One service, in July of 2006 at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF), the church secretary came into the sanctuary and began to explain an article written in the local paper. The article was about another member who had filed bankruptcy and was asked to appear in the bankruptcy court as a normal procedure. This church secretary, the person filing bankruptcy, her company secretary who helped with the books and another man had been in court. The person who filed bankruptcy was Leigh Valentine. A synopsis of the article which originally appeared in the Daily Courier, USA on July 23, 2006 is found here.. (http://www.religionnewsblog.com/15355/bankruptcy-filing-reveals-ties-to-word-of-faith-fellowship )
After stumbling upon this article today, I remembered the church service and how it was handled. The church secretary had come and told the congregation in general terms about the article. I don’t remember the exact words, but it was something to the effect of- “don’t read it, it’s about Leigh’s bankruptcy and there is a bunch of stuff in there that is not true… “. She waved her hand toward the members sitting in the congregation, as if to say don’t waste your time and it really is nothing to be concerned about. But, when the article was not even brought before the group and read in brief; it caught my interest and of course, I found a copy online either the next day or the day after.
Over the years, I have had to learn about bankruptcy and certain proceedings and the schedules that are required to be filed. Let me first say, I am no lawyer and do not know the ins and outs of the case in question. Leigh Valentine has been a part of WOFF either “in” or “in discipleship” or “out” over several years. The circumstances surrounding her involvement had raised questions for me during the previous years. For one, the WOFF “bookstore” sold her make-up after each service or after evening services when the room was open. In the words of a new friend, “What’s up with that?”