The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Michael Bryant, pastor of Greater Sweetfield Missionary Baptist Church in Coconut Grove (Miami), Florida, stands accused of collecting the social security benefits of someone who died nearly 12 years ago. He faces numerous charges, including theft of government funds and making false statements to a federal agency.
A pastor in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood is facing federal criminal charges after investigators said he collected on a dead person’s Social Security benefits for more than a decade.
Michael Gene Bryant, 57, is facing charges including theft of government funds and making false statements to a federal agency. He is the pastor of Greater Sweetfield Missionary Baptist Church, located at 3585 Plaza St.
According to a federal indictment, Bryant became the representative payee for a person identified in court documents as “H. L. G.” in 1996.
“H. L. G.” died on Oct. 17, 2012, but authorities said Bryant never informed Social Security and kept collecting payments until this January. Prosecutors said he lied on government documents and claimed the beneficiary still lived with him.
The documents don’t state how much money authorities are accusing Bryant of collecting.
No one came to the door when Local 10 News went to Bryant’s home to ask him about the charges.
A former parishioner said she’s “shocked” by the allegations and “in disbelief.”
“That is like unbelievable to me,” Charolette Smith, who lives right next to the church, said. “You go there to hear the word. Coming from a pastor, it’s like, what are you doing?”
He could face up to two decades behind bars.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Erin Gullickson, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Meta, North Dakota, was convicted last week of stealing $80,000 from the church.
A 12-person jury returned a verdict of guilty Tuesday afternoon in the Theft of Property trial of Erin Gullickson, 48, Benedict.
Gullickson was charged in early May 2023 with taking nearly $80,000 in funds from Our Savior Lutheran Church in Max where she served as reverend. Her involvement included moving $40,000 in church certificates of deposit to an account for her own use and secreting church donations, including checks placed in offering plates, in an account unknown to the church.
Purchases by Gullickson using church funds included personal items, home furnishings, clothing, jewelry, and a vacation in Italy. Gullickson began depositing and removing funds from a church Youth League account in 2016, an account that she opened without the church’s knowledge. Investigation revealed that $77,310.85 was deposited in the Youth League account until it was discovered and frozen in February 2023. At that time, the balance was $570.10.
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The trial was brief, starting on Monday and ending Tuesday afternoon. The class B felony is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set pending a presentence investigation by order of South-Central District Judge Cynthia Feland.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Jordan Shortridge, the grandson of Daniel Shortridge, pastor of Dallas Church of God in Dallas, North Carolina, stands accused of stealing $470.000 from the church. Shortridge was active in the church, playing the drums and working in the AV department.
The grandson of a Dallas pastor has been arrested and accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from the church.
Jordan Shortridge, the grandson of Rev. Daniel Shortridge, came under investigation after the accounting department at Dallas Church of God found that more than $470,000 had been used for purchases that were not related to the church, according to a press release.
The accounting department reportedly began to find discrepancies in the church funds as far back as 2021. Their bank conducted an audit and found withdrawals and payments made through PayPal, according to the release.
The church reported the discrepancies to the police in July 2023. Shortridge was charged with felony larceny Friday.
Shortage [sic], 28, of Crouse, posted bond within hours and was released.
Dallas Police Chief Robert Walls declined to say how exactly Shortridge would have accessed the funds, but said that he was involved with the church.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Charles Randall “Randy” Free, pastor of Cedar Cross Country Church in Alvarado, Texas, was convicted of theft, two counts of money laundering, and one count of misappropriation of fiduciary property, all related to amounts over $300,000. Free was sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in prison and 10 years of probation. Free’s wife, Michelle, was also indicted but has not yet faced trial.
Charles Randall “Randy” Free, former pastor of Cedar Cross Country Church in Alvarado, Texas, was convicted of four first-degree felonies and sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in prison and 10 years of probation, to be served concurrently.
According to Johnson County Assistant District Attorney Tim Good, on December 1 the jury found Free guilty of theft, two counts of money laundering, and one count of misappropriation of fiduciary property, all related to amounts over $300,000.
