Tyler Perry has stepped in to help Bishop Marvin Winans and his congregation as the longtime singer faces backlash after footage of a recent fundraising event went viral on social media.
Why did Marvin Winans face backlash over fundraising event?
The multihyphenate creator donated $100,000 to Winans’ Perfecting Church in Detroit. Perry’s charitable offering comes more than a week after social media users engaged in heated debates over religious leaders and how they manage the church’s tithes and other finances with transparency toward their congregation, according to Rolling Out and The Grio.
“We have received … one person called and he said, ‘Tell my name! Because I know God is in this.’ Tyler Perry sent $100,000!” Winans said, revealing the news to the church, The Grio reported.
BET reported that the controversial situation began on Oct. 19 when Perfecting Faith Church hosted its annual “Day of Giving” event, during which Winans asked his members to donate “$1,000 plus $1,000.” He repeated the phrase multiple times, ensuring that everyone understood what they were supposed to give, but things quickly went wrong.
Winans and McCoy’s viral moment, explained
While there was some confusion about the amount, some churchgoers stood in the middle of the aisle with two $1,000 donations. However, there was one woman who came forward with $1,235.
“I, Roberta McCoy, give in faith and stand in unity with the vision of Perfecting Church, of sowing this seed of $1,000 plus $235 and receiving the blessings to come to all that participated,” the woman said when she gave her donation.
Winans pressed McCoy about the amount, and McCoy said she would work on bringing the remaining $800 to complete the offering. The footage went viral, sparking backlash, as many online users expressed disdain for Winans’ attitude toward the woman over the funds.
Last week, Winans and McCoy spoke out about the matter, insisting that the public misunderstood the much-debated incident.
“I was calling because the whole church was giving, and it was our day of giving, and the whole church was coming, and we didn’t want people standing, the mothers and all that, so I was calling them by increments,” Winans told WXYZ Detroit. “And we had someone that had given earlier, and I corrected it, and I told everybody to listen and come when you call, and that’s all that was.”
Meanwhile, McCoy insisted that Winans did not rebuke her publicly, despite online claims, per Blavity.
“He absolutely did not rebuke me. Now there’s a difference. There was a correction because let me clearly state that pastor gave instruction on the lines to get into,” McCoy told WXYZ.