THE SAGA OF PASTOR RON CLARK
RODNEY HOWARD BROWNE
Ron Clark, the former pastor of Church of the Living Water, a "megachurch" in Tampa, Florida, has become a police officer with the city of Zephyrhills, reported the Tampa Tribune. Clark became the center of controversy at the church in 2003, when the church unraveled as Clark and his wife, Belinda, became embroiled in a bitter divorce. The proceedings brought to light the church's hefty assets -- as well as the assets of the Clarks. The pair each drew salaries of $70,000 and owned a $500,000 horse farm in Dade City and a $275,000 rental home in Celebration, near Orlando, the case revealed. Although the Clarks never were charged with illegal activity, the information from their divorce case disillusioned the congregation's almost 2,000 members. By October 2003, the church filed for bankruptcy.
"Since last March [1994], Howard-Browne has been back to Carpenter's Church three times. The church has added 800 new members, and its income is up 30 percent, according to [pastor Karl] Strader. 'I've been here 28 years, and there's never been anything like this,' he adds. 'We've had 2,200 people baptized. We'd go until almost 2 a.m., Rodney baptizing them six at a time in our pool. That's why we think we've had revival.' Strader invited Ron Clarke, pastor of Living Water Church in Tampa, Florida, to one of the meetings. He was reluctant at first, but then he found himself lying on the floor, laughing uncontrollably ... Clarke is still laughing today. In one year, membership at his church has grown from 800 to 1,500, and the congregation recently bought a new building. Clarke says conversions, baptisms in the Holy Spirit, and healings have soared" (Julia Duin, "Praise the Lord and pass the New Wine," 8/94, Charisma, p.24).
Rodney Howard-Browne, a South African minister associated with the “Third Wave Movement” and now resides in Tampa, Florida, is the recognized "Father" of holy laughter. He claims to have had his first experience with these phenomena in 1979, while challenging God to "touch me" or Howard-Browne was going "to come up there and touch You." God apparently responded by causing him to feel as if his body was on fire and he broke out in uncontrollable laughter (see Howard-Browne's book, The Touch of God). In 1989, while preaching in New York State, his congregation fell under the same power. Soon Howard-Browne began influencing others, but on a small scale. Then, while preaching at Carpenter's Home Church in Lakeland, Florida, in 1993, laughter in the Spirit once again broke out bringing Howard-Browne out of obscurity. But what happened during the revival in Carpenter’s Home Church during the revival was not a joke. See http://www.scribd.com/doc/33762241 http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/religion/pentecostal/godfraud.shtml , http://crooksaog.tripod.com/
Howard-Browne calls himself a "Holy Ghost Bartender," and dispenses the "new wine" of joy that leads to people being "drunk in the Spirit." He claims to find the Biblical base for his teaching in Acts 2, at the day of Pentecost. But a careful study of that text does not reveal anything like what is happening today. The apostles were not laughing uncontrollably, they were not barking like dogs, they were not stuck to the floor in Holy Ghost glue, they were not being "slain in the Spirit. See http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/blessing.html http://www.scribd.com/doc/38075133
And one of the persons who loved being “drunk in the Spirit” and breakout in uncontrollable laughter was Pastor Ron Clark of Living Water Church in Tampa Florida, a close friend of Rodney Howard Browne and Bishop Randy White of Church Without Walls, Tampa, Florida. http://www.scribd.com/doc/35148151
http://www.scribd.com/doc/36546812
About six years ago in Living Water Church, Tampa, Florida, when we were there Oral Roberts in person prophesied that God was going to raise up many millionaires in the church who would be rich and support the work of the kingdom. A few months ago I checked with the St. Petersburg Times to see what was happening with the Living Water Church? And boy was I surprised! The church filed for Bankruptcy. Since 1992 this large church was not able to meet it budget. And then the Pastor Ron Clark and Belinda had gone off the deep end with a public divorce which only compounded the matter.
Living Water, a once-thriving, 2,000-member non-denominational Christian church, sought protection from creditors in bankruptcy court last October. By then, the church's checking account balance had dwindled to $60 and the congregation had fewer than 500 members.
Congregants left as details emerged from the divorce of Ronald and Belinda Clark, the couple who founded Living Water in 1988. Ronald Clark accused his wife of being mentally ill, unfaithful and a thief. Belinda Clark claimed in court papers that her husband had a secret plan to sell the church and funnel the proceeds overseas with the help of church board chairman Melvin Myer.
The rancorous divorce of the Clarks began to attract publicity a year ago, and has been blamed for the defection of nearly three of every four members at the Living Water Church, which was founded by the couple in 1988.
Ronald Clark, the $138,000-a-year church pastor, accused his wife of being unfaithful, suffering from mental illness, dabbling in pornography and stealing church mail filled with Easter church donations. It turned out that Pastor Ron enforced tithing in his church and collected three offerings per service, but he, himself, never tithed!
