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This Week In Black History July 26 – August 1, 2023​

• Site Editor
• July 26, 2023

This Week In Black History July 26 - August 1, 2023 | Atlanta Daily World

Rev. Ike JULY 26 1847—President Joseph J. Roberts declares the West African nation of Liberia an independent republic. The nation was primarily founded by former U.S. slaves returning to Africa. Roberts, himself, was born in Virginia. Three factors were behind the founding of Liberia beginning...

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[Scientific Playa]

I can't call it. Just posting the haps near me.

I think Bahamian Americans and Black Americans from South Carolina and Georgia helped settle the Overtown and Coconut Grove sections of Miami Fl. during the Henry Flagler railroad building days.

One of Miami’s oldest Black churches faces financial cliff due to loans by ex-pastor

BY LAUREN COSTANTINO AUGUST 06, 2023 5:00 AM .

The church is facing a foreclosure lawsuit over a $1.6 million mortgage taken out by its former pastor, Bishop James D. Adams. Before Bishop James D. Adams signed his name to two mortgages on the church totaling nearly $2.5 million, St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Overtown — one of the oldest Black churches in Miami — was in good financial standing.

But after months and months of missed payments and a shake-up of church leadership, St. John’s is now facing foreclosure on three of its properties that were pledged as collateral against the loans.

Cecily Robinson-Duffie, left, in the blue dress, joins in prayer over a parishioner with her husband Troy Duffie, right, during a Sunday service at St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Overtown. The church is facing a foreclosure lawsuit over a $1.6 million mortgage taken out by its former pastor, Bishop James D. Adams. CARL JUSTE cjuste@miamiherald.com

St John’s, which has roots going back to 1906, 10 years after the city of Miami was founded, has until Aug. 14 to pay back the lender or congregants will lose their fellowship hall, which houses the Sunday School classrooms and where services are held while the church undergoes renovations. Two other church buildings and their parking lots also are affected. The historic church building at 1328 NW Third Ave. is not impacted.

Miami, Florida, July 24, 2023 - St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church, 1328 NW Third Ave., Miami. The church’s roots date to 1906, making it one of Miami’s oldest Black churches. Jose A. Iglesias jiglesias@elnuevoherald.com

Much of the money went to buying a swanky downtown riverfront condo that Adams’ lawyer says was meant to be his parsonage, or church house. Adams moved in shortly after he signed for an $845,000 mortgage in the church’s name in 2017. Church leaders say they knew nothing about the mortgage at the time.

“The church and everybody I have interviewed who’s a member and affiliated with the church says, ‘We never had a congregation meeting on that,’” said Marva Wiley, an attorney for St John’s. Wiley was referring to two balloon mortgages taken out in the church’s name and signed by Adams — the $845,000 one in 2017 and another for $1.6 million in 2018, according to Miami-Dade County mortgage records.

The church has since sold the condo, using the proceeds to pay off the $845,000 mortgage and back condo fees. But it’s still on the hook for the $1.6 million mortgage, which has mushroomed to about $2.5 million after accrued unpaid interest, taxes and fees, according to Wiley.

Adams, 62, who was elected senior pastor in 2010, was fired by the church in 2021. Adams did not answer questions directly from the Herald; he responded through his attorney.

Bishop James D. Adams, the former pastor at St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Miami. David Santiago dsantiago@miamiherald.com

Adams’ attorney, Robert Harris, contends the congregation knew about the mortgages and that the church needed a new roof, new windows as well as funds to pay new staff and musicians for Sunday services.

“They didn’t have any money. The only thing that they had were assets,” Harris said in an interview with the Herald. “We took out a loan on the assets to pay the bill. Everyone agreed to it.”

City of Miami building records show the church applied for roof and window permits. But, the total cost of the estimated repairs was well below $1.6 million — around $35,000 for the roof and $33,000 for the window and door repairs, according to the city’s building permit portal iBuild.

“There may have been financial issues, but they were of his making,” Wiley said, adding the former pastor signed off on other balloon mortgages prior to the $1.6 million one now in default.

 

[Scientific Playa]

I can't call it. Just posting the haps near me.

I think Bahamian Americans and Black Americans from South Carolina and Georgia helped settle the Overtown and Coconut Grove sections of Miami Fl. during the Henry Flagler railroad building days.

One of Miami’s oldest Black churches faces financial cliff due to loans by ex-pastor

BY LAUREN COSTANTINO AUGUST 06, 2023 5:00 AM .

The church is facing a foreclosure lawsuit over a $1.6 million mortgage taken out by its former pastor, Bishop James D. Adams. Before Bishop James D. Adams signed his name to two mortgages on the church totaling nearly $2.5 million, St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Overtown — one of the oldest Black churches in Miami — was in good financial standing.

But after months and months of missed payments and a shake-up of church leadership, St. John’s is now facing foreclosure on three of its properties that were pledged as collateral against the loans.

Cecily Robinson-Duffie, left, in the blue dress, joins in prayer over a parishioner with her husband Troy Duffie, right, during a Sunday service at St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Overtown. The church is facing a foreclosure lawsuit over a $1.6 million mortgage taken out by its former pastor, Bishop James D. Adams. CARL JUSTE cjuste@miamiherald.com

St John’s, which has roots going back to 1906, 10 years after the city of Miami was founded, has until Aug. 14 to pay back the lender or congregants will lose their fellowship hall, which houses the Sunday School classrooms and where services are held while the church undergoes renovations. Two other church buildings and their parking lots also are affected. The historic church building at 1328 NW Third Ave. is not impacted.

