Kathy, I don't mind the churches that are small or that aren't 
businesses.  A lot of crazy stuff goes on in the Mega churches.

earlier, Kathy Du Bois, wrote:
>John,
>Boy, does that make me mad!!  In the mean time, our church, and Greg 
>and myself, are struggling with the issue of having Greg reduced to 
>part time because they can't keep up with our health insurance 
>payments.  Brother
>Kathy
>
>
>At 08:35 AM 8/15/2006, you wrote:
>>I didn't realize there is so much church fraud.
>>
>>Text of forwarded message follows:
>>
>>>Religion-Related Fraud Getting Worse
>>>Aug 13 11:05 PM US/Eastern
>>><http://tinyurl.com/m6qyc>http://tinyurl.com/m6qyc
>>>
>>>By RACHEL ZOLL
>>>
>>>Randall W. Harding sang in the choir at Crossroads Christian Church
>>>in Corona, Calif., and donated part of his conspicuous wealth to its
>>>ministries. In his business dealings, he underscored his faith by
>>>naming his investment firm JTL, or "Just the Lord." Pastors and
>>>churchgoers alike entrusted their money to him.
>>>
>>>By the time Harding was unmasked as a fraud, he and his partners had
>>>stolen more than $50 million from their clients, and Crossroads
>>>became yet another cautionary tale in what investigators say is a
>>>worsening problem plaguing the nation's churches.
>>>
>>>Billions of dollars has been stolen in religion-related fraud in
>>>recent years, according to the North American Securities
>>>Administrators Association, a group of state officials who work to
>>>protect investors.
>>>
>>>Between 1984 and 1989, about $450 million was stolen in religion-
>>>related scams, the association says. In its latest count _ from 1998
>>>to 2001 _ the toll had risen to $2 billion. Rip-offs have only become
>>>more common since.
>>>
>>>"The size and the scope of the fraud is getting larger," said
>>>Patricia Struck, president of the securities association and
>>>administrator of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions,
>>>Division of Securities. "The scammers are getting smarter and the
>>>investors don't ask enough questions because of the feeling that they
>>>can be safe in church."
>>>
>>>Cases in recent years show just how vulnerable religious communities are.
>>>
>>>Lambert Vander Tuig, a member of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest
>>>Calif., ran a real estate scam that bilked investors out of $50
>>>million, the Securities and Exchange Commission says. His salesmen
>>>presented themselves as faithful Christians and distributed copies of
>>>"The Purpose Driven Life," by Saddleback pastor Rick Warren,
>>>according to the SEC. Warren and his church had no knowledge of
>>>Vander Tuig's activities, says the SEC.
>>>
>>>At Daystar Assembly of God Church in Prattville, Ala., a congregant
>>>persuaded church leaders and others to invest about $3 million in
>>>real estate a few years ago, promising some profits would go toward
>>>building a megachurch. The Daystar Assembly was swindled and lost its
>>>building.
>>>
>>>And in a dramatically broader scam, leaders of Greater Ministries
>>>International, based in Tampa, Fla., defrauded thousands of people of
>>>half a billion dollars by promising to double money on investments
>>>that ministry officials said were blessed by God. Several of the con
>>>men were sentenced in 2001 to more than a decade each in prison.
>>>
>>>"Many of these frauds are, on their face, very credible and
>>>legitimate appearing," said Randall Lee, director of the Pacific
>>>regional office of the SEC. "You really have to dig below the surface
>>>to understand what's going on."
>>>
>>>Typically, a con artist will target the pastor first, by making a
>>>generous donation and appealing to the minister's desire to expand
>>>the church or its programs, according to Joseph Borg, director of the
>>>Alabama Securities Commission, who played a key role in breaking up
>>>the Greater Ministries scam.
>>>
>>>If the pastor invests, churchgoers view it as a tacit endorsement.
>>>The con man, often promising double digit returns, will chip away at
>>>resistance among church members by suggesting they can donate part of
>>>their earnings to the congregation, Borg says.
>>>
>>>"Most folks think `I'm going to invest in some overseas deal or real
>>>estate deal and part of that money is going to the church and I get
>>>part. I don't feel like I'm guilty of greed,'" Borg says.
>>>
>>>If a skeptical church member openly questions a deal, that person is
>>>often castigated for speaking against a fellow Christian.
>>>
>>>Ole Anthony of the Trinity Foundation Inc. in Dallas, which
>>>investigates fraud and televangelism, partly blames the churches
>>>themselves for the problem. Anthony contends that the "prosperity
>>>gospel" _ which teaches that the truly faithful are rewarded with
>>>wealth in this life _ is creeping into mainstream churches.
>>>
>>>Chuck Crites, a former member of Crossroads Church, learned firsthand
>>>how effective con artists can be.
>>>
>>>The businessman was swindled out of $500,000 by Harding in a Ponzi
>>>scheme, which uses money from newer investors to pay off older ones.
>>>
>>>Crites said Harding, who pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and
>>>money laundering, boasted about helping fund a new Christian high
>>>school for Crossroads and hired a music pastor from the megachurch as
>>>a sales agent. "At one point he even told me how much money he had
>>>given to the church that year," Crites said.
>>>
>>>Harding was nabbed with the help of Barry Minkow, who was himself
>>>convicted of fraud years ago. Minkow eventually became a pastor in
>>>San Diego and started the Fraud Discovery Institute, which is
>>>dedicated to investigating scams.
>>>
>>>Crites is putting his money toward a new fraud-awareness kit for
>>>churches and other groups that Minkow is developing.
>>>
>>>"It made me angry at how people are abusing the trust that exists in
>>>church communities," Crites said.
>>>
>>>Investigators say all denominations are at risk, but the most
>>>susceptible communities are ones where members are deeply engaged in
>>>church activities, such as service programs and small group prayer,
>>>giving con artists plenty of chance to ingratiate themselves with 
>>>congregants.
>>>
>>>Often, perpetrators are so successful building an image as good
>>>Christians that churchgoers won't cooperate with law enforcement
>>>authorities even after the crime is revealed.
>>>
>>>"Money has a way of blinding objectivity, even for we who are
>>>believers," Minkow says.
>>>
>>>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>>
>>>__._,_.___
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>>>__,_._,___
>>End of forwarded message text:
>>
>>John
>

John