Mr. Stallworth has made one reply and that is that they didin’t pay their bills and he was aware that bills were not being paid by the church but by the school board and that the church didn’t know this. He has owned up to that, now fix it. Don’t try to hide behind rhetoric. Your church leadership has some problems. Doesn’t matter what a great guy you think he is and how great your church is, what happened was wrong and this has impacted the community negatively and financially.

Spend your time solving your problems with your church and your community group. Get the utilities in the church’;s name, start paying your present utility bills and make arrangements for payments on the ones in question.

Your church rented the space, signed the lease stop making excuses. Fix it.

As an active member of New Life Baptist Church, I can tell you where he has been this past week, why he has been gone, and why he has not answered calls made by northescambia.com.

He has spent the past week assisting a recent honors graduate of North View High School and a member of his church, with gaining admission to a major university. The trip was planned weeks ago and was intended to be a bit of a vacation after he spent weeks and weeks of intensive effort as chairperson of the Century Blue Ribbon Committee on Education keeping our school from being closed. He was named Chair the committee by Mayor McCall who was scheduled for surgery during that critical time. Irvin Stallworth worked tirelessly and to this point successfully on saving the school that no one wants to see closed – no one in Century that is.

I was the person that recommended to Pastor Stallworth that he turn his phone off and make only out-going calls during this well deserved respite.

I am sure this situation is embarrassing to the school district, and well it should be; and I applaud northescambia.com for bringing it forward in their interest to inform the public. I am sure the issue will be worked out, once all of the facts are know; however, all of this smacks of a political attack and a personal vendetta against a Man of God, My Pastor, and my friend, Rev. Irvin Stallworth. As a side note; I encourage everyone to visit the Old Century High School and see the wonderful work of Pastor Stallworth and our church, and hear the Vision we have for our communities’ future.

BTW, The US Department of Education has repeatedly recommended that rural community schools not be closed or consolidated. I think Pastor Stallworth is a political victim here.