Miami, Florida, July 24, 2023 - St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church, 1328 NW Third Ave., Miami. The church’s roots date to 1906, making it one of Miami’s oldest Black churches. Jose A. Iglesias jiglesias@elnuevoherald.com

Much of the money went to buying a swanky downtown riverfront condo that Adams’ lawyer says was meant to be his parsonage, or church house. Adams moved in shortly after he signed for an $845,000 mortgage in the church’s name in 2017. Church leaders say they knew nothing about the mortgage at the time.

“The church and everybody I have interviewed who’s a member and affiliated with the church says, ‘We never had a congregation meeting on that,’” said Marva Wiley, an attorney for St John’s. Wiley was referring to two balloon mortgages taken out in the church’s name and signed by Adams — the $845,000 one in 2017 and another for $1.6 million in 2018, according to Miami-Dade County mortgage records.

The church has since sold the condo, using the proceeds to pay off the $845,000 mortgage and back condo fees. But it’s still on the hook for the $1.6 million mortgage, which has mushroomed to about $2.5 million after accrued unpaid interest, taxes and fees, according to Wiley.

Adams, 62, who was elected senior pastor in 2010, was fired by the church in 2021. Adams did not answer questions directly from the Herald; he responded through his attorney.

Bishop James D. Adams, the former pastor at St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Miami. David Santiago dsantiago@miamiherald.com

Adams’ attorney, Robert Harris, contends the congregation knew about the mortgages and that the church needed a new roof, new windows as well as funds to pay new staff and musicians for Sunday services.

“They didn’t have any money. The only thing that they had were assets,” Harris said in an interview with the Herald. “We took out a loan on the assets to pay the bill. Everyone agreed to it.”

City of Miami building records show the church applied for roof and window permits. But, the total cost of the estimated repairs was well below $1.6 million — around $35,000 for the roof and $33,000 for the window and door repairs, according to the city’s building permit portal iBuild.

“There may have been financial issues, but they were of his making,” Wiley said, adding the former pastor signed off on other balloon mortgages prior to the $1.6 million one now in default.

Con't

“There’s a series of loans that basically swelled into a financial problem that underscores poor fiscal management that he was responsible for,” she said. “He made the decisions that created this set of problems.” ‘THIS IS MY LIFE’ For many congregants, St. John’s is not just a church, but a tapestry woven across generations.

Babies are baptized at St. John’s. Couples get married at St. John’s. People lay their loved ones to rest at St. John’s. As Deaconess Cecily Robinson-Duffie stood in the doorway of the pale yellow-brick cathedral on a recent July morning, she recalled her wedding day in 1985. “My limo was right there, and I came up these stairs and stood here,” said Robinson-Duffie, 58, gesturing to the front entrance hallway, now sprinkled in sawdust due to renovations.

Her family has been with the church for five generations. “Both of my parents got married here. My father’s parents got married in 1915,” Robinson-Duffie said, noting they were married in the smaller church that existed a few blocks away. Today’s church, marked by an Art Deco facade and two-story stained glass windows, was built in 1940 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

As she stood in the balcony overlooking the church, deep into renovations, Robinson-Duffie recalled her childhood in the church. “This is my life,” she said.

An early photo of congregants of St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church is displayed in the church’s fellowship hall on Sunday, July 23, 2023, in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood. The church, whose roots go back to 1906, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The prospect of foreclosure has pierced the heart of the congregation, some of whose members go back more than 50 years. “It’s shocking right to this day,” said former daycare director Berdine Smith, who started teaching at the daycare in 1963 when she was in her early 30s. “When I think about it, tears come in my eyes.”

Berdine Smith, 92, a devoted member of St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church for 60 years, at Sunday services inside the church’s temporary location in its fellowship hall on July 23, 2023, in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood.

 

[Scientific Playa]

Con't

“There’s a series of loans that basically swelled into a financial problem that underscores poor fiscal management that he was responsible for,” she said. “He made the decisions that created this set of problems.” ‘THIS IS MY LIFE’ For many congregants, St. John’s is not just a church, but a tapestry woven across generations.

Babies are baptized at St. John’s. Couples get married at St. John’s. People lay their loved ones to rest at St. John’s. As Deaconess Cecily Robinson-Duffie stood in the doorway of the pale yellow-brick cathedral on a recent July morning, she recalled her wedding day in 1985. “My limo was right there, and I came up these stairs and stood here,” said Robinson-Duffie, 58, gesturing to the front entrance hallway, now sprinkled in sawdust due to renovations.

Her family has been with the church for five generations. “Both of my parents got married here. My father’s parents got married in 1915,” Robinson-Duffie said, noting they were married in the smaller church that existed a few blocks away. Today’s church, marked by an Art Deco facade and two-story stained glass windows, was built in 1940 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

As she stood in the balcony overlooking the church, deep into renovations, Robinson-Duffie recalled her childhood in the church. “This is my life,” she said.

An early photo of congregants of St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church is displayed in the church’s fellowship hall on Sunday, July 23, 2023, in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood. The church, whose roots go back to 1906, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The prospect of foreclosure has pierced the heart of the congregation, some of whose members go back more than 50 years. “It’s shocking right to this day,” said former daycare director Berdine Smith, who started teaching at the daycare in 1963 when she was in her early 30s. “When I think about it, tears come in my eyes.”

