Gospel for Asia is Encouraging People to Donate Settlement Funds Back to GFA

As a part of the settlement in fraud case Murphy v. Gospel for Asia, GFA agreed to set aside $37-million in a Settlement Fund to provide relief for donors as well as cover court costs and attorneys’ fees. GFA also agreed to have plaintiff Murphy join GFA’s board. Murphy and GFA will also work together to designate a replacement for K.P. Yohannan’s wife who will go off of the GFA board. GFA agreed not to appoint any other relative of Yohannan to the board.

The mission organization also agreed to comply with Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability guidelines and seek readmission to membership. GFA was kicked out of the ECFA in 2015 and has never requalified for admission.

Read the Settlement Agreement

In the mean time, GFA is seeking to get some of the settlement money back via donors. The email below comes from a current staff member who asks supporters to seek the funds and redonate them to GFA. Although this is meant to sound spontaneous and individualized, I have gotten word that the same appeal has gone out from several staff members. I can’t corroborate all of the claims in the email except those which are a part of the settlement. Here is the appeal:

Dear friends,

I come to you this morning, not in any official capacity or representing anyone else, but expressing my own thoughts as someone who loves and supports Gospel for Asia. I am writing to you about a matter of tremendous importance, for which I request your prayers.

I am sending this communication to all those on my regular prayer email list plus a few others that I thought would benefit to hear this.

As you may know, GFA has been embroiled in a class action lawsuit for the last three years alleging that the ministry has misdirected funds that people donated to the mission field. If you donated to the field any time in the last 10 years, then you are part of the class and you should have recently received a notice from the court informing you about the settlement of this lawsuit and your part in it.

So what does this settlement mean to you and to me? First, some background.

For over three years now, GFA has been in a legal battle to survive this lawsuit, and yet it has not even come to trial. In addition to the immense burden on GFA of carrying on its defense, paying for legal representation, and supporting the onerous demands of the court and plaintiffs for information, the lawsuit has repeatedly been used as fodder for a far-reaching negative public relations campaign which has greatly damaged the reputation and ministry of GFA.

As a consequence, despite having the evidence to demonstrate that “all funds designated to the field were sent to the field and used for ministry purposes” GFA has agreed to settle the lawsuit out of court. As GFA says in its official statement here, “The agreement to settle was, in part, precipitated by a concern that the ministry could continue to bear the weight of defending itself.”

The settlement means that, in return for the lawsuit being dropped and never renewed, GFA must pay 37 million dollars. There is a bit more to it than that of course, but essentially it comes down to money—1/3rd of which (about 12 million dollars) goes to the trial lawyer. You can read One donor’s analysis of the GFA Class Action Settlement for a summary of what the settlement means, or read the 45 pages of legalese in the settlement itself here. GFA also has an official FAQ.

You might well be asking, “If GFA is an organization which primarily exists to connect the American church to the work of believers in Asia, how does it have 37 million to pay this settlement?” The answer: GFA doesn’t have it. GFA’s field partners in Asia have decided to use their locally-raised funds to cover about two-thirds of the settlement cost, and GFA has twelve months to raise the remaining 11 million, none of which will come from donations to the work on the field. If GFA doesn’t come up with the 11 million before the end of that twelve months, it forfeits it’s security collateral—GFA’s International Headquarters campus in Wills Point, TX.

So what does the settlement mean to you and me? The 25 million dollars that remains of the settlement (after the trial lawyer’s cut) is where you and I come in. This money is designated for what is called “Settlement Relief” of the class members. Each of us in the class may claim up to 100% of the amount we donated to work on the field through GFA. Or we can claim nothing, and none of that money will come to us. Any money that is unclaimed after the claim deadline will be divided up by the court between five ministries: Samaritan’s Purse; Friends of Israel; Global Training Network; Heaven’s Family; and Christ for All Peoples. Regardless of whether anyone makes a claim against the settlement fund, GFA will still have to pay the full amount of the settlement.

