Let’s get one thing clear from the jump: this isn’t a parable about sin and salvation. This is a real-life tale of receipts, red flags, and a church secretary who allegedly turned “financial stewardship” into a full-blown spending spree.
Because apparently, when some folks say they’re called to serve, they mean allegedly serve themselves a cruise, a Grand Canyon helicopter ride, and a bucket of Amazon Prime.
So buckle up—we’re diving into the scandal that rocked Amelia Baptist Church in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and answering the question no one wants to ask out loud: how does someone allegedly steal over half a million dollars from a house of God—and no one notices for five years?
Let’s get one thing clear from the jump: this isn’t a parable about sin and salvation. This is a real-life […]
Meet Melissa English: The “Financial Secretary”
Melissa Ganey English wasn’t just a church employee. She was the kind of person you trust to lock up the building and mind the books. For 11 years, she was the behind-the-scenes wizard managing payroll, donations, and expenses at Amelia Baptist Church.
Trustworthy? Absolutely.
Or so they thought.
Behind that tidy desk and tidy smile was a scheme so outrageous it makes reality TV look underfunded. From January 2019 to October 2024, English allegedly helped herself to $570,000+ of church funds—most of it through the church-issued credit card.
You read that right. Five. Hundred. Seventy. Thousand. Dollars. Not in stolen offerings, not in secret envelopes—but plastic.
What She Allegedly Bought Will Blow Your Mind
Let’s not dance around this: she wasn’t using the card for a few rogue office supplies or a suspicious Chick-fil-A run. Here’s just a sample of what church funds were allegedly used to pay for:
● Cruises (plural)
● Hotel stays
● Airfare
● SeaWorld tickets
● A helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon
● Airbnb rentals
● Concert and sporting event tickets
● Walmart and Amazon shopping sprees
In 2021 alone, she allegedly spent over $100,000, and every year afterward was just another blessed withdrawal from Heaven’s vault.
By 2024, she was allegedly pulling in $90K in one year from church credit.
I don’t know about you, but my Bible doesn’t have a verse that says, “Thou shalt book an ocean view cabin with tithe money.”
So… Who Was Watching the Money?
Here comes the bittersweet part.
No one. Not really.
For five years, no one thought to raise a holy eyebrow. Not until some new finance committee members took a look at the books and said, “Uh, why are we paying Carnival Cruises instead of the electric bill?”
Turns out, when you let one person manage both the credit card and the books, you’re not running a church—you’re running a one-woman show with God as the backdrop.
The finance team flagged the issue in October 2024. By April 2025, English was arrested and charged with grand theft over $100,000—a first-degree felony in the state of Florida. She has not yet been convicted.
Pastor’s Response: Grace, But Also Grit
Amelia Baptist’s pastor didn’t sugarcoat it. He called the situation “incredibly hurtful and difficult.” Yet he didn’t jump into a PR cleanup.
He chose humility.
He admitted the church should have had better oversight. He acknowledged the alleged betrayal. And he reminded the community: the church isn’t perfect. It’s made of people. Flawed ones. Ones who need systems, checks, and maybe a whole lot fewer debit card digits.
Let’s Talk About the Real Problem Here
It’s easy to roast Melissa English (and trust me, I brought the seasoning). But the truth is, this happens more often than you think.
Churches are vulnerable because:
● They rely on trust.
● They don’t always train staff on financial protocols.
● They often operate without rotating auditors or strict checks.
And the sad, flaming truth is: when people smell money with no one watching, they get ideas.
Plastic should never come without policy.
No single staffer should control both spending and reporting. No expenses should go undocumented. And for the love of accountability, if someone takes a helicopter tour, ask why they thought Jesus needed air support.
What Can Other Churches Learn From This?
Here’s your financial sermon, no hymnal required:
- Divide Financial Power
If one person is writing checks, approving expenses, and reconciling the books—congratulations, you’ve built a theft sandbox. - Mandatory Receipts
I don’t care if you bought a paperclip—where’s the receipt? This isn’t petty. This is protection. - Quarterly Independent Reviews
Bring in someone who doesn’t sing in the choir or bake for potlucks. You need objective eyes. - Credit Cards Should Have Limits (And I Mean That Literally)
Hard caps. Preapproval for big purchases. Notification alerts. Text me the second someone swipes for more than $50. - Audit Like It’s Your Job (Because It Is)
Fraud doesn’t always look like a criminal. Sometimes, it looks like a sweet secretary who smiles on Sunday and swipes on Monday.
The Bittersweet Glow of It All
Here’s the hard truth no one wants to admit: sometimes betrayal wears a name tag and brings donuts.
This wasn’t a scandal of greed alone—it was a breakdown in boundaries. A failure to say, “We love you, but we
still need a paper trail.”
Because trust without verification isn’t grace. It’s negligence.
So while Melissa English awaits her day in court, the rest of us need to ask the uncomfortable question:
Who holds the card in your organization? And when was the last time you looked at the bill?
Author’s Note: Bitterness, Truth, and a Crooked Walk
One of the leaders at Melissa English’s church, Dillon Whitaker, said on his Amelia Baptist Round Table podcast, “It’s rare for someone in the church to ‘openly’ deny Jesus.” I think he made some good points: And I also believe what my mother always preached—Matthew 7:20 KJV: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” She said that one more than once. More than twice. More than I wanted to hear. And now? Here I am—writing about it.
Who would have thought?
A lot of people, especially our younger generation, notice that Christians talk a lot of talk, but their walk is as crooked as Pikachu’s tail. And don’t get me started on the folks who swear they follow the commandments, but can’t even handle the basic one: love thy neighbor.
I’ve seen Christians act like they’ve got heavenly credentials but earthly bitterness. Judging folks for how they dress, how they speak, who they love, or where they live. Some won’t speak to the poor, others won’t acknowledge the rich unless they tithe. And when do we finally see churches do something generous? Oh yes—Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s when they come crawling out like cicadas. Suddenly, they’ve got soup kitchens and coat drives like they were never closed.
Everyone who sleeps in on Sundays is watching.
The drama is exhausting.
And now, it’s everywhere—hatred, jealousy, manipulation, control, and of course… pastors stealing. Lamor Whitehead? Nine years. He’s not the only one. Daniel Champ has also been charged with alleged theft over $100,000. And don’t make me dive into the inappropriate touching—because it’s all over the internet. All of it.
Now, as far as why Melissa English allegedly embezzled the church’s money? We don’t know yet. We’re gonna have to wait until her trial to hear her side.
But until then, let me just say what you were all waiting for:
1 Timothy 6:10 – “For the love of money is the root of all evil.”
There it is. That’s the one. That’s for anybody who thinks you can rob from a church and hide behind a cross. Stealing from a church isn’t just a legal offense—it’s a spiritual one. It’s a betrayal of trust, a desecration of God’s house, and a billboard of broken character.
Some folks look religious, but their fruit? Rotten. Their actions? Self-serving. Their walk? Stumbling.
We see you.
Ren
