Pastor trial set for Nov. 17
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
Trustees of St. James First Missionary Baptist Church are scheduled to give depositions Oct. 7 in the case of the pastor accused of stealing church funds.
The Rev. John W. McKenzie, who prosecutors said stole more than $54,000 from the historic church, will get his day in court Nov. 17 if he does not receive another postponement. After eight pretrial hearings and five trial postponements (McKenzie was arrested on June 18, 2013), parishioners of the Bahama Village church are ready to close this troubling chapter of its long history.
“Some church members have been asked to give pre-trial depositions next week,” said a church official who asked not to be identified. “It’s been a long time coming.”
McKenzie has pleaded not guilty; his lawyer, Alan Fowler, has said he does not want to comment.
The alleged theft came to light after the church found it didn’t have enough money in its accounts to finish extensive renovations to its building and interior. The missing money would have paid for the church’s completion, church members contend.
The modest concrete church at 312 Olivia St. remains as it was when work was halted in mid-stride in late 2012, and parishioners continue to meet elsewhere to worship. The displaced church members at first held services in the Frederick Douglass Gymnasium in Bahama Village but now worship at the Roosevelt Sands Center at 105 Olivia St.
The trustees have not given up hope on returning to their sanctuary; the City of Key West will not allow parishioners to return until it is made safe. A heavy, cast iron church bell had to be secured until it can be mounted permanently.
Trustee Peggy Ward and other church members have raised enough money through public appeals to pay for architectural drawings for continued renovation work, but it’s not enough to finish the project. A St. James First Missionary Baptist Church restoration fund is available at Keys Federal Credit Union for donations, Ward said.
The church also applied for Tax Incremental Fund money, which is raised through property taxes in distressed neighborhoods. The Key West City Commission approves those funds each year. The church–through a misunderstanding of how long their application was in effect–was unable to get TIF funds in 2014, the church official said. They hope to win TIF money next year.
The Rev. W. (Bill) Strange, who is in Miami, is overseeing the church’s operations, the church official said. Strange did not return calls for comment.
St. James, one of Key West’s most historic African American churches, was founded in 1876 by freed slaves from Georgia, according to Visitflorida.com.
The 51-year-old McKenzie told investigators he accessed the church money because collections during services were down, investigators wrote in their complaint. According to investigators, McKenzie repeatedly asked for, and received, advances on his pay, in some cases three times in one month. The advances exceeded his annual salary.
Prosecutors are looking into whether McKenzie may have used church money for a farm owned by his family. According to Florida’s Division of Corporations, McKenzie is president and chairman of McKenzie Brothers Farms Inc., which was incorporated on July 31, 2012. The company’s address is 2007 Staples Ave., Key West.
Articles of Incorporation list other members of his family as officers: Willie J. McKenzie is listed as director; Alonzo McKenzie is vice president; and Alfred A.; James A.; and Danny L. McKenzie are officers without title.
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