Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will need to decide whether to subpoena the church of senatorial candidate Raphael Warnock after it failed to respond in writing to a legal inquiry on its charitable status.
The Secretary of State’s Securities and Charities Division has demanded explanation from the Ebenezer Building Foundation — a foundation operated by Warnock’s Ebenezer Baptist Church — of its charitable status within the state.
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“The Division’s records indicate that Ebenezer Building Foundation, Inc […] is not registered as a charitable organization with the State of Georgia,” the Securities and Charities Division wrote in an Oct. 12 letter.
Warnock is the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and a principal officer of the Ebenezer Building Foundation.
Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks to supporters as film director Spike Lee (R) listens during a canvass launch on Nov. 6, 2022, in Savannah, Georgia.
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The Oct. 12 letter continued, “Accordingly, if Ebenezer Building Foundation is soliciting charitable contributions and operating as a charitable organization in the State of Georgia without an active registration or applicable exemption, it is in violation of O.C.G.A. ? 43-17-5, and therefore, is subject to administrative penalties under O.C.G.A. ? 43-17-13.”
Neither Ebenezer Baptist Church nor Ebenezer Building Foundation replied in writing by the Nov. 2 deadline.
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