After reading Rae Lewis Thornton’s blog about Pastor Jenkins and his affair, I took to the computer to express myself. What started off as an expression, turned into what you’ll read below. I can appreciate her wanting to be supportive and offer MG a voice. I don’t agree when it takes a turn for the ‘this is my girl and I got her back’ journalism.
I realize that some people who read this will not like what I have to say. Though I respect Rae Lewis Thornton for who she is in the community, I have multiple issues with the way her article was presented. Nonetheless, this is my perspective, point by point, as I read it first, then again for response.
1) In relation to Scandal and the race to watch it and RLT’s response of “hope that one day Olivia’s will get her man, but when it comes to a real-affair, we tar and feather the other woman.”– Well, she said it herself, Scandal is television and not real life and despite how excellent the script writing makes us feel, the reality is most people I know are against such behaviors. We know the difference.
2) After Pastor Jenkins apologized with his wife by his side and told the congregation the woman’s position at the church he also stated that his legal team was in place, that they were well aware, and that his attorney is a monster. That was left out of the article.
3) RLT says “Extortion, I don’t think so, was my second reaction. I know her personally and in fact had learned about their affair a year earlier. She had taken ‘Auntie Rae’ in her confidence as she tried to heal from this eight year affair…” — Firstly, just because you know someone personally does not mean you know them wholly. There are plenty of people who knew rapist, murderers, blue-collar, white collar criminals, and adulterers personally before they went to jail or were ousted, or on the run. The first thing people who knew people personally say is, “I know them personally.” What RLT is admitting, is that she knew an adulterer personally. The “fact”, as RLT puts it, that she herself knew about the affair a year prior and then cloaks it with “Auntie Rae” and “in confidence” only now to appear privileged in the knowledge is disheartening. What I didn’t hear was what words of wisdom Auntie Rae gave MG about the affair since it’s so important for the world to know now, that it went on. By the way, thanks RLT for letting us know the length of time too, because we so needed another layer to add to this madness.
4) RLT said, “She told me about trips at the church’s expense…” Well now that’s what we call embezzlement. So I’m sure that extortion is not out of the realm of possibility here. Thanks for admitting that RLT. I’m sure his lawyers will have a field day with it. Because of course, she accepted. In addition, I’m sure a gag order will be sent to you soon on behalf of her attorney.
5) “She admitted she was attracted to his charisma” –Well aren’t we all? It doesn’t mean that we have to agree to sleep with him for eight years. “He promised to leave his wife which was the reason behind hiring her in such a high profile position. They were a team!” –No, he and his wife were a team. She was an employee and he, her employer. That was business.
6) RLT says, “I can’t even begin to tell it all, nor is it my story to tell,” —yet, here we are, in your article reading the story you’re telling, the one that’s no longer in confidence.
7) RLT says, “Girl, when did you realize that he was never going to leave his wife for you?” MG says, “When his wife became pregnant with their third child.”— WOW! First the question, didn’t you already ask this a year ago RLT? Or was it just juicy to hear and listen to? MG, as an intelligent woman, after all the life lessons and stories, books, and situations you’ve seen or encountered, you thought you were the woman to make him leave his wife? You thought that after years of having the first lady by his side, he’d introduce you as the new first lady? Did you really believe that he wasn’t taking care of home? Did you care anything about this man’s young children? I joined the church in Sept 2007. In October of 2008, his eldest daughter was 5 at the time, and his youngest daughter was 3 and his wife was expecting their third baby, a boy. So if I do the math and subtract when this affair began in 2004, the oldest was 1 and youngest wasn’t thought of or maybe on the way. Hmmm… So it took two more babies to figure out that he wasn’t leaving or was three children the limit?
8) RLT says, “While I though highly of her brilliance for Fellowship, I was a little disturbed when Pastor Jenkins fired for sure two people on staff to hire Mundi. It didn’t make sense at the time, Patrick, our CFO was the bomb… Reynonda, was Rev. Jenkins’ executive assistant at the time…I watched the pain in their eyes and never knew what to say.” — This is speculation and not fact RLT, you just said so yourself. You do not know with absolute certainty that Pastor Jenkins said to Patrick or Reynonda that they were being fired to make room for Mundi. I’m almost certain that those words were not on the pink slip or reasoning behind the expulsion from the position. The problem with this statement is that you said, “fired for sure two people” which insinuates that you only know that two people were indeed let go but there could’ve been more possibly, but you’re unsure and you want to believe it was to make room for Mundi. You also said that “it didn’t make sense at the time” which further shows the lack of fact, again, this is speculation and opinion. Secondly, do we know that Patrick and Reynonda wanted their names in this article, or to even be associated with this? How do we know that they’ve not moved on from being let go? Does the world really need to know that Patrick was once the CFO of the church and Reynonda was the executive assistant as it relates to your article or was this additional name dropping of people you know personally?
