DRAMA IN THE BLACK CHURCH: Pastor Joel Peebles Literally Cast Out Of Jericho City Of Praise

In the church, we dedicate babies. We celebrate weddings and anniversaries. We also bid farewell to those who passed away.

What happens when the pastor of the church, the spiritual leader, dies? That then puts the church in turmoil.

Jericho City of Praise in Landover, Maryland, once one of the largest mega churches in America; the spiritual leader, Apostle Betty Peebles, its pastor. After she died in 2010, her son, Joel Peebles, expected to take over after serving over 20 years as associate pastor at Jericho City of Praise. But he was cast out of Jericho and now conducts services in a high school auditorium. How Joel Peebles came to be preaching in this high school auditorium and not at the Jericho City of Praise involves a deathbed controversy, a bitter court battle and a literal casting out.