Posted on 08/24/2007 4:44:29 PM PDT by Terriergal
TV evangelist Paula White, who is a frequent speaker at a San Antonio church where she recently formed a ministry partnership, and her husband, Randy, announced Thursday night that they plan to divorce after a nearly 18-year marriage.
The split was made public during a Thursday evening service for their Tampa, Fla., congregation, Without Walls International Church, which they founded in 1991 and which became one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing churches.
What her forthcoming divorce will mean for Family Praise Center in Northwest San Antonio remains unclear. White plans to keep Tampa as her base and continue preaching there, but she's putting down some roots here. She bought a nearly $700,000 home outside Boerne earlier this month, about the same time she was giving a five-week sermon series at Family Praise Center, founded by Bishop Rick Hawkins.Increasingly, White, Hawkins, his son and the San Antonio church have developed closer links.
White is a rising TV evangelist who has widespread appeal among evangelical Christians, particularly women. Her "Paula White Today" show is broadcast nationally on major networks such as CMT and BET and her Life By Design empowerment conferences, based in New York City, are spreading to cities nationwide.
The Whites told the Tampa Tribune no infidelity was involved in their breakup, which they described as "amicable."
"This has been an ongoing process and journey," said Paula White, standing on stage with her husband. "But God is always faithful. God always carries you through the dark places of life."
Randy White told the audience Paula White would continue preaching all over the world and on television. "I'm going to pastor this church and focus on being a great dad," he said.
Paula White first came to Family Praise Center in November 2005 to speak at a church-sponsored conference. She began to speak more regularly here and in recent months has led Sunday morning and Wednesday night services, recorded shows for syndication and led a fundraiser for a teen-pregnancy center.
Will Norris, staff pastor and communications director for Family Praise Center, told the San Antonio Express-News two weeks ago that the church and White have a ministry partnership that includes joining forces on community outreach and receiving advice from her on how the church could grow.
Norris did not return numerous phone calls seeking details about the partnership. Reached after the church's Wednesday service, he repeatedly declined to comment, referring all questions to White's spokeswoman Sheila Withum of WDC Media. The California-based public relations firm also has done work for Family Praise Center.
Withum told the Express-News two weeks ago that San Antonio was a likely site for Paula White to establish a Life By Design center, a place where monthly conferences would be offered. The first center was established in New York City, where White has held two conferences in recent months and where she owns a Trump Tower condo.
Phone calls and e-mails to Withum the past couple of weeks were not returned.
Family Praise Center was founded by Hawkins in 1993 and his son Dustin Hawkins is pastor. Both men got divorced in February.
Norris said neither Dustin nor Rick Hawkins was available for comment. Calls this week to Rick Hawkins' home were not returned.
During the Wednesday night service, Dustin Hawkins gave the main message, noting that he and his father attended Paula White's Life By Design conference Sunday in New York City.
Paula White told the Tampa Tribune that her involvement with Family Praise Center as a ministry partner was minimal but did say she is serving as the "spiritual overseer" for Dustin Hawkins. Meanwhile, Rick Hawkins is a board member for White's newly formed PWM Life Center Inc., a tax-exempt, nonprofit agency created in February, according to documents filed with the Florida Department of State's Division of Corporations.
Rick Hawkins is known in San Antonio for founding the School of Excellence in Education in 1998, the city's largest charter school district that caters to so-called at-risk students and includes a high school named after him.
Paula White is scheduled to speak at Family Praise Center on Sept. 9 and at Cornerstone Church on the North Side on Sept. 23.
Her background — growing up poor in Mississippi and overcoming a troubled upbringing — resonates with her audiences, especially African Americans, who make up the majority at her Tampa church.
Family Praise Center counts among its members a high number of African American and Hispanic people. White and Hawkins are Anglo and have been active in inner-city outreach.
White's lavish lifestyle, which includes a private jet, a Mercedes and a $2.1 million home in an elite neighborhood in Tampa, has generated criticism. Such amenities, she says, reflect God's blessing and notes her frequent donations to worldwide humanitarian causes.
White bought a 3,300-square-foot home just east of Boerne near the Kendall-Comal county line this month. The property, appraised at $681,570, is on 3.7 acres and includes a pool, guesthouse and three-car garage.
