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STUNNED BY AN INSIDE JOB

Many churches are vulnerable to sticky fingers near church funds.

On May 19, 1986, a former staff member of Euzoa Bible Church in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, went to jail for embezzling almost $42,000 from the church over a six-year period. Below is an account of what happened. The details are actual; the experiences real. Only the staff member's name has been changed to save further embarrassment to the family. The story is offered in the hope that this account might prevent such experiences from happening to others.

At the annual meeting of Euzoa Bible Church on October 8, 1985, our forty-two-year-old youth pastor, who had been with the church eight years, stood before the congregation and read the following confession:

I have sinned against God, my wife, my children, my family, and the body of Christ here at Euzoa.

For almost six years I have been stealing from the general offerings of this church. I have taken cash and checks and deposited them into the youth checking account. I then wrote checks for cash on that account and used the money for personal ...

March
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