A Toronto-based pastor whose ministry raised what is believed to have been thousands of dollars in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in crusades over the past year has lost a bid to keep secret the fact that he fathered a child with one of his church members.
Martin Kofi Danso, a self-proclaimed “prophet”, left a sour taste in the mouth of many Vincentian Christians who attended a series of meetings his church held in Kingstown last year.
Among other things, he asked persons to sow “age seeds” — giving the equivalent of their age in cash to his ministry — to receive a special blessing from God.
He asked persons who were having trouble conceiving to “sow” especially so that he can pray for them to have a child.
For other blessings, persons were asked to “sow” EC$1,000. Some persons who were leaving the event before “blessing” the “prophet” with their cash, were reprimanded for doing so, with Danso saying that he had blessed them with his preaching, but they were leaving without blessing him with their cash.
But now, the Ghana-born minister who returned to St. Vincent in July for a three-day event dubbed “Open Heaven’s Conference”, has to live with the reality that he can’t keep his identity secret in a paternity case just because the publicity could damage his reputation and hurt him financially.
According to The Star newspaper in Canada,
Ontario Superior Court Justice Fred Myers on Tuesday dismissed Danso’s request to extend a publication ban and sealing order on a court file related to allegations that he fathered a child with former congregant Chris-Ann Bartley.
Publication bans in family court matters are typically used to protect the identities of children involved.
Danso cited the risk to his “significant commercial/financial interests” as a reason for requesting a ban.
Bartley’s lawyer, Theodora Oprea, told the Star after Tuesday’s hearing that a DNA test has since confirmed Danso is the father of her client’s baby boy, who is now 6 months old. The test was not directly addressed during the court hearing.
In a sworn affidavit filed with the court, Danso claimed he had never had intimate relations with Bartley.
On Tuesday, Myers called that event Danso’s “Bill Clinton” moment, referring to the former U.S. president’s false denial that he had sex with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
Danso’s lawyer argued that without anonymity, his client will face “emotional harm and stress,” particularly if allegations involving other members of the church — which have been posted on social media — are released to the broader public.
“He’s a public figure … he is not someone who will not be harmed by certain allegations,” Daniel Robertson said.
“It cuts both ways, doesn’t it?” replied the judge. “That also brings about the possibility of a public interest when somebody’s out there with 17 churches raising charitable money and tells a couple of big, fat whoppers in a sworn affidavit.”
Danso is the founder of Miracle Arena for All Nations, which operates 17 churches including chapters in Toronto.
In St. Vincent, his congregation, Miracle Arena for All Nations St. Vincent, meets at the Russell’s Auditorium.
On Thursday, a former member of the church in St. Vincent told iWitness News of the development involving Danso, saying, “The judge unmasked him. That is the church in St. Vincent I went to and I think other church members should know.”
Another church member told on Thursday about the case involving Danso, told iWitness News, “Touch not the lord’s anointed; do his prophet no harm.” – a quotation of Psalm 105:15.
According to his ministry’s website, Prophet Dr. Kofi Danso is “Senior Pastor/General Overseer” of his church and is “known for his unique prophetic gift, healing ministry and apostolic leadership”.
The website says he is “called, by God, to the office as an Apostle and Prophet to deliver a kingdom message and to raise champions and leaders in the 21st century church.
“Prophet Danso, affectionately called ‘Papa’, travels the world impacting and empowering millions of lives through his powerful preaching and teaching ministry. He is an author, gospel artist, life coach, a worshipper and a business man with TV and radio programs across Canada.
“His desire is to see people come into a relationship with Jesus Christ and for the presence of God to consume cities and nations of the world. He is married to Reverend JoAnne Danso and has four daughters, Destiny, twins Arielle and Arianna and Miracle.”
Correction: an earlier version of this story mistakenly said that Danso was born in Nigeria. He was, in fact, born in Ghana.
So he’s a prophet of profits.
LOL
Looks like he wasn’t very good at that either.
Come on people, the prophet is a human and humans make mistakes. He will have to answer to god, so please don’t condemn him. He without sin, cast the first stone.
stupes!
Agreed. We all fall short and will continue to do so. Thx God for his grace.
The church, these days has become more of a money soliciting industry so ultimately, the best and more effective talker will evidently attract more followers and gather more dollars. At lease it is fortunate that because of DNA testing fathers no longer are able to doubt their genetic connection to their children.
However, because of our warm Vincy nature to embrace strangers so much more that our own and our strong Christian upbringing, I am never surprised reading of the success of those dignified imposters capitalizing on our terrain. Well again, it happens with corporate and hotel investors also, so why not Men of God?
