05035
January 20, 2005

Money taken from Denver Presbytery account won’t hurt current programs, staff

Presbytery asks district attorney’s office to investigate treasurer’s actions

by Toya Richards Hill

LOUISVILLE — According to Denver Presbytery stated clerk Janet Schlenker, no church programs will be affected by the $410,000 that is missing from the presbytery’s coffers.

      “The money came from a reserve account. It will have no short-term impact whatsoever on any existing programs” or staffing, Schlenker said.

      On Jan. 17 the presbytery issued a news release saying it had asked the Denver district attorney’s office to investigate the “unauthorized removal” of money from the presbytery’s bank account.

      The action came after it was discovered that presbytery treasurer Gary Campbell had written checks to the construction company he works for, RWI Inc., between January 2003 and May 2004. Schlenker told the Presbyterian News Service that the presbytery’s independent auditor first noticed that the money was taken out.

      Campbell served as treasurer, an elected position with a $500-a-month stipend, from August 2002 to July 2004, when he resigned.

      Calls made to Campbell were not returned by the time the Presbyterian News Service posted this story on its Web site.

Money allegedly a line of credit

      Schlenker said Campbell claimed the money was given as a line of credit, but she and other presbytery officials “did not know anything about these transfers of funds.” From the money withdrawn and deposited over the 18-month period, $410,000 remains outstanding.

      Schlenker said Campbell believed giving RWI the money was a good investment for the presbytery. He felt that the presbytery could earn a higher rate of interest and at the same time he could make cash available to his company. There is no information, she added, to suggest that Campbell was funneling the money to himself.

      The information was passed on to the Denver district attorney’s office in November. On Jan. 19 Schlenker said the case is “still under investigation,” and to date no charges have been filed.

      The presbytery also has not yet taken any disciplinary action of its own. “We are waiting for the secular world to do its work,” Schlenker said.

Long-term initiatives could be affected

      Zane K. Buxton, synod executive of the Synod of the Rocky Mountains, which includes Denver Presbytery, says he is pleased with the way the presbytery has handled the issue.

      “They had advised me as synod executive fairly early on,” he told the Presbyterian News Service. “I think they have taken all the appropriate steps.”

      Buxton confirmed that the missing money “will not have an immediate impact on current mission support.” But he did say it is not known what effect it could have on long-term initiatives.

      “Clearly a loss of over $400,000 does mean that things that could have been done won’t get done,” he said. “But I don’t know that anybody has a clear picture of what that might be.”