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family to offer that for them. The
Shelter Barrels ministry that was available for First Family Church members to bring designated items each month for families in need. Every month First Family Church members prepared meals for homeless shelters in the Kansas City metro area. Gifts were taken to a battered women's shelter, and Bibles and blankets were taken to those in need during the winter months.
245:
In July 2007, a follow-up article was printed in The Kansas City Star citing additional allegations, including the misuse of a $ 50,000 contribution to Jerry
Johnston Ministries that was allegedly diverted to a personal account of the Johnstons'. The article also reported that after the initial March
249:
A contractor who worked for the church filed several complaints regarding the companies with the
Internal Revenue Service, charging that church employees were forced to work for the companies, that church donations were used to fund Jerry Johnston Publications, and that church resources were used by
262:
filed a foreclosure petition on the church. The bank requested the church be placed in receivership, claiming the church owed $ 14.4 million on two loans. The elders of the church stated that even while the FFC was current in its monthly payments, Regions Bank accelerated the mortgage maturity from
237:
ran a front-page investigative series of articles on financial concerns at First Family Church and that hundreds of members had left the church in recent years due to concerns about financial responsibility. The paper published several follow-up articles on additional questionable activities of the
178:
First Family Church began when Pastor
Johnston liquidated nearly $ 200,000 in assets from his debt-free ministry organization Jerry Johnston Ministries to start the congregation in his hometown of Overland Park in September 1996. From its beginning, FFC had eleven different rental facilities, from
196:
First Family Church offered many outreach ministries to the community of Kansas City. Some of which were: the annual
Operation Thanksgiving, which provided hundreds of meals to those without. The Shelter Shower ministry that provided a baby shower for expectant mothers who did not have friends or
272:
loan from the federal government when it sold First Family Church's loan to Blue Valley School
District. The bank paid back its $ 3.5 billion in the spring of 2012. Part of the bank's filing mentioned the church had a payroll of $ 915,000 a year, with over $ 600,000 of that going to the Johnston
205:
First Family Church launched a sermon series on
Christian Ethics. In a Reuters publication the writer addressed the issue of "Ethics crisis in America? Church leaders say yes." The pastor of First Family Church commented on the crisis "Honesty is honesty. It doesn't matter if you are Christian,
241:
After the stories appeared, Bott Radio
Network (a Christian network with 50 stations) based in the same city as First Family Church, announced it was dropping Jerry Johnston and First Family Church from its local AM station (the only station in its network that the show was on). "Bott said the
666:
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and demanded the full payment of the loan. The elder board stated that AG Financial made a cash offer to
Regions Bank to finance First Family Church's mortgage, but Regions Bank rejected the offer. Regions Financial Bank had not yet repaid the 2008
242:
newspaper report raised some serious questions that could be easily answered if the church joined the ECFA" and that the ministry refused to join the
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) pursuant to the radio networks standards.
238:
Johnstons: Lavish lifestyles, Jerry and Jeremy Johnston side businesses,as well as delinquent tax payments. Additional reporting was done referencing that all of Jerry Johnston's children and his mother worked on staff with him.
273:
family. On September 5, 2011, Jerry Johnston announced the church was losing its building. On September 11, 2011, First Family Church building closed its doors. The church started hosting services at
212:
On May 7, 2005 First Family Church's pastor Jerry Johnston reportedly stood against evolution and believed evolution to be a non-scientific theory that should be taught as such.
817:
792:
209:
The Boston Globe reported that conservative churches in the state of Kansas, First Family Church among them, opposed same-sex marriage and supported a measure to ban it.
807:
246:
2007 articles in the Kansas City Star, the Kansas Attorney General's office began an investigation into whether Jerry Johnston used church money for personal gain.
587:
637:
812:
185:
In July 2001, First Family Church launched its television ministry. Some sermons were broadcast globally via satellite and archive web video-streaming.
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822:
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425:
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Jewish, Muslim, whatever. A lot of these debacles we're seeing can be traced and sourced back to a lack of good old ethics".
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797:
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691:
348:
162:. On September 11, 2011, First Family Church building closed its doors. In September 2012, the Church closed down.
729:
595:
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264:
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In April 2001, it dedicated a new building including a 1,500-seat sanctuary. The church then had 4,000 members.
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and changed its name to New Day Church Kansas City. New Day Church Kansas City closed down September 2012.
802:
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54:
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urged Christian leaders in Kansas to mobilize their congregations for upcoming elections.
8:
281:
667:"Document: Regions/ repays $ 3.5B bailout - Access World News – Historical and Current"
569:
550:
506:
120:
786:
284:, renovated, and repurposed into its "Hilltop Learning Center," a center for
220:
155:
570:"Johnston's former ministry faulted: Misuse of group's finances is alleged"
28:
374:"First Family Church | Overland Park, Kansas | Missions at FFC"
352:
219:
reported that First Family Church Pastor Jerry Johnston and the Reverend
174:
Worship Service during Discover Life Kansas City Crusade 2005 held at FFC
477:"Jerry Falwell to Urge Johnson County Pastors to Mobilize Congregations"
762:"Blue Valley School District turns megachurch into a children's campus"
135:
528:"First Family Church payroll includes several Johnston family members"
170:
588:"Kansas Religious Right leader shuts down controversial for-profits"
377:
499:"Lax financial oversight riles some First Family Church followers"
188:
In the fall of 2007, First Family launched First Family Academy..
