BREAKING NEWS! – First AME Mansion/Parsonage owes $51,000 in back property taxes!  Click HERE

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There is SO much happening as we speak, Mo’Kelly wouldn’t dare try to make multiple posts.  Mo’Kelly will try to keep all of this information in one post as to ensure everybody is on the same “page”…pun intended.  The information is coming in fast and furiously.

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Rev. AWOL

#1 – Where in the World is Rev. John Hunter?!

Mo’Kelly’s received confirmation from independent and unrelated sources that John Hunter is (as of this posting) AWOL.  Hunter evidently was NOT in the pulpit this past Sunday (3.29) and hasn’t been reachable for the better part of a week.  Mo’Kelly would NEVER recklessly speculate, for that isn’t his way.

(But Mo’Kelly will say this…)

The only time Mo’Kelly has had friends/grown men “disappear” for an inordinate amount of time was when they were either in rehab, jail, the rubber room or some wicked combination of all three.  If the pastor of the church can’t be found, it’s because he doesn’t want to be found and/or doesn’t want you to know his exact whereabouts or situation.  Whether it’s a short “alleged” jail stint, or an emotional/mental breakdown…that’s not exactly information an embattled minister wants out in the ether.

Mo’Kelly doesn’t want to “speculate”…just relaying what he’s seen over the years.

First AME church of Los Angeles…contact Mo’Kelly NOW!  Where in the world is Rev. John Hunter.  Have you seen your pastor?!

UPDATE 5:00PM PDT

“Word is” Rev. John Hunter is presently under house arrest for straying beyond the allowed radius of his ankle pager/bracelet. Developing...

Rev. C. Dennis Williams

#2 – Mutiny/revolt at Ward AME!

One of Mo’Kelly’s sources emailed a copy of a letter requesting full disclosure as to “missing money” and the allocation of recent loan on a church property.  Sound familiar?!  Anyhow, here is the letter in its entirety.  Pastor C. Dennis Williams is in TREMENDOUS trouble…and that’s not even MENTIONING the Sylvester Laudermill lawsuit mess…$300,000 of which the church was found liable.

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TO: Ward AME Steward Board

FROM: Concerned Members of Ward AME Church

DATE: March 20, 2009

We thank you for your prompt and focused response to our initial writing.

BACKGROUND

It is imperative we make it clear our purpose is to become aware of the financial condition of Ward and know what has been done and what is being done. One can only deal with the present by clearly understanding the past. Open, complete and friendly discussion of the church’s finances and contractual obligations is in order. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” Matt.5:9

We have diligently searched throughout the discipline and have been unable to locate the discussion or prescription for presenting a letter such as ours. You have stated in your response: “…we agree to disagree on matters of preference but not on matters of doctrine.”

“Contained within this doctrine (Doctrine and Discipline of the AME Church) is a precise manner in which the issues you raised should have been brought to the attention of the church”: We ask for section and article specificity.

Your indication of meeting as quickly as possible is well heeded. We desire the same. We would like you to set a date at your earliest convenience to meet with all concerned parties in an effort to resolve the noted concerns.

To that end, we encourage the Stewards and the Commission on Stewardship and Finance to provide us accurate and complete financial reports as required in the aforementioned Discipline under duties of said Stewards regarding ALL expenditures [Discipline , Local Church Organization 1.a.2)d).p.68] and [Discipline, Optional Local Church Organization B.4.a.6)]. As such, the contention of “moving on” and not providing such transparency and clarity with regard to inquiries into the close-out statement for 2007-2008 is a dereliction of the board’s fiduciary responsibility as outlined.

CONCERNS
Financial Statements

You have referred to monthly financial and quarterly reports on income and expenses. We wish to examine those for the year of 2008. Inquiries at the church office have not satisfied this request; help in this regard would be greatly appreciated. As per the Discipline [Discipline, Optional Local Church Organizations B.4.a.6) pg.82] the Commission on Stewardship and Finance is obligated to produce a monthly report to the Official Board of “all receipts and disbursements and of unpaid obligations against the budget.”

The Half Million Loan

Since the church has recently obtained a loan of $500,000, it is appropriate to request a complete and accurate report regarding the disposition of these funds. The statement provided neither outlined the cost of acquiring the loan, the interest rate obtained, nor the amount of the monthly payments. Of interest, the deposit stated as $318 K, and the holdback account at $177 K is $5000 short of the loan amount, yet no reconciliation was notated.

