Some members of the Saint Peter Lutheran Church congregation have accused Bishop G. Victor Padmore, Reverend J. Lewis McCay and Thomas Tolbert Jallah of alleged “witch-hunting and corruption” that seems to have engulf the institution.
But when reached out to Bishop Padmore’s office including himself during 3 consecutive days from Sunday, 26 to Tuesday, 28 March, to ascertain he and others side of the allegation to either confirm or deny all effort prove futile without responding despite earlier promised made.
Earlier, McCay one of the accused alongside the Bishop and Thomas Tolbert Jallah having called and gave him the gist of the allegations on Sunday, 26 and Monday, 27 during a mobile phone conversation assured this writer of letting his boss who he claimed suffering from fatigue following long distance traveled from Bopolu, Gbarpolu County to Monrovia on Sunday to know.
However, within hours he called back but this time around it was Bishop Padmore himself who was on the line wanting to know who are those making the allegation against him and others therefore he want to know their names instead of responding.
Following that he (Padmore) assured this `e paper of responding by granting an interview on Tuesday, 28 March. On Tuesday, when reached out again, Rev. MaCay told the paper that they were in meeting therefore, he shall get back to the paper but until press time last night there was no response neither Padmore nor Macay.
Howbeit, this followed report to establish a financial and/or physical assets verification committee or forensic audit to audit the entire system of the church which they believe is been initiated by the above mentioned 3 following suggestion from Counselor Kpadeson Sumo.
Inside the church, those congregants told this paper that the formulation of the financial and/or physical assets verification committee by Padmore, McCay and Jallah claiming zero tolerance to corruption and rule of law, is to the contrary because themselves are not exonerated.
They said these clergymen were allegedly aided by Sumo Head of the Lutheran Church’s team of lawyers violated the church’s constitution because he took the matter personal.
They claimed Kpadeson reportedly refused to convene a meeting of the church’s lawyers to deliberate on such a grave constitutional matter.
“Sumo did not muster the courage to look in the faces of the 3 clergymen and tell them that the formation of the financial and/or physical assets verification committee or forensic audit of the entire Lutheran Church’s system was illegal,” they noted.
Padmore administration like others said to have formulated its own work plan for the first 100 days deliverable which included the establishment of a financial and/or physical assets verification committee with the bishop and his campaign team being a part.
They stated that Padmore 100 day’s deliverable cannot be more than cutting grass on the Lutheran Training Institute (LTI) Campus in Sanoyea District, Lofa County.
Those congregants stated among many things that Padmore knew and ought to have known better that the verification committee was illegal and violated Article 10 Section 4 of the church’s convention.
And the article states: “That Convention shall review reports of the LCL’s work and act on recommendation (s) presented to it by the Executive Council and others in keeping with this provision of the LCL’s Constitution.”
“Sumo did not muster the courage to look in the faces of those clergymen and tell them that the formation of the financial and/or physical assets verification committee was illegal but shamefully proposed a forensic audit of the entire Lutheran Church In Liberia,” what a disgraced they said.
Padmore 100 day’s deliverable cannot be more than cutting grass on the Lutheran Training Institute (LTI) Campus in Salayea District, Lofa County.
On Sunday, 3 July, 2022, the Right Reverend G. Victor Padmore was commissioned as Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Liberia during an elaborate ceremony held at the Saint Peters Lutheran Church in Monrovia. Crowd gathered in their numbers and hopes were high with optimisms.
The spectacle religious ritual was performed by the outdone Dr. D. Jensen Seyenkolu. It was a smooth transferred of authority to Dr. G. Victor Padmore, Head of the Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) for a single six (6) years term in keeping with the constitution of the church.
During campaigning for the bishop ship the congregants claimed, Padmore informed his supporters or followers that once elected he would bring pastors from the rural communities or areas to Monrovia.
And true to this statement, following his coronation he appointed Reverend Eric Doe as the Director of the Lutheran Church in Liberia’s School System with head office at the LCL compound on 13th Street in the Sinkor District.
