The former financial director of Pikes Peak Christian Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., is accused of stealing more than $340,000 from the church, according to a news report from KRDO.com, which cited court documents.
The former church employee, Sara Ann Mock-Butler, turned herself into the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office on May 31 after law enforcement secured an arrest warrant for her for 896 counts of financial-related crimes. She posted a $10,000 bond, according to the news story.
The church’s new financial director discovered financial irregularities in October 2022, lead pastor Ross Frisbee said.
“For a while [after that] we had to, of course, watch our spending and some [projects were] put on hold,” Frisbie told KRDO.com. “As far as normal ministry, things have been going well. The church responded very generously.”
He said he is thankful to the church “for continuing to trust the staff as they work to create a better checks and balances moving forward.”
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News Briefs
Funeral services for John H. Cachiaras, 93, a former minister, Bible college professor, and Christian camp manager, were conducted in Rochester, Minn., over this past weekend. Mr. Cachiaras died on May 9. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Dot; three sons, John, Joseph, and Benjamin; one daughter, Cathryn; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren, among others. He taught at Minnesota Bible College (later named Crossroads College) for many years and was closely associated with Pine Haven Christian Assembly. He also was an elder at Hope Summit Christian Church. Memorials may be made to Pine Haven or Hope Summit. A complete obituary is available here.
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About 20 teens in foster or kinship care recently enjoyed a shopping spree for summer clothes thanks to Resources of Hope’s Teen Connect program through the funding support of Greenwood (Ind.) Christian Church, which gave their Christmas offering of $75,995 to the organization.
“Teens are often overlooked in the foster system, so we were very excited to team with them for this opportunity,” Lydia Midkiff, early childhood director at GCC, told the Daily Journal.
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Patricia Merold, 92, widow of longtime Christian minister Ben Merold, died on Monday, June 5. She was an author, teacher, and an accomplished speaker. A complete obituary is available here. Ben Merold, 96, died in November 2022.
In Doyle Roth’s appreciation for Ben (published in our March/April 2023 issue), he wrote: “Ben and Pat’s marriage of 73 years served as an example to many people. Though Ben led a busy schedule traveling to churches for years, their marriage was strong. Their love and respect for each other was unwavering. Ben demonstrated sincere love and appreciation for Pat. They kept joy and laughter in their relationship. . . . Ben loved Pat and honored her.”
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White Flag Church in St. Louis, Mo., will soon finish construction of a new 45,000-square-foot building that will feature a 1,037-seat worship center, children’s ministry wing, and adjoining atrium. It will be the second building on White Flag’s 60-acre campus. The church’s existing building will be repurposed as a dedicated student ministry space as well as expansion of staff offices and multipurpose rooms. White Flag has partnered with The Solomon Foundation to finance the new building. Grand opening is set for Sept. 10.
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A fire of unknown origin Saturday afternoon caused significant damage to Shiloh Christian Church in Glen Carbon, Ill., according to an article in the Edwardsville Intelligencer. No one was injured. SCC is Glen Carbon’s first and oldest church.
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A noninstrumental Church of Christ preacher training school was burned in the ethnically charged violence that occurred recently in east India, according to the Christian Chronicle. “We lost everything,” said R. Sanga, founder and director of the Imphal School of Preaching.
More than 100 churches were destroyed and several Christians were killed in the violence, which started in early May, as detailed in our recent article, available here.
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Veteran Christian minister John E. Cornett recently published the third edition of Remember, a book of Communion meditations he has written over the past 10 years. The book is available for purchase via this link. A portfolio of Cornett’s other written works is available here.
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Fairfield Christian Church, Kokomo, Ind., will be the new home of Acacia Academy when the private Christian school resumes classes in August. Acacia, a K-8th grade school with about 70 students, previously met in a Methodist church. The school will meet in FCC’s academic wing, according to an article in the Kokomo Tribune.
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