The Church Lady Exclusive: Did. Dr. Michael Freeman Orchestrate the Ousting of Pastor Joel Peebles from Jericho City of Praise?

"Dr. Micheal Freeman Spirit of Faith Christian Center"

There is much church chat going around this evening that Dr. Micheal Freeman, Founder, and Pastor of Spirit of Faith Christian Center was allegedly the mastermind behind the Board of the mega church, Jericho City of Praise, firing Pastor Joel Peebles.

A few months ago I posted an article where it was alledged by the Board that Apostle Betty Peebles wanted her son to sit under the leadership of Dr. Michael Freeman before taking leadership over Jericho City of Praise.

In a video posted earlier where police were escorting Pastor Joel Peebles from the church you will hear the name Dr. Micheal Freeman come up again in the conversation with Pastor Joel noting that Dr. Freeman wanted the church all along.

If this is true, we will know in a matter of days, and it will be another sad day in the African American church community.  As it will be another reminder of how Pastors for self-gratification take over vulnerable congregations and will remind us once again of the New Destiny Christian Center travesty with Pastor Paula White.

I pray that this is NOT the case, but I am sure my members at Jericho will give me the REAL deal in the days ahead,  Stay Tuned CLB family.

UPDATE 4/21/2012! 

Please read the comment left on thechurchladyblogs.com regarding this post:

From Elaine:  I have several comments: 

[quote]First, if you read the court documents you will see that none of the accusations are true. Pastor Joel never lost a house; he did not mismanage money, and these rumors were put out by these employees and their lawyer to try and discredit him.

Michael and Dee Dee Freeman spent time with Apostle, showered  her with expensive gifts and became the power attorney for Apostle and the personal representative for her will and trust.

Michael Freeman introduced her to the lawyers who prepared her will, and Isaac Marks the one who prepared numerous documents, shut down the school and is representing the unelected board against the congregation, and against Pastor Joel and Chairman Meadows, and is representing Freeman in the will that Pastor Joel has contested.

Pastor Joel had always had her power of attorney and was her personal representative and was not aware that it had been changed.  This new complex will was written in Nov. 09 the same month that she went into the hospital and stayed for 3 months then was placed in a nursing home for 6 weeks.

If Apostle was in her full mind and signing documents why did Michael Freeman exercise a medical directive and direct her care.  A medical directive allows someone to make decisions for you when you are unable to make decisions for yourself.  Someone is not telling the truth.

If she was competent then they should not have exercised the medical directive. If she was not competent then the board should not have had her signing documents.

The church is in the Washington metro area.  He put her in a community hospital in Baltimore under his wife’s maiden name Wooton.

His niece is a doctor on staff at the hospital (Denise Killen’s deposition).  He later moved her to a nursing home also in Baltimore under this alias.

He never told Pastor Joel that his mother was hospitalized, had several major surgeries and was in the ICU for 5 weeks.Stu Killen the husband of a rogue board member (church secretary) told several members that his wife and the board had meetings with Michael Freeman to sell the church to him because ” they are a dynamic couple and need a larger church.”

Michael Freeman told his church during a television message that after Apostle died he got a call telling him that he had been named as a trustee over jericho in PG county. Just last week on his televised message he said that the Lord had given them the largest “ministry, church, santuary on the east coast.”  Jericho is a non profit Apostle did not own it.

She did not mention the church in her will.  The only way for Mike freeman to get the church is for the trustees to sell/give it to him.  They hold the deed to the church. They are listed in the will that Freeman oversees.

Mike Freeman came out of the court house on Monday after the court case that Pastor Joel won against the board.  The police officers said that they were directed by Mike Freeman not to let Pastor Joel take anything out of his office.  Pastor Joel made a offer to buy his mother’s house at market value and Michael Freeman the executor of the estate would not sell his mother’s house to him.”[/quote]

After reading this comment and reviewing Apostle Betty Peeples Trust, All I can say is WOW!  No matter how bad you want this  not to be true, as  one would never want to believe  that a Man of the Cloth would stoop to these levesls, it is hard to believe with the facts that are being presented by Jericho City of Priase Church Members that it is not true. (read all past articles I wrote  on this subject matter.)

Now about the  alleged  TV message  where he announced that  he was given the largest church on the East Coast,  Chile Pleeze, somebody send me that video clip so that I can include it on  a My Take, which is coming soon.

Update 4/23/2012

Pastor Joel Peeples told the members the day he was terminated that the Church is NOT the building and that he planed on having Church on Sunday and that he did.  On April 22, 2012 Pastor Joel preached to a full house at Metro Point in New Carrollton, MD with more than 1,500 in attendance, while Jericho City of Praise was noticeably empty. 

Update: 7/20/2012

A member of  Jericho City of  Praise gives us an update that the once mega church is now empty and Dr. Mike Freeman has placed his mentee Bishop Rodney S. Walker as the unofficial lead pastor of the almost defunct congregation.  Click here to read full report.

Thank you Jericho Family for trusting that the Church Lady will get the word out and know that this matter will continue to be on the front page of The Church Lady Blogs until it is resolved.

Bless you all!

Updte: 11/7/2014

Mike Freeman SICK?