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Legal detail delays church lawsuit

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published February 9, 2005


ST. PETERSBURG - A legal technicality has temporarily halted a lawsuit filed by deacons of the congregation some call Greater King David International Church and others, Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church.

Lawyers for deacons who oppose the Rev. Gordon Morris Curry were asking that a vote to elect him pastor be stricken. They also were calling for a new vote. Their filing came too late but can be resubmitted.

The suit is part of an ongoing quarrel about the leadership at the former Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church. The dispute began when Curry, 28, was handpicked to head the church by his grandfather. He renamed it Greater King David International Church.

After he took over, Curry removed any mention of a denominational affiliation. Detractors say he had painted over a mural of Jesus at the front of the church and preached from an acrylic lectern, similar to those favored by televangelists.

Later, he was locked out of the church by the deacons, and the fight ended up in court. A judge later reinstated him. Curry promised elections, but the deacons said they were rigged and held their own. Curry is expected to preach this Sunday.

[Last modified February 9, 2005, 00:43:19]


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