MP calls for probe into ‘Church of Bling’
Police told pastors forced young worshippers to take out loans then hand over thousands in cash
THEY were hailed as the preachers who saved young gang members from a life of violent crime.
But now Spac Nation pastors are facing allegations from dozens of ex-worshippers, who claim they were forced to take out bank loans and hand over thousands of pounds to fund the church’s lavish spending.
The preachers are known for their designer clothes and gold watches, driving around in £150,000 Rolls-Royces and a Lamborghini with personalised ‘Pastor’ number plates.
But Spac Nation’s leaders – some of whom are former gang members themselves – have been accused of threatening parishioners who fail to raise enough money, leaving them drowning in debt.
One pastor urged her flock to ‘beg, borrow or steal’ to meet the church’s weekly fundraising demands set by church leaders.
The charity watchdog has also launched a probe and council officials have raised concerns over the safety of youngsters living in 23 houses run by the pastors across London.
One senior leader, Mariam Mola, has appeared on TV shows including This Morning, and was hailed as a success story who turned her life around after she was jailed for fraud aged 18.
But the MoS can reveal that the 30-year-old Londoner has been jailed in the UK, Belgium and Spain, and was also wanted for leading a crime gang in Italy.
Her real name is Mariam Mbula and she has at least 13 convictions for 34 offences; 27 for fraud and dishonesty. She once preyed on a woman with a Down’s syndrome daughter to trick her out of more than £15,000.
Labour MP Steve Reed, t he Shadow Children’s Minister, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The allegations I have received about Spac Nation from vulnerable young people are truly disturbing. Victims are saying it is run like a cult. I want there to be a full investigation.’
Scotland Yard said it was reviewing the complaints against the church, which is run by Nigerian pastor Tobi Adegboyega, 39, who came to Britain in 2005 and until recently was living in a £2.5 million house in Surrey.
The church – which welcomes around 1,000 weekly worshippers at raucous services held in hotel conference suites – claims 55 per cent of i t s congregation are ex-gang members. It was featured in a BBC documentary last year, and has been lauded by police and Tory and Labour politicians.
Mr Adegboyega was invited to meet officials at Downing Street and attended the Tory party conference last month, where he sat in the row behind Ministers. He recently called London mayor Sadiq Khan a ‘friend’ of the church.
However, footage has surfaced of pastors telling their flock via video messages that they need to raise hundreds of pounds a week, which is known as ‘sowing seed’.
In one video, Ms Mola, 30, who runs a Spac Nation house, says: ‘I tell you what to do with your finances. I tell you where you are going. It’s not like you have any option…
‘I need to invade into your private life. We are going to share the bed, we are going to share these finances, you are going to tell me how much you are earning.’
In another clip, pastor Alexander Kenlock, 24, boasts about manipulating a 16-year-old girl called Precious into donating £100 a week.
He said: ‘When I said £100 a week it was like I had said £10,000 to her. I said everyone has the capacity to raise, to make £100 every single week as seed.’
Former members claim they have racked up thousands of pounds worth of debt because of t he church’s demands, with some alleging pastors helped them to fill out loan applications with fraudulent details to obtain the money.
Others say they were helped to set up a company so they could get a business bank account with a generous overdraft facility.
Two mothers claim their children were pressured into handing over student loan funds after the church held events on university campuses in Birmingham and Hertfordshire.
Insiders allege the church operates in a similar way to county lines drugs gangs, with each pastor given a ‘line’ of parishioners who they are responsible for raising money.
In the leaked video, Kenlock told his flock: ‘We have got a target of £100,000 this week. There are 50 lines, 50 partners, and every line will give £2,000… We are going to go full throttle at it. Nobody should be under that £2,000 level.’
Videos on social media show seni or church pastors dressed in designer clothes and gold watches.
A teacher in London said almost 1,000 pupils turned up to one event and police attended to control the crowds. The church also hosts barbecues and football matches.
A Spac Nation spokesman said: ‘We are aware that people do have financial troubles and have taken out their own personal loans. We have sought to help those who are struggling to manage their debts by way of our debt management department, which is run by our qualified financial advisers.
‘Any allegations that have been brought to leadership, has been dealt with internally. The Metropolitan police has not formally notified us of any investigation.’