By the time thousands of parishioners stream into the 3,000-seat Ebenezer AME Church on Easter Sunday, church leaders hope to have something else to celebrate: financial revival.
The congregation, one of America's largest, has been scrambling to raise funds to save the arena-sized sanctuary from potential foreclosure. To that end, it has enlisted national leaders, such as the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Harvard Law School's Charles Ogletree, who was President Barack Obama's law professor.
Thanks to its 10,000-member congregation and connections with business and civic leaders, Ebenezer expects to avoid the fate of a growing number of U.S. churches, which are defaulting on loans, facing foreclosure and even declaring bankruptcy at an unprecedented pace.
"It's happening to virtually every church," said the Rev. Grainger Browning, senior pastor of Ebenezer. "At a recent meeting with the 100 top pastors in the country, it was amazing how all of us were facing some sort of challenge with the banks."
Supercheap, few-questions-asked loans were a temptation even churches could not resist, but now they are paying for their sins as the debt crisis enters the house of God.
More Here.
Jesse ( I didn't impregnate them other women twice in the same night ) Jackson
ReplyDeleteYou want ANYBODY here to lay credence to ANYTHING
that has that scumbags name attached to it !
Not likely COMRADE
EA
ReplyDeleteBest watch your step there Compadre
God will decide
NOT YOU
good comrade, churches are bs anyways, they take all the money and rape the children, they are bloodsuckers and deserve to go down
ReplyDeleteea is a worse censor than the govt is
ReplyDeleteMMMMM, 10,000 patrons, @ direct deposit divided by 10 - 16% of their personal income, average "offering" X tax free = $128,000 / week / Sunday.
ReplyDelete.5 mill a month + obamas / other ethnics buddy system / friends in high places = friends bail out friends = .5 mill + bailout (2 mill / yearly (" 3 years minimum) = $ 8 million a year !!! And then the sheeple shall rejoice and marvel at the sun errr I mean the son of god, dont run toward the church when it happens, run away from the church. Yea mathmatically makes sense that they will go bankrupt.
god is going broke? now that is funny
ReplyDeleteWhy is EA a worse censor than the govt?
ReplyDeleteAnd why is someone telling EA to watch his step?
He posted an article. That is all.
What's the problem here?
I guess god is not too good with money, like w bush two loosers
ReplyDeleteNo, god was already bankrupt. Now the churches must repent.
ReplyDeleteread my book crazy for god
ReplyDeleteI am a more or less, Catholic. I currently do not financially support the church. The Los Angeles and Orange diocese have to come up with nearly 1 billion bucks to pay off the judgements. Cardinal Mahoney is still in charge. I hope he burns in hell.
ReplyDeleteThe Crystal Cathedral is a different story. Robert Schuller has NEVER been accused of any scandals or wrong doing. The real deal is that the Crystal Cathedral needs about 5 million a month, just to break even. They are seriously past due on a boatload of bills.
God is not broke. Carry on...
god is broke, he soon will be homeless
ReplyDeleteParasitic religious people like Schuller and the child molesting, gold hoarding Vatican will always be floating in wealth. Weep not for them. There are plenty of deluded sheep ready to open their wallets to these maggots even if it means they have to skip a meal or two.
ReplyDeleteRobert Schuller long ago bragged to my uncle that he was going to be a multi millionaire. My uncle asked him how. He said the easiest way. Start a church and tell people what they want to hear. Not lying, absolutely true.
ReplyDeleteThe Crystal Castle fruitcake, the Benny Hinns, the Swaggarts, don't believe one word of the crap they are spewing. They are in it for the $$ and they are damn good at fleecing the sheep.
They will not be going broke anytime soon. They must always fake like they are on the brink of bankruptcy. Jimmy's been doing that 1000s of times since the early 80s. "Unless you help me I may not be on the air next week". Now, let me go into the next room and jerk off.
All con men. All slick.
The difference is that this time is real. The peoples are broke, and the Church is losing popularity. There will always be a surplus of those willing to dig deep into their pockets, but when the pockets go empty...too bad. I wonder how much it costs to air condition a cathedral and provide electricity to it. I wonder how much these prick business men/preachers will be worth once their real estate devalues and their loans default. Spreading the word is not self sustainable any more.
ReplyDeleteebenezer church should hire a public relations/fundraiser .
ReplyDeletewhat about Tammy she is good at crying?
And stands by her man.
Any church that has a lighning conductor beleives neither in the power of prayer or has faith in their god to protect them.
They all do seem to beleive and have faith in the god and church of capital and usury.
Dont underestimate the fundraising abilities of god and the chrystal Cathedral, as well as the locals the services are distrubuted on cable all around the world and the call goes out for the widows mite even in the poor Third World.
ReplyDeleteproffessional everlastingly "poor" pastors of god akways need help .
God will provide.Jesus saves others must pay cash.
The deluded sheeple will always dig deep in their pockets for these parasites and their scam of "give a $1, get $7 back."
ReplyDeleteThe most lucrative scam on the planet has always been religion. Don't ever think that a big church is really going bankrupt. I mean the scammers behind it. Churches are run like a business behind all the BS, back in the admin office. What was the take today?
