CINCINNATI - Church attendance was down at the 1,500-member First Baptist Church in Cold Spring, Ky., after police searched the home of the Rev. Larry Davis, according to The Cincinnati Post.
Law enforcement is investigating a report that more than a half-million dollars of church funds cannot be accounted for.
"Regardless of how this turns out, the church will never be what it was" before the scandal broke, said Harody Mendez, who leads an adult fellowship at the church. "The ministry of the church has taken a hit. It's turned our focus away from what we should be doingâ€â€spreading the Gospel."
Kentucky State Police searched Davis' house and the church after church treasurer Darryl Neltner told police about the missing funds. He said some church money was withdrawn from automatic teller machines at horse-racing tracks and some went into online gambling accounts.
Davis is still attending the church and has refused to resign. He did not preach Sunday because a guest speaker from Nigeria took the pulpit.
"We need to withhold judgment until the investigation is complete," said Ted Wallace, chairman of the church's deacons.
