7 OCT 07: A CASCADE OF RUMORS

It only figures, I suppose. We leave town to vacation at a church convention, and e-mails start arriving about the biggest church in Columbus. So who spread the rumors we were thinking about quitting one group, and going to the other?

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Cascade Hills Church Pastor Bill Purvis dismissed an online e-mail campaign against his board Saturday night, describing it as "almost laughable." Purvis added he's vetoed a church attorney's suggestion to sue one of the rumor-spreaders - which probably would not be laughable at all.

In an extensive conversation after the 6:00 p.m. worship service, Bill Purvis told your blog he only learned about the e-mail campaign against his church board in the last couple of days. He openly wished the e-mailers would "find something to do -- get a life, you might say." And since he's a church pastor, I think I know whose Life he would recommend....

We received three separate e-mails about Cascade Hills Church while we were away. One of them was directly to the point:

I think it you will find the following information interesting: Please click on the link or copy and paste the web address into your browser.

http://corp.sos.state.ga.us/imaging/14436191.pdf

Some important highlights are:

The corporation elects to have no members.

...The Board of Directors shall be the highest ecclesiastical tribunal of the church, and shall be the final arbiter of all questions of church doctrine, church discipline, church property, church policy, and church polity of every kind and nature whatsoever....

Registered agent: William Spud Warr

Board of directors: William Spud Warr, Michael Patrick and Keith Williams

Upon winding up and dissolution of the Corporation, the Board of Directors shall....distribute the remaining assets of the Corporation ....in its sole discretion determine or shall distribute the remaining assets of the Corporation to such organizations......

Please feel free to pass this along to other members you think will be concerned.

We tried the link Saturday night, and it didn't work. But we found Cascade Hills Church's "restated articles" through the Georgia Secretary of State's web site. Most of the time around here, a "restated article" would be called a "Classic Blog" -- which sounds nicer than a rerun.

Pastor Bill Purvis told me the paperwork he signed in June is simply an update to Cascade Hills Church's bylaws. It's the first such update in five years - but compared to that law in the book of Exodus, that seems downright wimpy.

Dr. Bill Purvis noted the e-mailer only quotes part of section of the document about the "ecclesiastical tribunal." That section goes on to say the church Board of Directors "shall use as its sole and final authority and standard the Holy Scriptures...." Apparently no one's brought up the verse against men having long hair, regarding a church guitar player I saw.

Bill Purvis added the bylaw change was approved by the Cascade Hills Church membership, at a business meeting earlier this year. And he assured me church membership meetings still will be used to settle matters in the future. This is why it pays to pick up those announcement bulletins in the foyer....

Bill Purvis admitted one of the Cascade Hills Board of Directors "has deep pockets," and might sue an e-mailer on his own. But the pastor is choosing NOT to do so, even though a church attorney claims to have an IP address to track down the source of the message. Praying for heavenly intervention with a lightning strike can settle things even faster, you know.

(What struck me about the bylaw change was how all three board members have the same address - and it's the address of Cascade Hills Church. Do the Bible study rooms have hidden fold-out beds?)

So what about this "dissolution of the Corporation" language? Dr. Bill Purvis explained under the old bylaws, HE had the power to dissolve the church and spread the assets as he wished. So this isn't a power grab - it's a small-scale version of ordaining 12 apostles.

Bill Purvis added if Cascade Hills Church ever is dissolved, the new bylaws require the board to distribute the assets to nonprofit agencies. "I know of three churches in this town which have sold in the last two years.... where the Pastor and the Board pocketed some of the money," Purvis said. He did NOT name the churches - so there, the e-mailer DOES have something new to work on.

Bill Purvis said Cascade Hills Church has "about seven attorneys" as members. All who have reviewed the bylaw change say there's "no substance" to the e-mailed complaints. Of course, in the Internet world there's only "substance" if you print something out....

The husband of the Cascade Hills Church clerk overheard my conversation with Bill Purvis, and said he was "offended" when he received the e-mail about the bylaw change. Church leaders say the e-mailers are ignorant of the process. They're also apparently ignorant of the New Testament passage about "going to your brother" first, not the congregation at large.

