Eddie Long's Church to Launch New Birth Denver
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, the Atlanta megachurch led by Bishop Eddie Long, will be opening up a satellite location in Denver.
Darius Wise, an elder and chief ministry officer of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, will serve as the senior pastor of New Birth Denver. He was annointed and appointed by Long earlier this month.
Wise is seen in a YouTube video posted in mid-May speaking about New Birth Denver.
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"Over the last 20 years, the church's reach has extended throughout the globe. We are so excited and grateful to God that we see a door and an opportunity opening in Denver, Colorado," he said.
"And through much prayer and much consecration, we sense and believe that God is up to something special in the Denver, Colorado region and we are excited to be a part of it."
There is already a website and Facebook page for New Birth Denver.
Wise is currently living in Aurora, Co., with his wife Chajay A. Wise, and their four children Chelsey, Daniel, Darius III, and Chloey, according to New Birth Denver's website.
The website also shows that Vision meetings for the church will be held on August 20, 24, and 31, 2011, in Aurora, Colo. Discipleship groups will launch in September.
"Our desire is to see lives won through Christ and to see communities made better because we're there," said Wise in the YouTube video.
The expansion of New Birth in Denver comes as Bishop Eddie Long and New Birth are reeling from a sexual misconduct scandal. Last week, a settlement in the case between Long and his four accusers was reached and the lawsuits were dismissed. In the lawsuits, four young men accused the bishop of using his position and lavish gifts to coerce them into sexual relationships.
Earlier this week, New Birth elder Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., announced that she would be leaving the church to pursue a new ministry. According to a radio interview Tuesday, King's departure was unrelated to the Long case.
New Birth, a predominantly black congregation, also has locations in Charlotte, N.C., and Oakland, Calif.
The spokesman for New Birth could not be reached for comment.
