Posted on 10/14/2014 8:51:19 PM PDT by Steelfish
Pastor Knew He Had AIDS When He Had Affairs, Church Says MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Oct 14, 2014 By PHILLIP RAWLS and JAY REEVES
The sun and clouds are reflected off a glass on the entrance of the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church where a portrait of pastor Juan D. McFarland hangs on the wall.
After listening to his sermons for 24 years, parishioners of the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church probably thought they knew the Rev. Juan D. McFarland.
But from the very pulpit where he preached about God's love and service to the community, he delivered some stunning revelations: He had had affairs with women in the parish — and neglected to tell them he had AIDS.
Perhaps because McFarland was so well-regarded, the church's deacons initially had sympathy.
"It was surprise, shock, but I think the leadership team did not react wanting to get him out. We wanted to get him help," said James Long, vice chairman of the board of trustees.
McFarland refused — and in a later sermon dropped another bombshell: He had been abusing drugs.
That was enough. The deacons voted 80-1 to fire him on Oct. 5, but McFarland refused to leave, going so far as to change the building's locks and the numbers of the church's bank account before returning to the pulpit on Oct. 12, Long said.
On Tuesday, the first business day following his last appearance, the deacons announced that they had filed a lawsuit to force McFarland out.
The church's website portrays the pastor as a man of passion, prayer and purpose "whose life is centered in Jesus Christ."
The suit describes McFarland as a man practicing "debauchery, sinfulness, hedonism, sexual misconduct, dishonesty, thievery and rejection of the Ten Commandments."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Looked up his picture and bio.....why am I not surprised???
I served on the Elder Board of our last church when we had a pastor fall into financial and sexual misconduct. We removed him but offered to help him with counselling. He had become accustomed to a particular lifestyle and refused our offer of help and decided to go across town and open another church. He poached members who couldn’t believe what he had done. Rather than submit to scriptural loving correction, this man let his pride guide his decisions. It still makes me sick when I see his new website that describes what a Godly man he is...lies, all LIES! It is quite common for such frauds to be drawn to Christianity because many misunderstand that forgiveness does not mean acceptance of sinful behavior. They miss the concept of meaningful contrition and the redemptive process. The pastor in this story isn’t a man of God...he is a man using God for his own egotistical and selfish motives. Sadly, it is an all to common scenario.
“The deacons voted 80-1 “
Whoever that 1 dissenter is should be watched like a hawk. Is this “Pastor” being charged with attempted murder? (I only read the excerpt.)
Please send to me private mail, I am a Pastor
Around 2004, my brother sent me an update on the hometown church...they’d gone out the year before and hired up a new minister. It wasn’t a big church....maybe 150 members. Deacons had asked a number of questions and were satisfied with the guy, and offered a contract. The guy had one extra request....if fired within one year, they’d owe him a whole year’s salary. Something should have gone off in the Deacon’s heads, but they just said sure.
So, election year comes around in a fairly Republican-dominated church. This new minister starts laying out talks on John Kerry and negative Bush episodes. Naturally, the membership is upset, and he’s warned to just stick to the Bible. He continues on, and they fire him. He pulls up a lawyer, and they get taken into court. Judge advises them to pay, and they have to take out a substantial loan to cover this.
The negative here is that for the next year or two...they get real serious about new membership and instituting a membership fee for folks joining the church. The fee was to pay back the loan for idiot they fired. It was probably the most unethical thing that you dream up and really rubbed people the wrong way.
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