Pastor Bill Purvis did NOT bring up the e-mail during the Saturday evening service. He told me afterward that was because 80 percent of the Cascade Hills membership probably doesn't know about it, and bringing it up "would only confuse them." As if some members weren't confused when Purvis declared during his sermon there are 32 miles in a marathon.... [True!]

The first e-mail we received about the Cascade Hills Church bylaws actually was in the form of a question:

Do you think it is normal that a church would make such a major change in its policy without even letting its membership know?

Keep in mind: church leaders say this was approved in a membership business meeting. But yes, I know of some churches where this approach would be normal. The one headed by Utah's Warren Jeffs probably has done it often.

Not all church groups or denominations are "democracies," with members voting on major changes. I've attended congregations where the Pastor seemingly could make up rules on the spur of the moment during a service. One memorable Saturday afternoon, I showed up with a crock pot full of chili - only to learn the chili supper announced one week before had been canceled.

A third e-mail about Cascade Hills Church takes us back to the last time this congregation caused controversy here. A church defender wrote us 13 May, and a critic apparently needed some time to research a response:

Richard,

I thought it might be time for an answer to one of your writters several months ago.

Thanks

As an insider who was directed to this site to read the lies and slander beging told of Pastor Bill Purvis, I'd like to respond.

One writer is correct, Bill Purvis will probably never read a blog. However, my neighbor knows I am employed by a professional firm with information about him, so she asked my view. I believe that the writer named Mrs. Owens is very, very close to the truth in her response.

Now, to address some of the slander...

Slander

\Slan"der\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slandered; p. pr. &

vb. n. Slandering.]

1. To defame; to injure by maliciously uttering a false

report; to tarnish or impair the reputation of by false

tales maliciously told or propagated; to calumniate.

There is nothing false in what was said.

What if Pastor Purvis was not even at the Ritz Carlton in North Georgia on a retreat with staff almost 2 years ago but was instead speaking for the New York Life Insurance Company in Macon, GA at the time alleged, and upon arrival to Columbus he conducted a funeral for a young man whom he'd led to Christ, that died in his parents home. All of this can be verified by all church staff, the employees of the insurance company, and the family of the deceased. Would this make the accusations against him now true or false? How reliable is his accuser now?

The accuser never said the Pastor was there…his accuser is very reliable.

What if when Pastor Purvis discovered that one of his top staff did take several staff to the Ritz-Carlton, that person is no longer employed at the Church, he was angered by the misconduct enough to pay the bill himself? How reliable is the accuser now?

If the pastor was angered it was because he was confronted about the issue, not because he "discovered" anything. It is the pastor whom announced to that staff that they were going to the Ritz - Carlton; it was the pastor who arranged for the manger of the resort property to speak to the staff. The resort manager of the property spoke to the majority of the staff and referred to the pastor as having givin the staff the opportunity to be at the resort. Although this "top staff" was present at the staff retreat (so labeled by the pastor himself) he did not originate the event. In addition it was not several of the staff; it was the entire staff with very few exceptions. It was required a required staff retreat. The Following is a partial list of those who attended....

If the pastor paid for it out of his own pocket it was not because he was angered enough, but because he was embarrassed that he was confronted about the issue. He was fully aware of what was going on and its cost before the staff left for the Ritz-Carlton. He met with the staff before their departure and expressed his sorrow that he wouldn't be able to be there with them, but he was sure they would enjoy the Ritz-Carlton just as he does when he stays there. The fact that this "top employee" is no longer with the church has nothing to do with this issue as the defender attempts to insinuate. It was months later that this "top staff" resigned.

Again the defenders facts are wrong…how reliable is his accuser? VERY…

What if Pastor Purvis personally paid for the New York trip which aired the RealTime broadcast with his own personal credit card from his own funds? I suspect the accuser himself enjoyed the benefits since only they could have known this. How credible is his accuser now?

