Church shocked to discover minister’s murder conviction (Updated)

A view of the outside of the Harrisonburg Church of Christ building in Virginia. (Photo by David Deal, The Washington Post, via www.washingtonpost.com)

Clarification: The Church of Christ referenced in this article is associated with the independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. That’s according to Todd Collier, minister of the Valley Church of Christ, an instrumental congregation also located in Harrisonburg, Va.
The Washington Post reports that a Church of Christ in Virginia was shocked to discover its preacher’s past murder conviction:

HARRISONBURG, Va. — The Harrisonburg Church of Christ is an unlikely setting for a bedtime horror story, the kind of Southern Gothic tale involving murder and mendacity and money and treachery and, by many accounts, the handiwork of Satan himself.
Nestled in a small town in the scenic Shenandoah Valley, the church situated on seven acres is a homey, one-story red-brick affair with a white steeple. There’s a grassy yard perfect for hosting dinner on the grounds, a fellowship hall and a gravel parking lot. The people of the nondenominational church are few and mostly conservative and elderly.

Read the full story.
A note on the church’s website requests prayers for the congregation:

We need your prayers. This body has suffered greatly in the past 6 months and is in need of your prayers. We trust our Lord will provide dedicated workers in this assembly who will make every effort and committment to Christ’s kingdom. You can send your words of encouragement to: [email protected].

• Feedback
  Yes, that was sad.It’s a shame more churches a)Don’t train their own leadership and b)Do spend so much time squabbling over church politics rather than sorting out how to engage in the mission of God.

  Adam Gonnerman

  December, 20 2010

  It does read like a Gothic novel. Maybe it will serve as a wake up call to the churches to function together as the body of Christ and encourage participation of every member of the body. In that way good will come from this bizzare tale.
  John Paul Hundley
  French Missionary

  John Hundley

  December, 22 2010