Post by Okwes on Feb 28, 2007 17:02:32 GMT -5
McKinley Indian Mission's new mission is survival
By PHIL FEROLITO
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic
Congregation members sing during services at McKinley Indian Mission in early December.
TOPboy thingyH -- After serving countless American Indians and others for roughly 60 years, the McKinley Indian Mission just west of town is trying to save itself.
The mission, situated on about 4 acres behind Heritage University on the Yakama reservation, is up for sale and its former superintendent has already formed another group in the area to do mission work.
But members of the congregation that meets inside the building each Sunday still hope to continue worship and community outreach there. They say the former superintendent, Paul Coffman, is trying to sell the landmark mission out from under them. They recently sued him in Yakima County Superior Court, seeking to block the sale and sever his ties with the mission.
"I'm tired of this guy," says mission treasurer and church member Loren Corpuz. "He's beaten us to death and I'm tired of it."
Utility bills unpaid since last January have gone to collections, and last month church members had to scrounge for money to keep the lights on.
Now, they're asking the Yakama Nation and Muckleshoot tribe for assistance.
Coffman, who has a history of poor business dealings in Illinois, says long-standing financial problems have the mission sinking in debt and that the only way out is to sell the land and the building.
"The sad thing about all this is the end result -- there's probably going to be nothing left by the time we're done," he says.
Owned by the American Indian Evangelism Association -- a nonprofit religious organization composed of a seven-member board of directors and national membership -- the mission was formed in 1946 to spread the Gospel to American Indians. It receives contributions from churches across the country.
ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic
Bill Kennedy takes communion during services at McKinley Indian Mission outside Topboy thingyh in early December.
Supporters of the McKinley Indian Mission Church of Christ, which has about 70 members and a minister, say the mission and the church have always been one and the same.
In fact, church founder Ray Zack worked with John Runyan to establish the mission, says longtime church member Martha Tucker.
Church members say that over the years the mission has reached out to other Indian communities as far away as the Seattle and Tacoma areas, and the Warm Springs reservation in Oregon.
Now, however, the mission's future and assets are caught in a legal standoff between the church and Coffman and AIEA board president Veronica Miller-Powell. And much of the religious work has been overshadowed by accusations of financial mismanagement and arguments about who has the best interests of the mission in mind.
The dispute began shortly after Coffman's hiring in June 2005, when he told board members that years of financial records were missing and that the mission faced substantial debt and lawsuits.
Board members -- three of whom were members of the McKinley Indian Mission Church of Christ -- endorsed the mission superintendent's proposal in 2006 to put the mission up for sale.
But in October the board reversed its decision after other church members questioned Coffman's financial assessment of the mission and found no trace of lawsuits.
Coffman insists financial records from 1999 to 2004 cannot be found. He's also questioning the whereabouts of $800,000 that the church supposedly raised a few years ago to build a $1.2 million worship center on the property.
He also says he discovered two lawsuits involving a construction company and architect that were settled out of court for $10,000.
Coffman alleges the two companies settled for a small portion of what was owed because the mission had little resources, but they should be paid the full amount of about $50,000.
Coffman couldn't say who the two companies were, and says he's yet to contact them.
In addition, he says the mission had strayed from its original purpose: to spread the Gospel throughout Indian Country. And it violated its own bylaws when it began solely supporting the church housed inside, he claims.
However, Corpuz, the church's treasurer for the past year, and others contend that Coffman has misled people and is out to swindle the AIEA out of its property.
Tucker says the new mission superintendent strayed past the scope of his duties by trying to influence church activities. Soon after he accepted the job, he began questioning the decisions of church leaders, she says, and excluded women elders from a young women's Bible study Coffman's wife initiated.
A small building that served as a food bank and giveaway center for the needy also was torn down because Coffman says it used too much heating oil, Tucker says.
As superintendent, Coffman's job was to be a caretaker of mission property, organize community outreach and recruit volunteers. The mission's bylaws state that the mission should have no control over the church.
"He was trying to destroy the congregation from the start," Tucker says.
In October, the allegations of missing money and disputes about how the mission should operate led the board to dissolve the AIEA and turn the mission and its assets over to the church.
