Some members of the St Peter’s Lutheran Church congregation have accused Bishop G. Victor Padmore, Reverend J. Lewis MaCay and Thomas Tolbert Jallah of alleged “witch-hunting and corruption” which is taking a toll on the church.
But Bishop Padmore’s office including himself was reached on three days in succession; this is from Sunday, March 26 to Tuesday, March 28, to ascertain the crux of the allegations made, our efforts proved futile despite earlier promises made.
Earlier, MaCay, one of the persons accused alongside the Bishop and Jallah, bearing cell #0770-172-971 was called severally for gist of the allegations on Sunday, March 26 as well as on Monday, March 27 and during the conversation, he assured the paper of letting his boss whom he claimed was suffering from fatigue to know.
McCay returned the call but this time, it was Bishop Padmore on the line and wanting to know who are those making the allegations against him and others but the paper said it cannot make any disclosure of its sources.
Following the exchanges, he assured the paper of responding by granting an interview on yesterday but on Tuesday, when McCay was confronted to set the time, he told the paper that they were in a meeting and would get back to the paper but up to press time last night; there had been no response from Padmore or McCay.
The clarity needed was bordered on whether or not the church could allow for a financial and/or physical assets verification committee or forensic audit to audit the entire system of the following suggestions from Counselor Kpadeson Sumo.
The 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 they too are not exonerated.
They said these clergy were allegedly aided by Sumo, Head of the Lutheran Church’s team of lawyers who violated the church’s constitution because he took the matter personal.
They claimed that 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 clergy 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 deliverables 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’s 100 day’s deliverables 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 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 to tell them that the formation of the financial and/or physical assets verification committee was illegal, but shamefully
Padmore’s 100 day’s deliverables cannot be more than cutting grass on the Lutheran Training Institute (LTI) Campus in Sanoyea 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 St Peters Lutheran Church in Monrovia where a crowd gathered in their numbers with optimism.
The spectacular religious ritual was performed by the outdone Dr. D. Jensen Seyenkolu, which was a smooth transfer of authority to Dr. Padmore, Head of the Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) for a six-year term in keeping with the constitution of the church.
During the campaign for the bishop position; the congregants claimed that 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 transfer of Doe to Monrovia, he turned out to be an Embarrassment-In-Chief (EIC) to Padmore to the extent that the Reverend has turned 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.
They said what’s astonishing is that the school system’s offices are next door to Padmore’s residence which seems not to bother him as he remains silent alongside McCay and 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 within 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 that MaCay, 68, said that the Bishop Assistant is beyond the retirement age and should therefore not continue to be in the employment of the Church.
Therefore, they opined that he should not be permitted to occupy another full-time job by being Pastor of the Bardnersville Lutheran Church.
On issues of transparency and corruption-free of good governance in the church, the congregants noted that McCay is not the only 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’s presence in the central office and continue to play the role as Padmore’s Representatives on the transitional team, has suffocated the General Secretary and Treasurer,” the 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.
For Rev. Jallah, they said he is allegedly on recording (tape and video) when preaching sometimes last year at the Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Logan Town.
There and then, he used the stage to openly rain insults on the Bishop Emeritus and General Secretary, Naomi Ford-Wilson, and the National Treasurer, Mrs. Mae Peters-Kandakai, who the three “transparent” clergy 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 built or building glass houses and establishing farms.
“Our reminder to Jallah is to let him reflect on an international assignment in Lomé, 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 raise funds for the renovation of the bishop’s residence situated on 11th street Sinkor whereas, the building referred to as the bishop’s residence was renovated and leased to Hussein.
“If the Bishop’s residence was renovated and leased to Hussein prior to Thomas Jallah’s fund-raising rally; then he (Thomas Jallah) needs to tell us why he did not disclose the correct information to the church,” they demanded.
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 when he is allowed to preach at the Good Sheppard Lutheran Church; he 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; let 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 that he can inform the auditors what happened to the 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’s money.
