New Birth expands to Denver

By Shelia M. Poole

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is expanding into the Denver area.

Darius Wise is the senior pastor, according to videos posted on YouTube earlier this month. There is also a New Birth Denver Web site and a Facebook page. According to the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church's Web site, Wise, who held the title of elder at the Lithonia church, was also the chief ministry officer.

In one YouTube video, Wise, against a backdrop of a skyline and the New Birth emblem, talks about the new church in Denver. "We see a door and an opportunity opening in Denver, Colorado," he said. "And through much prayer and much consecration, we sense and believe that God is up to something special in the Denver, Colorado region and we are excited to be a part of it." The church also operates a New Birth Charlotte (N.C.) location.

Wise could not be reached for comment and the number listed for him in the metro Atlanta area was no longer in service. The New Birth Denver Web site said Wise and his family now live in Colorado. A spokesman for New Birth could not be reached for comment. The Denver Web site did not list an address or telephone number for the church.

The Denver expansion comes as Bishop Eddie Long and New Birth rebound from a sexual misconduct scandal. Last fall, four young men accused Long, senior pastor of the Lithonia megachurch, of coercing them into having sex. The lawsuits were settled, then dismissed.

Then, on Tuesday, the Rev. Bernice King, the youngest daughter the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, announced she was leaving New Birth to pursue her own ministry.