St. Matthews Churches - "Rev." James Eugene Ewing
Today must have been my lucky day! I received a prayer rug in my US mail. Not just any prayer rug, but a folded paper prayer rug with a huge picture of a purple Jesus donning his crown of thorns and a teardrop rolling down his cheek. Sort of got to me and after reading about how to use this flimsy paper prayer rug and what good fortune will come my way, I was ready to empty my bank account and send them all of my money and will them my house and everything else. I might add that a lot of additional material and testimonies were included in my envelope. I can be healed! I can make millions! I can have every prayer and desire answered, all by returning my prayer rug along with a donation in the postage paid envelope. Praise the Lord and pass the collection plate!
Open the Door to a New Tomorrow
Welcome to Biblical Prayer
Quote:
Look into Jusus' Eyes you will see they are closed. But as you continue to look you will see His eyes opening and looking back into your eyes. Then go and be alone and kneel on this Rug of Faith or touch it to both knees. Then please check your needs on our letter to you. Please return this Prayer Rug. Do not keep it.
Now try as hard as I could, I stared into Jesus' eyes and they didn't open and look back at me. Possibly it's because I'm Unsaved Trash or maybe it's because I realize how they superimposed slight corneas on they eyelids. Damn, and just when I thought that Betty Bowers and the Landover Baptist Church might be attempting to lead me astray of the Good Word, I fell to my knees on my prayer rug and soon felt a chunk of wood hit me on the head from the Heavens as the Baby Jesus kicked a slat out of his manger. However, I do plan on sending back my prayer rug just so I can receive my free blessed Deuteronomy 8:18 Prosperity Cross. Maybe that can save me but if it doesn't, they have a multitude of other "faith items" I can choose from (purchase required).
So who is this James Eugene Ewing Man of God?
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The ministry is led by its founder James Eugene "Gene" Ewing, a former tent minister, who, according to the Trinity Foundation, lives in Beverly Hills, California. Ewing, a native of Kaufman, Texas, was born in 1933 and has written fundraising letters for other evangelists, including Oral Roberts as well as Don Stewart, WV Grant, and Rex Humbard.
Ewing operates Church by Mail Inc., which had a several decade long struggle with the IRS before being denied tax-exemption in 1992, which was appealed. Ewing was a revivalist in the 1960s with revenue at $2 million. He then began writing fundraising letters for Oral Roberts. By 1971 Ewing renamed organization Church of Compassion as a "mail-order church with half a million 'members'" with income exceeding $3 million. In 1979 he started for-profit advertising and printing "to provide printing and mailing services to nonprofit religious groups." Then in 1980 his business Church by Mail applied for tax-exemption. However, by the 1990s his businesses owed back taxes to state and federal agencies. Nonetheless, in 1993 he bought a $2.2 million, 6,400-square-foot (590 m2) home above Beverly Hills. Subsequently, a year later the U.S. Tax Court ruled Church by Mail Inc. is "operated for private rather than public interests" and "is not a church" within the meaning of federal tax laws.
The ministry has been accused of preying on the very low income and the elderly by using census records to target their mailings. Initial mailings often only speak of the "power of prayer"; once a recipient responds and is placed on the church mailing list, they are targeted with letters saying that monetary donations are required for their prayers to be answered.
Kansas City Better Business Bureau Blog: St. Matthews Churches - Church or Scam?
I guess we can add this douchebag to our growing list of religious scammers. I know it makes me proud to question "the Gift" these sleazebuckets can provide. A search on Saint Matthews Churches will result with a profusion of complaints and humorous comments.
Re: St. Matthews Churches - "Rev." James Eugene Ewing
ROTFL!!!! You have to return the prayer rug? WTF? Do they recycle them and send them out again to someone else? That's why it pays to wear a bike helmet next time you pray. Saves on getting any splinters in your skull. I was saved when I found Jesus on my iron.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jB_Sp7DBMb...iron_jesus.jpg
You'll love this and it came from a blog from a guy who is a Christian:
"James Eugene Ewing
Unless you found his page by doing a Google search for "James Eugene Ewing," I'm sure you have never heard of this man. You would have a better chance of catching Santa Claus coming down the chimney than you would of finding footage of Mr. Ewing. He is the type of person who likes to hide in the shadows.
According to statements from his own ministry, Ewing was born in Texas in 1933, the son of south Texas sharecroppers. He served four years in the Air Force, claiming through his magazine that "many soldiers gave their lives to Christ with Bro. Ewing kneeling by their side in airplanes, in barracks or anyplace." After his stint in the military, he chartered Camp Meetings Revivals in the Dallas area.
Ewing's tent-revival crusades were focused on healing and liberation. A full-page ad in the 1963 Tulsa World announced a "Deliverance revival: Gene Ewing coming under one of the world's largest tents."
Despite having little formal education, Ewing managed to build a massive direct-mail empire from his mansion in Los Angeles. All his ministry mail is directed to a Tulsa post office box. Ewing's computerized mailing operation, Saint Matthew's Churches, mails more than 1 million scam letters per month, many to low-income, uneducated people, while Ewing lives in a $2.2 million, 6,400-square-foot home above Beverly Hills and drives a small fleet of luxury cars.
The Germination of Seed Faith
If you watch much Christian television programming, you may have heard a preacher talking about the "seed faith" principle. This modern movement can be traced back to a meeting that Ewing had with Oral Roberts.
In 1968, donations to Roberts' ministry had plummeted after Roberts alienated many of his supporters by joining the United Methodist Church. To raise money, Roberts decided to sell the ministry's corporate airplane.
Ewing came to see Oral about buying the plane. When he arrived at the ministry headquarters, he had something to sell to Roberts. The first thing out his mouth was, "Oral, you are in trouble, and I can help you." And did he ever.
