Sometimes congregants grumble that they’re not “fed” by the pastor’s sermon, but few have gone as far as Gregory Reid. Reid, treasurer at Manhattan’s Church of the Covenant, is suing the church’s interim pastor, Cornell Edmonds, for $1 million, according to news reports.
Reid claimed in the lawsuit that Edmonds has been negligent in visiting congregants, removed “God is Love” signs from the historic church sanctuary and delivered offensive sermons laced with “four letters words” and anecdotes involving murderers and drug dealers. Reid could not be reached by any publication for comment.
Pastor Edmonds—who, in an ironic twist, is also a defense attorney—dismissed Reid’s allegations as untrue. He told the New York Post that love is the only “four letter word” he uses, and reiterated, “I have absolutely nothing to hide. There is nothing nefarious.”
He also told the New York Daily News that he was planning an emergency church meeting to officially respond to the Reid’s claims.
