Newspaper Article

Baptist Pastor's Leaky Pulpit Sails on Troubled Waters (Last in a series)
By Arthur Howe (Pulitzer Prize winning journalist)
The News Journal Janurary 23, 1979

CONCORDVILLE, Pa. Though hardly an experienced sailor, the Rev. Frederick A. Drummond always wanted a boat --a luxury yacht "bigger and better" than the one his wealthy parents own.

Once he brought the leaky hull of a 20 foot cabin cruiser in Springfield, Mo. But without an engine and the finances of his church in shambles - Drummond realized he would have to wait for his dream.

It was in the fall of 1977 that the young South African-born pastor of the First Baptist Church of Concordville began scouring the boatyards along the Chesapeake. Then he found it: a 1959 Richardson
"Golden Anniversary Motor Yacht," in immaculate condition, with air conditioning and a fine teak deck.

But the asking price was $50,000 - too much in Drummond's mind.

So he hit on a compromise of sorts... He offered the seller, RalLand Inc. of Baltimore, a $20,000 check from the church and a $30,000 tax deductible receipt allowing the seller to take a hefty income tax write-off.

Richard Darby, the boat broker, recalls the transaction: "Drummond was very astute...He gave, the seller the receipt and a statement saying the boat would be used for organizational purposes..."

But four former deacons in the First Baptist Church say they were never consulted on the purchase of the boat; nor have they ever been permitted aboard.

"Most people have never even seen the boat" says Charles Ashure, a former Church member who spent several months rebuilding the boat's interior to Drummond's specifications. "I've been out on it once on its first trip to Baltimore, but the only reason I came along was because I think Drummond wanted me there in case there were engine problems."

And the maiden voyage was ill-fated: Drummond ran the boat aground off an island in the bay.

Today, the 5I-foot boat is estimated to be worth about $200,000. Members of the congregation have rebuilt the main cabin with laminated Philippine mahogany and teak parquetry. A new instrument panel has been installed along with a television, stereo system and self-contained sewage treatment system. A chandelier hangs in the dining room.

Drummond has renamed it the "Lorri-Ann D.," after his wife, Lorri, and daughter Antoinette, 3. He also has a 6-year-old son, Frederick.

Drummond's purchase of the boat is typical of his often extravagant use of church funds, former members say. But the young pastor's financial stratagems are designed not only for personal gain but to expand his base of influence and build an idyllic haven away from the "evils" of society.

Today, the base for Drummond's freewheeling finances is eroded. More than 100 members of his First Baptist Church have left claiming their minister has squandered hundreds of thousands in church money, engaged members in a pattern of beatings and homosexually molested others.