MIAMI – Much of a prominent, historic church property in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood is set to be sold in foreclosure and parishioners are blaming its ex-pastor.
St. John Baptist Church, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, towers over Northwest Third Avenue.
Former board members gave the church’s ex-pastor, James D. Adams, permission to enter into a risky balloon mortgage. That balloon is about to pop.
Now new board members are left dealing with the fallout from the two-year, $1.6 million loan that they weren’t aware of.
“At the pastor’s, the prior pastor’s, separation, there has just been a constant uncovering of new obligations, new debts, new threats to the church,” church attorney Marva Wiley said. “Our focus is trying to keep the doors open.”
Back in Overtown today- Some of the historic St. John Baptist Church property is set to be sold in foreclosure; they defaulted on a risky balloon mortgage.
— Glenna Milberg (@GlennaWPLG) May 23, 2023
Who put them in that position?
The former pastor.. & what we learned is pretty disturbing
Airing at 5:30 @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/usnGWEyGCm
Adams is now nowhere to be found.
He is not listed in the roster of addresses we visited, nor is he at his million-dollar Miami penthouse, apparently purchased with church money and later sold. Additionally, he is not located at the address associated with his aggravated assault charge in January.
It should be noted that the charge was dropped when the neighbor, whom he pulled a gun on, declined to cooperate.
Furthermore, the church property he used as collateral for a mortgage does not include the original historic building, but encompasses its surrounding critical facilities.
“The way that the property is configured, even our elevator and the access for handicapped persons to enter the building are on a part that is in that mortgage,” church board member Cecily Robinson Duffie said.
The foreclosure sale is scheduled for June 20. Board members they are scrambling to work with a new lender, but they don’t think they’ll be able to get that done in time.
Church a historic landmark
St. John’s has a long history in the Overtown neighborhood. It was built in 1944, according to the city of Miami.
“Although the Miami area is celebrated for its Art Deco architecture, St. John’s Baptist Church is one of the only Art Deco style religious buildings in Miami-Dade County and a rare example of the style in Overtown, the center of Miami’s historic African-American community,” a description of the church on the city’s historic preservation website reads. “The building is also important for its association with McKissack and McKissack, one of the first major black architectural firms in the United States.”
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.