Berdine Smith, 92, a devoted member of St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church for 60 years, at Sunday services inside the church’s temporary location in its fellowship hall on July 23, 2023, in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood.

For Andre Uptgrow Tate, 33, who grew up in the church, it’s hard to imagine St. John’s in financial peril: “The current situation that we’re in, it’s really hard to swallow.”

Tate, who went from being baptized at St. John’s to a board trustee, recalls how the church thrived when he was younger. He remembers toy drives, Christmas plays, food and clothing collections for the homeless. “It was everything a church should be,” he said.

NEW PASTOR, NEW CHANGES But in 2010, things started to change. After a lengthy search, the congregation elected a new senior pastor, Adams. The former pastor, Rev. Henry Nevin, retired in 2008 after more than 20 years, his tenure marked by creating the St. John Community Development Corp., a nonprofit that builds affordable housing in Overtown.

Around 2014, major renovations began on the historic cathedral and the congregation moved to a temporary location at nearby Booker T. Washington Senior High. They then moved the services to the fellowship hall, where they now meet on Sunday morning.

“As we got our new pastor, I think he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,” Tate said. “And we started losing a lot of members.” A congregation of over 400 dwindled to about 70 members, he noted. Before Adams joined the church in 2010, St. John’s was free of any debt on the church and the three other buildings it owns. “From what I understand, the church was in a debt-free posture when James Adams became the pastor,” said Wiley.

But that changed on April 21, 2017, when Adams, as president of St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church, signed for the $845,000 balloon mortgage in the church’s name. The lender was Taylor Made Lending, LLC, based in Fort Lauderdale, according to county mortgage records. Smith, the former childcare director, signed as a witness on the mortgage.


“I don’t remember signing anything like that. I don’t remember. I really don’t,” Smith, 92, said Thursday. Nine months later, on Jan. 12, 2018, Adams signed for another mortgage in the church’s name, also from Taylor Made Lending, according to county records. This mortgage: $1.6 million.

The ex-pastor, through his attorney, contends the money was needed for roof and window renovations, as well as to pay newly hired employees. The city of Miami issued a $35,000 roofing permit to the church in March 2017, according to city records, which indicate inspections of the new roof were completed in May of that year. “The plan was to sell adjacent properties that the church owned to satisfy the loan,” Harris said. “They needed that $1.6 million quickly. And so that’s how they decided to get it.”

Wiley, who has been taking a closer look at the church’s financial situation, doesn’t understand the decision behind signing off on two balloon mortgages, which typically have low or no monthly payments before the borrower has to pay off the entire mortgage, usually in five or seven years. “The population of the church was not sufficient to support this kind of debt,” Wiley said. “Generally, the only money that can be called income is the tithe, and if the population of the church, dies off, aged out, leaves the church, then the income goes down. But the expenses that he was generating did not go down. They went up.”

 

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For Andre Uptgrow Tate, 33, who grew up in the church, it’s hard to imagine St. John’s in financial peril: “The current situation that we’re in, it’s really hard to swallow.”

Tate, who went from being baptized at St. John’s to a board trustee, recalls how the church thrived when he was younger. He remembers toy drives, Christmas plays, food and clothing collections for the homeless. “It was everything a church should be,” he said.

NEW PASTOR, NEW CHANGES But in 2010, things started to change. After a lengthy search, the congregation elected a new senior pastor, Adams. The former pastor, Rev. Henry Nevin, retired in 2008 after more than 20 years, his tenure marked by creating the St. John Community Development Corp., a nonprofit that builds affordable housing in Overtown.

Around 2014, major renovations began on the historic cathedral and the congregation moved to a temporary location at nearby Booker T. Washington Senior High. They then moved the services to the fellowship hall, where they now meet on Sunday morning.

“As we got our new pastor, I think he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,” Tate said. “And we started losing a lot of members.” A congregation of over 400 dwindled to about 70 members, he noted. Before Adams joined the church in 2010, St. John’s was free of any debt on the church and the three other buildings it owns. “From what I understand, the church was in a debt-free posture when James Adams became the pastor,” said Wiley.

But that changed on April 21, 2017, when Adams, as president of St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church, signed for the $845,000 balloon mortgage in the church’s name. The lender was Taylor Made Lending, LLC, based in Fort Lauderdale, according to county mortgage records. Smith, the former childcare director, signed as a witness on the mortgage.


“I don’t remember signing anything like that. I don’t remember. I really don’t,” Smith, 92, said Thursday. Nine months later, on Jan. 12, 2018, Adams signed for another mortgage in the church’s name, also from Taylor Made Lending, according to county records. This mortgage: $1.6 million.

The ex-pastor, through his attorney, contends the money was needed for roof and window renovations, as well as to pay newly hired employees. The city of Miami issued a $35,000 roofing permit to the church in March 2017, according to city records, which indicate inspections of the new roof were completed in May of that year. “The plan was to sell adjacent properties that the church owned to satisfy the loan,” Harris said. “They needed that $1.6 million quickly. And so that’s how they decided to get it.”

Wiley, who has been taking a closer look at the church’s financial situation, doesn’t understand the decision behind signing off on two balloon mortgages, which typically have low or no monthly payments before the borrower has to pay off the entire mortgage, usually in five or seven years. “The population of the church was not sufficient to support this kind of debt,” Wiley said. “Generally, the only money that can be called income is the tithe, and if the population of the church, dies off, aged out, leaves the church, then the income goes down. But the expenses that he was generating did not go down. They went up.”

