A Missouri pastor has apologized after he berated his "cheap" congregation for not buying him a designer watch while allegedly delivering a sermon on the importance of "taking care of God's shepherd," Daily Mail reports.
Viral video of the sermon shows Kansas City pastor Carlton Funderburke calling churchgoers "poor, broke, busted, and disgusted" for not using their "McDonald's money" to buy him the Movado brand watch he asked for last year.
"I'm not worth your McDonald's money? I'm not worth your Red Lobster money?" Funderburke asked the Church at the Well congregation earlier this month. "I ain't worth your St. John Knits - y'all can't afford it no how."
"I ain't worth your Louis Vuitton? I ain't worth your Prada? I'm not worth your Gucci?" he added.
The pastor continued to condemn his congregation for not honoring him with a Movado watch, which ranges in price from $395 to $3,295.
"Ooh, you can buy a Movado [watch] at Sam's [Club] and you know I asked for one last year. And here it is all the way in August and I still ain't got it," Funderburke said, claiming he wanted members to know "what God is saying."
"Let me kick down the door and talk to my cheap sons and daughters," the Church at the Well pastor added.
On Tuesday (August 16), Funderburke released an apology video addressing the viral video of his alleged sermon via Facebook Watch.
"[The] video clip does not reflect my heart or my sentiment toward God's people, yet, that's not discernible in the clip," the pastor said as he read from a visible script. "Therefore, I offer this sincere apology to you today."
"No context could erase the words I used," he continued. "I apologize to all the people that have been hurt or angered or anyway damaged by my words."
Funderburke went on to apologize for not showing his congregation "respect" or "love" and for all of the criticism other pastors have received as a result of his actions.
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