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Drummond starting church in S. Africa?By BILL ALNOtDariy Times Staff Writer CONCORD — The Rev. Frederick Drummond has left the country — perhaps to start a new church in South Africa — and he is not expected to return soon, according to members of his controversial Church of Our Saviour in Con-cordville.But other former members say — and, indeed, the official line of the church is — that although Drummond has been in South Africa longer than anticipated, he will return before the end of the month.The last Sunday morning service Drummond preached was Sept. 21. Since then, long-time member Timothy Pierce, who came to the Philadelphia area with Drummond from Missouri in the late 1970s, has been manning the pulpit Several sources said Drummond left during the fourth week of September after telling close associates in the church that he had to go to South Africa to attend the funeral of a brother who committed suicide. Sources said Drummond’s wife,Lorraine, and their three children did not accompany him.Some former church members have said that a general announcement was issued in church last week that Drummond’s return to the pulpit in Concordville will be delayed because he is starting a new church in that country. But several others contacted this week said sources in the church indicated that Drummond was preaching as a guest at churches in South Africa and was holding a number of meetings with like-minded minsters in recent days which has caused the delay.Other former members pointed out that Drummond leaving for long periods of tim» is not unusual. In 1986 he told his congregation he was going to Florida to pray for the direction oaf the church in the new year. He stayed for a month and court documents indicated that while he was there he spent time negotiating the purchase of an $810,000 yacht The deal fell through but Drummond was sued after he foiled to pay a $1,400 appraisal bill on the yacht Officials at the church yesterday did not return phone calls to discuss the whereabouts of Drummond. No one atON THE ROAD Controversial Rev. Frederick Drummond (inset) off the Church of Our Saviour in Concordville, is reported to be in South Africa where he may for ftartiiMi a new church.wtfws w ■■•wig w■ ■■■ ■■■■^p ws vvw w ws**Drummond’s residence, which is equipped with a telephone answering machine, returned phone calls during the past several days. ~Membership in the church rapidly after key members of the church, disillusioned with Drummond and his ministry, left the congregation. Drummond’s television show and his two radio shows were cancelled.On Sept. 9 an Upper Providence man sued Drummond, the church and three other parties alleging that he lost his house and $27,000 in loans he weremade under duress and in the folse belief the money would be used to send missionaries around the world.Instead the money was used to enrich Drummond, the suit alleges.Yesterday Media attorney Eugene Bonner who filed the suit on behalf of Charles P. Fawthorp of Fax Lair Village, Upper Providence, said Drummond and the defendants did not answer the law suit, but an attorney claiming to represent them asked for a 90-day extension to answer.Recent stories in the Daily Times detailed Drummond’s role in a defunct kitchen remodeling firm known as Durawood. In one article, the Daily Times documented how Drummond allegedly avoided paying over $3,000 in state sales taxes by claiming Durawood’s Delaware sales tax number for work he had done on his personal car — a 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. The story sparked an ongoing investigation by the state Attorney General’s office.
Newspaper Details
Delaware County Daily Times
Chester, Pennsylvania, US
Thu, Oct 16, 1986
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Kaeli B.
NA, 10 Mar 2025
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