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Low Enrollment Forces Eddie Long to Close Christian Academy

More problems for the scandal-plagued "Bishop" Eddie Long and the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Citing low enrollment and a poor "economy", the church has announced plans to close its Christian Academy at the end of the school year, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV.

Enrollment reportedly has dropped by almost 80 percent at the Faith Community Christian Academy K-12. The academy is located on the New Birth campus in Lithonia,

The academy closed in January 2012 due to economic troubles, but reopened shortly [later]. According to New Birth's website, the school opened in 1993 as New Birth Christian Academy, and at one time boasted an enrollment of more than 200 students. But a church spokesperson said the current enrollment is at about 40, not nearly enough to be able to keep the school economically viable. He said this is a growing trend among private Christian academies as more and more of them are hit with economic hardships.

The school closure is just the latest bad news for the megachurch that once boasted up to 25,000 members. Twelve former church members announced in January that they were suing Long and New Birth for "encouraging" them to invest millions in a Ponzi scheme.

The anti-gay televangelist was accused of luring at least five young men into sexual relationships in late 2010. Long was accused of using church funds to give the young men cash, gifts and cars. The sexual relationships reportedly began when each of the plaintiffs were around 16 years old. Long reached an out-of-court settlement with the young men  in May 2011. Read the complaints HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Long's wife Vanessa publicly announced her plans to divorce in December 2011. The case was withdrawn in February 2012. Mrs. Long received a standing ovation from church members in September 2012 when she discussed why she remained in the marriage.

New Birth MBC maintains the school's financial problems are "not" related "to the controversy surrounding church founder Bishop Eddie Long and allegations of sexual abuse."

Keep telling yourself that, hon.

ATLANTA: Fatal Shooting at Creflo Dollar's Megachurch

PHOTO: AJC

WWJD? A church employee was killed during a shooting this morning at anti-gay Pastor Creflo Dollar's World Changers Church International in College Park, Georgia reports NBC 11 and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The suspected gunman apparently is a former church employee "who resigned in August."

Floyd Palmer, 52, is wanted in connection with the fatal shooting at the megachurch founded by televangelist Creflo Dollar. Dollar was not at the church at the time of the shooting, according to police.

Police have not identified the victim who was shot around 10:30 a.m. and later died. Lester said it was not yet clear whether the victim was targeted by the shooter or shot randomly. Lester said the victim was leading prayer at the time of the shooting in the chapel where 20 to 25 people were gathered. Lester said police were in the process of interviewing witnesses and watching the church’s surveillance videos.

Channel 2 reported that the victim was a member of the church’s production crew and a facilities maintenance manager at the church.

Dollar was arrested on assault charges in June. The flamboyant televangelist was accused of choking, punching and using a shoe to beat his 15-year-old daughter. Dollar received several standing ovations from his congregation when he appeared in the pulpit after his arrest.

The televangelist also made headlines in 2011 after defending disgraced pastor Eddie Long. Dollar slammed church members who left Long after the anti-gay pastor settled five sexual coercion lawsuits brought by young men. Long also received a standing ovation from his church congregation after initially denying that he "ever" touched the young men.

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VIDEO: Eddie Long's Wife Receives Standing Ovation at New Birth MBC

The wife of disgraced anti-gay televangelist Eddie Long received a standing ovation from church members while discussing her marriage's highly publicized problems. "I was in the middle of a storm, and I got off the ship," Vanessa Long said of publicized plans to file a divorce.

Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

It was almost two years ago that allegations first surfaced that Long had long-term sexual relations with young male members of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in suburban Atlanta. Mrs. Long publicly announced her plans to divorce in December 2011. The case was withdrawn in February 2012.

Long was accused of luring at least five young men into sexual relationships. Maurice Robinson, Jamal Parris, Anthony Flagg and Spencer LeGrande filed sexual coercion lawsuits against Long and New Birth in the fall of 2010. Long was accused of using church funds to give the young men cash, gifts and cars. The sexual relationships reportedly began when each of the plaintiffs were around 16 years old. Read the complaints HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

A fifth man later came forward with more allegations. Long reached an out-of-court settlement with all parties in May 2011.