9) “The rumor was spreading that Jenkins had made these staffing changes because Mundi was a better choice to further the goal of the new Fellowship that was shifting quickly from the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church my mentor Rev. Clay Evans had founded.” — Key word here, RUMOR. Again, you just debunked everything you stated in the paragraph before this, while trying to present it as fact. I call this irresponsible journalism. Funny thing is, the rumor was that Mundi was a better choice to further the goal of the new fellowship. The rumor sounds like a solid business decision to me. But here’s a caveat to consider, when I was growing up, I can distinctly recall several inappropriate conversations from elders about the beloved mentor Rev. Clay Evans, but of course that was in the time when Twitter and Facebook didn’t exist, and bloggers were really unheard of, you get where I’m going with this–Church folk hush talk.
10) RLT says, “Let’s be clear, Mundi Griffin left a six figure job to run the operations at Fellowship, and while she was making $106,000 it was a significant pay cut. The fact of the matter, all of her entrepreneurial businesses also suffered as she devoted more and more time to the projects at Fellowship and of course even more time to Pastor Jenkins, which according to her was his number one priority.” — What does her leaving a six figure job for a lower six figure job have to do with this? Oh, wait, as an informed business woman in “the ivy league of Corporate America” companies, she made an informed business decision that was conducive for her and the needs of her family? She chose to leave her company. But, is the real question the following: Was her leaving a well paid position about money or was it to be closer to her lover? And the “fact” that her other entrepreneurial businesses suffered as she devoted more time to Fellowship was a choice and not a fault. She chose to devote more time to Fellowship and Pastor Jenkins, obviously outside the scope of her defined positional duties. Her businesses suffering is a result of choices she made. The affair with Pastor Jenkins was more important to her than being a successful entrepreneur with a high -powered church position. RLT says that in MG’s words, projects to Fellowship and even more of her time to him, was his number 1 priority. Well, let’s be clear on one thing, when you’re someone’s number 1 priority, then you’re no one’s secret! We have to know the difference between someone’s greed (Pastor Jenkins) and someone’s need. Shame on them both because they knew better.
11) RLT says, “I now know he was making a way for his lover and creating a partnership in plain sight, how could she not believe him, trust him? He had used his power as pastor to elevate her. This partnership would last 5 years as his employee and lover and another 3 years as his lover, once she left Fellowship.” — Pastor definitely created a partnership in plain sight. He created a partnership with a woman he believed could help take the church to the next level. Fellowship didn’t fold. Our memberships increased. Visions were becoming realities. She did her job, as an employee. She was also in a position where regular contact with his wife was a reality too. He didn’t use his power as a pastor to elevate her. According to RLT she was already at the top of her game, remember, the Ivy League of Corporate America, which means that any “Pastoral Power” could’ve been used to sway her business savvy Fellowship’s way, which we had for 5 years.
12) RLT says, “I was disappointed when Rev. Jenkins announced from the pulpit that Mundi was extorting him. NO the truth of the matter, her lawyer sent him a letter for breach of contract in 2013, which I have seen.” — And you say all that to say what exactly? Have you reviewed all communications between MG and her attorney or just what MG chose to show you? Are you a part of the legal proceedings? So if it comes out that MG is being sued for extortion on behalf of the attorneys representing Pastor Jenkins, what will your response be? Wait, you knew her personally and you saw a letter that had nothing to do with extortion. That’s right. By the way, is the world supposed to know that Pastor Jenkins received a breach of contract letter? This is an awful lot of personal information being divulged that I should think only the parties to the matter should be privy to. Well if you’ve seen the letter, why can’t we? I mean, you’ve shown us text messages with no name. But then again, you may have another legal issue at hand if you did that.
13) RLT says, “I sat there puzzled, how did Rev. Jenkins make the leap to extortion? There is no lawyer on the planet, unless they want to be disbarred and go to jail, who would participate in extortion.”– Well now here’s the thing, he’s accusing MG of extortion, not an attorney. Secondly, I can research quite a few names of disbarred attorneys that have participated in illegal activities, one being extortion. I only state this because you said, “No lawyer on the planet” There’s quite a few actually. They’re human and fallible too, you know.
