c. 1997 Religion News Service

DENVER _ When the nation’s largest predominantly African-American Baptist denomination gathers here Sept. 1 for its annual convention, delegates will meet under a cloud of controversy raised by allegations its president, the Rev. Henry J. Lyons, has lied about his marital life and perhaps misused church funds.

High on the agenda of the National Baptist Convention, USA _ official or otherwise _ will be the scandals that have rocked the the denomination for two months.

MDUL Lyons, 55, has been accused of:

_ Buying a waterfront home in St. Petersburg, Fla., with Bernice V. Edwards, the church’s former public relations director of corporate affairs. Edwards is a convicted embezzler in a case involving an alternative school she once directed in Milwaukee. The purchase of the home came to light when Lyons’ wife, Deborah, in a jealous rage, tried to burn down the house last month. She later denied she suspected her husband of having an affair with Edwards.

_ Buying a $36,000, five-carat diamond ring for Edwards, allegedly using church funds.

_ Joining the exclusive Nashville City Club with another woman, Brenda Harris, the church’s convention planner. The fee was $500 each and Lyons paid for the memberships with a church builders fund check. Both listed themselves as single on the application.

In addition, Lyons owns a $275,000 home he and his wife share, as well as three Mercedes Benzes and a Rolls Royce. Deborah Lyons was thought to be Lyons’ only wife, but last week it was reported that records in Georgia show he had two other marriages, one in 1969 and another in 1972. He married his current wife when he was being considered for the pulpit at Bethel Metropolitan Church in St. Petersburg, where he has been senior pastor for 25 years.

Even before these allegations arose, Lyons was involved in a contentious election to the presidency of the denomination in 1994. Delegates to the annual meeting that year rejected the hand-picked successor of the outgoing president, the Rev. T.J. Jemison, and chose Lyons as their new leader in a close vote.

Now, Lyons’ leadership is in question. A group of Philadelphia ministers affiliated with the convention met Friday (Aug. 15) and decided to ask Lyons to step aside from leading the denomination while he is investigated. About 200 members of an NBCUSA-affiliated association in Nashville, where the denomination is headquartered, also voted unanimously Friday to seek his resignation.

Part of the church’s deal for coming to Denver was getting Denver Mayor Wellington Webb to raise $50,000 for a denominational scholarship fund. Webb, longtime member of Zion Baptist Church, which is a member of the NBCUSA, said Saturday (Aug. 16) he won’t raise any of the money until he can be assured the money will go for scholarships.

Although Lyons initially got a vote of affirmation from the denomination’s board on July 17, additional information has been reported about his marital situation and his finances since that time.

For some local church leaders, the scandals have been a”horror”story, said the Rev. Paul Martin.”I think Rev. (Henry) Lyons ought to resign. This is a horrible scenario,”said Martin, pastor of Denver’s Macedonia Baptist Church. Some other local pastors are taking a wait-and-see approach or are unconvinced that Lyons has done anything wrong.

All of the allegations have been turned over to a 17-member church investigative committee, which is supposed to report to the more than 40,000 delegates expected to attend the Denver gathering.

Martin said part of the problem is that the NBCUSA”has no system of accountability. Rev. Lyons is the only elected official. Everyone else is hand-picked by him. We also have no system of removing a president or other officer.” Though individuals and some state conventions of the denomination have called on Lyons to resign,”that will mean nothing if he gets a vote of confidence in Denver,”said Martin.

Though he believes there is enough evidence for a resignation, Martin doesn’t plan to be the one calling for it.

Another Denver minister called the situation”a mess.””Everybody everywhere is taking about this,”said the Rev. James Peters, pastor of northeast Denver’s New Hope Baptist Church.”We’re in a double bind here, because we’re trying to make final preparations for the convention as well as deal with this.” The Rev. Frank Davis of Zion Baptist Church _ the Denver mayor’s church _ said he voted for Lyons when he was elected to a five-year term in 1994.”We ought to cut down wrongdoing, but we should not rush to judgment,”said Davis.”We’re praying for him (Lyons). He’s a man who needs help. We’re not gonna beat up on him. Jesus said, `Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.'” Davis doesn’t like the press focus on the Lyons case because”the good this convention does far outweighs the negative press. The ministry of this church is far bigger than one personality.” A former national official of the denomination said the negative publicity is already having”a ripple effect. If one of us of the cloth (a minister) is tarnished, we all are,”said the Rev. Willie D. McClung of Montgomery, Ala.”In general, people can trust church officials with their money,”he said.”But if a church official is consorting with crooked friends, then he may do things that seem right only to him.” McClung said Lyons must address the gathering in Denver early on and that delegates have a right to hear the report from the investigative committee.”We can’t go on with business as usual until this is taken care of,”said McClung, former director of the church’s World Center in Nashville.

Martin said that many members of the church have a”tendency to look the other way”on reports of clergy malfeasance.”There’s a Bible verse, `Touch not my anointed, do my prophets no harm,'”he said, quoting I Chronicles 16:22.”The presidency of the (National Baptist) Convention is a respected, powerful position.” MJP END CULVER