Parishioners chat outside the buildings that are facing foreclosure after Sunday service on July 23, 2023, in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood. St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church has until Aug. 14 to repay the $1.6 million mortgage taken out by the church’s former pastor, Bishop James D. Adams.

BUYING A CONDO, SERIES OF MORTGAGES Much of the money went to buying a million-dollar condominium at the Mint, 92 SW Third St., which is advertised as “a true find in Miami River district, with a range of world amenities, modern finishes and amazing views of the river.” Adams, in the church’s name, bought the three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom condo in May 2017 for $1.3 million, according to Miami-Dade property records, shortly after the $845,000 mortgage went through. A few months earlier, on Feb. 28, 2017, Adams took out another balloon mortgage in the church’s name for $975,000, county records show. This time the lender was Yale Mortgage Funding, LLC, a Miami Beach firm. Carla Jordan, a representative of Florida Title & Escrow Professionals in Miami Beach, witnessed the transaction, records show.


The $975,000 mortgage was paid back on April 21, 2017 — the same day Adams took out the $845,000 mortgage, county records show. A month later — on May 17, 2017 — Adams took out a new balloon mortgage in the church’s name with Yale Mortgage. This time for $400,000. Five months later — on Oct. 3, 2017 — Adams took out a second mortgage in the church’s name with Yale. This time for $300,000. Both of these loans were paid off in full on Jan. 18, 2018, county records show, six days after Adams got the $1.6 million mortgage from Taylor Made Lending, effective Jan. 12, 2018

“He’s paying it back with more loans, “ said Wiley, the church’s attorney. “He essentially is consuming the equity that the church has built up and all of its assets.” Adams admitted to buying the condo in an interview with Channel 10, which reported on the potential foreclosure last month. He says, through his attorney, that it served as his parsonage. “When he first came on board, 10 years before, the parties agreed that they would provide him with a house to live in,” Harris said. “They got it at a sweetheart deal.”

At the time of Adams’ firing in 2021, he was still living in the condo. Since then, St. John’s sold the condo for just under $1.5 million in October 2022, according to Miami-Dade property records. At the time of the sale, the mortgage was in default., according to court records. The church used the proceeds from the sale to pay off the $845,000 mortgage and pay delinquent condo fees, Wiley said. “There was a small amount of money left from that after everyone got paid,” Wiley said.

Adams’ lawyer said the former pastor turned to the former board before buying the condo. “Bishop Adams had to get the approval of the board members to make that decision. He obtained that approval,” Harris said. But current board members say they and the congregation were not aware of the condo purchase, and that an official vote would have had to to be taken by the entire church, as per the church bylaws. “That does not exist in the record anywhere,” Wiley said. “Everybody had that same responsibility to honor the bylaws. Nobody had any authority to do anything that wasn’t approved by the church.”

St. John’s bylaws stipulate the board of directors does not have the power to “purchase, mortgage, lease or transfer any real estate without specific vote and ratification of the church.” MORTGAGE PAYMENTS STOP; INTEREST, TAXES ACCRUE The church made mortgage payments until September 2021, according to Taylor Made Lending. This is around the time the congregation learned of the mortgages, elected a new board and got rid of Adams, who is suing the church, alleging breach of contract and wrongful termination. He is seeking $1 million in back pay. Harris says the initial payments validate his contention the church was aware of the mortgage.

 

[Scientific Playa]

Parishioners chat outside the buildings that are facing foreclosure after Sunday service on July 23, 2023, in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood. St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church has until Aug. 14 to repay the $1.6 million mortgage taken out by the church’s former pastor, Bishop James D. Adams.

BUYING A CONDO, SERIES OF MORTGAGES Much of the money went to buying a million-dollar condominium at the Mint, 92 SW Third St., which is advertised as “a true find in Miami River district, with a range of world amenities, modern finishes and amazing views of the river.” Adams, in the church’s name, bought the three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom condo in May 2017 for $1.3 million, according to Miami-Dade property records, shortly after the $845,000 mortgage went through. A few months earlier, on Feb. 28, 2017, Adams took out another balloon mortgage in the church’s name for $975,000, county records show. This time the lender was Yale Mortgage Funding, LLC, a Miami Beach firm. Carla Jordan, a representative of Florida Title & Escrow Professionals in Miami Beach, witnessed the transaction, records show.


The $975,000 mortgage was paid back on April 21, 2017 — the same day Adams took out the $845,000 mortgage, county records show. A month later — on May 17, 2017 — Adams took out a new balloon mortgage in the church’s name with Yale Mortgage. This time for $400,000. Five months later — on Oct. 3, 2017 — Adams took out a second mortgage in the church’s name with Yale. This time for $300,000. Both of these loans were paid off in full on Jan. 18, 2018, county records show, six days after Adams got the $1.6 million mortgage from Taylor Made Lending, effective Jan. 12, 2018

“He’s paying it back with more loans, “ said Wiley, the church’s attorney. “He essentially is consuming the equity that the church has built up and all of its assets.” Adams admitted to buying the condo in an interview with Channel 10, which reported on the potential foreclosure last month. He says, through his attorney, that it served as his parsonage. “When he first came on board, 10 years before, the parties agreed that they would provide him with a house to live in,” Harris said. “They got it at a sweetheart deal.”