14) RLT says, “I was even more disappointed at a missed opportunity for a pastor to be as authentic as he could be for both his healing and for the church. Pastoral abuse is a serious issue. He had already used his leadership authority to further his relationship with Mundi, now he was using it to flip the script.” — Who made you the authority on authenticity? Did you have that same judgmental authenticity radar when MG was pouring her heart out to you a year ago? But then again, that’s your opinion. In your heart, you felt he wasn’t being authentic. Well, he didn’t have to admit that he had an affair with his wife by his side to his church, but he did. He also said that she (his wife) knew about it and they’ve worked to repair. Pastoral Abuse/Spiritual Abuse, I wouldn’t call it this. He’s still the Pastor of a church. He will still stand in the pulpit and speak to his congregation. That’s his job. It’s no different than a CEO of one of these Ivy League Corporate America companies you speak of, that falter and send a mass email to his employees or a video conference to state what needs to be said and no more. See here’s the difference, you keep stating that he used his pastoral ways to further his relationship with her, but he didn’t need to, if you also state that long after she was gone they continued their affair, 3 years after in fact.
15) “Flipping the script never works for me.” — Wow. So what does, truth? Because I’m not too sure if that works for you either. You’ve added to the script, chopped the script, erased and rewrote the script, drew a line threw the script, then renamed it. The bottom line is, this woman is not innocent and nor is Pastor Jenkins and this article reads a lot like you want us to believe she was bamboozled and so mesmerized into sleeping with this married man for 8 years and not waking up from this lust stupor until his wife was pregnant with their third baby. But here’s one for you…what if his wife never got pregnant again, then when will it have ended? Did you ask her that one too?
16) RLT says, “While I was in seminary, clergy abuse was a serious topic. I learned that the greater burden of moral responsibility falls on the one with the greater power.” — That’s what you learned in seminary and that’s an amazing thing to try and live by but it doesn’t make the affair solely his fault because he’s a Pastor nor is it an excuse for her to hide under. At the end of the day, it’s all immoral. They were wrong. Neither of them are innocent.
17) RLT says, “For me this cannot be reduced to the common themes I hear when a pastors affair is made public in the Black Church” — So what do they say in the White church? I mean this happens everywhere right? I’ve heard a few variations but is he wrong in asking for forgiveness? No, we’ve all sinned, we do so daily. For some of us, sinning just comes so naturally. We are an imperfect people and only God is of perfection. But that doesn’t stop us from repenting and continuing to seek his face, even when we stumble and fall.
18) RLT says, “That relationship began at the same time as the BoardRoom. During that time Mundi was in and out of my home, she had become close friends with Davita who became another one of my children when I first started speaking. Looking back, I remember all those times, Davita would tell me that she was at a hotel on the Mag mile with Mundi hanging out. I get it, Davita was Mundi’s cover in this affair. He would leave the hotel and Davita would come and hangout with Mundi, to at first defray suspicion from Mundi’s own husband, Yes I said husband. This was one tangled web. That’s another story.” — So again, why do we need to know about Davita? Does Davita want her name mixed up with this mess? So does Davita know all the personal details and should we look out for her point of view too, soon? Can we please just stick to the people involved and stop it with the name dropping of people we just don’t need to know about? And wait a minute… POW POW, shots fired, alarms are buzzing– SO SHE’S MARRIED, TOO! So she really knew what she was doing and she liked it. It had nothing to do with charismatic charm. She found Pastor Jenkins more interesting and possibly fulfilling than her own husband and instead of working it out with him or divorcing him, she hung on to the promise that Pastor Jenkins would divorce his wife first? Whewwwwww. So, what’s the purpose of the article again, to tell us what most of us didn’t know? Wait, let me see if I can pull it together, smart and savvy married businesswoman has 8 year affair with successful Chicago Pastor, goes to great lengths to hide affair from husband while using friend Davita as a cover up, waits for pastors divorce that never came after Pastor’s wife becomes pregnant with third baby, pastor apologizes for sleeping with employee, he and wife are rebuilding. Did I miss anything?
19) RLT says, “The truth is, Rev. Jenkins had an eight year affair, a picture got out, he have no idea where it came from, so he took a leap with no verification what so ever. He used his pulpit authority as a weapon. There is nothing from Mundi asking for money. NOTHING! and the truth of the matter, if there were I know I would have gone to the police the day it began. But all we have is a half confession and a scape goat for his shame.”— I liked Wikipedia’s simple explanation of extortion and blackmail, a lot simpler than my law books, so I’ve used it here: Extortion (also called shakedown, outwresting, and exaction) is a criminal offense of obtaining money, property, or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. In blackmail, which always involves extortion, the extortionist threatens to reveal information about a victim or their family members that is potentially embarrassing, socially damaging, or incriminating unless a demand for money, property, or services is met. — So, money may not always be the object. It could’ve been services, property, or action. So just because she didn’t ask for money, according to RLT, doesn’t mean she’s not extorting him.
20) RLT says, “On the other side of the coin, Mundi has been accused of extortion by Rev. Jenkins from his pulpit and Mundi has remained silent. Today I am giving her this voice in a unedited one on one interview.” — So first we have an unedited opinion and now an unedited interview, says the woman that knows her personally. Well, it’s obvious that she didn’t know her morally.