This brings me to my decision about my response: Because I strongly disagree with this lawsuit and what it represents, because of the great burden it has placed on GFA without any determination of wrongdoing, and because I want to do what I can to help God’s work continue in Asia, ______ and I have submitted our claim in this settlement for 100% of what we are eligible to claim. I plan to take all the money I can from my claim, minus an amount I will need to set aside for taxes, and donate it back to GFA to their general fund to help cover the 11 million dollars it has to raise for the settlement.

If you are also part of the “class,” will you ask God whether He would have you to do the same? And whether or not you are part of the class, will you please join me in praying that God will work a mighty deliverance for His people and for the work of the gospel?

To make your claim, all  you have to do is go to this link and fill out the online form. You don’t even have to know how much you are eligible to claim, the settlement administrator already knows that. You will need your “Class Member ID” which is in the settlement notification that you received by email or by postcard.

Regardless of what you decide to do, I hope this information has been useful to you. If you have questions, feel free to email or call me and I will answer to the best of my ability. And if you have found this email helpful, please forward along to anyone else you know who has donated to GFA and you believe might benefit from the information.

And finally, please pray that God will be glorified in this situation, and His will be done. I know that God is mighty and is in control. Many of the Psalms have taken on fresh life and relevance for me over the last couple years.

Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.

(Psalm 69:4)

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.          Selah

(Psalm  62:8)

If this was written by a staff person, I would guess they work in public relations. I suspect more that this was written for staff by someone hired by GFA.

Clever strategy but I doubt that this is what the court intended. I should add that the settlement isn’t final as yet. It won’t be until June 13 when the Final Settlement Hearing is held. I don’t know if this kind of action by GFA could put the settlement in jeopardy.

It is obvious that GFA’s leaders are unconcerned about any of the issues raised by the ECFA in 2015 or Murphy v. GFA. Despite being chastised multiple times by a federal judge and having to settle this case with a monetary settlement and by giving up a board seat to Dr. Murphy, they have taken no responsibility and show no humility or contrition.

Right now, there are food pantries in every town in America which need funds to keep going. If you donated funds to GFA, consider recovering those funds to help people who need essentials.

If you want to give to something more exotic, consider the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative. The SCI helps protects children from parasitic worms which helps to decrease rates of malaria and HIV transmission. Benefits include improvements in neurological function and overall health. Survival chances increase dramatically when simple and cheap treatments are implemented.

Whatever you do, ask questions. GFA spins and promotes well but they don’t answer questions. For instance, numerous times I have asked, as have others, how they are getting funds into India since they lost their registration as a charity. The only answers given to others have all been false or misleading.

26 thoughts on “Gospel for Asia is Encouraging People to Donate Settlement Funds Back to GFA”

  1. That defeats the purpose, it’s a subterfuge. The point is to give money back to people who feel cheated. At least there’s going to be some reform but I wouldn’t give them any money until they regain ecfa status again. I’m giving to unicef.
    I gave 21k to Gospel For Asia over 13 years but I have 13K in this lawsuit. I’ll be surprise if I get a thousand back.

  2. The double grift- professional cons sometimes find a way to give back the many they already conned and get it back – with additional amounts added. Saw this happen when James Rockford (James Garner) would run a con on a bad guy on episodes of the Rockford Files….

  3. This reminds me of the case were a mayor had to resign from office because he pleaded no contest to criminal charges, then tried to run for re-election in the special election to replace him.

  4. “…GFA is seeking to get some of the settlement money back via donors.”

    Again demonstrating that you can fool some of the sheeple all of the time.

  5. Does this mean the plaintiffs, the Murphys and the Dicksons, can’t comment on GFA nor the lawsuit, but GFA staff can make all the disparaging remarks they want regarding the lawsuit but GFA’s lawyers can’t make disparaging remarks? It seems a little unfair the plaintiffs can’t defend themselves from the staff.

