Please Pay The Church

By Gregg Wendorf
Advance News Journal

I have this local story brewing on the back burner about a 51-year-old contractor based in Hidalgo County who got a $45,450 payment in August of 2021 from a relatively small, humble church and then quit the job after it was only halfway done.

In July 2023, he sent a signed letter to the church’s board, promising to return approximately half of the money — $21,800 — because he never finished the project.

“Payments will be given back throughout the 30 days in a cashier’s check,” he wrote.

After all, a promise is a promise, he swore: “We had done some items along the project to help the church, and we are still faithful to pay back a portion of the money.”

I caught on to this story thanks to a church member I’ve known for years.

For 20 years, she said, she and her fellow church congregants had held fundraisers to add a fellowship hall to their little humble church. Now all the money they raised is gone, and still, no fellowship hall.

Stories like this tend to get my attention, so I called up the contractor at the start of November and told him that I was calling about the $21,800 he promised to pay the church.

I’m going to take care of it by the end of the month, he told me, like he had everything in hand. Of course, after 41 years in the newspaper business, how many times have I heard that story — “I’m going to pay back the money; trust me.”

My trust in people pretty much flew out the window by the time I hit 40, but still, I cut them some slack until they prove me wrong.

I called this contractor again the first of December after checking to see if he had followed through and paid back the $21,800 he owed the church.

Nope.

In fact, he had been out of touch with the church dating back to April 2023.

So, I called him again last week, Dec. 5. No answer.

He texted me back — “I’ll call you right back.”

He didn’t call.

So I called him again this Monday. No answer.

But he did text: “I’ll call you right back.”

Which he did.

“Thanks. Story set to run this week in the newspaper. Need your side of the story,” I told him.

From our first conversation, I told him who I was with and that I was writing a story about his split with the church. I told him I had a copy of the letter he wrote the church in July 2023 promising to pay back the $21,800 for the unfinished work.

He gave me the usual reasons. COVID, weather delays, outstanding monies owed him.

So today is Tuesday, deadline day, 9 a.m., and the contractor promised to call me this morning. (I’m writing this at 6 a.m.)

Do I think he will?

Here’s hoping.

The contractor sounded like he does plan to pay back the church. Here’s hoping that he lives up to his promise to pay. On the phone, he sounded like a reasonable guy.