21) “RLT: Mundi, lets cut to the chase. Are you extorting Rev. Jenkins
Mundi: Hell No! If that were the case this conversation would be taking place with me behind bars.” — Not immediately. That’s why there’s a court system in place.
22) “RLT: Have you had any correspondence with Rev. Jenkins regarding this incident?
Mundi: Yes, he called me a few times on the Tuesday after he made the announcement from the pulpit but I didn’t answer. Instead I sent him a text and we had a heated exchange.” — Why? Didn’t your lawyer tell you not to communicate with the person you’re involved in legal matters with? Be quiet and if you must speak, tell him to contact your attorney. WTH
23) “RLT: From reading these text, it seems he was trying to get you to admit to extorting him. This was the first contact you had with him in any fashion regrading this matter of extortion:
Mundi: Yes” —- I didn’t get that at all from reading the pictures with no name at the top. But I’m willing to bet that taking a snap shot of the whole thing could become yet another legal issue. Who’s to say that the texts itself are even…wait for it… “Authentic”?
24) “RLT: So let me ask you this, do you know this guy from the Obnoxious Blog where the picture was posted or have ever had any contact with him?
Mudi: No, I was just as shocked to read the blog as everyone else.
RLT: What did you think when you read the blog?
Mudi: Here he goes again, in yet another relationship with a woman other than his wife.” — I take issue with MG’s statement of “Here he goes again, in yet another relationship with a woman other than his wife” REALLY! YOU DARE SAY THAT! I call that audacity. Here he goes again, Ms. 8 years. There you go again in a relationship with someone other than your husband. Shame. Shame on them both.
25) “RLT: When did it shift?
Mundi:Well, in one planning meeting regarding the BoardRoom he asked me to step out of the meeting in the middle of the meeting. Once we were on the other side of the door, he looked down at my finger bearing my wedding ring and asked,
“What is that”
“My wedding ring,” I said.
He then asked, “Does he know what he has?
I said “I hope so,” Now, knowing damn well that my husband didn’t know what to do with me. My marriage had really ended before it started and my growing relationship with Charles Jenkins didn’t help it one bit. We were only married a little over a year.” —– So many issues to touch on. MG was flirting and playing into the hands of a man she welcomed the attention from. She says that her husband didn’t know what to do with her. Really? Her marriage ended before it started? Well then what does that say about her? Didn’t say she fought to stay in. It says she went into her marriage already mentally divorced. Then she tries to soften it by saying her growing relationship with Charles Jenkins didn’t help it one bit, because as we’ve learned from this article, she wanted another woman’s husband more. She tries to justify it by saying, they were only married a little over a year, ONLY being the operative word, and in the end it all still means that SHE WAS MARRIED, an adulterer, and so was he. Greed.
26) “RLT: Why did you kept the relationship a secret even after it was over? Some women are vindictive
Mundi: We actually ended on peaceful terms at first but there was nothing to talk about publicly. I confided in a my close girlfriends but that was it. To what benefit would I have gained from discussing it publicly?”—- So you told your close girlfriends who could’ve told their close girlfriends, who could’ve told the original blogger… or just to be vindictive you could’ve told your girlfriends to tell the blogger. It’s just another perspective people.
27) “RLT: Why are you going public now?
Mundi: Because he has given me no other choice. He’s made our affair public and has painted me as a scorned woman that is extorting him. He has fabricated a story to deflect the larger issue at hand. He has misused the pulpit on an Easter Sunday to push his messy circumstances of infidelity and has lied while doing so. This is an abuse of power and a misuse of the pulpit. I want my name cleared and I want a retraction. People trust their pastor, because of this trust no one is asking the tough questions and its suppose to fly and thats some bullshit. If I am extorting him, why hasn’t he filled charges? Where is the proof? This was inflammatory and in fact, he defamed my name.” — Her response sounds a lot like RLT doesn’t it…misuse of the pulpit, abuse of power. I’m not too sure that it’s so much as slander here because she’s admitted to being an adulterer, having an extramarital affair with the Pastor. She’s also privately confided in “Auntie Rae” that she’s participated in and has misappropriated employer funds alongside her pastor for personal gain, which Auntie Rae publicly admitted to. Trying to make a case, though I don’t have all the facts, would be possible. I do believe that charges may soon be filed or some kind of agreement will soon be met. These things don’t happen over night. Clearing her name, well…
To touch on the fact that Pastor painted her as an angry and scorned woman, well, is that such an impossible picture to paint? She said herself that once his wife became pregnant with the third baby she knew he wouldn’t leave her, for her. Wouldn’t the average woman, so enthralled with a man she’s been sleeping with for eight years, and long after her employment, be upset and angry that he’d rather stay with his wife than her? That she’s no longer good enough, or worth his time, even? I’m just throwing things out there because these are things that I hear from women I’ve spoken to who’ve had extramarital affairs. Usually, they’re pissed. Another baby was MG’s reality and she couldn’t handle it. So what did she do? I don’t know but someone leaked a photo. Somehow the world found out about it. Somehow she’s at the center of a shit storm. But somehow, she ended amicably with this man after 8 long years of being the other woman. Something to think about.