150:, on 51 acres (210,000 m) in the southwestern portion of the
730:"First Family Church ousted from home, will 're-launch' Sept. 18"
132:
59:
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In 2014, the First Family Church building was purchased by the
147:
115:
336:
125,000 Sq. Foot Kansas Megachurch Building Still for Sale
692:"Salaries at issue as bank seeks megachurch receivership"
818:
Baptist denominations established in the 20th century
793:
Former Baptist church buildings in the United States
711:"Regions begins foreclosure on large Kansas Church"
400:"Ethics Crisis in America? Church Leaders say Yes"
808:Buildings and structures in Overland Park, Kansas
784:
423:
317:
315:
313:
708:
759:
492:
490:
310:
298:First Family Church - Down as of January 2012
638:"Overland Park mega-church closes its doors"
452:"Evolution and Intelligent Design in Kansas"
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813:Christian organizations established in 1996
727:
689:
616:
567:
548:
253:
748:Jerry Johnston's New Day Church shuts down
487:
338:, christianpost.com, USA, January 03, 2012
27:
169:
496:
483:. Associated Press. September 22, 2004.
785:
619:"Kansas mega church faces foreclosure"
530:. religionnewsblog.com. March 12, 2007
449:
635:
426:"Kansans Set to Vote on Gay Marriage"
709:Russell Hubbard (February 4, 2011).
270:TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program)
325:, kansascity.com, USA, Sep 17, 2011
250:J Cubed Media to conduct business.
13:
750:, kansascity.com, USA, Oct 9, 2012
610:
424:Brian MacQuarrie (April 4, 2005).
14:
834:
728:Judy Thomas (September 4, 2011).
398:Carey Gillam (January 21, 2009).
291:
760:Crystal Thomas (July 31, 2014).
617:Judy Thomas (February 1, 2011).
551:"Pastor's radio show is dropped"
823:Finance fraud in Evangelicalism
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740:
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629:
594:. March 1, 2008. Archived from
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349:"First Family Church - History"
323:First Family Church: a timeline
16:Church in Kansas, United States
549:Judy Thomas (March 11, 2007).
469:
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366:
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226:
1:
690:Judy Thomas (March 1, 2011).
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260:Regions Financial Corporation
158:. It was affiliated with the
152:Kansas City Metropolitan Area
263:30 to five years due to the
7:
282:Blue Valley School District
191:
179:schools to movie theaters.
160:Southern Baptist Convention
70:Southern Baptist Convention
10:
839:
217:The Lawrence Journal World
200:
165:
798:Former churches in Kansas
568:Judy Thomas (July 2007).
286:early childhood education
114:
109:
101:
93:
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26:
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254:Foreclosure and shutdown
275:Olathe East High School
175:
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40:Overland Park, Kansas
671:infoweb.newsbank.com
234:The Kansas City Star
215:September 22, 2004,
803:Former megachurches
598:on January 19, 2010
265:2008 banking crisis
129:First Family Church
22:First Family Church
636:Oberholtz, Chris.
592:Church & State
334:Michael Gryboski,
258:In February 2011,
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746:Judy L. Thomas,
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644:. Archived from
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321:Judy L. Thomas,
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116:Senior pastor(s)
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231:In March 2007,
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766:kansascity.com
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734:kansascity.com
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696:kansascity.com
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292:External links
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144:Johnson County
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121:Jerry Johnston
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105:September 2012
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84:September 1996
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648:on 2016-10-12
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509:on 2007-10-12
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380:on 2008-09-19
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49:United States
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769:. Retrieved
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532:. Retrieved
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450:Greg Allen.
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142:in southern
131:(FFC) was a
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89:Architecture
66:Associations
55:Denomination
623:mcclatchydc
602:January 29,
534:November 9,
481:ljworld.com
409:January 21,
404:reuters.com
227:Controversy
138:located in
787:Categories
676:2016-11-23
652:2016-11-23
513:2007-12-04
430:boston.com
384:2010-01-06
359:2008-03-07
304:References
136:megachurch
97:April 2001
642:kctv5.com
94:Completed
771:19 March
435:April 4,
192:Programs
36:Location
456:npr.org
201:Beliefs
166:History
154:of the
133:Baptist
81:Founded
76:History
60:Baptist
46:Country
715:al.com
461:May 7,
148:Kansas
110:Clergy
102:Closed
773:2015
604:2010
536:2015
463:2005
437:2005
411:2009
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489:^
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312:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