Belinda Clark, Living Water's $70,000-a-year associate pastor who was fired in the wake of the allegations, accused her husband of domestic violence, of lying to church trustees to ruin her credibility and of having a secret plan to sell the church, place the proceeds in a trust, then have funds funneled to him at a foreign location.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/35148050
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/05/31/Hillsborough/Pastor_s_money_troubl.shtml
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/03/12/Hillsborough/Ex_pastor_target_of_I.shtml
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/30/Hillsborough/Buyers_shun_Living_Wa.shtml
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/holylaugh.htm
"Since last March [1994], Howard-Browne has been back to Carpenter's Church three times. The church has added 800 new members, and its income is up 30 percent, according to [pastor Karl] Strader. 'I've been here 28 years, and there's never been anything like this,' he adds. 'We've had 2,200 people baptized. We'd go until almost 2 a.m., Rodney baptizing them six at a time in our pool. That's why we think we've had revival.' Strader invited Ron Clarke, pastor of Living Water Church in Tampa, Florida, to one of the meetings. He was reluctant at first, but then he found himself lying on the floor, laughing uncontrollably ... Clarke is still laughing today. In one year, membership at his church has grown from 800 to 1,500, and the congregation recently bought a new building. Clarke says conversions, baptisms in the Holy Spirit, and healings have soared" (Julia Duin, "Praise the Lord and pass the New Wine," 8/94, Charisma, p.24).
Rodney Howard-Browne, a South African minister associated with the “Third Wave Movement” and now resides in Tampa, Florida, is the recognized "Father" of holy laughter. He claims to have had his first experience with these phenomena in 1979, while challenging God to "touch me" or Howard-Browne was going "to come up there and touch You." God apparently responded by causing him to feel as if his body was on fire and he broke out in uncontrollable laughter (see Howard-Browne's book, The Touch of God). In 1989, while preaching in New York State, his congregation fell under the same power. Soon Howard-Browne began influencing others, but on a small scale. Then, while preaching at Carpenter's Home Church in Lakeland, Florida, in 1993, laughter in the Spirit once again broke out bringing Howard-Browne out of obscurity. But what happened during the revival in Carpenter’s Home Church during the revival was not a joke. See http://www.scribd.com/doc/33762241 http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/religion/pentecostal/godfraud.shtml , http://crooksaog.tripod.com/
Howard-Browne calls himself a "Holy Ghost Bartender," and dispenses the "new wine" of joy that leads to people being "drunk in the Spirit." He claims to find the Biblical base for his teaching in Acts 2, at the day of Pentecost. But a careful study of that text does not reveal anything like what is happening today. The apostles were not laughing uncontrollably, they were not barking like dogs, they were not stuck to the floor in Holy Ghost glue, they were not being "slain in the Spirit. See http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/blessing.html http://www.scribd.com/doc/38075133
And one of the persons who loved being “drunk in the Spirit” and breakout in uncontrollable laughter was Pastor Ron Clark of Living Water Church in Tampa Florida, a close friend of Rodney Howard Browne and Bishop Randy White of Church Without Walls, Tampa, Florida. http://www.scribd.com/doc/35148151
http://www.scribd.com/doc/36546812
About six years ago in Living Water Church, Tampa, Florida, when we were there Oral Roberts in person prophesied that God was going to raise up many millionaires in the church who would be rich and support the work of the kingdom. A few months ago I checked with the St. Petersburg Times to see what was happening with the Living Water Church? And boy was I surprised! The church filed for Bankruptcy. Since 1992 this large church was not able to meet it budget. And then the Pastor Ron Clark and Belinda had gone off the deep end with a public divorce which only compounded the matter.
Living Water, a once-thriving, 2,000-member non-denominational Christian church, sought protection from creditors in bankruptcy court last October. By then, the church's checking account balance had dwindled to $60 and the congregation had fewer than 500 members.
Congregants left as details emerged from the divorce of Ronald and Belinda Clark, the couple who founded Living Water in 1988. Ronald Clark accused his wife of being mentally ill, unfaithful and a thief. Belinda Clark claimed in court papers that her husband had a secret plan to sell the church and funnel the proceeds overseas with the help of church board chairman Melvin Myer.
The rancorous divorce of the Clarks began to attract publicity a year ago, and has been blamed for the defection of nearly three of every four members at the Living Water Church, which was founded by the couple in 1988.
Ronald Clark, the $138,000-a-year church pastor, accused his wife of being unfaithful, suffering from mental illness, dabbling in pornography and stealing church mail filled with Easter church donations. It turned out that Pastor Ron enforced tithing in his church and collected three offerings per service, but he, himself, never tithed!
Belinda Clark, Living Water's $70,000-a-year associate pastor who was fired in the wake of the allegations, accused her husband of domestic violence, of lying to church trustees to ruin her credibility and of having a secret plan to sell the church, place the proceeds in a trust, then have funds funneled to him at a foreign location.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/35148050
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/05/31/Hillsborough/Pastor_s_money_troubl.shtml
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/03/12/Hillsborough/Ex_pastor_target_of_I.shtml
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/30/Hillsborough/Buyers_shun_Living_Wa.shtml
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/holylaugh.htm