In 2021, Empowering Temple of Praise purchased three lots of land in anticipation of a brand new sanctuary being built. The churches plan was put on hold as a contractor scammed the church.
The Fort Worth church secured a bank loan and hired a contractor. The contractor began building a 4,000 square foot sanctuary, but the city shut down construction.
Bishop Miles, pastor of the church, was unaware of why construction had stopped. As he investigated, he discovered the contractor never applied for permits for the church address.
$176,000 had been taken from the bank loan by the contractor. Bishop Miles attempted to reach out to the contractor to request at least $100,000 back to hire a different contractor. The request went unfulfilled, and the contactor vanished.
The church has since hired an attorney with hopes of recovering the money that was stolen.