If this is the case why doesn't the pastor share a copy of his credit card statement and a copy of the check where he paid the bill? Transparency is a wonderful thing. Remind me again, who kept the money box for Jesus…

What if Pastor Purvis' wife, who drove a Chevy for the past 5 years, received a large settlement from her deceased father's estate last year when his second wife died and she chose to buy a 2005 Hummer for herself? (we handled it) Why is that a sin? How reliable is his accuser now?

I suspect most people don't really care what the lady drives or how she paid for it. I mean it's a $35,000 vehicle who cares? Its certainly not a sin.

What if Pastor Purvis, whose personal company with one product alone distributing several thousand monthly leadership materials to subscribers at $15.00 a month (do the math here: 1,000=$15,000, 2,000=$30,000) generated much of his income, would that be a sin? I personally think it's very smart and wish I would have thought of it myself.

There is some serious misinformation in this statement but I will withhold comment at this time, however the truth will surface. Suffice to say there are not thousands of subscribers, not even hundreds. The pastor knows the truth. More importantly so does God. Also, could someone tell me the name of the Pastors personal company and where the offices are located and how much they pay in rent? Who is on staff with the pastors personal company?

What if Pastor Purvis, who's known to be one of the highest tithers in his church and one of the most generous givers in the area, still lived well below his means and ability, would that be worth anything to anyone?

Assuming the pastor is truthful about not taking a salary from the church one would have to wonder where he gets this large amount to tithe. Is it from the less than 300 people who subscribe to his monthly leadership material (do the math 300 x 15 = $4500)? Could it be from his vast speaking engagements? Although that can't be true because by his own admission he claims to return that money to the organization that brings him in to speak. Could it be from investments in Carmike Cinema stock? Regardless, I am certainly glad he is able to pay for the entire staff to go to the Ritz Carlton for several days, a trip to New York City for some of the staff to see Christmas in New York, live in a fine house on the river, drive an $85,000 plus car, spend several weeks in Hawaii and California each year and wear custom Armani suites. Truly Jesus must be proud; I hear Armani and Lexus were two of his favorite brands and I am sure he just loved the Ritz-Carlton.

This Pastor said during his testimony (You can have your very own copy for only $15.00 for DVD and $10.00 for CD), in its latest iteration entitled "Turning Point" (formally The Raven) that as an 18 year old boy he walked his friends over to the mirror and told them although he didn't look any different, he wasn't the same person and he no longer wanted to do the same things he had done before. One of those things he said he no longer wanted to do was lie. On these issues I have no idea if he is lying or not, but he himself knows; so does God. I wonder if when this pastor puts his head on the pillow at night he has a clear conscious. I hope so, and I hope God will continue to bless him as he has blessed him to this point.

What if I knew for a fact that he has paid a price in many ways to help people either financially, spiritually, in loss of privacy and other ways, and has turned away larger opportunities for "career" moves, is that worth anything?

What if you only knew half the things that happen "Behind the Scenes"? Regardless of where the money comes from this Pastor is paid highly for his "Loss of Privacy"

What if the accuser, who is deliberately attacking a person who led a church from 32 people to its present state, had instead chosen to do something worthwhile with their own life?

What if? You have no idea what the "accuser" has done. Leading a church from 32 to 2500 People (lets compare apples with apples please. When the Pastor refers to 32 people he is referring to the number of people in attendance on the first Sunday he took over after his father-in-law left the church in what some would call a scandal, not the number in membership. When he says now, that he took a church from 32 to 7000, by his own admission the IRS couldn't find half of those members. About 2600 adults attend church services each week. He wasn't counting the children in his 32, let's not count them now.) Let there be no mistake, the pastor is a great motivator and speaker, this fact can't be argued. However, I can list a number of people who fit that discription.

May God Bless Cascade Hills Baptist Church Incorporated who by its own restated articles has

NO MEMBERS

Maybe next weeks sermon will be titled "how to take a church from 32 to 7000 to 0"

We're admittedly leaving out the names on the Ritz-Carlton retreat list, since they seem to be innocent bystanders in this debate. (If you want the list, e-mail us and we'll send it privately.) But they include several Cascade Hills ministers, who might have been distracted by the historic decor at the Trade Center.