    “16. NON-DISPARAGEMENT AND PUBLIC COMMENTS
    16.1. Plaintiffs as well as their experts agree not to directly or indirectly disclose,
    communicate, or publish any disparaging, negative, harmful, or disapproving information, whether
    conveyed by written communication, oral communication, electronic or magnetic communication,
    writing, oral or written statement, comment, opinion, remark or otherwise, concerning or related
    to the Plaintiffs’ allegations in the Murphy Litigation or Dickson Litigation or any other matter
    made the subject of this Settlement Agreement or the Release herein.
    16.2. Any public statements made by Class Counsel or Defense Counsel related to the
    Murphy Litigation, the Dickson Litigation, or this Agreement must be agreed to in advance by the
    other Party prior to publication, except that Class Counsel may list the case name and number and
    settlement amount on their websites, list(s) of completed cases, etc.”

    1. If it can somehow be proved that GFA had something to do with the creation of this document, then I would absolutely say it violates the settlement agreement, but I’m not a lawyer and that first “if” is a big one. Do I think they are behind this? For sure; it fits their above-the-law behavior and arrogance completely. Will we ever know for certain? I doubt it.

      1. Wondering … I am wondering how you see that GFA would be in violation of the agreement based on this section? Or is there a parallel section to 16.1 that addresses the defendants? I only see restrictions on the Plaintiffs and on both sides’ legal representatives … which does seem a little strange…

        1. Because I think the source of this email was encouraged (if not outright instructed) to pass this along to donors. I doubt they are the author, which begs the question of the original source. I think GFA is using (abusing?) staff to do what its leadership cannot do. They seem to be acting vicariously, which is in bad faith at best and illegal at worst. My own opinion, but unfortunately based on experience and many years of GFA’s nonsense.

          Note: I thought the same rules applied to the defendants which affects all of my statements, but I need to read the settlement docs again. I certainly could be wrong, but for some reasons I thought this went both ways. If not, at the very least it is an effort to undermine the settlement agreement before it is finalized, and that is certainly covered in the document.

        2. Because I think the source of this email was encouraged (if not outright instructed) to pass this along to donors. I doubt they are the author, which begs the question of the original source. I think GFA is using (abusing?) staff to do what its leadership cannot do. They seem to be acting vicariously, which is in bad faith at best and illegal at worst. My own opinion, but unfortunately based on experience and many years of GFA’s nonsense.

          Note: I thought the same rules applied to the defendants which affects all of my statements, but I need to read the settlement docs again. I certainly could be wrong, but for some reasons I thought this went both ways. If not, at the very least it is an effort to undermine the settlement agreement before it is finalized, and that is certainly covered in the document.

    2. Thanks for pointing out this clause. This works as a bizarre gag order and is another thing that I really do not like about the settlement. I have very little faith in our court system actually bringing justice. That means that God Himself will have to do it and his ways are exceedingly severe according to the scriptures. I just wanted the office closed permanently and KP kicked out of the country for good. What God will do will make what I want look like a walk in the park. There are some severe times coming soon upon the whole world which is a form of correction and punishment from the Lord. This will trip some people up who see Jesus only as Lamb and never as the Lion, but he already came as the Lamb. His return will bring out the Lion and so do not be surprised as this severeness will be ramping up over time. Jesus will never stop being the Lamb who saved us all from ourselves. But few see the balance and few are prepared for the great storm coming. I have seen GFA and their airport project on the plantation they stoled from the Indian government get hit by this with severe consequences for their leaders. They will not be alone with the troubles coming. Liars keep trying to spin the truth into a lie that is favorable for their true God which is Mammon. Justice is coming and men will not be the ones ultimately behind that with their systems they have created. Beyond that the Lake of Fire will be permanent and we are told that “all liars” will go their. That will be even more severe than what we will soon see on this earth.