Free and his wife Michelle were accused of taking control of the church’s assets by making himself the president and registered agent for the Cedar Cross Country Church. The Frees then set up a separate non-profit corporation, Team Heritage International, in order to move the church’s assets and sell the church property for between $1 million and $1.5 million. Some of those funds were apparently used by the Frees to buy themselves a house.
“The tithes went to [Free], and he made his life better off the sacrifices of the church members,” Good told MinistryWatch.
As part of his probation, Good said they want to ensure Free can’t engage in these kinds of financial crimes again. While his terms of probation won’t prohibit him from ministry, they will require he disclose his conviction and prevent him from sitting on the board of a church or nonprofit with control over the finances.
The civil case seeking the recovery of church funds was resolved in May after the receiver was able to acquire and deposit over $1.2 million of the church’s funds with the court. The funds have now been returned to the church.
The district attorney’s office also plans to seek restitution for the remaining $255,000 that was not recovered in the accompanying civil case.
Cedar Cross Country Church lost their building due to Free’s actions, but the Southern Baptist Convention learned of a nearby building that was being vacated by an older congregation and allowed Cedar Cross to use it.
At the trial, testimony was given that Free is still leading Cedar Cross Country Church, but it consists of somewhere between five and 15 people and meets in homes across the area now.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Robert Dell, the former pastor of The Rock Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, stands accused with his wife and others of stealing over $1.4 million worth of home improvement merchandise from Home Depot stores across Florida and reselling the goods on eBay.
Pinellas County pastor, his wife, and others are accused of stealing over $1.4 million worth of home improvement merchandise from Home Depot stores across Florida and reselling the goods on eBay, state officials said.
Robert Dell, 56, also “forced vulnerable people” to take part in the scheme, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced this week.
A news release from Moody’s office said Dell is a pastor at The Rock Church in St. Petersburg and the founder of a halfway house serving people recovering from drug addiction. But a note on the homepage of The Rock Church’s website says Dell hasn’t been pastor there for more than two years.
The news release names four other people as co-conspirators in the case: Jaclyn Dell, 39, who is Robert Dell’s wife; Karen Dell, 72, who is Robert Dell’s mother; Jessica Wild, 40; and Daniel Mace, 36.
Robert Dell, Jaclyn Dell, and Karen Dell were arrested on Aug. 1 after officers with the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement executed a search warrant at Robert Dell’s home on the 2600 block of 39th Avenue North in St. Petersburg. He is charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, and dealing in stolen property as an organizer.
Jaclyn Dell was arrested on a charge of conspiracy to commit racketeering and Karen Dell on a charge of dealing in stolen property.
Mace, of Tampa, was arrested Wednesday on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering.
Wild’s booking and charge information was not available.
According to Moody’s office, the group shoplifted Milwaukee, DeWalt, and other branded products from Home Depot stores in Citrus, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties.
Mace and Wild stole a majority of the merchandise and, “on average, victimized stores five to six times a day,” the release said. The pair then delivered the products to Robert Dell, who sold them on an eBay storefront named “Anointed Liquidator,” the release said.
“According to the investigation, Dell demanded the crimes under threat of abuse and used the positions of being a pastor and founder of a halfway house to manipulate other vulnerable people to participate in the criminal scheme,” the release stated.
The release did not give the name of the halfway house.
Home Depot suspects Robert Dell operated this scheme for more than 10 years, and that the company has lost more than $5 million, the release said.
Pinellas court records show a judge sealed search warrants and other documents related to the case at the request of prosecutors who argued that making information public could compromise an ongoing investigation.
In 2019, police arrested Wild and Mace on a grand theft charge for attempting to take nearly $4,500 worth of hardware batteries from a Clearwater Home Depot, according to an arrest affidavit in that case. The pair placed the batteries inside a bin, closed the lid, and attempted to exit the store when one of them “became scared/spooked” after spotting a loss prevention officer. The two left the merchandise by the door and exited the store, the affidavit said.
The affidavit states loss prevention officers knew Wild and Mace because they were seen at a Port Charlotte Home Depot earlier, taking batteries from the location. The pair told police they thought someone was following them and so they left the merchandise in the store.
Prosecutors dropped the case less than a month later, court records show.
An eBay account with the name “annointedliquidator” that has sold tools matching the brands named in the release was created in August 2011. The account has sold more than 35,000 items, according to the website.
