http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MINISTERS_MESS?SITE=OKOKL&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Nov. 29, 11:27 PM EST Fla. Pastor to Leave Prison for Pulpit By VICKIE CHACHERE Associated Press Writer ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- A Baptist minister whose fall from grace began with a fire his wife set at a home he had secretly bought with his mistress will walk out of prison on Sunday and head directly to the pulpit. The Rev. Henry J. Lyons expects to be rededicated by other ministers at a ceremony Sunday and then preach a sermon at the First Baptist Institutional Church in Lakeland, about 55 miles northeast of St. Petersburg, his attorney, Larry Hardaway, said. Lyons will have completed his prison sentence on grand theft and racketeering charges, but will remain on probation for the next three years on federal charges of including bank fraud and tax evasion. He also owes $2.5 million in restitution. Wildly popular and charismatic, Lyons was at the height of his power as pastor of Bethel Metropolitan Baptist Church and president of the National Baptist Convention 1997, when Deborah Lyons set fire to the house. The resulting investigation unmasked Lyons' use of his leadership role at the convention to access millions of dollars to finance his lavish lifestyle. Officials estimate that Lyons took about $4 million to buy luxury residences, jewelry and support his mistresses. Prison life has left the 61-year-old Lyons thinner, but his friends said that more than four years behind bars have done nothing to diminish his skills as a minister or keep him from returning to the pulpit. He and his wife have since divorced, and the woman at the center of the scandal, Bernice Edwards, died in prison earlier this year. "He can pastor anywhere he wants to pastor in the United States of America," said Leon Highsmith, a member of Bethel Metropolitan's deacon board who has remained Lyons' friend. Lyons declined recent requests for an interview, but in September, he told The St. Petersburg Times that he is now a changed man and said his downfall was caused by his attraction to a wealthy lifestyle. "I know I need to be stronger morally," Lyons said. "I need to say, 'no' to myself and others and mean it and stick with it." He said he spent some of his time behind bars ministering to other inmates. Lyons rose to power with a blend of charisma, fiery preaching and undeniable political skills. When St. Petersburg erupted in rioting in 1996 after a police officer shot a black motorist, then-President Bill Clinton called on Lyons. The Rev. James Macon, Bethel's associate pastor, a friend who said Lyons retains his magnetic personality. "I don't think it's anything for show, that's the Henry Lyons I know," he said. Lyons was on a trip to Africa when his wife discovered he had purchased a $700,000 waterfront home with Edwards, a convicted embezzler who worked with Lyons as the public relations director for the influential National Baptist Convention. In 1998, Lyons was convicted of racketeering and grand theft. He resigned as president of the National Baptist Convention and, in a deal with prosecutors, pleaded guilty to five federal charges of tax evasion, fraud and making false statements. There is support for Lyons returning to Bethel Metropolitan, which has been without a pastor since spring. Lyons' successor was fired after clashes with church members. Highsmith, who said he was speaking only for himself and not on behalf of the deacons, said there are some within the congregation who have forgiven Lyons and wouldn't object to his return. "I look at this like Jim Bakker, (Jerry) Falwell. All these preachers who fell from man's grace, but they didn't fall from God's grace," he said. "All these preachers are doing well. Henry Lyons is the same." Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. _______________________________________________ Sndbox mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://sandboxmail.net/mailman/listinfo/sndbox_sandboxmail.net
