The Pastor Of A Naas Church Rocked By Scandal Tells Kfm: "Every Penny Is Scrutinised Before Spending"

Thursday, 14 March 2024 15:30

By Martin Osborne

He added that the actions of the former Pastor "do not define the church" and that members "will continue to pray for each other".

The actions of a former Pastor at a Christian church based at Naas Enterprise Park do "not align with the values and standards upheld by the church community".

That's according to the current Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) City of David, Albert Adewunmi, who said member numbers declined in the wake of a scandal that has rocked the local church.

The former Pastor, Ebenezer Oduntan, has been convicted of a range of theft charges, involving more than €125,000, as well as multiple breaches of company law and deception.

Ebenezer Oduntan’s trial was told he stole church funds, including cheques made payable to cash and cheques of up to €20,000 made payable to him personally.

His trial concluded with guilty verdicts on Wednesday at Naas Circuit Court after a three-week hearing. He was convicted of nine company law offences, 73 counts of theft and five counts of deception.

Speaking to Kfm about the scandal, Pastor Albert Adewunmi said there are strict financial procedures in place at the church that are overseen by a number of "professionals".

He said he works on a "voluntary" basis.

He said members of the church have made donations for general upkeep and that "not a single penny is spent without being scrutinised".

"None of us draw a penny," he said. "It's all voluntary".

He added that the actions of the former Pastor "do not define the church" and that members "will continue to pray for each other".

"Our services have been of a great benefit to the community. It is open to everyone in Kildare. For the former Pastor to have put us in such a negative light is not good, but I want to reassure members that we advocating for moral uprightness," he said.

Find out more about the court case here.