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Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Cordell Jenkins Accused of Sex Trafficking Children

cordell jenkins

Toledo, Ohio pastor Cordell Jenkins was arrested today and accused of “knowingly recruiting, enticing, harboring, and transporting people they knew were younger than 18 years old to engage in commercial sex acts.” Jenkins, the pastor of Abundant Life Ministries in Toledo, is also the husband of Lucas County Administrator Laura Lloyd-Jenkins. The Toledo Blade reports:

The Rev. Cordell Jenkins, 46, and Anthony Haynes, 37, were taken into custody early today at their Toledo residences without incident, according to the FBI.

Both Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Haynes are accused of knowingly recruiting, enticing, harboring, and transporting people they knew were younger than 18 years old to engage in commercial sex acts, federal officials said.

Reverend Jenkins is the founder and pastor for Abundant Life Ministries, 5025 Glendale Ave., according to the church’s website. The church website lists Lucas County Administrator Laura Lloyd-Jenkins as Mr. Jenkins’ wife. A Lucas County official confirmed today Mr. Jenkins is married to Ms. Lloyd-Jenkins.

Mr. Jenkins is also being charged with sexual exploitation of children while Mr. Haynes is being charged with obstruction of justice. Both men have their initial appearance in U.S. District Court today.

“We have charged two individuals, but not with any affiliation with the church,” said FBI spokesperson Vicki Anderson.

….

Ms. Anderson said the FBI received information a few weeks ago regarding allegations of the sexual misconduct involving minors and began an investigation. The crimes are alleged to have occurred over a few years, she said.

Ms. Anderson said she could not provide the victims’ ages or where they were from. Law enforcement officials arrested the two men about 9 a.m. at their residences.

Star Academy of Toledo, a kindergarten through 8th grade public charter school, shares a space with the church. The school was not placed on lock down, but bus pick up was moved from the east side of the building to the west side, where police vehicles were located.

“As a parent, I would be concerned, but all of my babies here in school are safe,” said principal Vincent Riccardi. “None of the staff in the church have anything to do with our kids. We don’t do programs with them. We have no affiliation with Abundant Life Church, other than we happen to share the building, but they’re not in our area.”

Ms. Lloyd-Jenkins is listed as the secretary on the board of trustees for Lucas County Children Services, according to the child protection agency website.

Ms. Lloyd-Jenkins has been on approved leave from her county administrator position since Wednesday to attend to a health-related family matter in California, said County Commissioner President Pete Gerken.

According to Jenkins’ bio on the church’s website: (link no longer active)

Pastor Cordell Arkee Jenkins is man of vision, purpose and prayer. His mission in ministry is to make strong the weak, to mend the broken and to heal the wounded. He is committed to preaching the Gospel to every ethnicity and every nation-to tell a dying world about Jesus.

Pastor Jenkins is the founder and pastor of Abundant Life Ministries in Toledo, Ohio. On October 10, 2010 Abundant Life Ministries held their inaugural service as a new ministry in the Kingdom of God. From that date to the present, the Lord has shown himself faithful to the congregants of the ministry and also to the city at large.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised by his faithful parents Bishop Chorrethers and Pastor Stephanie A. Jenkins, Pastor Jenkins received visions as a child of how Christ wanted him to serve in ministry. Constantly surrounded by harvest workers he learned the importance of obedience to the voice of God.

After completing his education in the Cleveland Public School System, Pastor Jenkins journeyed to Salisbury, North Carolina to attend Livingstone College majoring in Political Science. During this time period in August 1994, he accepted this call to preach the Gospel.

Before founding Abundant Life Ministries, Pastor Jenkins pastored for over 15 years at several churches in the A.M.E. Zion Church in South Carolina, Oakland, California and Toledo, Ohio.

Never wanting to be idle in his work for the Kingdom and community, Pastor Jenkins has been involved with several organizations including several chapters of the NAACP, Brothers United for Change Advisory Board, Single Parent’s Harvest, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, the Black Methodist Fellowship and served for Toledo Public schools as a Linkage coordinator. He currently resides on the board of directors for the Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union.

Pastor Jenkins and Abundant Life Ministries are active members of Perfecting Fellowship International of a sisterhood of churches presided over by Bishop-Elect Marvin L. Winans. This fellowship of churches are both stateside and abroad that encompasses congregations from various states including New York, Texas, Florida, Alabama, London and South Africa; all of which meet annually for church growth, leadership training, community outreach and convocations packed with teaching, preaching and worship.

Pastor Jenkins is happily married to First Lady Laura C. Lloyd-Jenkins. He and his wife desire to be living examples of Christ’s love in the church and in the community. His personal motto is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13.

According to ABC-13, Jenkins’ partner in crime Anthony Haynes is also a pastor.

Update

WTOL-11 reports:

A Toledo church that was formerly lead by a pastor charged with sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of children has a new name.

The former pastor, Cordell Jenkins was arrested in April.

Abundant Life Ministries on Glendale Rd. in Toledo is now Perfecting Toledo.

Bishop Marvin Winans of Detroit will oversee the church, while maintaining his congregation in Detroit.

