Seeing as their revenue has dropped from 300k+ to just over 70k, it seems that at least the parishioners realize things are messed up there.

Quote:

It's funny their banner ad is on top of jclist as I write this.

I must be missing something in this story. The pastor sells the church, takes the money and buys himself a mansion and a yacht. The church board is fine with this. They are so fine with it that they vote to continue paying him 85G's. Did I get it right? I dunno. Don't people usually go to jail for doing things like this?

I wonder if they have any Disco nights? Gayle and I would love it if my foot isn't hurting.

"The DuPlessises rented out the sailboat to corporations as part of Philip DuPlessis' for-profit business at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, state officials and church members said."

From their twitter - seems like they are still renting it out - nice life!
http://twitter.com/libertyhere

Here is their blog:
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/libertyschooner/

More NJ.com articles:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009 ... astors_of_a_randolph.html

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009 ... itor_tapped_to_revie.html


They advertise with a banner here on jclist -- and below is a link to a thread they have up here on jclist:
http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... id=201628#forumpost201628

Monitor: Randolph church has yet to lower pastor's salary


The Recorder
Aug 10th

RANDOLPH TWP. ? Despite the recommendations of a state-appointed fiscal overseer, officials of the beleaguered Randolph Christian Church (RCC) have yet to reduce Pastor Eric Simons salary.

Monitor Donald Conway of Lawrenceville said the church?s board is considering cutting the ?unrealistic? sales price of Simons? 14 Kingsbrook Court mansion from $1.6 million to $1,499,000."

Conway revealed the board?s intents to state Division of Consumer Affairs Director David Szuchman in his third monthly report issued Monday.

The state ordered Simons, his wife, Marianne, and co-Pastor Philip DuPlessis to resign from the church?s board in April after a year-long investigation revealed they had misused church funds for personal gain. According to the state, Simons sold the Route 10 church for $5 million last year, then purchased the mansion and, for $450,000 a 78-foot schooner now berthed in a Jersey City marina and inhabited by DuPlessis.

The state assigned Conway to monitor the church?s fiscal affairs after ordering Simons and DuPlessis to resign from the board.

In his first monthly report issued in May, Conway recommended the board to pay Simons an annual salary of $55,100, inclusive of insurance and benefits.

Instead, Conway said the board eschewed his recommendation and, in June, agreed to pay Simons $85,400, inclusive of benefits, roughly 80 percent more than his current base pay of $47,696. Simons also was granted a $6,000 housing allowance.

As he had in June, Conway warned the church to lower Simons? salary before it depletes the church's budget.

According to Conway, the church paid Simons a base salary of $60,000 when he was hired in 1999.

But that, said Conway, was when the church?s income was $387,838.

?The total projected 2009 contribution income for RCC is $72,024.25. In my opinion, this is a significant decrease and consideration for this decline should be factored into final salary determination,? he wrote,.

But Conway said board members are now considering lowering the price for the home the Simonses bought last year.

Initially, Conway was told church members wished to ?recover the purchase price? of the house paid by the Simonses when they purchased it in 2008. But Conway added the board ?justified? the price because a neighboring property was listed for $1.75 million.

?Based on my research, however, the comparable home noted by the board as being listed at $1.75 million is actually around 8,000 square feet in area, whereas the parsonage is nearly 6,000 square feet.?

He added that the sale price of that home, originally purchased for $2.1 million, is listed for $1.49 million.

Conway said the board has ?now agreed to reduce the listing price since the objective of selling the parsonage is to eliminate the depletion of RCC?s cash which results from paying the carrying costs of such an expensive property??

Conway now also wants clarified some credit card purchases the Simonses made, including a $10,908 grill bought at Fortunoff; and ?several questionable? charges on the church?s Citibank Mastercard for June that included $1,309 in goods from the Pottery Barn and $311.49 from Target.

The Simonses and DuPlessis were ordered to resign from the church and make restitution following a nearly year-long investigation prompted by a former church congregant.

Click this link to see more on the ship and read some twitters:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&cl ... btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

Other articles here:

"The DuPlessises rented out the sailboat to corporations as part of Philip DuPlessis' for-profit business at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, state officials and church members said."
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009 ... astors_of_a_randolph.html

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009 ... itor_tapped_to_revie.html

http://www.recordernewspapers.com/art ... a8055d67ed85986961404.txt