BOTTOM LINE
They were both wrong. Being a Pastor is his job, just like hers was to be the VP of Operations. There was an employer, employee relationship that turned into a real HR issue. She slept with her boss and he gave her gifts. He cheated on his wife repeatedly and she cheated on her husband, repeatedly. Some people knew about the affair, others didn’t. Some chose to look the other way, some didn’t. They are adults who put their own physical needs ahead of what’s right, and that was an allegiance to their marriages and respect to God. She’s no less responsible than he is. It takes two…two consenting adults. They agreed. Now here we are.
Here’s my question, what about Dr. Tara Jenkins, his wife? How must she be feeling right now? She has to put on the brave face and relive all of those moments. There was no real consideration for her when this article was written and it’s obvious that MG didn’t care about her feelings either. She has to watch this public fallout and humiliation while protecting the ears, or at least trying to, of her three beautiful children. This whole situation saddens me.
RLT’s Blog can be found at http://www.raelewisthornton.com/
Kandace Campbell 
Thank you for this article. I too am a member of Fellowship and have been wrestling with so many different feelings. Disappointed is the greatest one. Right now I am praying my way through this and will continue to pray for Pastor Jenkins and the entire Fellowship family. Pray my strength while I decide whether to continue my membership.
You know, I grappled back and forth on whether to even post this. But it bothered me so. Thank you for your comment. I understand your feelings and I am praying for your strength. I know God will direct your path.
Interesting blog. You raised some good counterpoints, but SO MUCH is unknown that additional points could be raised in rebuttal to your blog. What concern me is that the pastor gave his statement and asked for forgiveness (didn’t do so humbly when he reminded us that many of us have sat on the other side of his desk) and basically said that he was moving on. Well while this is old news to him, it is new and painful and complicated for the church. While being pastor is his “job”as you pointed out his job description comes straight from the Bible and has behavioral expectations. Why haven’t we heard about the plan for his restoration and accountability? What if some members are so hurt and disappointed they need or want to talk to someone? They haven’t identified a resource for staff and members. He put a big a$$ burden on the congregation and basically said, keep it movin. Yes SHE IS WRONG. But HE is the PASTOR. He has responsibility to his flock and I am not seeing him acknowledge that. I too don’t feel like I can continue my membership without knowing his plan for future accoutability. There is also the fact that he preached truth (the Bible) while living an EIGHT year lie. Because he has a history of lies (that seemed to come easy to him), poor decision making with church money and resources, and a clear arrogance, I don’t feel I can trust him as a leader. I am sure others feel the same. I am prayin for all of us. So much attention has been on her, but as wrong as she is, HE is the pastor and the one who SHOULD be the center of the focus.
Thank you for your comment. You are right. There is so much that is unknown. Yes, while it is old news to him, it is definitely painful and complicated for the church. The various blogs and replies are evidence of that. Here’s where you and I differ, though I understand and respect your viewpoint, often times we as a congregation tend to forget that the church is a business and the product is God/Jesus which we’re bought and sold on, Sunday after Sunday, through sermon, scripture, and of course the salesman, the leader, in this case, the Pastor. His job and description is two-fold, one being his moral compass and Bible as a guidebook, and the other being a businessman, the head, the one who has the final say. I too, would like to hear a plan for restoration and I’m unsure of why it hasn’t occurred yet. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not in the works. I love your second question about members needing someone to talk to, somewhat like grief counseling. I think it’s a great idea in fact, but, if someone were identified and members had a point of contact, would the service be genuinely utilized? Would its intended purpose be turned into a “why did he do this” Q & A and retention or would it really be about healing and digging into the word? This whole thing is about trust. Do the members trust their leader and will the members forgive as Jesus did, and let go and let God? I think you and I know the reality of that answer and that’s when the various responses dive right back into not being able to separate the church as a place of worship from the church as a business. Yes, the burden on the congregation is huge– morally and mentally. But let’s say that because of this situation he or she decides to leave and join another congregation, that doesn’t mean that their new leader is any less flawed than the former. As for future accountability, from a moral perspective, I’ll leave that between him and God, but from a business perspective, I wouldn’t mind seeing some new steps and measures taken to reassure the congregation that all funds are being allocated appropriately. Yes, he certainly wore a mask for eight years. I understand your feelings of mistrust. I think, a good deal of the time, we tend to put too much faith in our leaders that almost makes them seem perfect, infallible, Godly even. But we forget that our leaders are human, who go home at night to wives or husbands, and have real problems. Then they come to work, i.e church and put on the face. You’re right, so much attention has been put on her and I most certainly wrote this article because of the way she was presented, making her and the author, a centralized focus, though he wasn’t left unscathed. He should be the center as well as rebuilding and unifying the church. Thank you for that and thank you for your prayers. I will be doing the same for you.
