Roxburys historic Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the 11th hour to halt a foreclosure auction that its bank had planned to hold tomorrow.

The short story is that there will be no foreclosure at all. We stopped the bank dead in its tracks, the Rev. Gregory Groover told the Herald last night after the church filed for bankruptcy in federal court.

The move came less than 40 hours before Boston-based OneUnited Bank, which couldnt immediately be reached for comment, had planned to seize the church through a foreclosure auction.

OneUnited, which bills itself as the nations largest black-owned bank, launched foreclosure proceedings after the 194-year-old congregation failed to make a $1.1 million balloon mortgage payment in December.

Charles Street said it never missed a monthly payment on the 5-year-old loan, but couldnt refinance when the balloon payment came due because of an ongoing legal dispute with OneUnited.

The bank sued the church in 2010 over a roughly $3.6 million construction loan that Charles Street had taken out to build an adjacent community center.

OneUnited stopped disbursing funds for the project in 2009, which the church said prevented it from finishing construction and raising funds to repay the loan.

Church lawyer Ross Martin said Charles Street plans, as part of its bankruptcy reorganization, to restart the project using a $1.5 million grant from the African Methodist Episcopal movement.

He added that the church will ask a bankruptcy judge to let Charles Street repay its OneUnited debts over 30 years at 5.25 percent interest.

Groover said that means the congregation wont violate the Bibles Thou Shalt Not Steal commandment.

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Church stops bank 'dead in its tracks'

By Beth Healy, Globe Staff

With their lender unwilling to negotiate or halt foreclosure proceedings, members of the Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church voted Tuesday night to file for federal bankruptcy protection, heading off OneUnited Banks plan to auction the historic congregations property this week.

At a special meeting held at the Roxbury church Tuesday evening, lawyers for Charles Street AME laid out options for avoiding foreclosure on a $1.1 million loan. The estimated 250 members members in attendance voted to proceed with a Chapter 11 reorganization filing, to forestall the threatened sale of the church on Thursday, the churchs lawyer, Ross Martin, said.

The action comes after a pitched battle between two prominent black institutions over roughly $4 million in loans. OneUnited, among the nations largest black-owned banks, ignored pleas from lawmakers, ministers, and business leaders to talk, and ultimately left the church with little room to maneuver.

Their decision to immediately move to foreclosure, and the senseless way that they did it, from the churchs viewpoint, is inconceivable, Reverend Gregory G. Groover Sr. said in an interview with the Globe. The bankruptcy filing, he said, allows the church to go on and continue to operate and focus on our ministry.

Under the bankruptcy petition, which lawyers planned to file electronically Tuesday night, Charles Street is offering to repay the money it owes OneUnited -- totaling about $4.2 million -- over 30 years. That includes both the $1.1 million loan secured by the church property and $3 million the church borrowed to build a community center a block away.

The bank could not immediately be reached for comment. In recent weeks, its officials have insisted that it gave Charles Street plenty of time to repay its loans, and declined to discuss its high-profile customer.

Under the bankruptcy petition, the church is looking to keep all its property, including a house in Milton that has served as a pastors residence (its not currently in use) and retail space near the church. Its looking to extend the payments for the loans over 30 years, more like a home mortgage than a commercial loan, at a rate of 5.25 percent.

The umbrella organization that includes Charles Street, the First Episcopal District of Philadelphia, would raise $1.5 million to help repay the debt.

In 2007, OneUnited chief executive Kevin Cohee touted his partnership with Charles Street as a show of commitment to the community and a catalyst for opening his new Grove Hall bank branch that year. He agreed to lend the church $3.7 million to build the Roxbury Renaissance Center, even though the church couldnt afford the $800,000 down payment, according to legal filings. When the church needed an extension on the loan in 2008, he granted it.

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Charles Street AME Church to file for bankruptcy to block OneUnited's foreclosure action

Building God's Way architect Don Mahoney and a team of experts in the areas of church building, church growth, church fundraising, church finance and leadership will address key strategies for facility expansion and renovation to reach a new generation.

