Church hits out at Synod-ousted ‘pastor’

MISSING CHURCH FUNDS

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG, May 26: The opposing faction of the Mawkhaw Presbyterian Church (MPC), under Mawkhaw District, Shillong Ri-Lum Presbytery and KJP Synod Sepngi, has hit back at Rev. Macdonald Pyngrope for claiming to be a pastor even after the Synod withdrew his ordination.

The MPC accused him of attempting to mislead the public by portraying himself as the sole person committed to exposing the alleged misappropriation of church funds.

In a detailed statement issued on Tuesday, the faction alleged that recent media reports gave the impression that Pyngrope alone was dedicated to exposing the financial irregularities that tarnished the church’s image.

Questioning his position, the group asked who was trying to shield those directly or indirectly involved in the alleged misappropriation, while also pointing fingers at the auditors who had certified the church accounts between 2013 and 2019.

According to the faction, the auditors during the period when the funds allegedly went missing were JS Rajee, A Pariat, G Pakma, and WH Shulai. It further claimed that all of them are currently aligned with the “self-styled church committee” headed by Pyngrope. The faction maintained that the present dispute within the church is unrelated to the missing funds case and instead stems from Pyngrope’s refusal to sign the bond agreement issued by the Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian (KJP) Synod Sepngi for pastors and church employees.

It said the bond, approved during the Synod meeting in 2021, requires pastors to refrain from indulging in political activities and devote themselves fully to church service, unless prior permission is obtained from the Synod for other engagements. The group stated that Pyngrope’s refusal to sign the bond led to his removal as pastor by the Synod, resulting in the emergence of two factions within the church—one remaining under the authority of the KJP Synod Sepngi and the other aligned with Pyngrope and no longer under any Presbyterian church authority.

Clarifying the FIR related to the alleged missing church funds, the faction said the complaint was not initiated solely by Pyngrope but was a collective decision of the church committee.

It stated that after learning about the alleged financial discrepancies, the church committee, during its meeting on July 31, 2019, resolved to file an FIR. Subsequently, on August 3, 2019, it was decided to withdraw the initial FIR and file a fresh complaint against the church chowkidar, with Pyngrope and former church secretary, A Syiemlieh, autho-rised to sign the complaint on behalf of the church.

The matter was later registered as GR Case No. 93(S) of 2021, with Alfast Bareh named as the accused. The case is currently being heard in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Shillong, and is presently at the evidence stage.

The faction asserted that it was incorrect to suggest that Pyngrope alone brought the alleged fund misappropriation to light, stating that the discrepan-cies were detected by those responsible for preparing the balance sheet and conducting the church’s special audit.

It further alleged that Pyngrope already sought clarification from the Synod on whether signing the bond would affect the FIR filed in 2019, and that the Synod had clarified in 2023 that it would have no bearing on the case.

However, the faction claimed that this clarification was not shared with the congregation. It was raised only in 2025 when Pyngrope urged the church to seek clarification from the Synod.

The group also stated that discus-sions on the bond had been taking place in church meetings since 2022, but the church committee had initially treated the matter as a personal issue between him and the Synod.

The church funds initially found missing, which later exposed the alleged involvement of the church chowkidar, stood at Rs 3.26 crore. However, fol-lowing the police inquiry, the alleged amount misappropriated was found to have risen to Rs 4.58 crore.

The dispute involves a faction, led by Pyngrope, seeking to dissociate itself from KJP Synod Sepngi to be an independent entity and another under KJP Synod Sepngi, which wants to be governed by the provisions of the Pres-byterian Church of India.