Update: Since posting this, the FMCIC has stated they will on fact send over the final amount owning.
They Kept the Loophole. We Kept the Lights On.
Let me tell you a story.
Not a big story, if you measure stories by how much money is involved. But a big story if you measure them by how communities are treated, by what gets rewarded, and by what kind of world institutions choose to uphold.
This is the story of a church building in downtown Sarnia. One that, like many sacred spaces, was slowly being abandoned. But not by the people. Not by those of us who kept paying out of pocket—insurance, utilities, repairs—just to keep the building alive, safe, and useable for ministry.
Eventually, the building was transferred to a new board. That board was under the leadership of the Free Methodist Church in Canada, led by Bishop Linda Adams, with oversight from national financial leadership including Deva Ratnam. And eventually, the building was sold—for a very good profit (approx. $275,000), made possible by the very stability we sustained (not to mention 17 years of sustaining the ministry as well).
When it came time to reconcile what was owed, the denomination acknowledged our role. Receipts were submitted. Board members agreed the money had been spent. But then they declined to reimburse the full amount. Why?
Because when the transfer of board leadership happened, a line item (specifically the insurance we had paid for) had not been carried over in the transition paperwork. That was it. They agreed the cost was legitimate. They confirmed we had paid it. But they refused to honour it—because of a paperwork gap.
They chose the loophole.
A Christian Institution, Acting Like a Corporation
This is what happens when churches choose to operate by the rules of empire. The logic of Caesar. Protect the ledger. Ignore the labour. Reward silence.
Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes.” But here, the Free Methodist Church in Canada said: “Yes… but not if it wasn’t logged in the minutes.”
They talk about stewardship. But when stewardship is just a cover for institutional self-preservation, it’s no longer Christian—it’s just accounting.
This is why people leave the church. Not because they’ve lost faith in Jesus, but because they see churches acting like insurance companies, denying claims on a technicality.
How $3,000 Became a Spiritual Crisis
We’re not going to court. We’re not threatening legal action. We’re not staging a protest. But we are telling the truth.
Because this wasn’t money from a wealthy benefactor. It was money from local people who believed the church should exist for more than just balance sheets. Who believed in the ministry that happened in that space. Who believed in a better kind of economy—one where grace and generosity still had value.
That money was used to protect the ministry the Free Methodist Church in Canada now claims to have been overseeing. And when they had the opportunity to honour it, they chose not to.
That is empire, not kingdom.
I’m publishing this not out of resentment, but out of responsibility.
Because if no one names this pattern, it will keep happening. People will keep giving. Institutions will keep taking. And the stories will keep disappearing into silence.
If you find yourself getting into a relationship with the FMCIC, please beware, that they are not acting in anyone’s interest but their own greed and power.