At the time of Adams’ firing in 2021, he was still living in the condo. Since then, St. John’s sold the condo for just under $1.5 million in October 2022, according to Miami-Dade property records. At the time of the sale, the mortgage was in default., according to court records. The church used the proceeds from the sale to pay off the $845,000 mortgage and pay delinquent condo fees, Wiley said. “There was a small amount of money left from that after everyone got paid,” Wiley said.

Adams’ lawyer said the former pastor turned to the former board before buying the condo. “Bishop Adams had to get the approval of the board members to make that decision. He obtained that approval,” Harris said. But current board members say they and the congregation were not aware of the condo purchase, and that an official vote would have had to to be taken by the entire church, as per the church bylaws. “That does not exist in the record anywhere,” Wiley said. “Everybody had that same responsibility to honor the bylaws. Nobody had any authority to do anything that wasn’t approved by the church.”

St. John’s bylaws stipulate the board of directors does not have the power to “purchase, mortgage, lease or transfer any real estate without specific vote and ratification of the church.” MORTGAGE PAYMENTS STOP; INTEREST, TAXES ACCRUE The church made mortgage payments until September 2021, according to Taylor Made Lending. This is around the time the congregation learned of the mortgages, elected a new board and got rid of Adams, who is suing the church, alleging breach of contract and wrongful termination. He is seeking $1 million in back pay. Harris says the initial payments validate his contention the church was aware of the mortgage.

“They paid them those bills on a monthly basis,” Harris said. “That’s an acknowledgment, I would think, that the church knew about the loan.” Wiley disagrees. “The board is not the congregation,” she said “Inform versus approve is very different. Inform is, ‘I just have to tell you what’s going on.’ Approve is a formally called meeting in which people vote.” Compounding the church’s financial issues: Adams and some members of the previous church board transferred the condo ownership from the church to an LLC called SJ Acquisitions & Development in March 2018, according to county records. The LLC meant the church lost its exemption from paying property taxes. Taylor Made Lending picked up the tab, adding to the $1.6 million the church owed. “They haven’t paid their real estate taxes for three years, and we have paid their real estate taxes, which is over $250,000,” Jarrod Markofsky, a manager at Taylor Made Lending, told the Herald. The property taxes, plus accrued interest, means the church now owes more than $2.5 million on that $1.6 million mortgage, Wiley said. It’s why Taylor Made Lending has filed a foreclosure suit. OVERTOWN OUTREACH COULD BE AFFECTED St. John’s is now calling on the community for financial help through fundraising efforts such as a Gofundme page, and a Givelify website.

The church has raised almost $13,000 through Gofundme alone. “The members are still hanging on and trusting that God will bring us out of this,” said St. John board president Darryl Spence. “We’re gonna make it through this.” Despite the potential foreclosure, congregants show up on Sunday mornings, smiling and ready to worship. On a recent Sunday morning service, ushers passed out candy and church bulletins. Congregants chatted over coffee and snacks before and after church. “We want them to still feel comfortable coming down to the church by keeping the doors open and keeping the grass cut,” Spence said. “Like they’re coming home.”

Bertha Gober, left, a devoted member of St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church, raises her hands in worship during a recent Sunday morning service inside the church’s temporary location in its fellowship hall, July 23, 2023, in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood.

Many of the church’s outreach services, including the clothing drive, a food pantry that distributes food to the Overtown community, and daycare, operate out of the buildings affected by the foreclosure suit. “It’s not just the church membership, which is impacted, but it’s the community that we serve,” Robinson-Duffie said. “We’ve tried, through our 117 years of existence, to be a holistic ministry that addresses all of the needs of people, not just their spiritual needs.” ST. JOHN’S IMPACT Many of St. John’s members continue their allegiance even after they’ve moved away from Miami. Rev. JJ Flag credits his accomplishments, including his ministerial career and passion for social justice, to St. John’s. “I would not be where I am today if it were not for that church. That is not an exaggeration,” said Flag, an associate minister for pastoral care and justice at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I do believe that I’m a better human being, and that the world is a better place because of St. John’s presence in it. I don’t think that I would be as involved in social justice and as aware of what was going on in the world, if it were not for St. John’s.” Even the church itself is noteworthy, designed by the first major Black architecture firm in the United States, McKissack & McKissack.

Miami, Florida, July 24, 2023 - A view of the main altar from the upper level as the renovation of the interior of the historic church continues at St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church.

“It gave us something to be proud of,” Flag said. “To be able to go into the church and say, ‘This was ours.’” Tate, the trustee who’s been a St. John’s member for over 26 years, leaned on St. John’s during a tough time in his life. He lost his younger brother at 16 to brain cancer, leaving him adrift for over three years, a period when he stopped going to church. It was Robinson-Duffie, whom he lovingly calls “Mother Duffie,” who noticed his absence and encouraged him to return. He began attending church again and received the Nelson Adams scholarship for two years in a row, helping him finish his four-year degree at Lindenwood University in Missouri. Today, he works as a Navy recruiter. “A lot of my memories from St. John’s I hold near and dear, because of my relationship with my brother,” he noted.

