[JimRed]

As stated above, this is from a fund raising e-mail I received from this organization. I usually would agree that this is harassment, but if the church is charging for the day care services and is not properly licensed, aren't they in violation?

Arresting the pastor seems a bit much (they could have mailed a summons instead), but shouldn't the church be required to "render unto Caesar"?

[Jaysun]

As stated above, this is from a fund raising e-mail I received from this organization. I usually would agree that this is harassment, but if the church is charging for the day care services and is not properly licensed, aren't they in violation?


Yes, if it's a daycare they should have a license according to whatever the law is. Arresting the pastor is absurd. Not having a license should get you fined, maybe shutdown, but not arrested.

[Lazamataz]

Don't give money to commies.

[Corin Stormhands]

I think there is more to this story than what you got in the email.

[joshhiggins]

Not enough information given.
Was the pastor merely renting the day care center space on Sundays, for services?
Was the church running the Day Care or was the landlord?
What previous communications had the police had with the pastor?
I suspect there is a lot more to this story.

[OldSmaj]

That's why we're asking you to give generously today ...

And therein lies the rub...

Methinks there is a lot more to this than meets the eye.

I've noted that many religious organizations are resorting to what amounts to inflammatory rhetoric in order to solicit funds.

Passing the collection plate before the sermon just don't get it anymore, I guess.

[yarddog]

I would like to know the whole story but the ACLJ is a good organiation as far as I know.

[Ditter]

It is difficult to figure out what is going on sometimes. I was a founding member of a Presbyterian church that held services in a members garage until we could build a building. We were sued by members of the neighborhood and forced to move. They said it violated the deed restrictions, the judge agreed and they won. I have yet to understand our opponents real reason, except hatefulness, for wanting us to stop. I thought that all churches began that way.

[Mercat]

The power to tax is the power to destroy.

[YOUGOTIT]

Why would they come on Sunday when a service is going on? Why not wait until Monday and take whatever action is necessary? Looks as though the police wanted to make the news. Did they have the TV or any reporters with them or did they do this so the pastor could not post bail until Monday and be forced to spent the night in jail.

I think there are people on the force that need to be dismissed as incompetent, they are making the 99% who do a great job look bad. They just tasered another kid (14 years old) here in Florida who was in handcuffs and on the ground.

[HereInTheHeartland]

"That's why we're asking you to give generously today ..."

Thats usually the first sign of a scam. Don't believe them.

[StonyBurk]

I may have read this wrong--but It seems to me the church was using the day care facility for Sunday services. I did not understand it to suggest they were running a day care facility. At any rate the Mayors office in MaudiGras land
insists it must be the COunty behind this -and insist they
are inocent and ignorant of the case.

[deport]

• Oginni pastors Lighted Path Ministries International, a non-denominational Christian church, serving St. Louis, Missouri, and neighboring cities for the past six years.
• The church had been using a day care facility for church services for more than two years.
• During a church anniversary celebration, a local police officer stopped by to inquire about the event and left.
• Three days later, the owner of the day care center was summoned to appear in court to answer questions about the religious service.
• Later, a police officer arrived at a Sunday morning service and asked to speak with the pastor and have him fill out a form at his office.
• Pastor rode in the car with the officer to city hall (since the officer had blocked the pastor’s vehicle with his police car).
• Once they arrived, the officer arrested the pastor.
• The violation was described as “conducting business/service without proper license.”

Pastor Bori Oginni
Lighted Path Ministries International
12913 High Crest
Florissant, MO 63033
Phone:(314) 355-2293
Fax:

This sounds to me like no more than a commonplace code violation. There’s no explanation why Pastor Oginni was arrested instead of merely ticketed and, though the letter raises the specter of pastors hauled from the pulpit, slapped in manacles, and flung into a dungeon, the statement of facts doesn’t say that he was either handcuffed or jailed.

The address for Oginni’s church, as published on the Internet, is in unincorporated St. Louis County, in the north precinct, and the officer I spoke with there says he doesn’t know anything about the matter.

I called Pastor Oginni, who declined to answer questions, saying he would have somebody from the American Center for Law and Justice contact me; none has so far, and when I called the 800-number in the fund-raising e-mail I got a recorded answering-machine message.

Sooo … even though there are lots of links in Mr. Sekulow’s letter to make it easy to add my 2-cents to this fight — Or MORE! If I CAN! — I think I’m going to wait.

All of the above from this link

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Pastor Oginni on the net