Story Published:
Oct 29, 2009 at 2:13 PM PDT
Story Updated:
Nov 3, 2009 at 5:50 PM PDT
The first order of business for the delegates to the 85th session of the Southern California Annual Conference of the 5th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Wednesday was to oust the Rev. Frederick O. Murph from the pulpit of the church to which he is currently assigned and from all the pulpits in the AME church.
More than 1,200 people gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel Wednesday morning for the first business day of the week-long conference and immediately turned their attention to the nettlesome problem of Murph, who has been at odds with the church members and hierarchy and has been the target of a wide range of accusations of financial wrongdoing for more than two years.
The body voted overwhelmingly to accept the recommendations of the AME Church’s Ministerial Efficiency Committee that Murph, currently pastor of 2nd AME Church, be removed from pastoring it and “that he have no further responsibility for pastoring in the AME church.”
The conferees then voted overwhelmingly to accept the recommendation of the AME church’s Judicial Committee that Murph be “located,” meaning he was to be given no AME church anywhere.
The Rev. Clyde W. Oden Jr., of Bryant Temple AME, is chairman of the Ministerial Efficiency Committee, and he described the events that marked finis to Murph’s career Wednesday. Oden said his committee investigated the many allegations against Murph leveled by members of Brookins AME, the church Murph previously pastored for 12 years. Oden said his committee held hearings, conducted interviews, studied documents and ultimately concluded that Murph was guilty of maladministration because he conveyed the property of the church without the church’s permission and authorization; that he mortgaged church property without the church’s knowledge and authorization and that he had checks cashed on his behalf that were not his salary nor reimbursements to him of any kind.
“We made our recommendation and then sent the matter over to the Judicial Council, which, after having held a hearing on it, decided they would conduct a trial on the charges against Murph,” Oden said.
The Judicial Council convened a trial. Murph did not attend it, so he was tried in absentia and found guilty. “Actually, church rules state that a person’s refusal to participate in a trial of his actions does not stop the trial,” Oden said. “His refusal is regarded as an admission of guilt,” the minister said.
Oden said Bp. T. Larry Kirkland, presiding prelate, will announce either Sunday or Tuesday whether he will accept the conference’s endorsement of the two committee’s recommendations and formally cast Murph out of the AME churches.
Given Murph’s penchant for histrionics, things got downright nasty in the meeting, as Murph, his wife, Rachel, and his assistant pastor acted-up to a degree heretofore unseen and unheard, even from the Murphs. There was ranting and raving and name-calling and telling little old ladies to shut up and vulgar insults and physical threats and a repudiation of Murph from a large group of his own people and accusations of criminal activity leveled at people who had nothing to do with this! Oh, it was a humdinger! The complete details will be provided in next week’s Soulvine.
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