The new service time is at 8 a.m.

The church is also looking to downsize and move into a smaller location for financial reasons.

Jenkins and another pastor, Anthony Haynes, were indicted on federal charges of sex crimes with a teen.

12 Comments

  1. Avatar
    anotherami

    These worthless pieces of shit better be damned glad they are protected and punished by the law rather than being turned over to victims of childhood sexual abuse and those that love them. Otherwise there wouldn’t even be enough left to even bury.

  2. Avatar
    Truusher4lifd

    When GOD is GOD in ones life then it doesn’t matter what trail or tribulations may come we continue to trust GOD to do what aHE needs to do all by himself. If you don’t know him then keep your month off of them

    • Avatar
      Bruce Gerencser

      Keep my mouth off God or the two sex trafficker preachers.

      I just report what is in the news. I will look forward to hearing from you after these men are indicted by a grand jury and convicted.

    • Avatar
      anotherami

      Truusher4lifd–Fuck you. I waited for 9 long years for God to stop letting me be subjected to incest and NOTHING! I am NOT an atheist, but any fool knows that God does not walk among us, nor is He Superman. God cannot swoop in and rescue a 6-year from incest, who is so innocent that she doesn’t even realize that what is happening is wrong, let alone that the effects of the coming years will forever alter her life. No one saved her. In the 60’s and 70’s, no one even talked about incest as adults, let alone warned children about what a “bad touch” was and how to make it stop. It took me 3 years after I was free from that hell to even tell one person what had happened. Fifty years on, I still have to fight the damage. You are more worried about protecting some damned monster’s image than that 6-year old little girl and that makes you a damned monster too. Following Christ means doing the work He did, lifting up the oppressed and protecting the innocent. You are Pontius Pilate, trying to wash your hands of the wrongs done, even or rather especially, those done in God’s name. So yes, Truusher4lifd, as that 6-year old little girl fifty years on, fuck you, not another innocent child.

      • Avatar
        Brian

        Well said, anotherami… It is pathetic that the damage is so deep among these people that they entirely set aside the innocent in order to maintain their own denial, to protect a perp. God appears to sometimes enable people to become completely and utterly useless in the world…

    • Avatar
      John Arthur

      Hi Truusher4lifd,

      You mean to tell me that if pastors commit crimes, that we are to let God deal with them all by himself. There would be no need for a police force, if God could deal with it. So if a pastor committed rape, could “we continue to trust GOD to do what aHe needs to do all by himself.” If a pastor raped your daughter (assuming you have a daughter), I don’t think you would be leaving it up to God. You would be wanting full exposure and the full punishment of the pastor for the crime. So shouldn’t these sex traffickers be exposed?

      Shalom,

      John Arthur

      John Arthur

  3. Avatar
    Veronica

    I am speechless. Im a member of perfecting church in detroit and this is another black mark on the church. Nobody is perfect but if you are going to represent God at least have some kind of boundaries. Why would you destroy a young persons life, embarrass yourself, hurt your family and church. I witnessed how much pastor jenkins congregation loved him. Im learning everyday keep your focus on God because man will fail you. If he wanted to engage in sexual acts outside of his marriage why not find another adult. Im not condoning adultery. I just can’t excuse people for hurting and destroying kids lives. If found guilty I believe both pastors deserve at least 30 years in prison. My church will probably be pulled into this abominable situation just because my pastor is the presiding bishop. Its so unfair on so many levels. The feds have actual video footage of the pastors and text messages. My prayers go out to pastor jenkins wife, children family and church and most of all to the victims. Very very sad story.

  4. Avatar
    Bookey44

    I am appalled by this shot that goes on in some churches and these want to be pastor and fathers and reverend! And let me be clear O am taking about these people that call them the man of God or the cloth, and you use that to be evil to children! You are nothing but the Damn devil himself and I have no sympathy for you or what happens to you, who I have sympathy for is these innocent victims, their families and the families of these disgusting pigs! They don’t need a trail or anything just lock their nasty asses up!

  5. Avatar
    PATRICK A LACY

    Being a former member of a church that Pastor Jenkins led I can honestly say that he saved my life. I am a Soldier who suffers from PTSD and my talks with him brought me out of a VERY dark place. Do I think he should be punished? If indeed he did do the things he is accused of the I say YES. If he did not do the things he is accused of then it should come out at trial.

    I know that we should not follow the MAN but we should follow the word of God and when you put the MAN before GOD then that is where the problem lies.

    I will keep Pastor Jenkins in my prayers and the proper officials deal with what they are charged in doing.

  6. Avatar
    Child of God

    To Sister Veronica,
    I know this is disheartening, but Christ True Church is not marred by these hypocrites. Christ will keep his bride free from spots or wrinkles. We just need to stop putting these so called pastors and preachers on pedistle’s. Jesus said if you practice sin you are a child of the Devil.
    The church is not a building or a business, it’s Christ body made up of the blood washed believers. Like Apostle Paul said don’t be ignorant, it’s too late in day to walk in darkness. Be blessed

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