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“They paid them those bills on a monthly basis,” Harris said. “That’s an acknowledgment, I would think, that the church knew about the loan.” Wiley disagrees. “The board is not the congregation,” she said “Inform versus approve is very different. Inform is, ‘I just have to tell you what’s going on.’ Approve is a formally called meeting in which people vote.” Compounding the church’s financial issues: Adams and some members of the previous church board transferred the condo ownership from the church to an LLC called SJ Acquisitions & Development in March 2018, according to county records. The LLC meant the church lost its exemption from paying property taxes. Taylor Made Lending picked up the tab, adding to the $1.6 million the church owed. “They haven’t paid their real estate taxes for three years, and we have paid their real estate taxes, which is over $250,000,” Jarrod Markofsky, a manager at Taylor Made Lending, told the Herald. The property taxes, plus accrued interest, means the church now owes more than $2.5 million on that $1.6 million mortgage, Wiley said. It’s why Taylor Made Lending has filed a foreclosure suit. OVERTOWN OUTREACH COULD BE AFFECTED St. John’s is now calling on the community for financial help through fundraising efforts such as a Gofundme page, and a Givelify website.

The church has raised almost $13,000 through Gofundme alone. “The members are still hanging on and trusting that God will bring us out of this,” said St. John board president Darryl Spence. “We’re gonna make it through this.” Despite the potential foreclosure, congregants show up on Sunday mornings, smiling and ready to worship. On a recent Sunday morning service, ushers passed out candy and church bulletins. Congregants chatted over coffee and snacks before and after church. “We want them to still feel comfortable coming down to the church by keeping the doors open and keeping the grass cut,” Spence said. “Like they’re coming home.”

Bertha Gober, left, a devoted member of St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church, raises her hands in worship during a recent Sunday morning service inside the church’s temporary location in its fellowship hall, July 23, 2023, in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood.

Many of the church’s outreach services, including the clothing drive, a food pantry that distributes food to the Overtown community, and daycare, operate out of the buildings affected by the foreclosure suit. “It’s not just the church membership, which is impacted, but it’s the community that we serve,” Robinson-Duffie said. “We’ve tried, through our 117 years of existence, to be a holistic ministry that addresses all of the needs of people, not just their spiritual needs.” ST. JOHN’S IMPACT Many of St. John’s members continue their allegiance even after they’ve moved away from Miami. Rev. JJ Flag credits his accomplishments, including his ministerial career and passion for social justice, to St. John’s. “I would not be where I am today if it were not for that church. That is not an exaggeration,” said Flag, an associate minister for pastoral care and justice at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I do believe that I’m a better human being, and that the world is a better place because of St. John’s presence in it. I don’t think that I would be as involved in social justice and as aware of what was going on in the world, if it were not for St. John’s.” Even the church itself is noteworthy, designed by the first major Black architecture firm in the United States, McKissack & McKissack.

Miami, Florida, July 24, 2023 - A view of the main altar from the upper level as the renovation of the interior of the historic church continues at St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church.

“It gave us something to be proud of,” Flag said. “To be able to go into the church and say, ‘This was ours.’” Tate, the trustee who’s been a St. John’s member for over 26 years, leaned on St. John’s during a tough time in his life. He lost his younger brother at 16 to brain cancer, leaving him adrift for over three years, a period when he stopped going to church. It was Robinson-Duffie, whom he lovingly calls “Mother Duffie,” who noticed his absence and encouraged him to return. He began attending church again and received the Nelson Adams scholarship for two years in a row, helping him finish his four-year degree at Lindenwood University in Missouri. Today, he works as a Navy recruiter. “A lot of my memories from St. John’s I hold near and dear, because of my relationship with my brother,” he noted.

​

Johnny Peoples, a member of St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Overtown for 37 years, stands in prayer during Sunday service in the church’s fellowship hall on July 23, 2023


Former childcare director Smith traveled to Miami in 1963 looking for a fresh start after escaping an abusive marriage in Tennessee. Finding St. John’s as a young single mother in a new city gave her a spiritual community, friends and a career. One day after church, the Rev. Thedford Johnson offered Smith a job teaching at the daycare center. She accepted, making $30 a week. Eventually, she became the director. “Those children changed my life,”said Smith, who worked 55 years at the daycare center. “This place means so much to me because it has given me the ability to do things.” Smith has seen how St. John’s has helped the Overtown community, including offering meals and showers to the neighborhood homeless population. She remembers political breakfasts where those running for office — Maurice Ferré, Xavier Suarez, Arthur Teele, Frederica Wilson, among others — would mingle with congregants. And although she feels betrayed by the former pastor’s actions, she leaves that matter to God. “If you’re working for the Lord, you should want to do the right thing,” Smith said. “We have to forgive.”

This report was created with philanthropic support from Christian, Muslim and Jewish funders in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald retains editorial control of all work. LAUREN COSTANTINO Lauren Costantino is a religion reporter for the Miami Herald funded by a collaboration between Christian, Muslim and Jewish philanthropists in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald retains editorial control of all work. Since joining the Herald in 2021, Lauren has worked as an audience engagement producer, reaching new audiences through social media, podcasts and community-focused projects. She was a part of the team that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing for a series that sheds light on our government’s failure to follow through on its promises to taxpayers.