Dell operated this theft ring for ten years, including the time period when he was pastor of The Rock Church. To the church I say, “Nice try, but no cigar.”
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Jason Shenk stands accused of stealing over $30,000,000 meant for Bible distribution and missionary work.
A former Dublin resident is wanted on multiple federal charges for orchestrating a scheme to misdirect more than $30 million donated for a Christian ministry in China, according to a release from the US Attorney’s Office.
45-year-old Jason Gerald Shenk is charged in a newly unsealed federal indictment with four counts of Wire Fraud; three counts of International Concealment Money Laundering; 13 counts of Concealment Money Laundering; 21 counts of Money Laundering Involving Transactions Greater than $10,000; and one count of Failure to File Report of Foreign Bank Account, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
If convicted Shenk would face up to 20 years in prison, forfeiture of any property involved in or traceable to the offenses, substantial financial penalties, and a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison sentence. And he would not be eligible for parole, as it is a federal offense.
Warrants have been issued for Shenk’s arrest. He is considered innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
“When people of faith donate money for evangelistic purposes, they reasonably expect those who solicit their donations to act as faithful stewards of those funds,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “This case alleges an egregious breach of that trust at the expense of multiple charities and individual donors.”
Shenk is alleged to have planned and executed a scheme in which he obtained more than $30 million from faith-based charities and individual donors, primarily from religious communities in Ohio and North Carolina, based on his promises that he would use the funds for producing and distributing Bibles and Christian literature in the People’s Republic of China.
The indictment alleges Shenk obtained approximately $22 million from one charitable organization and its donors, and approximately $10 million from another charity and its donors, along with other donations from individuals. The funds were directed to a variety of shell corporations.
The indictment says Shenk started the scheme in April 2010 until July 2019, and that Shenk renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2016 to avoid financial reporting requirements under federal law.
Shenk allegedly used the money for his own use for the following purposes:
Payments of approximately $1 million to an online sports gambling website;
Purchases of equity shares of approximately $850,000 in a privately held nuclear energy company;
Approximately $4 million in purchases of at least 16 life insurance policies in various people’s names;
Purchases of diamonds, gold, and precious metals in amounts totaling approximately $1 million;
Purchases of domestic and foreign stocks totaling more than $188,000;
Payments of approximately $7 million to the company running Shenk’s family farm;
Purchases on at least 10 personal credit cards totaling more than $820,000
Purchases of $320,000 in real estate in the “Galt’s Gulch” development in Santiago, Chile.
Federal authorities have launched an international manhunt for a Georgia everyman-turned-fugitive who is being sought for an alleged scheme that redirected more than $30 million from Christian charities meant to be spent on Bible distribution in China.
According to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday, 45-year-old Jason Gerald Shenk took more than $33 million in donations from charities and individuals—money that he allegedly promised to use for producing and distributing Bibles and Christian literature—and spent it on a slew of expensive personal purchases.
Shenk allegedly spent about $1 million on diamonds and precious metals, $7 million on his family farm, $320,000 on real estate in Chile, $4 million on 16 life insurance policies, $850,000 on shares of a private U.S. nuclear company, $820,000 on credit card payments and $1 million deposited in an online sports betting site—which was subsequently shut down for fraudulent activity.
He also went to great lengths to cover his tracks, the indictment claims. Shenk allegedly directed the funds to a variety of shell corporations that had bank accounts stationed around the globe to “conceal the nature of the transactions.”
He even sent completely fabricated spreadsheets—containing phony statistics about how many Bibles were distributed to different Chinese provinces—to the charities he was scamming, according to the indictment.
All the while, prosecutors say he continuously lied to international banks about who he was and how much money he and his family had. Shenk even renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2016—a move that the indictment claims was motivated solely by his desire to avoid financial reporting requirements under federal law.
Shenk’s efforts allegedly kept the elaborate scheme afloat for nearly a decade. Prosecutors say it may have started as early as April 2010, running all the way until July 2019.
Warrants have been issued for Shenk’s arrest, which will likely involve extradition given the international nature of the search.
“He could be anywhere,” Barry Paschal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia told The Daily Beast. “We think we might know where he is. We aren’t at liberty to say where we think he is, but we think we might know.”
