How a North Myrtle Beach church dispute led to a lawsuit over the pulpit chair
In addition to a months-long battle between a congregation over its leaders allegedly stealing items from a church, members of the North Myrtle Beach place of worship have filed another suit centered around the pulpit chair.
OD Church of the Lost and Found member Virginia Beam and former minister Michael Lawing filed the suit this week against individuals who were formerly on the deacon board: Carylle Berry, Donald Long, Don Stuart, Greg Gantt and Tony Taylor.
The suit states the pulpit chair belonged to Beam’s late grandfather, had been in the family for 105 years and she had loaned the chair to the church. But in August, leaders of the church took possession of church property, according to the lawsuit. Another suit was filed last year, alleging the church’s leaders stole items including 250 hymnals, congregation chairs, tables, sound systems and offering plates.
The OD Church of the Lost and Found was founded in 2001 and met at the OD Pavilion — a popular North Myrtle Beach establishment off Main Street.
Lawing was named the new minister after founding pastor J.P. “Beaver” Greenway died in 2016. The newest lawsuit states a dispute arose concerning the governance of the church, which led to the deacon board terminating Lawing as minister. Deacons in the church did not exist until Lawing became the pastor.
Beam and Lawing requested in January for the former deacons to return the chair, but they failed and refused to return it, according to the lawsuit.
This story was originally published March 28, 2019 at 9:25 AM.
