Second Baptist hearing scheduled for July
Starkville's Second Baptist Church's sanctuary expansion project was put to a halt in 2015, but an upcoming hearing will shed light on the investigation into the funds associated with the controversial project.
A hearing will take place on July 17 and July 18 at the Circuit Court building to discuss the details of the investigation.
More than half a million dollars is currently missing from the project fund and only a small percentage of the overall construction of the sanctuary has been complete. Compounded with the ongoing investigation and civil suits between the trustees and deacon Terry Miller, pastor Joseph Stone, Jr. and contractor Donald Crowther, the delayed expansion is just another concern weighing on the minds of SBC's members.
Longtime church member Charles Ware told the SDN construction will not continue and it will be a long time before the new sanctuary is built.
“The expansion is not going to happen, not right now,” Ware said. “It will be years before Second Baptist will build a new sanctuary.”
Ware said SBC's bank account in now sitting
between $60,000 and $100,000, when it originally had more than $1 million before the sanctuary project started.
Members of the church are ready for the rebuilding and healing processes to begin, but know that it can't happen until everything comes to light.
Everlyn Johnson, a SBC member of 20-plus years, said her heart broke when the news of potentially underhanded financial dealings came out.
“It'll never be back like it was,” Johnson said. “When you go
through something like this, the healing process has to come.”
Johnson said she stopped attending the church on a weekly basis because she is distraught over the questionable business decisions that have been made. However, she also said she will remain part of the church as long as a solution is found for the situation.
“If everything is resolved and we can put aside our differences, I'll remain there,” Johnson said.
Charles Ware and Everlyn Johnson both expressed compassion for people in the church and want to get their church back.
“As long as I have a breath in my body, I'm going to fight for the people here at the church,” Ware said. “If I have anything to do with it, we're going to get our church back.”