In Ruskin, Florida, the pastor of the Church of Christ Christian Church and some of his handful of members have filed suit against 80-year old Shirley Dail who in June changed the locks on the church's doors to take possession of it in order to revitalize the congregation. The suit seeks to get back control of the church from Dail (who is also a pastor). Yesterday's
Tampa Bay Times reports:
While maintaining she's been a lifelong member of the church, Dail said she had only attended sporadically since starting a mission, the Church Along the Way, in her Ruskin barn 16 years ago.
She brought that group to the Church of Christ building this summer....
A church volunteer for 35 years, Dail said she was among its founding members in the 1960s and made a personal loan to help build the church.
In May ... Dail said the church was not running "as it was conceived" and that she had been "called home" to make the fixes she wanted.
Dail's goal was to increase the church's flock. Dail said she couldn't sit by and watch her church dwindle like so many others throughout the country.