Powell is the only board member left who continues to support Coffman and the sale of the mission. Board members unaffiliated with the church are now gone and could not be reached for comment.
ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic
A sign speaks to congregation members' determination to keep McKinley Indian Mission in December.
Coffman contends that the board's decision in October to dissolve was made during a meeting that wasn't legal because it lacked a quorum.
Furthermore, he says, mission bylaws state that the mission should remain separate from the church, and that the church doesn't have a right to the property.
Coffman, who was earning a salary of about $1,800 a month, says the mission also owes him pay he never received. He plans to file a counter lawsuit in Yakima County Superior Court.
Coffman says he took the job because of his past connection with the mission and only wanted to help spread the Gospel. He was at the mission as a youngster, when his parents oversaw a children's home there.
It was only after finding the mission suffering from financial mismanagement that his efforts shifted to cleaning it up, he says.
"They kind of earmarked me the bad guy ...," he says.
But the church has a powerful ally on its side -- the Yakama Nation.
The McKinley Church of Christ incorporated under the tribe in November after reorganizing. And the tribe's attorney, Tim Weaver, is now representing members of the McKinley Church in their lawsuit.
Yakama Tribal Council Chairwoman Lavina Washines says the mission has helped tribal members for years, and that the tribe would like to see it continue.
"We're in support of them," she says. "We want them to retain their church and keep people going."
Church members point to Coffman's past problems in Coles County, Ill., as proof that he should not be trusted.
There, he was accused by several people of bouncing checks and not paying bills, according to published newspaper accounts.
One business owner there says Coffman's involvement led to the closure of her pizza restaurant. She claims that checks to suppliers and employees kept bouncing after Coffman joined her business.
Working as an insurance agent, Coffman received money for insurance policies he never issued, and in January 2004 pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft by deception and was placed on two years probation, according to Coles County court records.
Coffman was also ordered to pay restitution and surrender his license to sell insurance during the duration of his probation, records say.
Coffman says he didn't intend to deceive anyone, he'd just run out of money.
His Yakima attorney, Dave Thompson, says he wasn't aware of any problems Coffman had in Illinois. He questioned whether it had any bearing on the case here.
Thompson describes Coffman as a scapegoat for mismanaged funds and unpaid bills caused by others, and that he is only trying to straighten things out.
"Paul is a whistleblower," Thompson says. "He is the one who said there needs to be an audit."
Heritage University is interested in buying the 4 acres now being offered for sale.
Previously, Coffman sold about 5 acres of mission property to the university for $30,000, but the deal hasn't been finalized, Thompson says.
A sale for the roughly 4 remaining acres containing the mission, a house, and a few other buildings for $160,000 to the university is pending the outcome of the lawsuit by church members, Thompson says.
But Weaver, the church members' attorney, says the board effectively fired Coffman when they moved to dissolve the AIEA, and that he has no legal authority to sell the mission or the land.
"Even if he were still employed, it doesn't mean he has the right to sell the property," Weaver says.
In the lawsuit filed Dec. 12 by Topboy thingyh church members, Coffman is accused of writing and cashing checks without permission from the mission's bank account and destroying AIEA property dating back to 1946, including marriage certificates, baptism records and financial statements before seeking the audit.
Coffman and board president Powell are also accused of opening a new bank account without board approval with a $15,000 check from Heritage University payable to the mission.
In addition, church members claim the mission superintendent took two freezers from the mission and broke locks that were changed there.
Without elaborating, Coffman says his counter lawsuit will dispute all allegations.
Thompson says the lawsuit is full of half-truths and allegations worth disputing.
Locks Coffman broke were ones changed at his mission property residence, Thompson says.
Coffman has moved to Parker and is now doing mission work under his newly formed organization, Native American Christian Outreach, according to his Web site www.nacoutreach.org.
In his announcement on the site, Coffman briefly posted a message that described the AIEA as no longer existing and "suffering from past heartaches and disappointments," but that he's continuing mission work under Native American Christian Outreach.
The church, meanwhile, still holds services at the mission.
While its fate now rests in the hands of a judge, church members are determined to stay.
"We've been here 60 years, and we're not going to stop," says church member Rex Zack, son of founding member Ray Zack.
* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 837-6111 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.
By PHIL FEROLITO
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic
Congregation members sing during services at McKinley Indian Mission in early December.
TOPboy thingyH -- After serving countless American Indians and others for roughly 60 years, the McKinley Indian Mission just west of town is trying to save itself.
The mission, situated on about 4 acres behind Heritage University on the Yakama reservation, is up for sale and its former superintendent has already formed another group in the area to do mission work.
But members of the congregation that meets inside the building each Sunday still hope to continue worship and community outreach there. They say the former superintendent, Paul Coffman, is trying to sell the landmark mission out from under them. They recently sued him in Yakima County Superior Court, seeking to block the sale and sever his ties with the mission.
"I'm tired of this guy," says mission treasurer and church member Loren Corpuz. "He's beaten us to death and I'm tired of it."
Utility bills unpaid since last January have gone to collections, and last month church members had to scrounge for money to keep the lights on.
Now, they're asking the Yakama Nation and Muckleshoot tribe for assistance.
Coffman, who has a history of poor business dealings in Illinois, says long-standing financial problems have the mission sinking in debt and that the only way out is to sell the land and the building.
"The sad thing about all this is the end result -- there's probably going to be nothing left by the time we're done," he says.
Owned by the American Indian Evangelism Association -- a nonprofit religious organization composed of a seven-member board of directors and national membership -- the mission was formed in 1946 to spread the Gospel to American Indians. It receives contributions from churches across the country.
ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic
Bill Kennedy takes communion during services at McKinley Indian Mission outside Topboy thingyh in early December.
Supporters of the McKinley Indian Mission Church of Christ, which has about 70 members and a minister, say the mission and the church have always been one and the same.
In fact, church founder Ray Zack worked with John Runyan to establish the mission, says longtime church member Martha Tucker.
Church members say that over the years the mission has reached out to other Indian communities as far away as the Seattle and Tacoma areas, and the Warm Springs reservation in Oregon.
Now, however, the mission's future and assets are caught in a legal standoff between the church and Coffman and AIEA board president Veronica Miller-Powell. And much of the religious work has been overshadowed by accusations of financial mismanagement and arguments about who has the best interests of the mission in mind.
The dispute began shortly after Coffman's hiring in June 2005, when he told board members that years of financial records were missing and that the mission faced substantial debt and lawsuits.
Board members -- three of whom were members of the McKinley Indian Mission Church of Christ -- endorsed the mission superintendent's proposal in 2006 to put the mission up for sale.
But in October the board reversed its decision after other church members questioned Coffman's financial assessment of the mission and found no trace of lawsuits.
Coffman insists financial records from 1999 to 2004 cannot be found. He's also questioning the whereabouts of $800,000 that the church supposedly raised a few years ago to build a $1.2 million worship center on the property.
He also says he discovered two lawsuits involving a construction company and architect that were settled out of court for $10,000.
Coffman alleges the two companies settled for a small portion of what was owed because the mission had little resources, but they should be paid the full amount of about $50,000.
Coffman couldn't say who the two companies were, and says he's yet to contact them.
In addition, he says the mission had strayed from its original purpose: to spread the Gospel throughout Indian Country. And it violated its own bylaws when it began solely supporting the church housed inside, he claims.
However, Corpuz, the church's treasurer for the past year, and others contend that Coffman has misled people and is out to swindle the AIEA out of its property.
Tucker says the new mission superintendent strayed past the scope of his duties by trying to influence church activities. Soon after he accepted the job, he began questioning the decisions of church leaders, she says, and excluded women elders from a young women's Bible study Coffman's wife initiated.
A small building that served as a food bank and giveaway center for the needy also was torn down because Coffman says it used too much heating oil, Tucker says.
As superintendent, Coffman's job was to be a caretaker of mission property, organize community outreach and recruit volunteers. The mission's bylaws state that the mission should have no control over the church.
"He was trying to destroy the congregation from the start," Tucker says.
In October, the allegations of missing money and disputes about how the mission should operate led the board to dissolve the AIEA and turn the mission and its assets over to the church.