(PRWEB) March 21, 2012

The seminar speaker panel will include experts in the areas of church architecture, church construction, fundraising, finance, leadership and church growth. Each of the speakers have worked with hundreds of ministry-based organizations across the country and will share vital information about how successful and vibrant ministries are responding to the largest generational shift in U.S. history.

Not Your Parents Church will shed light on how the new generation is impacting the way ministry space is being designed, utilized and funded. Building God's Way architects have designed more than 500 facilities for churches and Christian schools and will share new perspectives on master planning and design that are key in reaching the Millennial generation. Recent research indicates that a paradigm shift is bringing about new economic realities for ministries. As giving declines, churches must prayerfully seek out new and creative ways to fund ministries and outreach. In one seminar session, entitled, The Church Facility...its not just for Sundays anymore, the architects will share about how facilities that are planned and designed properly can play a key role in financial sustainability for churches.

The architects and the local BGW construction partner, Collage Companies, will also share about a unique construction delivery model that is changing the way churches and Christian schools are being built. With a foundation based on relationships, stewardship and outreach, this proven process is delivering a consistent 20-30% savings compared to standard design and building methods - without lowering quality. The program focuses not only on lowering up-front construction costs, but also has a huge impact on long-term operation and maintenance costs. The construction session will provide detail about the key elements that lower costs, including a unique pre-construction process and an exclusive network of suppliers for building materials, products and furnishings.

BGW Architect Don Mahoney has extensive background in church, school and performing arts architecture, designing prominent facilities with worship seating in the thousands. His expertise in architecture has been recognized with a number of national design awards, including multiple WFX Solomon Awards for Best Church Architect, Best Church Design, Best Special Project and Best Digital Church; The LCEF Arts & Architecture Award for Best Liturgical Design, and recognition among the 7 most innovative churches in America by Ministry Today.

Pastor Terry Bates will headline the fundraising and growth tracks of the seminars. Terry has personally led several congregations through barriers to incredible growth and have helped ministries across the country to inspire and motivate their congregations to successfully fund their God-given vision. Terry Bates is currently the pastor of OKC Faith Church in Oklahoma City and is the author of Positioning Your Church. Terry previously worked with Dr. John Maxwells Million Leader Mandate, in which he was involved in training more than 250,000 in Asia and Africa.

Pastor Bates will share some keys to developing momentum in any economic environment, momentum that can lead to increased attendance, greater member involvement and increased giving capacity. In another session, the pastors will provide an overview of a radically different concept in capital fundraising called Hearing from God. This refreshing approach is having dynamic results with ministries around the country without the high pressure and manipulation tactics common with most capital fundraising campaigns. Attendees will learn how their ministries can cultivate spiritual sensitivity as their congregation joins together to pray, fast and respond to the individual vision that God has for them.

David Sims, President of BGW | Financial, will share about Biblical-based, creative, comprehensive and coordinated strategies for church financing that can help get your project funded, even in the toughest economic environment. David earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration/Finance and hislaw degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida (1983, 1986). He subsequently earned a Masters in theological studies from ReformedTheological Seminary, Orlando and a doctorate from the University of Durham in Durham, England. In addition to his Florida law license, David holds the Series 6, 24, 62, 63 and 65 FINRA securities licenses and is Life and Health Insurance licensed. David is currently writing three new books, Preparing for the Coming Tax Tsunami, Building Responsible Stewardship and Tax Free Retirement.

For more information or to register for a BGW Not Your Parents Church seminar, visit the BGW Events Registration web page.

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Not Your Parent's Church Seminar Coming to Orlando March 26 and Tampa March 29

An Arnold construction company says a St. Louis County church shorted the firm thousands of dollars in fees related to a new $1.4 million high school on Smizer Station Road in Fenton called Living Faith Christian Academy.

Commercial Source LLC provided construction services and materials to Southwest Christian Church for its new school and is owed $127,266, according to a mechanic's lien filed in St. Louis County Court. The debt was owed six months prior to the January filing.