Does this critic actually want Bill Purvis to post his credit card expense accounts online, for everyone to see? I don't even hear the guy in the LifeLock radio commercials recommending that....

(And oh yes: while Judas "had the bag" long ago, Jesus asked Peter to pay a temple tax in the Biblical book of Matthew - with money pulled from a fish's mouth. Not even Bill Purvis's defenders might be ready to accept that one.)

But c'mon now - Bill Purvis wearing Armani suits?! It's a rare day when he wears a sportscoat at Cascade Hills Church, much less a tie....

I don't know how often Bill Purvis visits California, but he admitted during his Saturday evening sermon that he once took his sons to a sports event in Las Vegas - an "Ultimate Fighting Championship," of all things! Well, that beats having a pastor who bets money at a poker table for a "King of Kings."

Bill Purvis brought up the early years of Cascade Hills Church in his Saturday evening sermon. He admitted the 32 members in the 1980's "weren't speaking to each other." He did NOT explain the reason why - but you'd think all the friends of his father-in-law would have followed him somewhere else.

And for the corporation papers showing Cascade Hills Church with "no members:" Pastor Bill Purvis indicated to me that's common in bylaw filings such as this. He said he followed a format used by other big churches, such as Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston. Unlike Osteen, you'll notice Purvis still hasn't made a bid to buy out the Columbus Civic Center.

Admittedly, we did NOT bring up this last e-mail's long list of accusations Saturday night. We were focused on the bylaw controversy -- and to be honest, we were surprised to get an interview with Bill Purvis at all. The pastor actually seemed approachable. But perhaps he had mercy on the one worshiper who showed up wearing a suit and tie.

Amidst all these e-mails and accusations, we should not overlook Bill Purvis's sermon topic this weekend. He's focusing on Jonah 4, and saying we should not put "petty stuff" above the "big picture" of ministering to people. A high-profile minister such as Purvis probably has to deal with "petty stuff" a lot - such as people asking why no dramatic videotapes play during his sermons anymore.

But then I go online this weekend, and read about an investigation of Oral Roberts University. The president's wife is accused not only of mishandling money, but sending thousands of text messages to male college students. Either something fishy is going on, or it's the world's largest wireless prayer list.

LAUGHLINE FLASHBACK: Overlooked in Marion Jones's steroid confession is how her lover faced similar accusations during the Sydney Olympics. We wrote about that for LaughLine subscribers during September 2000:

25 Sep 00: A cloud developed over the Marion Jones juggernaut today, with word that husband C.J. Hunter tested positive for an illegal steroid in July in Norway. It must not work as well as the one Mark McGwire's used - because we haven't seen Hunter throw any shot putters into the stands.

26 Sep 00: Drug problems overshadowed the Olympics a bit more Monday. Because of four failed drug tests over the summer, U.S. shotputter C.J. Hunter can no longer officially coach Marion Jones -- his wife! Does this mean they have to sleep in separate beds until next Monday?

(If you were Marion Jones, would you want to even KISS your husband until the games are over -- just to be safe?)

27 Sep 00: U.S. shotputter CJ Hunter denied Tuesday that he's used banned drugs. Officials say he tested positive for those drugs four times this summer! The track and field federation apparently borrowed its "zero tolerance" policy from Bob Knight and Indiana University.

(Not all hope is lost for CJ Hunter. "Andro man" Mark McGwire wants him to pinch-hit for the Cardinals during the playoffs.)

And who should be in Sydney Tuesday to come to CJ Hunter's aide - but Johnny Cochran! "He flunked the test, but we're not going to rest!"

29 Sep 00: Marion Jones received her second Olympic gold medal Thursday, by winning the 200-meter dash. Jones refuses to answer questions about her husband's drug tests until after the Sydney Games end -- and NBC's Jim Gray isn't asking her about them. What's the matter, Jim? Is Pete Rose one of her coaches?

COMING MONDAY: We catch-up on vacation e-mail.... and talk about a one-and-a-half armed pool shark....

Today's entry was the result of blog readers' tips. To offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation, advertise to our readers or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 2499 (- 289, 10.4%)

If you mention this blog in public, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-07 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.