According to Wayne Robinson, then the vice president of public affairs for the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, "Gene laid out one of the most sophisticated fund-raising campaigns I had ever seen. He said, 'Oral, I want you to write your supporters and tell them you are going in the prayer tower, and you are going to read their prayer requests and pray over them.' He stayed there three days. I forget how many hundred thousands of letters we had, but it was huge."
The core of Ewing's advice to Roberts was the seed-faith philosophy. "You give to the ministry, and God will reward you with a financial blessing."
By the following year, income to Roberts' ministry had doubled, going from $6 million to $12 million. Roberts was so happy with Ewing's guidance that he gave him the plane.
"God's Ghostwriter"
Just by helping with Oral Roberts' ministry, Ewing could be regarded as the father of the modern-day 'seed-faith' concept. Many preachers joined the health-and-wealth gospel bandwagon by emulating old Oral.
Unfortunately, Ewing did not stop the Roberts. Once word got about his magic touch, several other ministers sought his services. T.L. Osborn ran into Ewing at an airport and hired him to direct his fundraising.
"We were down to counting pencils and paper clips until Gene came along," boasted Osborn.
Ewing's flair for effective, dramatic direct-mail appeals won him jobs writing for evangelists including Robert Tilton, Rex Humbard and "Rev. Ike." In many cases, the letters were identical but contained different signatures.
The Trinity Foundation, which is run by Ole Anthony, was the first to dub Ewing as "God's Ghostwriter." Anthony managed to find a single letter that nine different televangelists had claimed as their own. The only difference was the signature.
"We had nine different televangelists essentially sending out the same letter," Anthony said. "He (Ewing) makes most of his money by selling these packages to televangelists."
A Skunk by Another Name Still Stinks the Same
The most obvious evidence that Ewing is crook at heart is the number of name changes for his ministry. The vast majority of religious organizations stick with the same name; Ewing goes through a new one every few years.
Here are a few examples of ministry names that have been linked to him:
Church of Compassion
Rev. Ewing's Evangelistic Ministries Inc.
Church by Mail Inc.
Church and Bible Study in the Home by Mail
Twentieth Century Advertising Agency
Saint Matthew's Churches
The frequent name change seems to be designed to ditch the IRS. When the Feds begin to investigate one of his corporate entities, he relocates his operations under a new one.
Over the years, the IRS has questioned the legitimacy of many of Ewing's organizations, but has failed to take any action. In one court filing, the IRS argued that funds generated by Church by Mail "inure to the benefit of private individuals." Another IRS brief stated that, "Ewing and McElrath (his partner) sit at the top of a very lucrative set of organizations which they totally control without interference."
The listed address for two of Ewing ministries points to the headquarters of his lawyer, J.C. Joyce. His current ministry, Saint Matthew's Churches, was also incorporated at Joyce's Tulsa law office.
Every Gimmick Under the Sun
I spent much time listening to Christian radio. Being eager for information, I wrote to all the programs that invited listeners to contact them. Many of the men on these programs were clients of Ewing who sent me an endless series of appeals for money.
Even as a Christian, I could tell that these prosperity preachers were wolves in sheep's clothing. Their only purpose in writing me was to get money.
To them, the Bible is just a tool for extracting funds. While Bank jobbers use guns, they utilize Scripture to pull these heists.
Ewing came up with an endless number of gimmicks to be mailed out by ministries. What made them appealing was their context to Bible verses. Some mailings would contain items like prayer cloths, "Jesus eyes" handkerchiefs, fake golden coins, miracle water or oil, communion wafers, a prayer rug made out of paper, and "sackcloth billfolds."
To conceal these letters from family members who might have better financial sense, the recipients were told to open the letters in private and not discuss them with others: "Try to take it to a room or somewhere where you can be alone with the Lord." Other mailings asked for a donation before opening a second letter marked "Personal and private."
One mailing from Ewing included a $10,000 "faith check." The bogus check was from the "Bank of Heaven." Of course, the bank president was God, the Father, the vice president was Jesus, and the secretary and treasurer was The Holy Ghost.
"Place the faith check in your wallet and keep it there until the blessing unfolds," the letter states.
"Whisper the name of Jesus three times as you write your name on the back of your Faith Check."
Wow!
Does Mr. Ewing just reek of smarminess or what?
http://www.nosotros.cl/images/aposta...GENE_EWING.jpg
Re: St. Matthews Churches - "Rev." James Eugene Ewing
I don't give a flying F*ck, I put it back in the envelope and put a known religious MLM scammer's name and address on it. I guess he'll get my free blessed Deuteronomy 8:18 Prosperity Cross plus a hellova lot more junk from these weasels. And if it works, maybe this scammer can pay off his debts, reimburse the people he ripped off all in the name of Jesus, and lead a wholesome life like myself. Maybe this will help him repair his own "Online Reputation."
Re: St. Matthews Churches - "Rev." James Eugene Ewing
Prayer rug? sounds like it crosses and included all faith boundaries in the planning of this scam...ROTFL
printed paper called a rug, now thats a scam in itself!
Re: St. Matthews Churches - "Rev." James Eugene Ewing
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Unsaved Trash
I don't give a flying F*ck, I put it back in the envelope and put a known religious MLM scammer's name and address on it. I guess he'll get my free blessed Deuteronomy 8:18 Prosperity Cross plus a hellova lot more junk from these weasels. And if it works, maybe this scammer can pay off his debts, reimburse the people he ripped off all in the name of Jesus, and lead a wholesome life like myself. Maybe this will help him repair his own "Online Reputation."
If the Prayer rug really IS made of paper, I guess people will find themselves "ripped" off in more ways than one.