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Gregory Neal, the executive pastor of Journey Baptist Church in Barrington, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to stealing $130,000 from the church to pay his gambling debts and was sentenced to eighteen months in prison.
A New Hampshire executive pastor has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing about $130,000 from his church to pay off gambling debts and make purchases.
Gregory Neal, of Barrington, 45, was sentenced in federal court Wednesday and ordered to pay back the Journey Baptist Church and the insurance company that covered a portion of the losses.
He pleaded guilty in April to one count of wire fraud.
“A man who abused his position of trust — as a leader of his church — and stole from his congregation to support his gambling habit has been brought to justice,” U.S. Attorney Jane Young said in a statement.
Prosecutors said that between January 2017 and March 2020, Neal made unauthorized withdrawals of the church’s funds to pay off his debts and made unauthorized purchases with church credit cards.
His lawyer asked for a sentence of five years of probation to allow Neal to continue running his carpentry business so he can pay back the church and support his family.
“When the theft was uncovered, Mr. Neal confessed and tried to make amends,” his sentencing memorandum said. “He repaid several thousand dollars and, after being confronted by law enforcement, saved additional money to repay. He attended Gambler’s Anonymous meetings and started a new business, building kitchen islands, to support his family.”
Included were letters of support from Neal’s wife and church parishioners.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
On June 1, 2023, Sarah Ann Mock-Butler, the finance director for Pikes Peak Christian Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was arrested and charged with hundreds of financial crimes.
Sara Ann Mock-Butler, a former financial director of Pikes Peak Christian Church, is accused of allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church.
The arrest affidavit alleges that during Mock-Butler’s unchecked or supervised time as financial director from 2017 to 2022, she stole thousands and attempted to delete evidence of this theft shortly before finding work elsewhere.
The investigation was raised after lead Pastor Ross had asked Mock-Butler to resign and the new financial director found discrepancies between bank account numbers and financial dashboards from the church records.
According to the affidavit, the discrepancies amounted to a $200,000 deficit in their operating account forcing the church to lay off employees and cut specific ministries.
The internal investigation by church officials revealed unexplained transfers from the church’s operating account to the church’s credit union credit card account not related to church business. Pastor Ross said Mock-Butler falsified the approval form documents often double-signing them herself, against church policy.
It was determined by Detective Williams that Mock-Butler forged three signatures of church leaders to use on authorization forms.
The church provided lead El Paso County Detective, Marissa Williams with an itemized spreadsheet of unauthorized charges made by Mock-Butler. Detective Williams has determined that Sara Mock-Butler spent a total of $341,519.25 of Pikes Peak Christian Church’s funds on unauthorized and personal charges.
The affidavit alleges Mock-Butler conducted a total of 527 charges using the church’s financial information. Of these, 339 transactions were electronic, with 296 of these missing authorization forms or had them intentionally omitted.
The affidavit goes on to give six examples from the investigation of Mock-Butler’s alleged theft, the first being the writing of two checks totaling more than $6,000 from the church to her personal and mother’s joint account to pay on her home mortgage.
A cash withdrawal totaling $16,000 that was allegedly spent on home improvements for Mock-Butler’s home.
The third example laid out by Detective Williams was the transfer of $15,000 to Mock-Butler’s credit union account which was used to make a down payment on a 2020 Ford F350 Truck and another $19,800 transfer that would be later used to purchase a boat which Mock-Butler would later sell for $22,500.
The affidavit alleges Mock-Butler spent $3,007.03 in funds on personal vacations, and another $1,878.88 in payments to Colorado Springs Utilities on Mock-Butler’s personal utility bills.
The final example of theft was through Mock-Butler’s personal purchases from Amazon, where the affidavit alleges Mock-Butler made 10 orders totaling $1,644.31.
An investigation with Colorado Department of Revenue Agent Melody Kirscht determined that Mock-Butler was liable for six counts of felony Tax Evasion after the unreported income from Mock-Butler was reviewed.