Powell is the only board member left who continues to support Coffman and the sale of the mission. Board members unaffiliated with the church are now gone and could not be reached for comment.
ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic
A sign speaks to congregation members' determination to keep McKinley Indian Mission in December.
Coffman contends that the board's decision in October to dissolve was made during a meeting that wasn't legal because it lacked a quorum.
Furthermore, he says, mission bylaws state that the mission should remain separate from the church, and that the church doesn't have a right to the property.
Coffman, who was earning a salary of about $1,800 a month, says the mission also owes him pay he never received. He plans to file a counter lawsuit in Yakima County Superior Court.
Coffman says he took the job because of his past connection with the mission and only wanted to help spread the Gospel. He was at the mission as a youngster, when his parents oversaw a children's home there.
It was only after finding the mission suffering from financial mismanagement that his efforts shifted to cleaning it up, he says.
"They kind of earmarked me the bad guy ...," he says.
But the church has a powerful ally on its side -- the Yakama Nation.
The McKinley Church of Christ incorporated under the tribe in November after reorganizing. And the tribe's attorney, Tim Weaver, is now representing members of the McKinley Church in their lawsuit.
Yakama Tribal Council Chairwoman Lavina Washines says the mission has helped tribal members for years, and that the tribe would like to see it continue.
"We're in support of them," she says. "We want them to retain their church and keep people going."
Church members point to Coffman's past problems in Coles County, Ill., as proof that he should not be trusted.
There, he was accused by several people of bouncing checks and not paying bills, according to published newspaper accounts.
One business owner there says Coffman's involvement led to the closure of her pizza restaurant. She claims that checks to suppliers and employees kept bouncing after Coffman joined her business.
Working as an insurance agent, Coffman received money for insurance policies he never issued, and in January 2004 pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft by deception and was placed on two years probation, according to Coles County court records.
Coffman was also ordered to pay restitution and surrender his license to sell insurance during the duration of his probation, records say.
Coffman says he didn't intend to deceive anyone, he'd just run out of money.
His Yakima attorney, Dave Thompson, says he wasn't aware of any problems Coffman had in Illinois. He questioned whether it had any bearing on the case here.
Thompson describes Coffman as a scapegoat for mismanaged funds and unpaid bills caused by others, and that he is only trying to straighten things out.
"Paul is a whistleblower," Thompson says. "He is the one who said there needs to be an audit."
Heritage University is interested in buying the 4 acres now being offered for sale.
Previously, Coffman sold about 5 acres of mission property to the university for $30,000, but the deal hasn't been finalized, Thompson says.
A sale for the roughly 4 remaining acres containing the mission, a house, and a few other buildings for $160,000 to the university is pending the outcome of the lawsuit by church members, Thompson says.
But Weaver, the church members' attorney, says the board effectively fired Coffman when they moved to dissolve the AIEA, and that he has no legal authority to sell the mission or the land.
"Even if he were still employed, it doesn't mean he has the right to sell the property," Weaver says.
In the lawsuit filed Dec. 12 by Topboy thingyh church members, Coffman is accused of writing and cashing checks without permission from the mission's bank account and destroying AIEA property dating back to 1946, including marriage certificates, baptism records and financial statements before seeking the audit.
Coffman and board president Powell are also accused of opening a new bank account without board approval with a $15,000 check from Heritage University payable to the mission.
In addition, church members claim the mission superintendent took two freezers from the mission and broke locks that were changed there.
Without elaborating, Coffman says his counter lawsuit will dispute all allegations.
Thompson says the lawsuit is full of half-truths and allegations worth disputing.
Locks Coffman broke were ones changed at his mission property residence, Thompson says.
Coffman has moved to Parker and is now doing mission work under his newly formed organization, Native American Christian Outreach, according to his Web site www.nacoutreach.org.
In his announcement on the site, Coffman briefly posted a message that described the AIEA as no longer existing and "suffering from past heartaches and disappointments," but that he's continuing mission work under Native American Christian Outreach.
The church, meanwhile, still holds services at the mission.
While its fate now rests in the hands of a judge, church members are determined to stay.
"We've been here 60 years, and we're not going to stop," says church member Rex Zack, son of founding member Ray Zack.
* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 837-6111 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.