      1. I wouldn’t get so excited as to start prophesying about the outpouring of God’s wrath on the whole world because things aren’t going the way you want them to. Exploitation and greed within religion isn’t new, nor is it shocking to God. The courts have accomplished a lot with GFA, even if it doesn’t look like it right now. It’s not over I suspect.

        1. If you are thinking I am saying this just because I am making stuff up, that is not the case. I am not KP after all. What I am saying is biblical and also it is cyclical as one looks back through history. The problem is that most totally ignore history and also do not know their Bible even though they may call themselves a Christian. The Bible is full of stories of men who refused to believe these warnings just because it had been a while since the last cycle. Nothing has changed as most people alive today do not believe that Jesus is coming back as the Lion of Judah. Does God lie?

          “Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.” Isa 13:11

          “”It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men Who are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good or evil!'” Zeph 1:12

          “But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.” Psalm 37:38

          “Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.” Prov. 11:21

          “But I will punish you according to the results of your deeds,” declares the LORD, “And I will kindle a fire in its forest That it may devour all its environs.”‘” Jer. 21:14

          “Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Luke 3:9

          “He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made. His mischief will return upon his own head, And his violence will descend upon his own pate.” Psalm 7:15

          And many, many more just like these. King David did say that it is a blessing when God’s judgments are on the earth did he not? The Bible records cycles of judgments periodically throughout history. There is always another one coming until the greatest of those happens when the Lion of Judah is fully revealed in all of His glory “From His mouth comes a sharp sword (His word) with which He may strike down the nations, and He will [a]rule them with a rod of iron; and He will tread the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty [in judgment of the rebellious world].” What I have seen I do not think is the final one, but rather or not I have actually seen anything or believe it myself does not change a fact that these things are true and are coming sooner than the unprepared want them to…

          1. Judgement is coming, and it will be terrible. Whether GFA gets its full comeuppance before the final judgement is in God’s hands. But nobody will get off scot-free – unless their sins are covered by the blood of Christ.

          2. “Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.” Prov. 11:21

            What happens if an evil man descended from a righteous man? Will he be delivered or punished?

            How about this one?

            “To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. ” 1 Tim 4:10

            The only people your wrathful Jesus was ever wrathful towards on this earth were religious judgmentalists. To the rest He said, “Judge not and you shall not be judged.”

            God Loves His enemies. Every scripture needs to be interpreted with that in mind.

          3. So you’re guessing and hoping God’s wrath will pour out on those people who make you mad and you’ll get even on all the people who looked at you the wrong way or didn’t listen to your dire warnings and spiritual threats of God’s destruction. I use to feel and think that way when I was heavily involved in church. It’s almost like I felt powerless and I wanted to pretend I had god-like power to smite my enemies and felt secure in the knowledge that they’d eventually get what’s coming to them and I’d be the winner in the end. I was pretty screwed-up by religion.

          4. Again your judging my intentions and motives here. By your logic everyone in the Bible who either saw things like this directly or repeated what was clearly said were doing things for the wrong reasons. A big problem with that is that Jesus cried literally over Jerusalem when he realized the destruction that is coming.

            Perhaps you did have a problem, but that does not mean that everyone does. One of the greatest errors I see people in general make is that they assume everyone else is just like them. This is the opposite of the reality of the matter. Again, regardless of my personal motives judgment is coming. I do not rejoice that evil men will die. I have never said that. But the Bible is what it is and it says what it says. It says things that none of us like in places, but that does not make what it says evil or false.

          5. Are you not using ominous threats of supernatural violence and wrath for which you have no control over and know not the time, nor place, nor to whom these things will happen? From my viewpoint it looks like you’re trying to give yourself control over that which you have no control and gain power over those you consider your enemies by claiming special knowledge from God. I’m not buying it, and thankfully, I don’t have to.

          6. I am speaking of what the Scriptures foretell. My concern is that when the hard times come, and they are coming, that many will fall away because they think Jesus is someone that He is not. This is not about me, which is what you would like to believe. What has been prophesied in the Scriptures will come to pass. Ignoring what they say and pretending that they do not exist, I do not think will help anyone.