I agree. I actually believe he should step down for a season and have some biblical accountability, restoration to God, family and church (and no there is no real restoration without repentance and full acknowledgement of the sin and its effects), as well as counseling to see how he even got in the situation. But you know what? That’s too much like right. Seems we most prefer a Christianity that tells our relationship with God has nothing to do with how we relate to others or what they do/what we do. But it does…there is a type of corporate solidarity we have in the Body of Christ and our leaders being hypocritical stumbling blocks will mess everybody up in a variety if ways It’s scary to hear so many people say that its between them and God when the Bible demands healthy, truthful relationships where you don’t cause your brothers and sisters to stumble and due to your habitual sin.
Thank you for your comment. I have shared your same feelings of maybe he should step aside for a little while and work on this. But then I thought, how do I know that he hasn’t or is currently undergoing intensive counseling, along with his wife? I have to remember that we as a congregation just found out about this. You know, the more I think about it, the more questions it raises and the more prayer I have. I can appreciate a forum like this because I get to hear from mature adults who genuinely have thought provoking conversations and intelligent opinions. The moment you mentioned corporate solidarity, it took me right back to the beginning of Adam and Eve, Satan, and the coming of and Crucifixion of Christ. And you’re right. I believe we’ve seen our fair share of hypocritical leaders. But then that also makes me think right back to God placing even the most known sinner and criminal in a position of power, example, and ultimately a beacon of hope and change. Pastor could very well be the Bible’s David. I understand the scary feeling of hearing people say that it’s between them and God, and that may be because of others lack of reasoning or willingness to entertain a conversation, or wish to remain uninvolved. I’m unsure. Not that I feel any of us have the right to get involved in his personal marital matters, but involved as it pertains to the unification of the church. I do believe certain aspects should certainly be between him, his family, and God. Because even though he may have repented and prayed about the situation, God still has a plan for his life. Yes, the Bible calls for healthy and fruitful relationships where we don’t cause or intentionally cause our brothers and sisters to stumble because of our habitual sins. Lead by example. I understand it well. I genuinely appreciate your comment– thought provoking. I look forward to more and I have questions, if you’re willing to answer.
Sure. Great discussion….the kind that should be held in our churches. We all sin, indeed, but covering it even when confronted and not owning it fully isn’t enough. David, once confronted, repented fully but that didn’t stop the consequences and a lot of people got hurt. When there is sin in the camp all the people suffer, and the suffering gets multiplied when its coming from leadership. Thats why James suggests that people shouldn’t be so eager to be teachers (we could say pastors, leaders, etc). The influence one has in these position can be dangerous. It would do us all very well to have a holy fear and not take it lightly. But if we get to a backslidden state then we need to sit down so we can get to the root and then wait for God’s timing to get restored (maybe even in a different capacity). We will have greater resolve to not compromise. ..and we will operate with integrity when we are processed properly versus just allowed to keep it moving. I think often times its our arrogance that won’t let us sit down and get our hearts clean. It takes time…esp. depending on the depth of the situation. Even if Jenkins is in counseling, that only takes care of him and his family but the Body of Christ is his family to. Perhaps the Body isnt affected in the same way as his wife and children but still it is greatly affected, and how he responds will set the tone for things to follow…good or bad. I’m definitely praying for the health of the Church…and certainly for my brothers & sisters at Fellowship.
I agree with your comment and yes the the suffering is multiplied and magnified when coming from leadership. I could see a discussion like this held in a church forum, indeed. Though James suggests that people shouldn’t be so eager to be teachers, does that mean that a pastor whose recognized his calling, who may or may not want to lead, deny and reject it for fear he’s not yet ready? If he’s called according to God’s purpose to go out and spread the word and is subsequently caught in an ungodly situation, does that make the word any less valuable, even though he’s been chosen by God? I agree that the influence that one in a position of power and leadership is dangerous when mismanaged. But, as you’ve stated, if one gets to this backsliding state and sits and wait for God’s timing to be restored, who are we to say that it’s not happened yet? Since God speaks to us as individuals, do we really know what God said to him? Would we believe it if he told us? Could it be a combination of our loathing and personal opinions on how long someone should step aside, if they should at all? But, I will say that a common theme I hear from people is “his arrogance”. And arrogance is offensive. But, could it be that what we see as his arrogance, is really pride? The consciousness of one’s own dignity. A defense mechanism or mask that’s used to protect his own heart and mind per se, to be able to deal with the operations of the church, including Sunday services, his family, the “shame”? His congregation? Would we have felt better if he cried and sat in front of the church and shared his whole heart? Would we have viewed him differently? I genuinely don’t know. I don’t know that he knows either. But I will say, as I’ve said to you before, I enjoy our discussions. I literally learn something new everyday and it’s a positive and thought provoking exchange. I look forward to your response.