Mock-Butler faces the following charges:
Theft, class 4 felony (1 count)
Cybercrime, class 3 felony (1 count)
Money Laundering, class 3 felony (296 counts)
Identity Theft, class 4 felony (527 counts)
Forgery, class 5 felony (61 counts)
Tax Evasion, class 5 felony (6 counts)
Filing a False Return, class 5 felony (5 counts)
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Ken Shaver, pastor of Greater Vision Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky, stands accused of stealing more than $10,000 from the church.
An Owensboro pastor is facing a felony theft charge after police allege he spent more than $10,000 of church money without approval, according to Kentucky State Police.
Kenneth Alan Shaver, 62, of Utica, was arrested Tuesday and charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking or Disposition of Property $10,000<$100,000.
Shaver is a pastor at Greater Vision Baptist Church, according to their website.
According to the arrest citation, Shaver “was found to have fraudulently spent a dollar amount exceeding $10,000.” The funds belong to the church operating fund, and the purchases were not approved, according to the citation.
Ken Shaver has the great privilege of being pastor to the wonderful people of Greater Vision Baptist Church. With a desire to serve the Lord, Who is worthy of our lives, Pastor Shaver believes that God can and will do great and mighty things through His people in Owensboro, Kentucky.
In fact, he has had a great burden and vision for Kentucky since the Lord called him to preach in 2000. He answered that call by going to Hopkinsville, Kentucky and starting the Greater Cumberland Baptist Church, whose first Sunday was the week of 9/11. This church plant in the Fort Campbell area greatly impacted the military community there and many were saved, discipled, and several have even gone into ministry and the mission field. This ministry continues to thrive under the pastorate of his son-in-law, Paul Edes. The Lord is still doing an eternal work through this church plant.
After 18 years in his first pastorate, the Lord moved him and his wife, Robyn, to the Owensboro area to pastor Greater Vision. God is stretching Pastor Shaver’s vision on a broader scale, and he believes Western Kentucky can be the place where God will send a mighty revival to His people. He is confident that what the Lord has begun in Owensboro, in Western Kentucky, He will continue and expand. The Lord asks His people to be faithful, and Pastor Shaver’s heart’s desire is to be a faithful servant all his days.
Not going into the ministry until he was 41, his prior secular jobs as Black Hawk helicopter pilot, air traffic controller, and international air traffic training manager provide him with many opportunities to relate to a diverse group of people; as well as compel him to use the rest of his life in the service of the Lord.
Pastor Shaver and his wife, Robyn, have been richly blessed with four faithful children, and a multitude of amazing grandchildren. He and his family look forward to sharing in the blessings of God as they serve Him all over the United States.
Ken Shaver learned to fly before learning to preach.
Shaver is a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot who has been pastoring Greater Vision Baptist Church, 4733 Sutherland Road, for about three months.
Shaver, an Ohio native, joined the Army in 1978 straight out of high school and initially started out as a clerk.
It was a friend who persuaded him to take the test together that would allow them into the flight program.
“…I said, ‘I’ve never even been in a helicopter. Are you kidding?’” said Shaver about when his friend suggested the idea.
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From there, Shaver was sent to flight school at Fort Rucker in Alabama and from there was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
And at that time, the Army’s Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, nicknamed the “Huey” and best known for its use in the Vietnam War, was the standard utility fighting aircraft.
Shaver learned to fly the single-engine Huey before becoming among the first to pilot the twin-engine Black Hawk, which dramatically changed and improved helicopter flight combat.
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During his 14 years in the Army — seven active duty and seven in the Army National Guard — Shaver logged just under 2,500 hours in the air.
While serving in the National Guard, Shaver was hired by the Federal Aviation Administration and worked his way up to the international air traffic manager. He was in charge of training foreign governments such as Morocco, The Bahamas and Egypt.
“We would go to help establish or improve a country’s aviation program,” Shaver said.
Shaver and his family were living in Oklahoma when he was “called to preach” at age 41.
Shaver said he was still working at the FAA but made the decision to leave a lucrative job for the ministry.
“(God) started dealing with my heart,” said Shaver, who’s now 59. “And I was a very happy man; I’ve lived a happy life; I had a great career and I was making big-time money; my future was set.”
But in 2001, Shaver returned with his family back to Fort Campbell to start a church.
“One of my greatest joys is that my wife and my kids never complained,” he said.
It was in the fall of 2001 that he converted a dance studio into what became Greater Cumberland Baptist Church.