Think that church went bankrupt? No. It just means the money men behind it have leeched the gullible sheep dry and gone down the street and opened another church with a brand new shiny tithe plate.
I bow to the expert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o
another brick in the wall, the commies are destroying our nation, destroying the church(scandels that get ALOT of attention on the tv, and bankruptcy from the fascist bankers)gays have been infiltrating the church for 50 years, openly show themselves ALL over the government, all part of the plan! The U.S. will be a mix of South Africa, Argentina, and zimbabwa
ReplyDeleteSo Easter Sunday was 2 days ago. Normally the church would be packed. People standing along the walls and in doorways. Some just outside the doors. Many of the "faithful" only go to church on Easter, Christmas, weddings and funerals. The priest mentioned the crisis within the church in his sermon, a lack of vocations (priests, nuns and deacons) along with the rapidly declining head count within the congregations. Now that the Easter season is over, next week (If I chose to attend a Mass), things will be back to "normal", a 1000 seat capacity church with 2/3 of the seating, empty.
ReplyDeleteGerald Celente said it best, "when people lose everything (including their faith), they lose it!
Just think of your local church as a very accurate barometer of things to come.
I think what J. Jackson said at the end of the article is very telling. These churches are having to cancel programs...i.e. services to seniors, food programs...think about that--the church's role has usually been about outreach; that being the priority. But now because many of these churches are behind the 8-ball financially--because they weren't prudent and put money into shiny new buildings, etc....their ability to serve is dwindling. So what you have here is the equivilent of people buying their McMansions but not able to decently feed their kids or do much of anything else besides slave away to pay their mortgage. We joined a church about five years ago because it was easier logistically and they were on the quest with this particular pastor to build a new church. It didn't fly...people left. I got tired of the increasing strangeness of the church and left a few years ago. I've been told that they are now adding onto the church and spending more money...more people have left. The timing of these churches deciding to "take a leap of faith and that God will provide" couldn't have happened at a worse time. They couldn't and can't see the economy is in failure mode and to just be conservative and maintain...just hang on. Now they are digging themselves deeper in debt. This is going to be the beginning of churches around our nation going belly up. This is all by design. Just like people not being able to resist shinier and newer homes, the same goes to these pastors who cannot see or recognize the times we live in. The church missed the boat on outreach to others and instead wanting to make their buildings new with coffee shops, et al. They were tempted and fell for it. Only the small, humble churches will survive this...and those churches will then be the persecuted. Just watch. And pay attention.
ReplyDeleteNo one "forced" the churches to be bigger and invest in shinier objects. That is not of design, except of the "God" design, and part of the grand spectacle that is the silly society we live in today. The truth of the matter is that we are all gods and the church and the bible are all manifestations of satan. Yes thats right, you were all duped.
ReplyDeleteIf everyone had listened to their gandmother and prayed in a closet, this may never have happened.
ReplyDeleteI find it ironic that a staggering number of people are victims of financial terrorism and are just becomming aware of it.
There is more than one way to enslave a people.
God is good, it's the majority of these churches that preach all the touchy feely goody goody crap that makes me cringe. "God wants you to be rich, just send me money and you will get my latest copy XXX!@#" or "Don't worry be happy, it' all good" while failing to preach the tough love/repentacne aspect of anything since that scares off the $$$.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to tell the ones that show up on Sunday to make an appearance, many are not genuine but just want to chat with friends after the service with Starbuck's coffee and cookies.
God is forever
ReplyDeleteHis timeframe is forever
He will let you do all the stupid things you want
in your miniscule little lifespan
If you would bother to read his book - you would indeed find everything is transpiring accorording to His plan - not the Illuminatis
You do not have to believe me - juswt start by researching the most brilliant minds that man has ever had to offer.
Want to really go back in time? Start with Plato and come forward I dunno; how about Einstein ?
Who among you has 1/50th the mental capacity of either - who by the way both knew God.
Nuff said
they knew god? did they have tea with him? Poor deluded soul, read my book crazy for god
ReplyDeleteread the book " they are out of their minds for god"
ReplyDeleteI don't need to read your book - judging from your comments; nor will I
ReplyDeleteI've read THE book - and another FACT of THE book is that while it is constantly being validated - NO NO NO ONE has EVER EVER EVER
been able to DISPUTE !!!!
EVER
Do not talk down to me sir - for it is not my soul that is diluted or deluded.
I have also read the source of both persons I mentioned - you should as well; and until you
are on Par with Einstein; I would keep my OPINIONS ( and that's what they are) to myself
Did They have Tea with Him indeed ! The very comment means intellectually you are in the 4th grade still trying to figure out which came first
Read Plato - ORIGINAL MANU.
I READ THE BOOK AND YOU CAN NEVER NEVER NEVER PROOF THAT IT IS REAL NEVER NEVER NEVER WILL BELIEVE IT, YOU ARE LIAR SIR
ReplyDeleteread my book crazy for god, you will see the TRUTH THERE
ReplyDelete