After writing my last post about V. Stiviano, some followers brought to my attention about a bit of Chi-town shadiness. It appears that a woman claims to be the former mistress of a pastor named Charles Jenkins. Her named is Mundi Griffin and she sat down with a blogger and gave up the ghost – so to speak.
After reading her sorted story, I didn’t feel sorry for her. In fact, I began to wonder how much of it was true. Something just didn’t add up. I always wonder when people try to cover shady behavior with the “it’s not my fault…I’m a victim” routine. I’m not buying that freshly scrubbed face innocence bit.
In the blog she states, she wants her named cleared. Boo boo Please! That ship has sailed. I wouldn’t even know your name had you not put it out there in the blogosphere along with this picture. FYI – next time see a hairstylist and make-up artist before you pose for the camera.
So, I decided to dig a bit and see if I could find more out about Mundi Griffin. To my surprise, shady behavior seems to be second nature for Ms. Griffin. Let me break down the ratchetness. Those who understand Google knows once you put information out there it goes into the Google archives. Check out the LinkedIn profile below:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mundi-griffin/2b/961/591
In the blog it was mentioned that Mundi left an Ivy League corporate gig to work with the church. I was curious to see where she worked prior to working for the church. On her public LinkedIn profile above, she states having degrees from Howard University and Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management but LinkedIn provides two profile for each user (one for public viewing and the other for member’s viewing). But on the member profile below there is no mention of the degree from Northwestern University. Why would someone not mention a degree if they shed brain cells, money and sleep to earn it; unless they made the whole thing up. After being on hold half the day, both schools confirmed there was no evidence of her graduating from either university; let alone attended. If that’s not shady.. I don’t’ know what is. If she could lie about where she attended school, she could lie about anything.
After finding this inconsistency, I decided to check things a little further and delved into the public records. The more I dug into this woman’s past, the deeper I fell down a rabbit hole of deception. In a nut shell, I uncovered that she was arrested five times for criminal behavior. Check this out:
People of the State of Illinois vs. Mundi Griffin. Case No. 02119047401 charged with deceptive practice. She deposited a $24,662 check made out to someone else and attempted to withdraw funds.
People of the State of Illinois vs. Mundi Griffin. Case No. 00CR1724001 charged with theft and deception, 2 counts of identity theft and 4 counts of forgery.
People of the State of Illinois vs. Mundi Griffin. Case No. 00600996901 charged with theft, forgery and financial identity theft. Griffin allegedly represented herself as someone else in an effort to purchase/lease a BMW.
People of the State of Illinois vs. Mundi Griffin. Case No. 88500478301 retail theft
People of the State of Illinois vs. Mundi Griffin. Case No. 88500478401 retail theft
Ooo Girl.. seems like she’s been Steppin on the shady train for quite some time. Watch out Chicago!
Thank you for your comment. I received a link from a friend about a week ago to this same post. It is unfortunate that she’s had such incidents and just sad all around.
Kudos to you for this post. Just adding a few addional dots for everyone to connect regarding Ms. Griffin.
Connecting The Dots:
She did not leave a 6 figure corporate job prior to arriving at Fellowship. In fact, she was literally making $48.000 from a job on Wacker Dr. While doing so, she did in fact meet Jenkins during his downtown “Boardroom” gatherings. Whereas she eventually saw an opportunity to create these bigger than life professional credentials and overall competency to Jenkins. Subsequently Jenkins fell for her con, unaware of Ms. Griffin’s less than honorable past. Especially since he would allow her to handle money for the church.
Your Past Follows You:
Not long before Ms. Griffin’s ascension to working for Fellowship, she had briefly become “born again” (for lack of a better description) after surviving more serious prosecution for identity theft. Her criminal misdeeds do not stop nor start there. Before her marriage, she was in a lengthy relationship with a well known criminal identity thief who apparently taught her all about identity theft, check scams among other thing. Your very own bootleg black version of Bonnie & Clyde if you would. He would subsequently serve a federal prison sentance after he and Ms. Griffin were apprehended at Seaway bank for attempting to cash a fraudulent check.
