Pastor angry after torched church denied loan

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (RNS) The pastor of a black church that was torched just hours after President Obama’s election says the bank that initially made a $1.7 million building loan has declined to issue another one. Bishop Bryant Robinson Jr., pastor of Macedonia Church of God in Christ, said TD Bank will not provide the money, […]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (RNS) The pastor of a black church that was torched just hours after President Obama’s election says the bank that initially made a $1.7 million building loan has declined to issue another one.

Bishop Bryant Robinson Jr., pastor of Macedonia Church of God in Christ, said TD Bank will not provide the money, even though the church had insurance that covered the first loan and the bank received its money plus interest following the fire on Nov. 5, 2008.

Robinson said he is “disappointed greatly” by the bank’s decision. “My information was they were going to stand with us,” he said.


Construction on the church’s new building was about 75 percent complete when the fire was set.Three Springfield men are charged in the case, and witnesses told the FBI the men said they set the fire in response to Obama becoming the first black president.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick has urged leaders in the financial-services industry to help rebuild the church. “We need this church to rise as a symbol that hate doesn’t win,” he said Monday (Feb. 1) at a local Urban League luncheon.

“I know that there are people here who are in the finance field or know people who are, who can rally to help this very, very worthy cause,” Patrick said. “And, I ask you to help because that is what a community is about.”

Attorney Bradford R. Martin, who’s representing the church, said about $1.2 million of the construction loan had been spent when the church was torched. The bank received that money plus about $80,000 in interest when the claim on the fire was settled.

“The bank got all its money back,” Martin said.

Martin said the church attempted to take advantage of a federal Housing and Urban Development program that assists in the reconstruction of churches destroyed by arson, and that the federal government was prepared to guarantee $500,000 of the new loan. But without a full federal guarantee, the bank declined to provide the loan, Martin said.

TD Bank spokeswoman Jennifer Morneau said in a statement that the church was unable to meet some loan terms. However, no details were provided.


“It was certainly our goal to help the church rebuild and continue serving the community,” Morneau said. “However, the church was not able to meet some of the financing terms. We’re hoping to continue our discussion with church leadership to determine how we can help support their efforts to grow.”

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