A hypocrite who preys on teenage boys in the church congregation and uses church funds to buy them cars is a little more serious than a "wreck" or a "storm." But keep telling yourself that, hon.

Watch the "first lady" AFTER THE JUMP ...

VIDEO: Standing Ovation for Creflo Dollar After Assault Accusations

Atlanta-based, anti-gay mega-church Pastor Creflo Dollar appeared in the pulpit on Sunday after he was arrested on assault charges. The flamboyant televangelist was accused of choking, punching and using a shoe to beat his 15-year-old daughter.

Dollar denied the charges to his congregation at the World Changers Church. "I will say this emphatically. I should have never been arrested." Dollar was loudly cheered and received several standing ovations from his congregation.

The televangelist made headlines last summer after defending disgraced pastor Eddie Long. Dollar slammed church members who left Long after the anti-gay pastor settled five sexual coercion lawsuits brought by young men. Long also received a standing ovation from his church congregation after initially denying that he "ever" touched the young men.

Nothing to see here. Ignore the police report, the bruises and the eyewitness. Praise the Lord and pass the collection plate!

Watch FOX Atlanta's report AFTER THE JUMP ...

Anti-Gay Pastor Creflo Dollar Charged w/ Assaulting Daughter

Why is this not surprising? Atlanta-based, anti-gay mega-church Pastor Creflo Dollar has been arrested on assault charges and accused of choking, punching and using a shoe to beat his 15-year-old daughter, reports FOX Atlanta and NBC Atlanta. The flamboyant "prosperity gospel" pastor reportedly told police that his daughter "became very disrespectful" after he told her she couldn't attend a party.

Dollar [was] arrested on a family violence charge. Fayette County deputies arrested the 50-year-old pastor at his home on Thursday night. FOX 5's Doug Evans reports Dollar posted a $5,000 bond on Friday morning. The arrest warrant alleges Dollar "intentionally caused physical harm to his teenage daughter by grabbing her around the neck and choking her." The warrant states the incident caused a scratch on the right side of the girl's throat.

More on the injuries from CBS News.

The report alleged Dollar threw her to the ground, punched her and hit her with his shoe, CBS Atlanta reports. The pastor told police his daughter "became very disrespectful" after he told her she couldn't go to the party, according to the report. He admitted to spanking his daughter and wrestling her to the floor but said it was because she hit him.

The televangelist made headlines last summer after defending disgraced pastor Eddie Long. Dollar slammed church members who left Long after the anti-gay pastor settled five sexual coercion lawsuits brought by young men. Long was accused of using church funds to give the young men cash, gifts and cars. The sexual relationships reportedly began when each of the plaintiffs were around 16 years old. Dollar compared Long's situation to a car "wreck" and applauded the fact that he had "insurance."

Can't wait to hear the church folk praise a grown man for choking, punching and beating his daughter with a shoe. PTL!

#GlassHousesStonesEtc

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Bernice King Surprisingly Reaches Out to LGBTs at MLK Day Rally

PHOTO: AJC

Very surprising developments at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rally in Atlanta. Rev. Bernice A. King, the daughter of the late civil rights icon, explicitly included LGBTs in her speech, reports Dyana Bagby at the GA Voice.

In a passionate, sermon-like speech about building unity, King said she didn't care if people were Hindu, Buddhist, Islamist, were from the North side or the South side, were black or white, were "heterosexual or homosexual, or gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender" — that all people were needed to create unity.

LGBT people who attended the rally said they were shocked that King – who has a long anti-gay past — actually acknowledged the community in a public speech, but said they were also glad because it shows people can evolve. Rev. Maressa Pendermon, a minister with LGBT-inclusive Unity Fellowship Church, said she at first intended to tune out King because of her anti-gay past, but decided to pay attention one more time. ...

"There's always room for growth,” Pendermon said, describing her reaction to King's words. “People grow and people change. Sometimes we don't let them. I wasn't expecting that. And I was already ready to shut down but I challenged myself to listen and I'm glad I listened.”