“I quit my job; I took a $100,000 a year pay cut and moved to Hopkinsville, Kentucky,” he said. “…Our first Sunday was the week of 9/11.”
Shaver said the church became a home to many soldiers and their families.
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Shaver said he’s trying to establish a veterans family care program that would help the families of the soldiers currently deployed from the Maj. Gen. (Ret) Dean Allen Youngman Owensboro National Guard Readiness Center.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
James Smith II, pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Pompano Beach, Florida, stands accused of defrauding his church to support his drug habit.
A Pompano Beach pastor was arrested on multiple charges after authorities said he defrauded his church to support his drug habit.
James Edward Smith II, the pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Pompano Beach, is facing multiple fraud and theft charges, Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials said Wednesday.
The investigation into Smith began last April after authorities received complaints from parishioners and church founders that Smith had fraudulently gained control over the church and church funds, officials said.
Authorities found the 49-year-old Smith filed a forged quit claim deed allowing him to assume complete control of the church property and then sold it for $600,000, using the money to support a drug habit.
Smith is also being charged by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office for larceny and fraud associated with worthless checks totaling more than $1,600 that were written on the church’s bank account, officials said.
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When authorities searched Smith’s home, they found heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and a stolen firearm, officials said.
Smith was charged with organized scheme to defraud, fraud, grand theft, criminal use of personal identification information, unlawful filing of false document records against real or personal property, grand theft of a firearm, possession of a firearm by convicted felon and violation of probation.
For Reverend James Edward Smith II, Pastor of New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church of Pompano Beach, Florida praise and worship is more than a style it’s a way of life. It is what he does in response to God’s presence in his life. His desire is to preach and teach the gospel so others may recognize the awesome power of God and praise him for his mighty acts.
He hails from the south Florida, a third generation preacher, married to Mrs. Dionne E. Smith, and together they have four children; xxxx, xxxx, xxxx, and xxxx. Reverend Smith is a proud 1992 graduate of Boyd Anderson High School, and a 1996 graduated of Edward WatersCollege in Jacksonville Floridawhere he acquired a degree in Business Administration. Since his call to the ministry, he has taken several biblical training courses and workshops, and presently matriculating in the Masters of Divinity at Ames Theological Seminary.
His passion for the ministry has led him and kept him in many trying times. Along with a powerful gift in ministry comes anointed vocal and song writing ability that is proven by one of his original songs “I’m no longer the same”. His traditional flavor layered with a contemporary draw has made it easy for the old to connect and the young to relate.
One of his favorite quotes is; “What would I know about being restored if I’d never lost my place? What would I know about God’s mercy if I’d never fallen from grace?” Reverend Smith extracts from experiences that God has brought him through to be a testimony to the young and a reminder to the old that God can do anything but fail! When ministering, his dynamic energy and conviction invites you into a place of worship and praise.
Reverend Smith is active in several levels of ministry conducting various kinds of worship services, revivals, retreats, conferences, weddings and concerts. God has recently called Reverend Smith to expand his ministry to include mentoring young men without active fathers in the home. When asked who he would like to reach while ministering he said, “Those who know and don’t know they need Jesus!” He laughs“So this covers everybody. I want people to know that the forces of Satan are real but so are the forces of God. People must understand there is another good time that Satan doesn’t want them to know about and it is in Jesus.
Reverend Smith is a former associate minister at New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church located in Fort Lauderdale Floridawhere his father, Bishop David C Poole, is Pastor. He served in the leadership capacity as the minister of music, bible study instructor, and trustee board member. Reverend Smith’s servant hood to God extends the walls of the church to those in the surrounding community: he is a board member of Elijah’s House for Ex-offenders, Member of the Broward County Coalition for ex-offenders, member of the South Florida Renowned singing ensemble In-Unity, and a life time member of Gamma Beta Chi fraternity.
When asked Reverend Smith says that he considers himself a living testimony of what God can do for those who love and trust him with their whole heart. Because of His abundant grace and unconditional love, it is his mission to share the goodness of God with everyone he places in his path. When asked what his message is, Reverend Smith says, “You will not experience a genuine sense of spiritual fulfillment until you realize and live within God’s will for your life.”
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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