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Three ThingsPolitics, Religion and Money. Forum for discussing topics that usually always end up in a flaming heap. Read this before posting!
Two former churchgoers say they were swindled out of a small fortune by the leaders of the Soul Factory, a large African American church in Prince George's County -- accusations the church denies.
In a lawsuit filed against the church, the married couple, Jose and Yvette Strickland, say they lent nearly $900,000 under a verbal agreement to the Soul Factory so that it could open a satellite church in Atlanta. The church says the money was a gift.
"It was not a loan; it was a donation," said Timothy Obitts, a lawyer hired by the church. He said the church is in the process of filing a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
The suit, filed Sept. 30, has surprised members of the Soul Factory, a popular church among young blacks in Forestville. The church is known for its use of hip-hop and pop culture and its contemporary plays, such as "Two Angry People in Love Going Thru Hell." It draws a few thousand congregants each Sunday.
According to the Stricklands, they began regularly attending the Soul Factory in 2000. In 2005, the church's founder and pastor, Deron Cloud, began courting Jose Strickland's financial help, the couple said, by inviting him to Wizards basketball games, on trips to Las Vegas and other activities and introducing him to top church leaders.
In 2006, the Stricklands say, Cloud asked Jose for $1.5 million to help open a satellite church in Atlanta. A few weeks later, Strickland, Cloud and other church leaders discussed financing the Atlanta church while in a private booth at a professional fight in Atlantic City, the couple said.
Months later, according to the lawsuit, Strickland gave the church $886,500, which Jose, a mortgage banker, and Yvette, a real estate agent, said they raised by mortgaging several properties they owned to a private lender.
The Stricklands said that Cloud and the church initially made nine payments to the private lender but stopped making payments in mid-2007. In their lawsuit, the Stricklands allege that the non-payments led to the loss of seven mortgaged properties to foreclosure and $6.8 million in financial losses. Both have filed for bankruptcy.
Obitts, the church's attorney, declined to go into detail about the lawsuit but said the church did not borrow money from the Stricklands. "This guy's allegedly a sophisticated businessman," Obitts said, "and yet he claims everything was done verbally. It doesn't make sense."
When asked why they gave the church such a large amount without any written agreement or contract or a structured loan, Jose Strickland said, "It was a trust situation, because they were a church, because we had a relationship."
Never do anything verbally. Humans are not perfect no matter how churchy they are. I mean come on they should have read thier bible and known that only God and Jesus are perfect...duh
That is what you get for donating to a church called "The Soul Factory"!
No really, does anyone remember the PTL scandal? My gramma donated a shit ton of money to them. And when she found out they were using it to buy Tammy Fay new eyelashes and air condition their dogs houses she was mad. I didn't feel bad for her. I mean, I love my gramma, but if you donate to "God" then he can buy fake eyelashes for Tammy if he wants. Who am I to say no?
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I'm gagging like I'm trying a DT in an amateur porno. ~Mammasweets
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Gawd loves trashy chicks with big hair and 4 inch lashes. Ya'll didn't know Gawd was from Texas?!
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"This guy's allegedly a sophisticated businessman," Obitts said, "and yet he claims everything was done verbally. It doesn't make sense."
No, it does not make sense at all. I have never heard of a church receiving a loan from a church-goer before. Not that it couldn't happen, of course; but I would be making damn sure the church I was loaning the money to knew, - and put in writing that they knew, that it was not a donation. Donations are far more likely in this context, after all.
I think these people regretted their excess of generosity.
On the other hand, - did the article really say that the church made nine payments to the private lender? That is as good as admitting it was the church's debt to pay......
Now I am confused.
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On the other hand, - did the article really say that the church made nine payments to the private lender? That is as good as admitting it was the church's debt to pay......
I think that this is just an unwillingness to pay it back on the part of the church. But, the church screwed up by making payments, which further reinforces that this was a loan, not a gift. The church leadership probably just thought that they could say it was a gift and not have to pay it back, because what parishioners loan money to their church? They don't. Sounds like fucking shitbags making money on the back of the masses, and wrapped in a swarthy cloth of "give yourself to Jesus".
I think that this is just an unwillingness to pay it back on the part of the church. But, the church screwed up by making payments, which further reinforces that this was a loan, not a gift. The church leadership probably just thought that they could say it was a gift and not have to pay it back, because what parishioners loan money to their church? They don't. Sounds like fucking shitbags making money on the back of the masses, and wrapped in a swarthy cloth of "give yourself to Jesus".
Right on the money, the payments have loan written all over them
November 5th, 2009, 01:43 PM
Soul Factory gets sued
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