According to several sources, the Potomac Conference has essentially frozen $180,000 from the Gaithersburg SDA Church checking account. We are investigating this report.
Three hours ago, the Baluarte Hispanic website posted this message:
We reached out to the Gaithersburg Church to learn if the report is true. We also reached out to the Potomac Conference (no answer yet).
What we have learned is that the Gaithersburg SDA checking account had roughly $180,000 in it. That account is now 0.00. This was confirmed by a member of the Gaithersburg SDA. Here are some details as we have been informed of them,
The entity who set up the account was the Potomac Conference. The checking account name was Gaithersburg Seventh-day Adventist Hispanic Church, according to a church member.
There were three individuals named on the account.
The bank said that the names on the account were removed and now the church congregation does not have access to the account. The church member told us “someone from the potomac did it who has the power to do it.”
Is this a simple matter of the Conference removing the funds to change the account name? Are they planning to return the funds to the congregation, or keep them as a punitive measure for inviting Stephen Bohr to speak to them? We will report on the answers to these questions as we learn them.
In the meantime, pray for the Gaithersburg congregation. They do not deserve this treatment. The elders are meeting tomorrow to pray and ask God for His direction. The Bible also says to pray for those who spitefully (ab)use you (Matthew 5:44).
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“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).