Craig Washington, a founder of the Bayard Rustin/Audre Lorde breakfast where LGBT activists and allies gather before participating in the MLK march, said he was "surprised and actually excited" by King's words. "It reminded me that people can and do shift attitudes. They do evolve," he said.

Bernice King's new tone could reflect her new position. Last week King was named chief executive officer of the Atlanta-based King Center, which was established by LGBT ally Coretta Scott King "promote and preserve the legacy" of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr..

It remains to be seen if indeed King is "evolving on equality." The Baptist minister has a long history of anti-gay rhetoric and causes. In December 2004, King and her spiritual mentor Bishop Eddie Long led a 25,000 person march against gay rights and marriage equality. King is also quoted as saying that her father "didn't take a bullet" for same-sex marriage rights.

More recently, in May 2011, King resigned as an elder at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in suburban Atlanta. Her departure came only days after Eddie Long settled five sexual misconduct lawsuits filed by young men. The sexual relationships reportedly began when each of the plaintiffs were around 16 years old.

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Eddie Long Returns to Pulpit

The scandal-plagued "Bishop" Eddie Long has returned to the pulpit at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in suburban Atlanta, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Long ... announced in December that he was taking a brief leave to use the time to heal his family. Long's wife, Vanessa, has filed for divorce. A spokesman said Long preached at the New Year's Eve service and will continue to do so at weekly services.

The anti-gay televangelist was accused of luring at least five young men into sexual relationships. Long was accused of using church funds to give the young men cash, gifts and cars. The sexual relationships reportedly began when each of the plaintiffs were around 16 years old. Long reached an out-of-court settlement with the young men  in May 2011.

So has Eddie Long's family "healed" from this sexual misconduct? The divorce filing would imply "no."

Federal Probe and Lawsuit Target Eddie Long's "Investment" Advisor

The hits keep coming for "Bishop" Eddie Long, the Atlanta-based anti-gay televangelist accused of luring at least five young men into sexual relationships. Last week it was announced that ten current and former members of New Birth Mssionary Baptist Church are suing the pastor, church and an "investment advisor" for conspiring to defraud them. The church members lost about one million dollars in the so-called "Ponzi scheme."

The North Carolina businessman at the center of the scandal has a history of shady investment schemes. Ephren Taylor Jr. is being investigated by federal authorities and is the subject of a federal lawsuit, reports the AP.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating Taylor's activities, but "there is no investigation of the church itself," agency spokesman Max Milien said Monday.

Taylor is also named as a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed this month in U.S. District Court in North Carolina. In that case, lawyers say Taylor made a series of investment presentations for the "Prosperity Fund" at churches in Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Taylor's whereabouts remain unknown.

Attorneys for the church members say in a DeKalb County lawsuit that Taylor urged them to liquidate their retirement accounts, and as a result some lost their life savings. Plaintiff's attorney Jason Doss, who filed the lawsuit, said his legal team has struggled to locate Taylor, who operated a company in Raleigh, N.C. "We don't know where he is," said Doss. "He's sort of off the map."

Taylor sent this statement to the Associated Press: "Don't assume that I am just another greedy businessman. I am taking action to make things right." 

Long and another local anti-gay mega-church leader, Gary Hawkins, are also linked to a "questionable mortgage venture". Hawkins is accused of receiving kickbacks from the firm, which is now being investigated by the DeKalb County Police, the Secret Service and other federal authorities.

Yet another lawuit was filed against the pastor earlier this month—ordering Long and two others to pay $1.9 million for defaulting on a property loan. Long and his business partners bought the Hoops Gym in Jonesboro .... presumably so he could watch young men work up a sweat and offer "pastoral advice" ...

The latest lawsuit comes six months after Long reached an out-of-court settlement with at least five young men who had accused him of sexual coercion. Maurice Robinson, Jamal Parris, Anthony Flagg and Spencer LeGrande filed sexual coercion lawsuits against Long and New Birth last fall. Long was accused of using church funds to give the young men cash, gifts and cars. The sexual relationships reportedly began when each of the plaintiffs were around 16 years old. Read the complaints HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Centino Kemp later came forward with more allegations.

