Brooklyn pastor says he and his wife were robbed of more than $1 million in jewelry while preaching

[Buckshot Bear]

Brooklyn pastor says he and his wife were robbed of more than $1 million in jewelry while preaching

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/25/us/brooklyn-pastor-robbery/index.html

 

Hope he's as generous with the collection box as he is with himself.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

Boy, was I ever in the wrong religion.

 

Has anyone considered arresting him for fraud?

[JD Lud]

It’s like it never occurred to the people that wrote the article why he had so much….

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

He is certainly not the first.

 

there is no “vow of poverty” involved.

 

and then there is Peter Popoff and his “miracle spring water”.

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

I expect the insurance will be in full force.

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

They will probably be wearing their backup million dollar jewelry next Sunday.

[Blackwater 53393]

We had a preacher when I was a kid who wore high dollar suits, flashy rings, and always drove new Cadilacs.  His wife dressed in expensive clothes and wore fancy shoes and jewelry.

 

When the local news paper questioned him about it, he explained that he wanted everyone to know that living right was rewarding!!

 

That church grew and prospered and it sent missionaries all over the world. It also built homes for the elderly and for disadvantaged children. It was, and still is, the major supporter and benefactor of a large university.

 

I can’t say whether he was totally on the up and up, but he put on one heck of a show until his death. The church is still one of the largest of that denomination in the world.

 

 

 

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I could speculate and make all sorts of assumptions about this incident but I think      I'll     just      be      quiet.

[Singin' Sue 71615]

33 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

We had a preacher when I was a kid who wore high dollar suits, flashy rings, and always drove new Cadilacs.  His wife dressed in expensive clothes and wore fancy shoes and jewelry.

 

When the local news paper questioned him about it, he explained that he wanted everyone to know that living right was rewarding!!

 

That church grew and prospered and it sent missionaries all over the world. It also built homes for the elderly and for disadvantaged children. It was, and still is, the major supporter and benefactor of a large university.

 

I can’t say whether he was totally on the up and up, but he put on one heck of a show until his death. The church is still one of the largest of that denomination in the world.

 

 

 

https://lotichurches.org/meet-our-pastor

 

Seems like he is NOT the same ilk of the pastor in which you speak.

[Singin' Sue 71615]

I looked up the church...as I did not see anything familiar in the banners/flags...

Nothing I have heard of.

So I researched....

Cult is the only way I see it.

[Pat Riot]

Rich man, camel through the eye of a needle and all that jazz. 
 

I have more to say, but…I think I will just join Badlands Bob at his table. 

[Buckshot Bear]

2 hours ago, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

I expect the insurance will be in full force.

 

I did think insurance job as soon as I read the article. 

[Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129]

I think I need a Very Big Raise!!!

 

Jabez Cowboy

[Muggle]

Jewelries worth $1m, That sure is a lot.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

5 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

I did think insurance job as soon as I read the article. 

Do ya think they might have been wearing fake stuff on the day of the robbery?

[Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103]

4 hours ago, Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 said:

I think I need a Very Big Raise!!!

 

Jabez Cowboy

A parson from back home ran a wrecker service and an exhaust and muffler shop because he could not make ends meet on what the collection plate brought in.

Good man, hard workin', always did like him!

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

11 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

He is certainly not the first.

 

there is no “vow of poverty” involved.

 

and then there is Peter Popoff and his “miracle spring water”.

Or Al Sharpton selling the pieces of his 'prayer shirt'?

[Rye Miles #13621]

I've tuned pianos in many churches and while there's some legit pastors who actually work other jobs or have retired from jobs and became pastors.  There are also plenty of "high rollers" who have churches in the ghetto and live in the "burbs, driving a Lincoln or Cadillac with flashy clothes and jewelry with money they get from the poor people in the neighborhood. Those pastors disgust me! They're nothing but scam artists. I feel sorry for the congregations who have a hard time getting a pastor and have to deal with these lowlifes! 

[Pat Riot]

My Uncle Skip has been a Nazarene preacher for decades. He worked a full time job (retired now) to pay his bills. He never felt that it was right to take money from the church that could be put to better uses. 
 

Personally, I despise “wealthy” religious types, regardless of religion or denomination. Also, I am not “religious” and I am sure not some mamby-pamby type and I don’t put on “another face” when I go to church. Actually, me and God have an agreement, people have ruined church for me because I hate duplicitousness in all its forms, so I stay out of church but talk to him regular and do good things. 
Long story real short;

Years ago I was flying to PA to see family. My plane was to land 15 minutes before the rental car kiosks closed. I was flying out of Orange County. The plan stayed at the gate for almost 15 minutes waiting on a VIP….Grrrr 

It turns out we were waiting for that perpetual smiling sonofa… Reverend Schuller, the head of the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County. 
This face lifted smiling idiot gets on the plane, is shown to his seat in First Class then this ‘tard stands there looking back smiling at everyone nodding his head apparently seeking attention and acknowledgment. 
The flight attendant asks him to sit down and I am almost positive I heard him say he wanted to address the crowd and pray for a safe flight. 
I lost it. 
I yelled “Sit the hell down. We’re running late because of you and I need to get to Pittsburgh!”

Well, the permanent smile faded and he sat his arse down. 
People all around me complimented my actions. 
After take off I saw Smiley call a flight attendant over. She looked back at me then nodded to him and she made her way to me. I was about 4 rows back from first class. 
She said “Reverend Schuller would like you to come up so he can apologize.”

