Fundie church spends $300K on legal fees - state AG investigating church finances

[proud2BlibKansan]

Facing investigations by the Kansas attorney general, the Kansas Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service, First Family Church has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees to defend itself, according to a document obtained by The Kansas City Star.

The document, prepared by the Overland Park church last year to solicit money from a major donor, said the church needed an additional $900,000 — on top of $365,000 already spent — for a legal defense and public relations fund.

The document also noted that the church had lost nearly $3 million in donations from 884 families who had stopped giving since The Star published a story in March 2007 that raised questions about financial accountability surrounding the Rev. Jerry Johnston.

The Star has reported that the Kansas attorney general’s investigation into the church’s finances is continuing. Kansas Department of Revenue and IRS officials have declined comment.

http://www.kansascity.com/637/story/1161260.html

[baldguy]

1. Why does a church in KS need the services of a PR firm from NY & donations from a foundation in CA?

Sounds more like a for-profit business.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Yes it does

The local paper did a series of articles about the church's finances. The pastor has built a house and lives quite the high life on that money he has collected from church members.

[malaise]

3. Read why - from 2004

http://www.mclaughlin.com/library/transcript.htm?id=439

REV. JERRY JOHNSTON: (From videotape.) And you're talking about, you know, 80 million people; you're talking about a good 350,000 churches. And I can tell you, these people did not stop talking about it. We all know this was a cause; it was a hill worth dying for. And it was that kind of spirit, I believe, that delivered a significant impact on this election. And I think even more than that, it sent a message to the American people that we're going to be able to build on.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: They can build on it and vote on it. Statewide constitutional gay marriage bans were on the ballot in 11 states, and passed easily in all 11 states. One of those states: Ohio.

Question: Was this presidential election decided by the anti-gay vote? Tony Blankley?

MR. BLANKLEY: That vote -- it's not an anti-gay vote -- (light laughter) -- it's not an anti-gay vote. It's against sanctifying same-sex marriage, which is completely different from intolerance against people of different sexual orientations. But that certainly got out the voters in a way that nothing else would have. However, it was Bush's other features, including his leadership in war, that attracted these people in the first place. I think a lot of people in the Democratic Party have focused just on this one issue. And while that was the element that got more people out to vote, the whole set of values of the president --

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Okay, let's hear from Lawrence.

MR. O'DONNELL: You take the gay marriage off the ballot in those states, and Kerry would be president. It's as simple as that.

MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Okay.

The next frontier. Reverend Johnston's statement that evangelicals will, quote, "build on" their success in this election means one thing: judicial appointments.

REVEREND JERRY JOHNSTON (Kansas evangelical pastor): And now the great glee we have of appointing Supreme Court justices that would share the version of America of a conservative viewpoint, I mean, I can't tell you how happy of a day this is.

Question: Can the GOP cement forever, do you think, Eleanor, the allegiance of the evangelical voters by appointing Supreme Court justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade and make other decisions?

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Bet he's not so happy five years later.

[Catshrink]

4. I thought at first this was Fred Phelps' "church"

but there's another batshit crazy church in KC? Or is Phelps' "church" somewhere else and I'm just being a geographically ignorant American?

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. No this is a fundie mega church in Overland Park

Phelps is in Topeka and his church is much smaller.