Not men of God my dear…the devils’ tools is what they are. Theses are the last days and the devil sending them out in droves
my good friend , I didnt get the DNA testing fathers analogy just quite …… also from my perspective the problem these days more and more is that people put there trust in man rather than the word of our God , which the bible warned of this especially in reference to the last days . Look at the 300 Catholic priests that were found to have molested thousands of boys yet we still give them our offerings . I can go on about other denominations but the truth hurts so I wont start any religious debates .
I am not surprised. The Caribbean, with its high number of ill educated and religiously brainwashed people is fertile ground for these charlatans.
Let me not be the one to cast the first stone for we have all sinned but weren’t we warned by God himself that we are to be aware of false prophets? Wouldn’t they be told by God on that fateful day “Depart from me, I know ye not?” Just a reality check – no ill ntent here!
Hello Reporter,
I would appreciate for the sake of next time, always try to get your facts right. I don’t know where you copied this from but always try to read to detail and make enquiries before posting. The pastor in question goes by the name Danso which authentic Ghanaian name. I can understand your love for Nigeria, but please redress your post. The pastor is a Ghanaian not a Nigerian as you wrongly quoted .
Thanks and God bless you.
The false ” Profit ” was sampling the goods .
Iwn He is Ghanaian not nigerian
Jim Jones, Billy Graham, Jim Baker, Jimmy Swaggart, Creflo Dollar, Mark Burns, Joel Osteen, Pastor Morgan and family, How many times do we have to get burned by these imposters before we learn our lesson?
Admission to heaven should not depend on how much you donate to the prophet or church. Raising money in St Vincent, when you live in Canada? That doesn’t seem right to me.
Everybody in North America knows a lot of those Nigerian so-called prophets are crooks.
PROPHET OF FRAUD
Seemingly, except St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the world knows
that the leading ‘..Fraud Capitals’ are on the African Continent.
There are fraudsters of every kind. They strive on the vulnerability
of the ‘…innocent and unsuspecting.’
They often induced a state of mind, and before potential victims could
say ‘…Jesus Wept,’ they act to their detriment, giving their life savings
either for ‘…healing; …good health…promises of blessing and prosperity.’
While ‘…tithes and offerings’ are paid, based on earnings, ‘…Jesus Christ’
needs no money for people to build relationships with Him.
The ‘…Fraudsters of Prosperity Preaching’ do.
There is recourse and redress for those who now feel they had been duped
by an apparent ‘…Prophetic Fraudster.’
If there exists ‘…an Extradition Treaty’ between St. Vincent and the
Grenadines and Canada, and fraud is listed as ‘…an extradition
offence,’ then surely, a request could be made for the reasonable
suspected ‘…Prophetic Fraudster’ to be extradited to face criminal charges.
Yes, there are a lot of African fraudsters around, especially Ibo/Igbo ones from Africa, but massive and lucrative religious chicanery has always been centred in the white protestant religious congregations of America.
Among other things, this man is a charlatan, hypocrite, and bare-faced fornicator.
The wages of such sin is eternal and painful damnation by buring in hell for eternity as described in Mark 9:43: “And if your hand makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.” and Jude 7: “As Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in a similar manner, having given themselves over to sexually immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
Those who would forgive this man’s sins (a blasphemous suggestion since only God Almighty can forgive mortal sins), including dozens of his supporters on Facebook who use the feeble excuse that only Jesus is without sin forgetting that this man not only committed sin — as we all do — but deliberatley mocked God by pretending to be his prophet.
But Then
He ‘…preached and prophesied; …sowed seed and multiplied.
These may have been in keeping with his belief.
However, he is believed to have raked in ‘…substantial profits.’
criminal perspective, the ‘…Proceeds of Crime Act.’ Sure there must
be a ‘…criminal Code’ on his activities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Being a real Prophet (call by God) is NOT an walk. There are many examples in the bible to support this. It seem that Vincentians are more inclined to listen to these “profits” rather than regular church pastors. Could you imagine if all that money raised went to some of the most needy people or organizations in SVG? People rather listen to someone who said, ” the Lord told me you’re going to have a new car”, rather than taking the time to fast and pray and turn away from their sinful ways.
Self proclaimed prophet, tell me who ordained him. A real hypocrite in a true sense, a master manipulator. These are the same people who constantly preach about titheing. Titheing was meant for the Levites.
The guy got into the jamaican ” good-good “
The work the PROFIT is doing is a Business for personal gain, not a Ministry as unto the Lord. They call him the “man of god” – it is clearly seen – the god of greed and deception, NOT JEHOVAH GOD!!!