LAUREN COSTANTINO Lauren Costantino is a religion reporter for the Miami Herald funded by a collaboration between Christian, Muslim and Jewish philanthropists in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald retains editorial control of all work. Since joining the Herald in 2021, Lauren has worked as an audience engagement producer, reaching new audiences through social media, podcasts and community-focused projects. She was a part of the team that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing for a series that sheds light on our government’s failure to follow through on its promises to taxpayers.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/lo...own-miami/article277463128.html#storylink=cpy

 

[...o3]

...been trying to align myself with my higher spiritual self the last couple of days.

some real profound s**t happened when a sign appeared to me on the road yesterday.

question for anyone with experience with clairaudience:

have you ever been in contact with your spirit guide? if so, did they appear to you in human form or light?

...this could be a reach, but i'm really starting to think that my spirit guide is an asian chick.

 

[Secure Da Bag]

Empower the People by Tony Brown and Powernomics by Dr. Claude Anderson seem very much the same.

 

[Scientific Playa]

Days before scheduled sale, historic Overtown church property spared from foreclosure​

File video still of St. John Baptist Church in Miami's Overtown neighborhood. (WPLG)

MIAMI – Days before a historic church property in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood was scheduled to be sold in foreclosure, a saving grace came Friday.

Part of the property for St. John Baptist Church, located at 1328 NW Third Ave., was in peril after its former pastor signed a risky $1.6 million balloon mortgage that went into default.

The property in question, which didn’t include the church itself, was set to go to auction on Monday.

However, the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency agreed to buy the property Friday so the loan can be paid off with the proceeds.

The CRA will then give re-purchase rights to the church.

St. John’s has a long history in the historically-Black Overtown neighborhood. It was built in 1944, according to the city of Miami.

“Although the Miami area is celebrated for its Art Deco architecture, St. John’s Baptist Church is one of the only Art Deco style religious buildings in Miami-Dade County and a rare example of the style in Overtown, the center of Miami’s historic African-American community,” a description of the church on the city’s historic preservation website reads. “The building is also important for its association with McKissack and McKissack, one of the first major black architectural firms in the United States.”

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Days before scheduled sale, historic Overtown church property spared from foreclosure

Days before a historic church property in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood was scheduled to be sold in foreclosure, a saving grace came Friday.

www.local10.com

 

[Scientific Playa]

They live on a lake outside Miami. A developer wants to fill part of it for apartments​

Douglas Hanks
Thu, September 7, 2023 at 2:38 PM EDT·8 min read
5

An iguana falling from a palm tree qualifies as excitement on the lake for Anthony Johnson, whose home overlooks tranquil waters that obscure what could be Miami’s next bustling construction site.

For the moment, the 30-acre parcel sits 10 feet underwater at the bottom of Silver Blue Lake, a former rock pit in the Little River Farms neighborhood north of Miami.

An entity controlled by developer Karim Lakhdar purchased the underwater land off Northwest 17th Avenue for $750,000 in 2018, banking on winning approval from Miami-Dade County to fill part of his acquisition and build apartments on the newly created real estate.

“Never did I think someone would want to fill in the lake,” said Johnson, an 64-year-old retired police officer. “I’ll see windows and doors and balconies. Right now, I see peace and tranquility.”
County development rules allow artificial lakes to be filled for construction under some circumstances, and Miami-Dade’s planning staff in a July 24 memo recommended approval of Lakhdar’s proposed Lake Sana project if the planned use of clean construction debris to fill the lake meets county environmental standards.

A group of neighbors in the Little River Farms neighborhood stand by the shore of Silver Blue Lake, where a developer wants to build apartment complexes. They were photographed on Tuesday August 29, 2023.

Lakhdar touts the plan as a way to create working-class housing while building only about 13% of the nearly 750 apartments than Miami-Dade planning staff said would be allowed under existing rules. The original application asks for 249 apartments, but Lakhdar said he reduced the amount to 100 after push back from nearby residents, who are complaining of traffic in the largely residential neighborhood.

By building a bridge from Northwest 17th Avenue to a newly filled island of 10 three-story apartment buildings and parking lots, Lakhdar notes more than half of the lake would remain. That includes a roughly 12-acre underwater portion owned by the Boys and Girls Club of Miami. Lake Sana will fill in about half of the lake it purchased five years ago, meaning roughly 38% of the 80-acre lake would be converted to a new apartment complex.

“They’re always going to have their lake view,” he said. “We designed it on purpose that way.”

A hearing on the proposal by Lake Sana Developments, the Lakhdar corporation that owns the underwater site, is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at Gwen Cherry Park before the Community Zoning Appeals Board. Final approval rests with the County Commission.
The project has faced some challenges during the development process. Lake Sana Developments is in a foreclosure suit over the lake site, and was in bankruptcy proceedings for three months in early 2022 in connection with the dispute. Lakhdar said Thursday that his investors “have agreement with our lender to finance the project construction” and that he expects the litigation to be settled shortly.
With some nearby homeowners like Johnson rallying to block the project, building neighborhood support is part of Lakhdar’s plan as he pursues approval by the County Commission. He’s pledging money for new athletic facilities at the Boys and Girls Club complex that sits on county parkland on the lake.

“We’re creating a new football field. And new basketball courts,” he said. “That place needs an entire renovation. And we’re glad to do it. We want to be part of the community.”
Lakhdar also said he’s pledging financial support to a mentor program run by William “DC” Clark, a community activist who in 2022 ran for the District 2 county commission seat won by Marleine Bastien, whose district includes the Lake Sana site.

 

[Scientific Playa]

Allegations offers of payment for silence​

Opponents of the project say Clark told them Lakhdar would pay them directly in exchange for them agreeing not to fight the project.