Smoke & Mirrors:
Through years of misdeeds, fraud and overall criminal practices, Ms. Griffin crossed paths, dated and eventually married. Not before she alledgedly took a short hiatus from committing identity theft after her last bust years prior. Both Ms. Griffin and her former husband were very familiar with one another, seeing that they grew up around the corner from each other as kids. During their dating period, the former husband recalls some almost hard to believe tales from Ms. Griffin regarding her being an AKA, she was once signed to Motown while in a female signing group, her biological father sexually molesting her, becoming gay and a drug user, being Jamaican and secretly concealing from her mother and others about being pregnant, giving birth and putting the baby up for adoption while in high school at Percy L. Julian on Chicago’s south side.
It Really Is A Small World Afterall:
Having no reason to doubt Ms. Griffin, her former husband stayed involved. However, the old adage “it really is a small world afterall” rang true. Following Ms. Griffin’s wedding date, countless associates as well as old friends that were more familiar with Ms. Griffin’s criminal past began to coincidentally run across her former husband. As ironic as it was for them to hear that Ms. Griffin was married to begin with, the irony was who she was actually married to (both kept their wedding news private and married in Vegas) . Being that her former husband was an established television professional, educator and military veteran. Although his past involved stints of drug dealing and gang affliation, his overall record and personal character far outshined Ms. Griffin. To those privy on the outside looking in, Ms. Griffin’s marriage was viewed as oil and water relating to the two extremely different individuals.
Once her former husband was inundated with her past criminal allegations, combined with her volatile behavior which had increasingly become a problem, her former husband became withdrawn from the marriage. He subsquently went to a divorce counselor privately to confirm that he was actually experiencing “irreconcilable differences”. He then hired an investigator into Ms. Griffin’s criminal past and sought legal representation thereafter. Ms. Griffin’s affair with pastor Jenkins was of no surprise to her former husband seeing that he was no saint either in accordance to his marriage vows. He had a long standing affair with two women before becoming withdrawn from his marriage shortly after becoming married to Ms. Griffin.
With divorce papers on hold for 6 months by her former husband, he finally said enough was enough after an altercation initiated by Ms. Griffin at their home. He called the police (on record it would be the 2nd time that he called police to their home) wheras Ms. Griffin was arrested for domestic violence, threat with a weapon and domestic damage to property. The former husband immediately had an emergency restraining order against Ms. Griffin and had her served with divorce papers while at Fellowship (purposely done on church grounds).
What’s In The Dark Comes To Light:
While going through the lengthy divorce, the relationship with Pastor Jenkins intensified. Trips were taken, money was misappropriated and further deceit was played out. A chance encounter presented itself between Ms. Griffin’s former husband and her former identity theft boyfriend. Whereas, the former boyfriend assisted with connecting previously unaware dots into Ms. Griffin’s past and present criminal wrongdoing. While working at Fellowship, Ms. Griffin had in fact resorted back to performing identity theft. It seems that having a legitimate job making 6 figures wasn’t enough.
Keeping Up With The Jones:
The term “keeping up with the Jones” comes to mind as I conclude this post. Ms. Griffin is the consummate con artist that can reel unsuspecting individuals in with her initial charismatic demeanor. In the end, being an opportunist to any degree only yields temporary results. In Ms. Griffin’s case, she is quite simply a 44 year old woman that has unfortunately and irresponsibly spent more time on this earth defrauding people, instead of living and honest life. It would later be confirmed that Ms. Griffin is not and never was apart of the distinguished AKA sorority, she did not attend Howard University, nor did she attend or graduate from any other academic institution whatsoever.
Further confirmations would be that she never had a child, her father never molested her nor was he gay and that her family definitely are not Jamaican. Ms. Griffin would commit a fraudulent insurance job on her former home thanks to a rigged electrical fire as a way to get out from under her mortgage. As a result, she benefited from the financial payout from the insurance company. After years of keeping a low profile since her last identity theft case, a failed chance at reemerging within the Chicago social scene as a legitimate socialite fizzled fast. Her attempts at posing as a successful business woman with a seemingly impressive cash flow, expensive luxury vehicles (BMW car, Range Rover truck) didn’t fool even the most unaware of individuals. Word travels fast and the bigger the city one lives in, word travels even faster. Especially when you’ve been labeled and proven to be a fraud.
In The End:
How anyone develops a propensity for fabricated personas and lifestyles based on stolen identity and scams is beyond comprehension for most sane individuals. How one chooses to live their life from the next albeit legitmate or illegitimate is up to them. However, purposely defrauding and overall inconveniencing hard working people is the lowest of the low next to senseless murder. Unfortunately financial crimes have yet to hand out stiffer sentencing for identity thieves like Ms. Griffin. However, in the end, we all will inevitably have to answer to a higher power. Godspeed.