Rental Agreements

RENTAL or LEASE AGREEMENTS of the church’s property are to be coordinated and arrived at by consensus and authorization of the Trustee Board who, by the Discipline, has managerial authority over all temporal concerns of the church [Discipline, Local Church Organizations 1.b.5)a.) {As an aside, this section is where the Discipline outlines that the Trustee Board, indeed, have an elected treasurer, as Bro. Brand contended to Pastor Williams at Official Board}.
Conditions of any lease and rental contracts and compliance to contractual requirements should be available upon request. We note that all leases or contracts are to be negotiated by the Trustee Board then ratified by the Official Board and/or the church conference. [Discipline general church property C. mortgaging property, p. 58, Discipline Local Church Organization, b. Trustees, 5, 6, Duties of Trustees C) p. 70]. Neither the Pastor nor any other persons has the authority to solely negotiate terms or obligations of leasing contracts.

Budget

A reduction of 44% in the official budget for 2008-2009 actually translates to expectation that Ward will produce 44% less revenue this year [Discipline, Local Church Organization A.1.a.2)b)( “The salary of a FULL TIME* pastor…ability of the local congregation.”) pg. 68].

Has a comparison of actual expenditures against the current budget been made to 2007-2008 budget? “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty surely to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5

To that end, it is folly to contend that the Pastoral compensation package can not be revisited. Downsizing and fiscal realities are taking place throughout the economic landscape, and the expenditures of Ward’s Administration compensation accounts for approximately 42% of the revenue stream of Ward AME Church. No prudently managed business can survive with that kind of balance sheet: remember (Discipline pg. 42) “A steward is one to whom an important trust has been committed. We hold that time, talents, and treasure are gifts of God committed to us and the use to which we put these determines whether we are good and faithful stewards or careless and unprofitable ones (Matthew 25:14-30).”

In our current financial malaise, Ward members are being asked to make Herculean sacrifices: clear and evident leadership by example speaks volumes.

Bank Accounts

As per the aforementioned sections and articles, the mandate of the Steward Board and the Commission on Stewardship and Finance is to make coherent, concise, transparent and accurate reports of ALL expenditures and revenue. Lumping numbers together to obscure or confound is not within the Discipline nor the Master’s will (God is not the author of confusion).

With respect to the pastor’s discretionary checking account, the specific authorization of such is not within the Discipline’s detailing of the establishment of a Central Budget Fund [Discipline, Optional Local Church Organization, B.4.b.2) pg. 83].

Even viewed expansively as to consider the account to fall under a) b) or n), there is no ambiguity concerning the criteria for the Steward Board to provide “accurate reports of EVERY expenditure of money, whether to the pastor, church, sick or poor.” We request that you identify the discretionary account expenditure(s) in the 2008-2009 budget, detail the amount(s) deposited and reconcile the current balance.

Also, in what name is the discretionary account held? If we learn nothing else from the lawsuit (which implicated Ward’s negligence primarily because a credit card held in the name of the church was used privately) it should be to separate the pastor’s private financial dealings from that of the church.

Please identify and reference where on the financial reports we can locate the funds held for the renovation of the restrooms in the sanctuary.

A reference is made to the CFO as a signatory on checks. Who is the CFO?

Ward’s Obligation

Your reference to Concern #7 can be clarified. As you have indicated, the Discipline should be our guide. Thus, if loans are made, property mortgaged or contracts made, they should be properly negotiated and authorized by the Trustee Board [see previous reference to Discipline pgs. 58 and 70.]

It is also important that we recognize authority of the Trustee Board to “guard for the Connection all real estate, churches, parsonages, schools, and any other property obtained by the local church” [Discipline, Local Church Organizations b.5) b) pg.70]. This places their responsibility beyond the local church, and they must prudently execute their duties with the greater good of the Connection in mind.

Thus, usurping the authority so given by the Discipline to the Trustee Board, by either the Administration or by any member of that Board, who jeopardizes Connectional property or causes destruction or alteration, or exposes the church, via their actions, to liability without the aforementioned Trustee Board and church conference approval is grounds for action [Discipline, Local Church Organization b. 8) pg. 71] and just cause for concern.

The current signed lease arrangement held with one of our tenants is woeful evidence of inadequately indemnifying and protecting the church’s interests, leaving blank the spaces for provisions for proof of insurance, security deposit, amount of late payment penalties, and amount of non-sufficient fund assessment.

This tenant has, thus far, failed to provide proof of insurance; has canceled a meeting with the Trustee Board to provide such proof, the while continuing use of the facilities the following three weeks; has refused to remove its stored possessions from our Fellowship Hall stage; and has demanded use of our kitchen for the purpose of fund-raising (a consideration prohibited to the members of Ward AME Church) as a condition of the lease contract.

