken to resolve this complaint?
Contacted Tyler via email and certified
Name of any agency contacted:
Have you been sued or filed a lawsuit about this complaint?
No
How do you want this complaint resolved?
Refund
If you answered "Other" to the previous question, please specify
I was "surfing" the internet and ran across these article related to the AME church. I have spent the last couple of hours reading through your eloquent use of words. Of particular interest to me was learning of your distain for Bishop Kirkland, Joseph Nixon and his assignment to Brookins and subsequently…your exit. I pray brother that you have found a new church home and continue to grown in our Savior. While I could not find any additional articles past March 09, I feel compelled to write you…that is so unlike me. While I am not a writer nor do I have the logic to argue a point like a great debator, I would however, like to point out to you that there are always two sides to every story and somewhere in-between lies the truth. You can do all the research you want and talk to everyone from the church secretary to the Pope and you will never fully get the truth. I read your letter to Bishop Kirkland (by the way, I was a member of Shorter AME under Joseph Nixon and left when Timothy Tyler became pastor(for reasons I would rather not discuss here). I am now with a non-denominational church which is the best church I have EVER attended)…anyway, as I was saying, I read your letter to the Bishop and to be honest it broke my heart. I am a woman and I NEVER saw the things you saw in Pastor Nixon. I did find him to be a very no non-sense Pastor who had little tolerance for bull, but to say he disrespected women…I never saw that. And knowing his wife, a very annointed Apostle who is a strong woman of God the way I do, I can not fathom how you preceived that he was disrspectful of women. So that leads me to wonder did you actually witness his treatment of your minister of music Ms. Parker (I believe that's the name) or hear it from someone else? Additionally, I visited Brookins in July and all I heard Rev. Nixon talk about was the young adult choir and how much he loved their ministry. So much so in fact that he was willing to allow them to travel to minister to our young adults during a retreat (which we are in the process of planning). So I could not understand why you felt he "never addressed any portion of the music ministry". He was so proud of the ministry I mention above. Did you honestly give Rev. Nixon "a chance" as you reported you did?
In the bible, Apostle Paul could also be preceived as a man who did not respect women and who was disrespectful of the church…especially when he saw problems and addressed them…he was rather harsh. Do you think he was also talked about and received with distain? Maybe letters and articles were written to our Savior telling of his behavior…LOL that was a joke. I say this to say, as a Godly man your job is to pray for our leaders regardless of their behavior. They will have to answer to God not you or me. I would only caution you (and others) to be careful about what is said about those God has called. There are many examples in the bible of people who spoke against God's annointed and suffered the consequences for doing so. I remember when David was having problems with Saul and was ready to get rid of him… what did God tell David, " Touch not my anointed and do my Prophets no harm." God said this knowing that Saul was in sin! Its God's hand that will judge the real from the fake. In saying this, I think we should pray for the AME Church, Bishops, Pastors and member (even those we dislike…LOL) but most importantly, we have to be careful how we judge men and women of God. There is not a man or women of God, whom he used mightly for the kingdom, that was without fault. When you see a man or women of God needing prayer we are to pray and not judge. The word says that we should bare one another burdens. Not trying to preach, but just reminding you of what the word says. While all of your articles and postings seem to be written to "expose" the corrupt within the AME church, all we really need to know is that these people need prayer. Love ya in Christ!
Yes, I witnessed it firsthand.
I've dealt with the man directly and indirectly. And although I can't speak to what you did or did not see in Pastor Nixon, I can speak to what I witnessed. He is a dishonorable man for a number of reasons, some of which should not be posted here. I've more than done my research.
If you visited Brookins in July 2009, you would have no reference point for October/November of 2008, to which this letter was written.
I cannot believe that this is teh Church I wsa baptise in. Comming from Africa where such stories are based on mostly rumour and hearsay, the article is rather ruputaional damaging to say teh least of a man of the cloth. However on teh other hand if this inddeed happened as reported no man should be spared, so long he still walks on two legs is susceptible to the devils ways. By so saying I neither confirming nor denying the story, I am not in a position to do so in any event. We should hold on tighter to our faith, remember no human being owns the church it belongs to God. To my brethren in the States look not to personalities but to the cross.