I cannot print my exact response but this is the gist…

”**** Him! If he was sincere he’d bring his butt back here. Tell him to go (insert colorful expletives regarding an impossible act)”

 

I am not big on pomp and circumstance and I do not think because someone is an actor, athlete or self appointed leader that they need any recognition from me. Real people do, not fake ones. 

Reverend Schuller

[Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme]

11 hours ago, JD Lud said:

It’s like it never occurred to the people that wrote the article why he had so much….

That's called reporting. And, it's real work. No one in news does that any more.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

I'm think'n inside job.....

[Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129]

Before you bash all preachers THINK !!! there are literally 10s of thousands of Pastors for every one like the one mentioned...

Some of them even sacrifice the number of CAS they can go to care for their Flock.

 

Jabez Cowboy

  

[Utah Bob #35998]

The congregation knows this guy’s lifestyle, his clothes, cars and jewelry. They don’t care. And he is not the only one of that kind.
Years ago, I asked an esteemed black professor at FSU about this phenomena of rich preachers in poor neighborhoods. He said it’s a strange thing but many parishioners actually appreciate a prosperous, showy pastor as a representative of their community. He said, “It’s kind of a “My pastor is more awesome than your pastor” thing. 
 

[Finagler 6853 Life]

All of the pomp and circumstance that these flashy preachers use is the main reason I have little trust for organized religion.  Their main goal is the advancement and preservation of their lifestyle.  I've seen many good preachers who are genuinely more interested in the well being of their flocks than they are for their own  well being.  I adhere to the thought that a church is not a hotel for saints but a hospital for sinners.  That being said, every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

Churches who teach the “Prosperity Gospel” are an odd culture. They remind me a lot of any multi-level marketing scheme.  The person at the top will always have the most dollars, persuaded from the hands of those lower in the pyramid.  
 

The preacher isn’t hiding his love of bling. His congregants still go every Sunday and put money in the plate.  Why?  It’s beyond me.

[John E. Law]

I work/attend a very large church in my area. When I say large they have 4 services 1 Saturday and 3 on Sunday of 5000 attendees each service. Then they live stream the sermon to 12 other campus churches over 3 counties. They have a lead pastor over the entire church, campus pastors at each campus, and then dozens of pastors for smaller groups. It's a big church they now have some 40 thousand parishioners. I've always had faith in God,  but for most of my life I never had any use for organized religion for several personal reasons among them stories like this. I grew up during the Jim and Tami Baker, Jimmy Swaggert Era, people using religion to rob the niave to get rich, selling religion.  I started working traffic details at this church 9 years ago when they had under 200 parishioners. I was only there to do a traffic service and get paid, I'd sit in my car outside the entire time. I had no desire to go inside and I WAS not there for the religion side of anything. As they grew the church wanted us to come inside for security.  I almost quit working it because of that, I didn't care to go inside, but i think God intervened and pushed me to continue. Once inside I started to see that this church was not a scam like Id assumed. They send parishioners all over the world to build new churches and spread the word of God. They send semi  truckloads of goods to areas in need and disasters. They give to other churches in the area when in need.  The biggest thing that really changed my opinion on this church was my wife's, who's a PI attorney, clients. She had 2 seperate clients, both husband and wife, who were seriously injured in car accidents. All 4 could not work during their 6 month and over a year's worth of recovery. Both couples attended this church. Neither were volunteers or big names, just simple attendees. In both cases when the church heard about their hardships they picked up both couples entire living expenses until they were back in their feet, no questions asked. They have a yearly "men's" night and they go all out. Monster trucks,  BBQ, they really play it up. This year they have a volunteer that lives in a bad part of town. He gives everything to his neighbors. He's a very loving man. He was driving his elderly neighbors to doctors visits when his old car finally gave up. The church bought him a brand new car and gave it to him on men's night. It was so awesome to see.  Not one of those pastors lives large even though they could if they wanted to, they choose not to. They have their salaries and are not on food stamps but the lead pastor drives a hyundai. He built this church up from nothing to the jagernaut it is today. This church walks the walk they don't just talk the talk. They give out globally. Their motto is "We're large enough to serve you, but small enough to know you" 

 

One of the pastors said in his sermon one time that churches and pastors are human and sometimes can lead you wrongly, but it is not God that fails you that he always there for you. 

 

JEL

[Blackwater 53393]

It’s called BUYING A STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN!!

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

The scriptures warn us about charlatans but also advises not to forsake assembling together.  
 

I reminded of when I was a young man and I was telling my father all the good valid reasons I was not going back to church.  My dad listened patiently and then he said to me something I’ve never forgot.  
 

“Son if you’re looking for a perfect church; first of all you’ll never find it. But in the event that you do find a perfect church; the moment you join it, it’ll no longer be perfect.”

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

If a man pastors a large church that can afford, and wishes, to pay him a large salary, that is their choice.  I have no problem with that.

However, there is an admonition to avoid even the "appearance" of evil.  Something just doesn't "look right" with this fellow, and that, I have a problem with.  A minister of the Gospel should not be displaying himself as being "better" than the flock he serves, or even as the "elite" of the area where he lives.   And if he is blessed with a lot of money, from whatever source, he should not be using it to make a spectacle of himself.
 

To properly discuss all of this would require a much longer post, and I'm not gonna do that.  I just hope that what I have said makes a modicum of sense.

H.K. Uriah

 

AKA  Kevin Mickel

Pastor; Martin's Pond Union Baptist Church, North Reading, Massachusetts.