“As an organization, we apologize to those who may have been offended by the manner of receiving donations. It is never our intent for our proceedings to be an offense or [hindrance] for anyone, as it is our goal to win as many as we are able to Christ,” Brooks said. He expressed gratitude for Sapp, whom he described as having been “a devoted member of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. for many years.”
“Sapp has generously given and supported many initiatives in a manner that is not widespread, to not bring the focus on himself, but Christ,” Brooks said. “Attacks against his character are an unfortunate byproduct of the social media age, and we disagree wholeheartedly with these attacks.”
Marvin Sapp: ‘I’ve Received Death Threats’
In his appearance on Smiley’s show, Marvin Sapp corrected several points in the false narrative he described. First, the worship event was not at his church but occurred last year in Baltimore at a PAW convention, he noted.
Also, “I never said, ‘Lock the doors,’” said Sapp. Attendees were still free to come and go. He wanted people to understand that ushers are not supposed to walk during the altar call, prayer, or offering because of the “sacredness of the moment. But it’s also about security.”
“Churches are being robbed at gunpoint,” Sapp said. “It’s happening all over the country. This is not something I’m making up; this is factual.”
Moreover, Sapp said he never received any of the money people gave at that time. It “was never given to me,” he said. “That money was raised for the purpose of taking care of the budget for their conference, not Marvin Sapp.”
Sapp said people who saw the clip did not like his tone, and regarding that point, he acknowledged, “I can honestly say, you know, looking at the video, maybe I was a little more assertive than I should have been. And I can apologize for that. You know, I can apologize for that.”
Sapp went on to tell Smiley that the reason he was on Smiley’s show was that “people have taken clickbait and made something out of it that it isn’t.” Sapp’s church has been getting phone calls from people who have cussed Sapp out. “My staff are afraid because I’ve received death threats [because of] $20 and ‘shut the door,’” he said.