Jason Courtney, manager of Commercial Source, declined to comment because the dispute is in mediation.

Loren Copp, pastor of Southwest Christian, also guarded his comments.

"There is a lot more to it than that right there," Copp said of the lien. "I would be happy to give you my side of the story," once mediation is over.

Last July, Copp was featured in a front-page story in the Post-Dispatch that laid out a history of financial struggles, including bankruptcy, unpaid bills and allegations of deception and poor management.

Jack Horas, an attorney for Southwest Christian Church, said Commercial Source saddled the church with $300,000 in cost overruns that weren't allowed in the contract. "The bottom line is that this has nothing to do with Loren Copp, it has to do with whether or not Commercial Source breached its contract with the church," Horas said of the recent lien.

Copp formerly worked as a preacher around Benton, Ill., and was a builder in Indiana and Illinois before he moved to St. Louis in 2003. His financial woes primarily stemmed from construction projects he was accused of not finishing. In 2005, a judge approved a negotiated settlement of $203,400 to satisfy a suit brought against Copp by the Illinois attorney general, a sum that was said to be a portion of what was owed.

In addition to pastor, Copp is president of Ma-Ji-Ryu Christian Karate Association, which teaches martial arts. The nonprofit is the governing organization of the new high school and a pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade school in south St. Louis that Southwest Christian Church is supporting. The private schools also charge tuition.

According to court records filed in January, Ma-Ji-Ryu owes the Missouri Department of Revenue $450. Copp said Tuesday that he didn't know about the debt. "If I found out that that's the case, my organization will be sending in the 450 bucks," he said.

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Construction firm says church failed to pay fees for new Christian high school

Staff Writer

SARA CALDWELL/STAFF

Bryan Matthews serves as the pastor of New Life Christian Center, which recently began a campaign to raise money to build a 65,000-square-foot facility.

SPECIAL

A computer rendering shows a new building on Lewiston Road planned by New Life Christian Center. The church, which is currently located at 3336 Wrightsboro Road, recently began a capital fundraising campaign to build the new 65,000-square-foot building.

A 1,500-member church plans to move to a new site in Columbia County in spring 2013 when its building is torn down for a new Walmart Supercenter on Wrightsboro Road.

New Life Christian Center, 3336 Wrightsboro Road, recently began a capital fundraising campaign to build a 65,000-square-foot building on Lewiston Road about a mile from Interstate 20, Pastor Bryan Matthews said.

Money from the sale of the property to Walmart will be added to its $3 million fundraising goal to build the facility, which will cost $5 million to $7 million, Matthews said.

The land were moving to, weve had for 16 years, he said. We knew at some point in our future we would be moving to that location.

Walmart approached the church last summer about building a 152,000-square-foot store on its property near North Leg Road. The company announced plans for the store in January and has since said construction should start in March 2013.

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Church displaced by Walmart moving to Columbia County

18-03-2012 20:23 A quick peek at the new LCBC church being constructed in Ephrata, PA, at Rtes 322 and 222. Also a few turns around the Bergstrasse Evangelical Lutheran church across the street.

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LCBC Church Construction in Ephrata, PA - Video

18-03-2012 12:58 3d graphic design of the church Narga Selassie is a church on the western shores of Dek Island, the largest island of Lake Tana in northern Ethiopia. The name signifies "Trinity of the Rest". "Rest" refers to the place and the shade thereabouts. The church was constructed by Empress Mentewab in the late 18th century, apparently using as construction material for doors and roof a gigantic sycamore fig tree that stood at the centre of a slight elevation, now the centre of the church. Narga Selassie is fully decorated in the local style. A relief on the main entry portrays the Scottish explorer James Bruce, who visited the capital, Gondar, in the late 19th century. Narga Selassie was constructed in the classic round architecture of the churches of Lake Tana, with the notable contamination of the use of stone both in the perinaeum around the church and in the compound walls. It is accessed from the lake through a port constructed in 1987, which is connected to Bahar Dar and Gorgora by a state-owned ferry service. The access is in itself a beauty spot with a huge sycamore with long aerial roots descending to the lake and a door tower which forms part of the original construction.

