Pastor cleared of forgery
(CNS): Christopher Murray, a pastor at Bethel Refuge Apostolic Church in Prospect, who was charged with forging the signatures of founding members on documents relating to the church’s formation and registering it as a charity, was acquitted by a jury on Monday of one count of forgery, and one count of uttering a false document. Murray had not denied writing his colleague’s signatures but had claimed he had been given authorisation to do so.
Murray, who is also a counsellor at John Gray High School, was found not guilty on both counts after a two-week trial, in which the jury heard that a rift developed between the pastor and his founding colleagues over church policies and the funds. Those two church members claimed that Murray forged documents about them and their role in the church and never gave him permission to sign any documents on their behalf.
But other witnesses from the congregation said the two men had seen they were named as directors on the documents and had never complained about their signatures.
When the investigation first opened into the issues at the church, following reports from the founding members, the police had also investigated allegations of theft. Murray had originally been charged with other dishonesty allegations alongside forgery, but as a result of issues relating to that inquiry, which have not been revealed, the charges came too late and were statute barred.
When the verdict was delivered Tuesday, several members of the congregation who were in court to support Murray began praying loudly and throwing themselves to the floor while court was in session, forcing the marshall to restore order. The church members, however, obliged and took their celebrations into Burger King parking lot.
- Fascinated
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- Bored
- Afraid
“When the verdict was delivered Tuesday, several members of the congregation who were in court to support Murray began praying loudly and throwing themselves to the floor while court was in session, forcing the marshall to restore order. The church members, however, obliged and took their celebrations into Burger King parking lot.” OMG these people are a riot!
Bless up Pastor Murray!
The Apocalyptic church sounds like a real blast to me.
If you are considered to be a “man of God” in Cayman you can do anything. It was like this in the old days in Ireland when the Catholic Church ruled with an iron grip. Their priests and nuns got off with terrible offenses. In Cayman we have an incredible number of fundamentalist churches, some very very small but always able to build or rent a small building and get local, usually Jamaican worshippers. These churches attach bizarre quasi biblical names to them: I mean, seriously, Bethel Refuge Apostolic Church; can one of the congregation explain to us what the title means? And can you say how you pay your pastor and whether all congregation members have to tithe?
The last paragraph….
Whew chile the ghetto!
Think that’s a sentence.
Interesting contrast to the 2008 verdict on ex-pat Richard Hanna, who was accused of holding onto charitable funds even after he surrendered the money to RCIPS,
‘And took their celebrations into Burger King parking lot.’
LOL, you couldn’t make that up if you tried could you?
Have it your way…
Cause Jesus he knows me
And he knows I’m right
Oh yes he knows me and he knows I’m right
I’ve been talking to Jesus all my life
And he’s been telling me everything is alright, alright.
Genesis, 1991
Phil Collins never sung that.
7:01 Oh no? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35K6vQRt67g Check it out :-}
You know, the first time I went to the bank with my mom, I was squirming holding her hand, and bored trying to stay still in the line, and I went over to the customer counter and wrote an imaginary withdrawal slip for a gazillion dollars and gave it to my mom. It was funny, but I knew, at like 5 or 7, it wasn’t going to work, and nobody tried to pass it off as real.
How then do adults, trusted as ethical leaders, taking cash from people, and having a NPO status, plead *successfully* that they had hypothetical permission to sign some other adult’s name? Who witnessed the signatures? Do these NPO docs not need to be Notarized?
Man, only in the Cayman Islands…carry on I guess.
All NPO’s should be made to publish annual accounting signed off by every member of the NPO board for that year. These accounts should be published via a website run by the Government unit responsible for granting & monitoring NPO status.
Nope. None of your business what we do with our money. Don’t ask for your donations don’t want you up in our business.
So who do you get your donations from? Persons who attend any church are members of the public first. The government answers to the public so we can demand to understand what the organisations granted NPO status is doing.
Hospital patients are members of the public first. The government answers to the public so we can demand to understand what hospital patients records have on them. Simply following the logic above that scarily has 12 likes.
A two week trial that was another obvious loser for the Crown—tell me again how 10 more courtrooms is going to improve efficiency.
Praise the lord!
At the end of the day, God knows the truth about all of us.
He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake.
Well, you mean he would know everything about us—if he was real.
Last paragraph…..you couldn’t make it up!
Sorry, that’s a sentence and you can’t make it up.
I am having a problem with this. Did the pastor actually tried to signed the documents with a signature resembling the directors or did he just write in their names? These are certainly two different issues all together. It is legal to script or type in a name then finalize it by getting the signatures of the said directors.
I’ve done one or two and signatures are required. Not a lawyer but I did sleep at the Holiday Inn last night.
Welcome to the church’s Disciples
We’ll have a sermon and a wonderful recital
But before we go on there’s something I must mention
An important message I must bring to your attention
I was in meditation and prayer last night
I was awakened by a shining bright light
Overhead a glorious spirit
He gave me a message and you all need to hear it
Send me your money
That’s what he said, he said to
Send me your money
Now if you can only send a dollar or two
There ain’t a hell of a lot I can promise to you
But if you want to see heaven’s door
Make out a check for five mil dollars or more
Here comes another con hiding behind a collar
His only god is the almighty dollar
He ain’t no prophet, he ain’t healer
He’s just a two bit goddamn money stealer
Now how much you give is your own choice
But to me it’s the difference between a Porsche and a Rolls Royce
I want you to make it hurt when you dig into your pocket
Cause it makes me feel so good to watch my profits rocket
Amen
What about all the unfounded and unproven theories he and the others spew to their sheep each week? Isn’t that forgery in itself?
Your comment in and of itself is a theory. Isn’t that forgery in itself?
Time for lust, time for lie
Time to kiss your life goodbye
Send me money, send me green
Heaven you will meet
Make a contribution and you’ll get a better seat
Bow to leper messiah