Audits

Our request for financial audits is grounded within our primary desire to keep the church solvent and aware of its financial condition. Our idea of an “audit” differs from yours. We desire that an “audit” be done by an objective professional: a CPA is most appropriate for this purpose. Please make the previous audit available, as we would like the opportunity to thoroughly review.

Travel

It is hyperbole to say Pastor Williams only represents Ward wherever he goes, and thereby justifies Ward incurring all travel expenditures. That is the kind of dangerously obtuse statement that allows unfettered misconduct. As Pastor Williams has so publicly stated, Ward AME is not his only job. This is contrary to the dictates of the Discipline which rates the classes of Pastors [Discipline, Ministerial Support A. Salary of Ministers (re: FULL TIME* servants of the church) and C. Classification of Churches (Class A:) pg. 114-115] regarding their commitment to their charge.

Moreover, when Ward travels a guest speaker, Ward provides for travel, accommodations and per diem. We can only surmise that other churches (as well as appropriate institutions and organizations) do like wise, thus all travel done in the name of Ward need not mean addition expenditure to Ward.

Economic considerations call for traveling within the most affordable class offered, adhering to the spirit of the Apostolic percepts notated in the Discipline [Discipline, The Itinerant Ministry, A.5.&13. pgs. 104 & 106].

Does the Travel voucher process require prior approval of travel or simply ratification and by whom?

Pastoral Accessibility

Your response stated that Pastor Williams’ calling is beyond the confines of the walls of Ward AME. To say that he has been called to teach within Southern California and in other locations is to ignore the ruling determined at the 2005 Annual Conference by their classifying body that found Pastor Williams did not conform to the dictates of the Discipline’s definition of a FULL TIME Class A pastor (because of those very responsibilities that he continues to entertain and pursue beyond the walls of his charge).

How anyone can think it selfish to expect your Pastor to be accessible to you at your time of need, and fully committed to the ministry that lay before him- as outlined in the Discipline- is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

Suggesting that one day a week “open door” policy is somehow a hardship on the Pastor borders on the absurd: he is first and foremost our Pastor. His door is supposed to be open to members of his charge. He is overtly compensated to provide these services (and more), which, by the Discipline and the Connection’s own definitions, are lacking.

CONCLUSION

With this brief writing, we urge you to find time soon to meet for the purpose of discussion of improving the church’s finances and position with regards to risk.

Issues concerning the non-compliance of our properties (particularly our rentals) to municipal building codes (LAMBC) expose us to continued potential for punitive catastrophic financial loss and can not go unheeded.

We also note that the members of the Commission on Stewardship and Finance are to be elected by the church conference [Discipline, Optional Local Church Organization, Commissions in the Local Church, pg. 79]. If this occurred we find no record of it.

We point to this out of kindness and love. We look to do things in right and proper order within the operations of the church that it may be found harmless in the day of trial. “That, in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of this grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” [Eph. 2:7]

Time must be devoted to perform a financial examination and while we are aware of your wish to “move forward” we can’t microwave our blessings. “They thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.” Luke 19:11

We leave with God’s love and in anticipation of working toward our shared goals.

Roger Reid
Errol Briggs
Cheryl Reid
Sam Dantzler
Prentiss Brand
Henry Burr
Lora Brand
Alton Glaze
Robert Allen
Gloria Martin

The Plaintiff

#3 – More than 35 5th District AME churches presently being SUED

Yes, Mo’Kelly said BEING SUED, by United Leasing Associates of America for alleged non-payment for services and “leasing of equipment.”   The AME churches say they were approached by TVBO and Urban Interfaith about a no-cost investment program through which the churches would lease and place educational kiosks in their buildings. People could use these kiosks to obtain information from the Internet as well as access church Web sites.

TVBO and Urban Interfaith promised to secure national sponsors and others for the kiosks, who then would make the churches’ monthly lease payments and also provide the churches with additional monthly revenue from the commercial sponsorships, according to court records filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court and in Michigan.

The sponsors never materialized, court records state, and United Leasing ultimately filed lawsuits late last year and this year in against the churches after they failed to make lease payments.  The involved churches have gone to Bishop Kirkland for financial relief and/or legal direction.  Bishop Kirkland reportedly will not return any phone calls and a number of AME ministers are mobilizing to “bum rush” the Bishop’s office.  Will keep you posted.

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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