Take a look at this article—someone has one for sale!
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (AP) — Dwindling donations to the Living Word Christian Center in this Twin Cities suburb have prompted its high-profile pastor, Mac Hammond, to put his private business jet on the market.
Church spokesman the Rev. Brian Sullivan says Living Word has also cut its hourlong Sunday morning television broadcast to 30 minutes to save money.
He says the church has fallen $40,000 to $70,000 short of its weekly budget in recent weeks, and the church is adjusting its budget accordingly.
Sullivan said the church's problems could be a combination of the recession and the recent bad publicity about churches preaching prosperity gospel, which holds that God wants his followers to flourish financially.
Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has asked six mega-ministries that preach a prosperity message to submit financial documents and answer questions about spending and oversight. He is trying to ensure they follow IRS rules for nonprofits.
Hammond's church was not among those targeted, but he is on the board of Kenneth Copeland's ministries, based in Texas. Copeland is one of the pioneers of the theology and a Grassley target.
Sullivan said the church is aggressively marketing the jet, and the money raised from the sale would be reinvested in the ministry.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment