Church receives large grant from city by mistake

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local church received an unexpected letter last month from Mayor Alvin Brown, congratulating the church on receiving a grant for more than $18,000.

But Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Arlington had never applied for a grant.

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The money -- $18,750 -- was for a summer camp program for children -- a program that the church knew nothing about.

The church wrote the Mayor's Office to let them know about the mix up.

The letter to the church from the mayor said: "It's my pleasure to once again congratulate Cornerstone Christian Fellowship on becoming a recipient of $18,750 in additional funding to further your efforts in the greater Jacksonville community."

It turns out the Jacksonville Children's Commission had switched the name of the church with the group that actually runs the summer camp program: Cornerstone Christian School.

Cornerstone School told News4Jax it didn't notice the missing grant money because it usually doesn't receive the funding until the end of the summer.

The city council passed legislation, co-sponsored by Councilman Reggie Brown, that authorized the spending for summer camp programs, which was divided among several charitable groups – including the church, by mistake.

"We are human and there has to be an error," City Councilman Reggie Brown said. "I will even look at it myself to find out where the error occurred. The one good thing is there was no money wasted."

The money was never sent to the church and Cornerstone School will receive the check at the end of the summer when camp is over.


About the Author:

Jim Piggott is the reporter to count on when it comes to city government and how it will affect the community.