“Fyah ‘pon his head!!!”
I attended Miracle Arena and I can personally tell you this man is of the devil. One of his ministers recently told the congregation in a workers meeting (which was not taped) that if anyone reads the articles on him about this situation they are cursed!
He places fear on the simple minded and then takes their money. No one in the church is rich except for him. People give their LIFE savings for this man. I left but I know people who still go there and they are scared to even read the article.
Please people we need to do something to bring this man down. He still is saying all this is false when there is a court DNA test that proved he was the father through the Superior Court System in Canada. Im scared for the people in the church. It is a cult!
The church is a business ,it was meant to make profit, look at the Crefflo Dollar, the Benny Hinn, Joel Olstein ( religious rock star )TD Drakes (married his daughter, marriages cost over 1 million), the Copeland and on and on. Do you see any one of them are poor? Yet we take our hard warn dollars to them, utter rubbish. Why is it that it’s only the black man soul need saving? Need to hear from a so call pastor and give us your real name.
DANSO is a wolf in sheep’s clothing i cannot believe that you guys are so gullable to these money hungry bastards talking about he is a prophet thank god someone brought him out selling the word of god and healing for money like simon the sorcerer preying on the inocent minds of you weak vincentians he eating the flock and the bilbe says is only the blind or dumb will follow that the judge in canada called him BILL CLINTON i could’nt have put it better myself they are here selling miracles and empty-ing out peoples’s bank account of their life savings he is just one of many false profit not prophets samuel,elijah,elisha ect…and many others to whom we can look up to not the money hungry profits of today the bible said you shall know them by their fruits .the adulteruss fruit that he just bear and asking the judge to cover it up so he can continue robbing you poor vincentians did not the bible also said our sin shall find us out show me where in the bible jesus asked anyone for money to get pregnant or healing or for preaching the word to them rise and be healed, take up your bed and walk, woman your sins be forgiven they going to school to become rich off the ministry we are out here so we are up to their games .always selling some healing oil or water or healing cloth selling miracles let him go back to Ghana why did he not go to Jamacia to open a church let them shoot him with that kind of preaching give money to have babies let the church move on if the preacher in the church and he wouldn’t do right what do we do put him out and get another and let the church move on .let this fradulent pastor go be gone .many are called but few are chosen his time is expired take our advice let him go he is another fraudster doctor told me i would never have a child i rejected it in jesus name today i have a five year old son praise god i changed my bad eating habits and read 1samuel chapter one everyday i never paid money for pregnancy even the lady who did my tedt was amazed miracle from god not from money hungry profits like danso i want to send a message to all these weasles to please stay out of our country and stop preying on the inocent minds of our people .I’M sure there is someone who can lead that church there in svg.
So many of these Church people, pastors etc, are nothing but legalised thieves, hypocrites and sexual predators preying on the vulnerability and ignorance of simple folk. Name me one poor ‘pastor’ and I’ll show you a genuine man.
Jesus of Nazareth, the poorest King the Jews have ever had.
DEMONIZED THIEVES
No Loretta! What some are doing to the innocent congregants,
is not ‘…legal and cannot be legalized.’
Maybe cannabis, as advocated by attorney Grant Connell’
[IWN: August 17, 2018]
This is more in keeping with the behavior of rascals.
Hence, you may wish to refer to them as ‘…Demonized Thieves.’
While there may be many ‘…honest rich men of cloth,’ all have sinned,
and likened to the rest of us ‘…come short of the Glory of God.’
Where would you like them to spend eternity – heaven or hell?
This guy flew around on private jets no wonder he is telling the poor to sow seeds in his ministry.Private jets ain’t cheap. Just remember Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem on a chariot.
People are so dumb these days that I have no sympathy for those believe they can buy their way into Heaven (wherever that is). As a kid mother had to give me two pennies when I attended church: One to buy crust-cake and one for the collection plate. One penny didn’t cut it and never reached the collection plate.
As for casting the first stone: I will if he mess with young children like those Catholic priests did. Folks have been using the church to get rich since in the days of Jesus. Didn’t he beat the shit out of some guys who were using the church?
They should jail him and let’s those gay men have his way with him. Master manipulator, I know one of his converts who will kill to protect him. Remember one of the deciples cut off the ear of a person who I think came for Jesus. There are fanatics today we hope we will kill for Martin Danso.
http://documentationcapitale.ca/index.php/2018/08/22/danso-v-bartley-2018-onsc-4929/
Here are the official court paper, he is the father of that baby, so sad….