The Tribune

PILGRIM Baptist Temple, former church of convicted sex offender Randy Fraser, is facing a major financial crisis amid rising debt which threatens to have the edifice seized, The Tribune can reveal.

Trustee board chairman Renee Glinton confirmed to this newspaper yesterday that the church’s account for the facility worth more than $1 million fell into arrears following Fraser’s incarceration.

The church’s trustee board is also embroiled in a $40,000 civil suit, claimed Ms Glinton, lodged by Fraser’s wife.

It was lodged over allegations of unlawful termination from the church where she served as director of women’s affairs and received a $3,000 per month salary.

The arrears have come about as a great deal of the church’s supporters have joined other churches, or simply failied to pay tithes and offering, leaving the Board struggling to make monthly mortgage payments.

Mrs Fraser resorted to court action on the advice of the Labour Board, sources close to the matter said, after the church failed to adhere to labour laws.

Ms Glinton said: Court proceedings were postponed last week because the bank, who had last year given us a 30-day notice to get out, is now working with us.

“In January, the Chief Justice ordered that we work out a strategy. We have met with the bank since the court hearing and we are scheduled to go back to court this week.

“It is a real challenge to pay the amount due which stands at a million dollars plus.

“As it stands now, the deadline I think is in 2016 or 2017 is when the note becomes due we have three years to repay the amount.”

Ms Glinton said the Board of Trustees is now in the process of strategising an efficient plan to raise the funds over the next few years.

“We are having a lot of fundraising initiatives with a building fund as the main one. The way it is set up is if we can get 100 members to commit to $3,000 for the year, another 100 to give $3000 over a two year period and another 100 persons to pledge $3,000 over three years, we believe we will reach the mark.

“The future looks good for Pilgrim because we are a people willing to forgive and forget and impact the lives of those in the surrounding Kemp Road community.”

The matter is expected to resume in the Supreme court later this week.