          7. “Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.” Prov. 11:21

            What happens if an evil man descended from a righteous man? Will he be delivered or punished?

            How about this one?

            “To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. ” 1 Tim 4:10

            The only people your wrathful Jesus was ever wrathful towards on this earth were religious judgmentalists. To the rest He said, “Judge not and you shall not be judged.”

            God Loves His enemies. Every scripture needs to be interpreted with that in mind.

            Creation is a soul forge, where the immortal beings are formed and perfected not having been created perfect, but flawed, and coming to perfection through their own wills and the work of salvation in Yeshua. His wrath lasts for a time but His Love endures forever; the wrath to come is for the salvation of creation and not to destroy it.

            The only thing God will ultimately destroy is sin – everything He created will last; because He is a perfect creator, He will have a perfect creation.

          8. I am not sure what you are driving at here, or if you are presenting a universalist viewpoint, which I am obviously not. It does appear to me that you are stuck in the past, in the first coming, and are not looking at what the Word says about the second. The one to come is a new and different revelation from the past. Jesus is not coming to save us again from our sins by dying on another cross. He is coming to save the earth from being destroyed and men from destroying our whole race according to what is recorded in the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

            Rom. 11:21 ” For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.
            Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.”

      2. Mr. Jesperson. I’ve read your posts ad-nauseum! You serve a god of wrath and indignation. Although I believe GFA has committed wrong doings, they may see it differently. God is a just and loving God and he works with and through imperfect people. Although you and I may disagree with KP and what has transpired, he has been saved by grace through faith. The Scripture is clear “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thes 5:9. We are all spared his wrath through Jesus. It amazes me how the Church is so far away from Jesus style of life and ministry. He worked with broken vessels (tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners of all kinds). He chose NOT to work with the religious people of his day. They were the ones he deemed the most lost. He will not come as a lion to rip “the heathen” to shreds. He will come to judge but He will judge in love. There will be and there is no eternal hell awaiting the unbelievers and sinners. There is no literal lake of fire where people will burn for ever and ever. It behooves me how Christians can believe in such an “eternal Auschwitz”. Mr. Jesperson, you are well read in the Scriptures, I believe you are saved by the grace of God, but from your writings I am not sure you know the grace or love of God. I am sure you will have an answer for what I’ve written. 🙂

        1. Are you ignorant of the scriptures?

          Matt. 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of

          heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

          Earlier Matt 7:15 “But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it. Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”

          By what fruit will we recognize them: Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? 13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
          14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.”

          And also this: Rev 21:8 “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

          KP is, as far as I know, the most successful greedy false prophet, messiah and liar so far in this world. He has stolen likely about $1 Billion from the charitable pockets of the unsuspecting an naive like me. Call him what you like. The only thing that matters is what Jesus calls men who act like him…

  6. I come to you this morning, not in any official capacity or representing anyone else, but expressing my own thoughts as someone who loves and supports Gospel for Asia.

    Legal insulation?

    1. I don’t know how a current GFA staff member can say they don’t represent anyone and still manage to keep a straight face.

      1. Skilled liars do this kind of thing all the time for money. They are all around us. They are in ads of every type. They are on television, cable, and the Internet. And there are many in our churches for “Christian” advertising is absolutely no different. We are so bombarded by half-truths and spin that it is extremely difficult to tell the truth. It requires being able to see the Lord Jesus Christ directly, and not through some intermediary, to even begin to make a dent in all of the lying…

        Rev 21:8 “But as for the cowards and unbelieving and abominable [who are devoid of character and personal integrity and practice or tolerate immorality], and murderers, and sorcerers [with intoxicating drugs], and idolaters and occultists [who practice and teach false religions], and all the liars [who knowingly deceive and twist truth], their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

    2. My boss told me to make it very clear in my letter that he’s not telling me to write this letter.

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