During a speaking engagement Aug. 12 at Family Praise Center, White arrived on stage from a side entrance and took a seat at the front next to Rick and Dustin Hawkins. Several security guards stood watch nearby.
After the service, she exited into a private room. Her message that morning touched on common motivational themes she's stated in speeches and books about overcoming obstacles through faith.
"We are in the last days of the greatest outpouring of God's spirit and even though we ugly, come on, some of us have a mess," she said. "We don't look like ministry material. We don't act like ministry material. But we are fruitful because we have a heart towards God that is pure and hands that are clean."
Often, her sermon brought standing ovations.
Lucia Perez, a Family Praise Center member, said some people there were wondering why Paula White has been frequenting the church in recent months, but ultimately the only issue affecting them was how to deal with the abnormally large audiences she generated.
"At first, people questioned it. It was like, 'Wow, she's been here a lot,'" Perez said. "But the only thing different (for church members) was that the church was packed."
Like I said about Juanita Bynum - there's a tiny chance that maybe she'll learn but I'm not going to hold my breath.
To those who have followed the Word-Faith teachers, where people rule.shalom b'shem Yah'shua15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.Seven Mysterious Letters
16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,"
and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich,
and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your
nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
21 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne,
as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Oh definitely — she’s only a drop in the sea of apostasy. (Evangelicalism is all preaching some form of self ‘fulfillment’ gospel).
They actually don’t look as wacky as Jan and Paul Crouch.
Paula’s actually quite nice looking. But of course, they sure suck up the money.
It's that women's-empowerment thing. Worked for TD Jakes I guess. (ha!) Paula should maybe get in touch with Catharine MacKinnon.
Oh it’s not just word-faith. It’s most of evangelicalism, although outside the WorKs faith movement it’s a little less flamboyant but just as pervasive. “It’s all about me! Even while I say it’s not about me!”
That's what I thought but they assure us no infidelity was involved. (not that it may not be in the future, just state-sanctioned because the divorce happens first)
It appears there are children involved in some of these interchangeable relationships. I feel sorry for them all.
Let's hope they have the comfort of having had their image painted as a cherub on the ceiling of the TBN headquarters by an artist who charges $3000 for a full length portrait.
Coral Ridge (D. James Kennedy)
In Touch Ministries (Charles Stanley)
Billy Graham Crusades
Harvest (Greg Laurie)
The Way of the Masters (Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort)
Breakthrough (Rod Parsley)
There may be one or two more.
“What scriptural basis do they claim for the divorce.
Or do they plan to openly live in sin?”
They should have maybe tried counseling but FGS, I’ve TRIED to keep an unhappy marriage together “because divorce is wrong” and it doesn’t work. It just makes everyone involved hate one another even more.
Why would anyone keep listening to these people?
I've never heard of this couple, and their works, and I live in the AO.
That couldn't be Randy White of Dallas Cowboys' fame? Nah...
5.56mm
Sad. Between this and the Juanita Bynum debacle, I hope these glitzy televangelist supporters will wake up.
-Imlac, Samuel Johnson's Rasselas
Let me first say Family Praise in San Antonio is my church and Paula is now a partner. My heart is broke. This church was never part of the word faith movement, and money wasnt what was preached. What was preached was always right out of the bible, and then our Pastor would help us apply these scriptures to our lives and our families. Sometimes our Pastor would just come out to tell us how much God loved us. This church was my shelter in the storms of life. I do not agree with Paula’s doctrine at all;sacrificial seed offerings do not line up with scripture. God is not activated by money offerings. This is part of word faith movement. Their teachings can be dangerous to say the least. One point I would like your opinion on is this. Paula’s riches perhaps have mostly come from her “side jobs”, books, DVDs, seminars, and other endeavors. Although she asks for money during her sermons, I wonder if most of that is given to charities. Is there any way to find out? If indeed she is rich from these other endeavors and most of the money coming in from the church is given away, then her wealth shouldnt be factored in when judging her as a pastor? Is that right? You know I am confused.
I really don't care how much a pastor makes. What comes out of their mouth as they claim to proclaim Christ is the issue. Every time I have heard Paula white on TV she has said very little about why Christ came to dwell among us, unless he did indeed come to make us wealthy in this life.
Egad! How very Medici of them!
Paula’s actually quite nice looking.
Is it real, or is it Photochop(R)?
The nails, the high heels, the warpaint on her face.....it all costs a lot of money
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