Baptist Church Enters Foreclosure Zone

The Mount Galilee Missionary Baptist Church has entered the dreaded foreclosure zone. In 2003 the Rev. Henry J. Scott had said that the debts of the church were $19,000 – a relatively modest amount. But today under the lead of another pastor (a person with a track record of personal money problems) the church has been foreclosed upon with a debt of $840,000.

The figures raises questions as to how the church so swiftly has gone completely broke. Most probably by thinking too big the church invited foreclosure.

Church heads including Rev. Marcus L. Martin had dreams about building a much more grand church than the present modest one standing weary with age on Joyce Avenue on the northern side of Columbus. In 2007 a new sanctuary was added so that the people could pray in an impressive way.

In January Rev. Martin took a loan of $723,613 from Huntington National Bank. But the loan hung unpaid. On 2nd December the bank filed foreclosure. Three days later the church admitted in court that it owed the lender about $750,000.

The previous pastor Rev. Scott had also problems with his own house when the church failed to comply with a promised retirement package. He had headed Mount Galilee Baptist Church for three decades. He was retired off with a written assurance of being given $1,100 per months plus other remuneration. In 2004 the payment suddenly came to a stop and the other grants like life insurance and an amount of $17,958 deposited in an account on behalf of Scott also disappeared. Pushed into a corner, Scott sued the church in 2006. By that time the latter had dropped ‘Mount’ from the name. The court ruled in favour of Scott. The church now owes him and his wife Shirlee about $80,000. Scott is now 76 years old and has to work 10 hours night duty as a security guard so as to be able to pay the rent of his apartment.

The documents relating to the mortgage show that Martin together with three other deacons took loans amounting to $660,000 towards the end of 2006 from Park National Bank for making additions and alterations estimated at $714,000.

The new church came up beside the old one with a formal opening of the extension on September 2007. Within months contractors, who had not been paid, filed lien suits against the church!