Since the appointment and transferred of Doe to Monrovia he turn out to be an Embarrassment-In-Chief (EIC) to Padmore to the extent that the Reverend has turn the offices of the LCL into a residential quarter which is said to be disgusting to say the least.
“Doe alongside his two daughters and other family members are presently residing on the LCL Compound on 13th Street in the Sinkor District where the offices including that of Bishop Padmore are situated is degrading,” said the congregants.
What astonishing they said is that the school system offices are next door to Padmore’s residence which seems not to bother him as he remain silence alongside J. Lewis McCay and Thomas Jallah relating to Doe’s attitude.
“These men continued to blow their own trumpets as the most transparent and corruption free inside the Liberian Lutheran Church in Liberia when this is to the contrary deepening digger with in their minds,” the congregants noted.
With the above mentioned, they went further that records available speak volume to the Bishop procuring building materials and supervising the construction work at the Lutheran Church’s Compound on 13th Street in Sinkor but they are waiting to see who shall make receipts available to their auditors.
Furthermore, they believe MaCay, 68, the Bishop Assistant is beyond the retirement age therefore he should continue to be in the employment of the Church.
Therefore, they opined that he should not be permit to occupy another full time job by being Pastor of the Barnesville Lutheran Church.
About transparency and corruption free of good governance in the church, these congregants noted that McCay is not only the person to continuously play the role of an officer or Bishop’s Assistant of the Lutheran Church in Liberia.
“The Church’s Constitution recognizes only three officers the Bishop, General Secretary and Treasurer. But with McCay presence in the central office and continued to play the role as Padmore’s Representatives on the transitional team has suffocated the General Secretary and Treasurer,” these church members pointed out.
This was the evident from the statement made by the Bishop on his Lutheran’s Connection that he has a kitchen cabinet (staff) that comprises his campaign and transitional teams. Such utterances, is this their style of good governance and transparency in the Liberian Lutheran Church, asked one of the members.
For Reverend Thomas Tolbert Jallah, they said he is allegedly on recording (tape and video) when preached sometime last year at the Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Logan Town.
There and then, he used the stage to openly rained insults on the Bishop Emeritus and General Secretary, Naomi Ford-Wilson, and the National Treasurer, Mrs. Mae Peters-Kandakai, who the three “transparent” clergymen consider as “outsiders.”
Jallah used the privilege given him by Pastor Deddeh Howard Kollie to spread the words of God to spew out misinformation and disinformation only intended to brew confusion amongst members of the church thereby insinuating that individual’s build or building glass houses and establishing farms.
“Our reminder to Jallah let him to reflect while on an international assignment in Lome, Togo. He allegedly signed vouchers in your name and issued said checks for encashment and personally converted the proceeds,” they accused.
These congregants claimed that the Reverend who is preaching transparency and good governance mobilized the Monrovia District of the Lutheran church to raised funds for renovation of the of the Bishop residence situated on 11th Sinkor where as the building referred to as the Bishop’s resident was renovated and lease out to Hussein.
“If the Bishop residence was renovated and leased to Hussein before Thomas Jallah fund raising rally then he (Thomas Jallah) needs to tell us why he did not disclose the correct information to the church,” they asked.
Jallah informed us that McCay built two houses in Bopolu while serving as head Pastor of Saint Peters Lutheran Church there.
Therefore, the congregants urged that the next time he is allow preaching at the Good Sheppard Lutheran Church you should also inform the congregation how McCay built two houses in Bopolu while serving as pastor of the Lutheran church.
They believe that since Padmore, Jallah and McCay are clamoring and crying out for a forensic audit before they forget lets them hasten to say that they will demand that the forensic auditors must meet with Thomas Paye on the campus of the Lutheran Training Institute LTI for the purpose of digging deeper into the financial mess he allegedly created while serving as head of the LTC.
The forensic auditors must also meet with Paye at the Board of Pension again so he can inform the auditors what happen with pensioners’ money stating that once Phebe and LTI are audited it will provide the answer Padmore is seeking.
They said the Lutheran transparency publication initiated by the 3 clergymen, Eric Doe should not be told to stop using the office of the LCL school system because he and some big people of the church have allegedly credited US$40, 000 of the church money to themselves. More to follow
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