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Members of Calvary Baptist Church in Roosevelt attempt to oust Pastor Arthur Kindle by changing locks

Some members of a Roosevelt congregation are trying to lock their pastor out of their church. Pastor Arthur Kindle says he was blind-sided when parishioners at Calvary Baptist Church tried to suspend

News 12 Staff

May 17, 2014, 2:13 AM

Updated 3,898 days ago

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Some members of a Roosevelt congregation are trying to lock their pastor out of their church.
Pastor Arthur Kindle says he was blind-sided when parishioners at Calvary Baptist Church tried to suspend him last month. As News 12 has reported, some churchgoers accused him of misappropriating funds and changing church by-laws. Kindle denies the charges.
Last month, the pastor changed the locks on the church doors, essentially locking out members except for Sunday service.
Church board members and parishioners called in a locksmith today to take back their church. At one point, police were called to help resolve the issue, but in the end it was deemed a civil matter.
Deacon Al Reshard, who serves on the church board, says Kindle has divided the church. Kindle claims he won the majority vote 25 to 20 when members voted a few weeks ago to suspend him.
The church board now has the keys to the church, but both sides say they will most likely have to go to court to resolve the situation.