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NARGA SELASSE 3d - Video

BREMERTON The walls came down before. Members of a Bremerton church were looking to knock down some more Sunday.

Bishop Larry Robertson of Emmanuel Apostolic Church led a march around property anchored at Park Avenue and Eighth Street to ask God for help in raising money to build the Marvin Williams Recreation Center.

The walk is a re-creation of Joshua's escort of the Israelites around the walls of Jericho. The biblical account says the walls fell on the seventh go-round.

Church members made that first walk in about 2004 with hopes of buying the land for the center. It took five years and the specter of watching the city plan a municipal court building, but in 2009 the land became the church's.

This time, Robertson said, he thinks their Sunday march should yield results much faster. He's hoping for construction on the center to begin by the end of this year, ahead of the church's most recent goal of August 2014.

The recreation center is designed to satisfy a need apparent in West Bremerton. "We just felt there needs to be a gymnasium and there needs to be a facility that can facilitate the little educational and wellness appetites for the kids that are in this area," Robertson said.

The basketball connection fits well with the name on the building. Williams, a Bremerton High School graduate and NBA player with the Atlanta Hawks, was given that honor for his support of the church and the community center project.

Besides the basketball court and exercise equipment, the center will have meeting room space and dining facilities. "People in this area don't have a lot of money to put behind the health and wellness issues," Robertson said.

The pastor counts the YMCAs in Silverdale and Bremerton and the Youth Wellness Center planned for East Bremerton among "the beautiful things happening in Kitsap County." He said he doesn't want his church's center to duplicate anything but to be part of the community's improvement.

A second phase of the campus Emmanuel plans will have room for a retailer that Robertson said will be there to sell something that fits with the community and offers Bremerton youth an opportunity to learn how to be smart economically.

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Church plans to build rec center in Bremerton

Havana retiree Maria Antonia confesses that she would be starving without the free lunches doled out by her neighborhood Catholic church.

The 69-year-old widow has a $12-a-month pension that barely covers six to eight days worth of food per month, and she has no relatives abroad who can send her a few extra dollars.

"A free lunch is a life-saver when a pound of pork costs more than $1," says Maria Antonia. "The Church to me is not just a temple or a Mass. It is a way of surviving."

As Cuban ruler Raul Castro cuts government subsidies on the food and health sectors in an attempt to boost the all-but-stalled economy, the Roman Catholic Church is trying to fill the growing gaps in the island's unraveling social welfare net.

With millions in aid from Catholic exiles and groups abroad, parishes are increasingly running soup kitchens and health and education programs, and working with troubled families and HIV-positive Cubans.

"The needs are growing, and the state has limited resources," said Maritza Sanchez, director of Caritas Cubana, the island's branch of the worldwide Catholic relief, development and social service organization.

The good relations between Castro and Cardinal Jaime Ortega also have cleared the way for improved cooperation on issues like humanitarian programs and human rights - like the release of about 125 political prisoners in 2010 and 2011.

Even after Fidel Castro declared the government atheist, seized Church properties and expelled hundreds of priests and nuns in the early 1960s, he allowed some Catholic religious orders to run several hospitals and nursing homes.

Among them are a psychiatric hospital and the Santovenia and Golden Age homes for the elderly in Havana, plus the San Juan de Dios hospital and the Padre Olallo nursing home in eastern Camaguey. Nuns also staff the San Lazaro Hospital for lepers in Havana, although the government owns it.

Church-run nursing homes are so well regarded that they have unofficial waiting lists for admissions, said one parish volunteer. Some elderly seeking quick admission have even offered to turn over their homes to the Church or lay nurses.

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Cuba's Catholic Church tries to fill gaps in social safety net

16-03-2012 09:10 East Leesville Student Building "Phase 1"

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ACC EAST LEESVILLE - Video