Church Ousts Convicted Pastor

ATLANTA -- The tiny congregation of a southwest Atlanta church heard first-hand, the latest details involving their pastor, former state Rep. Ron Sailor Jr., who pleaded guilty to federal money laundering charges -- and it was worse than many in the church had thought.

Sailor's guilty plea has left his reputation as a lawmaker in disgrace, and the tiny church where he pastored, up to its steeple in debt, according to church attorneys.

For years, the Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church has been a small beacon of hope on a hill in southwest Atlanta. Now, it is a sanctuary without a pastor after the board voted to fire its spiritual leader.

Sailor pleaded guilty to using the church as a front to launder drug money, confessing his sins to the feds and leaving his congregation with a crisis of faith.

Worse still, Sailor is accused of fleecing the flock to the tune of a quarter-million dollars, by taking out a secret loan, using the debt-free as collateral.

"We did discover documents that purport to be signed by Ron Sailor as the executive and president of the church, that were taken out without the knowledge of the church," said church attorney Darice Good.

It is unclear whether the tiny congregation will vote to forgive the sinner, but not the sin, and press charges against a man of faith-turned-felon.

"They were very unhappy," said attorney Brian Lee. "There's a sense of betrayal that their pastor, a man in that position, would have done this, and so I believe they're still trying to get their heads around exactly why this happened. We assured them that we're doing everything we can to get the money back."

The lawyers said they are confident they will be able to get the money back to the church, and when asked if others could have been involved, all they would say is no comment.