Why can't Eddie Long and New Birth help those church members who are in foreclosure or who lost their homes? Probably because the pastor is too busy using church funds to pay house notes for teenage boys.

R20's complete EDDIE LONG coverage.

Church Members Accuse Eddie Long and New Birth of Fraud Conspiracy

More legal problems for disgraced "Bishop" Eddie Long, the Atlanta-based anti-gay televangelist accused of luring at least five young men into sexual relationships. Ten current and former members of New Birth Mssionary Baptist Church are suing the pastor and church for conspiring to defraud them, reports WSB and CBS News.

The plaintiffs said in a lawsuit that in 2009,  Long invited Ephren Taylor, then CEO of the company, to speak at New Birth, and that Taylor told members how they could get rich. Instead, the plaintiffs said they lost all of their money.

U.S. Secret Service spokesman Mark Ritchie says agents have seized laptops from employees at New Birth in Lithonia, Ga. One church member, Lillian Wells, says she lost $122,000, her entire life savings. "[Taylor] knew what he was doing and it was one more plot to get money from us," Wells told WGCL. New Birth's spokesman Art Franklin declined to comment.

"Wells’ story is at the center of [the] lawsuit," reports CNN. "Wells and nine others claim [Long] "coerced" them into investing in a Ponzi scheme that wiped out at least $1 million in their retirement savings."

Long uploaded a YouTube video in February to appeal to Taylor to return almost $1 million. Long and another local anti-gay mega-church leader, Gary Hawkins, are also linked to a "questionable mortgage venture".

The latest lawsuit comes six months after Long reached an out-of-court settlement with at least five young men who had accused him of sexual coercion. The lawsuits accuse Long of using church funds to give them cash, gifts and cars. Read the complaints HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Too bad Long and New Birth cannot help those church members who are in foreclosure or who lost their homes. The pastor is too busy using church funds to pay house notes for teenage boys. But most of the congregation doesn't seem to mind.

R20's complete EDDIE LONG coverage.

REPORT: Eddie Long Seeks to Recover Settlement Cash?

Attorneys representing New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and disgraced anti-gay mega-church pastor "Bishop" Eddie Long have informed three of the five young men who accused the pastor of sexual misconduct that they "intend to recover" their financial settlement, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

The letter, sent this week by the Atlanta law firm Drew Eckl & Farnham, alleges that Jamal Parris [left], Spencer LeGrande [right] and Centino Kemp violated terms of a confidentiality agreement outlined in the settlement with Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The firm is seeking at least $900,000 already paid the three accusers, according to people involved in the settlement but not authorized to speak publicly. That figure is a portion of the total settlement with the three men.

Financial terms of that settlement have not been disclosed but, based on the letter and the fact each of the young men were paid equitably, the total comes to at least $1.5 million. The letter outlines the plaintiffs' "demand for arbitration" though no legal documents have yet been filed.

The letter could simply be a threat, said Atlanta litigator Hayden Pace. "No one's going to turn over the money just simply because you've asked for it," Pace said. "You're going to have to earn it back by establishing your right to it in the courts." ...

Parris, LeGrande and Kemp declined to comment on the letters received this week. Each has announced plans to write a book, with Parris and LeGrande telling the AJC they were collaborating on a tell-all that will reveal details of their relationship with Long.

Twenty-four-year-old Jamal Parris and 23-year-old Spencer LeGrande were among the four cases initially filed against the disgraced anti-gay mega-church pastor last fall. The four young men—Maurice Robinson, Jamal Parris, Anthony Flagg and Spencer LeGrande—filed sexual coercion lawsuits against Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Read the complaints HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Centino Kemp later came forward with more allegations.

A judge dismissed the lawsuits on May 27, one day after both sides announced they agreed to a settlement. The parties agreed not to disclose the dollar amount.

Parris and LeGrande broke their silence in late August when they spoke to AJC and WSB-TV. Both said that they were aware they were jeopardizing their settlement. "Money does not buy happiness," said LeGrande. "When you sleep at night, the problems are still there."

So much for Long and his five rocks. What's done in the dark will come to light.

R20's complete EDDIE LONG coverage.