Jannie and Richard “Click” Johnson are among a group of neighbors in the Little River Farms neighborhood that are fighting a proposed apartment project that would on a new island created by filling a portion of Silver Blue Lake, a former rock pit. They were photographed on Tuesday August 29, 2023.
“I figure if we can’t stop it, we might as well negotiate some wins concerning the project,” read a March 1 text message from Clark’s cellphone number to Richard “Click” Johnson and a second volunteer leader of the Little River Farms Homeowners Association. “They know your HOA will not come out and support it, but they are willing to give you both and Click’s wife $10,000 each for merely standing down.”

Johnson, whose nickname comes from his former occupation as a county photographer, said he declined the offer.

“Give me $2.5 million and I’ll think about it,” Johnson said in a recent interview. He’s now helping lead the fight against the project. “Somebody needs to stand up for the neighborhood,” he said.

His wife, Jannie Johnson, is retired from the Miami-Dade Corrections Department and said she wasn’t interested in being paid for keeping silent on a neighborhood issue. “It was a bribe,” she said. “If you would take it.”

Richard “Click” Johnson, vice president of the Little River Farms Homeowners Association, said he and other office received this text message earlier this year from William “D.C.” Clark about the Lake Sana housing project that Johnson opposes. The developer alleged to be offering money in exchange for Johnson not fighting the proposal, Karim Lakhdar, said Clark doesn’t represent him and that he never authorized what was being offered. Clark also said Lakhdar did not ask him to make the offer described in the text.More
The other association officer in the text exchange, Keith Carswell, said he didn’t remember receiving the written offer from Clark. In an interview, Clark declined to comment on his alleged text but said Lakhdar never instructed him to offer money to anyone to take a position on the project.

“He did not,” Clark said of Lakhdar. “Even though most developers do.”

Lakhdar, a Miami developer with an affordable-housing project underway in Liberty City, also denied wanting to pay neighbors for staying neutral on his project.

He speculated the claim of direct payments to neighbors stemmed from his plan to spend money helping the neighborhood in exchange for county approval of the project.

“I think people misunderstand. We’re offering a community benefits package,” he said. “We’re not paying any residents.”

The text exchange Johnson showed the Miami Herald has Clark mentioning Clark’s planned support of the existing Boys and Girls Club location on the lake and nearby Miami Central High School. It also has him telling Carswell and Johnson they could pocket money directly for staying on the sidelines.

“Right now it appears you are in the cat bird seat and they are willing to compensate you for not coming against them,” a March 7 text message read. “In other words they will pay you for your silence. Right now, I’m sure you get $50,000 to split among a few of you and if you play your hand correctly you may get twice that.”

Disputing the allegations​

Lakhdar said Clark didn’t have authority to make any offers on his behalf.

“DC Clark does not represent me,” he said. “He’s a nice guy. He’s looking out for the community. I know he’s a very respected person. If he didn’t like the project, he wouldn’t support the project.”


In an interview, Carswell said he did speak in favor of the Lake Sana project at a town hall but has since changed his position and now opposes the effort. “There are some concerns that hopefully can get mitigated,” he said.

Richard Johnson lives about four blocks from Anthony Johnson’s lakefront home. The two aren’t related, but are part of a group of homeowners arguing Lake Sana would unfairly rob the neighborhood of a scenic landmark.

“I go outside in the afternoon. And I just stand and look out on it,” said Moyel McKnight, a lakefront homeowner who keeps a binder filled with paperwork related to the Lake Sana project.

 

[Scientific Playa]

That includes the 2018 county notice of the proposal to build apartment buildings on a filled-in lake. “I couldn’t believe it,” said McKnight, a retired carrier for the U.S. Postal Service.

Affordable housing sorely needed​

With Miami residents facing one of the least affordable housing markets in the country, the prospect of creating land for 100 apartments has appeal. Lakhdar said he will participate in a county program that rewards developers for targeting “workforce” rents — a range that typically tops out at $3,000 for a two-bedroom.

Lakhdar said he’s planning lower rents than that, matching what he sees as needs in the neighborhood.

“We want the children and grandchildren of the people living in the neighborhood to be living in our apartments,” he said.

Plans for the project show a causeway crossing from the shore off Northwest 17th Avenue into an island Lakhdar would create for the 10 three-story Lake Sana buildings, parking lots, and recreational areas.

Lake water would surround the new Lake Sana shoreline, a few hundred feet from the lakefront property

that Anthony Johnson purchased for $105,000 in 2011.

On a recent afternoon, Johnson walked to the shore he owns, along with roughly 60 feet of underwater land on the deed as reflected in county property records. He has a pontoon boat dragged up by a break in the cat tails that line the shore, a vessel damaged when a tree fell on it during a storm. There was a splash by a remaining cluster of trees as Johnson continued the tour. “That’s an iguana that fell,” he said.

Johnson said he sees his lakefront backyard as part of the reward for a long career in county government. He questions how Miami-Dade could accommodate a developer wanting to drain so much of the lake water before him and replace it with buildings.

“Would this happen if we were in an affluent area like Coral Gables or Aventura?” he asked. “It’s ridiculous.”

They live on a lake outside Miami. A developer wants to fill part of it for apartments

‘I’ll see windows and doors and balconies. Right now I see peace and tranquility.’ -- retired police officer Anthony Johnson

news.yahoo.com

 

[Amo Husserl]