A Wake Up Call To Erwin McManus and Awaken 2

Continued from previous post:

A Few Answers From Eric Bryant


Awaken vice president Eric Bryant and I exchanged emails from April 17 until May 3, 2007. In these emails I asked very specific questions regarding “Awaken” and often referred back to the information posted on the Awaken Humanity webpage at

http://www.awaken.org/awaken-humanity


Since Jimmy Duke, the former vice president of Awaken, knew who I was when he sent an email response to me on April 17, I believed that Eric Bryant was also aware of my identity and knew about my blog. On April 20 Eric claimed that he had not known who I was before but indicated that he was now aware of my identity and the existence of this blog. He expressed his “disappointment” with me but added this comment about my father:

“We continue to run the finances of Mosaic and Awaken with integrity just as your father did.”

These are Eric Bryant’s answers to the specific questions I asked. He gave me these answers on April 20, 2007, in the same email in which he claims he had just found out who I am.

1. Is the entire $100,000 being raised going towards a film (or films such as Awaken Africa and Awaken L.A. as the case may be) project?

$0 given towards Awaken Humanity goes towards films

2. Is only part of the $100,000 being raised going towards a film (or films) project?

$0 given towards Awaken Humanity goes towards films

3. Is Awaken soliciting donations on behalf of the charities listed?

All the money goes towards the projects listed. (Yvonne: I'm still not clear on this one, does this mean you are "soliciting" donations?)

4. Can I still send a donation to Awaken but designate a specific charity in the memo line?

Awaken allows people to designate where their gifts go.

5. Does Awaken have its own 501(c)(3), on record with the state of California, separate from Mosaic?

No answer

6. Is Awaken under Awaken International?

No answer

7. Is Awaken under Awaken Center for Creativity?

No answer

8. Does Awaken International have its own 501(c)(3) on record with the state of California?

No answer

9. Does Awaken Center for Creativity has its own 501(c)(3) on record with the state of California?

No answer

10. Is Awaken in compliance with all federal and California state laws, rules and regulations regarding the operation of a religious, non-profit?

Currently, all the money that comes into Awaken for Awaken Humanity is then sent to Mosaic for distribution. Mosaic and Awaken are operating legally and ethically. Both are in compliance with all laws, rules, and regulations. Every year the Mosaic leadership determines the relationship between Mosaic and Awaken.


I received a final email from Eric Bryant on April 27, 2007 with this new information:

Awaken is a registered 501c3 under the name Awaken Humanity. We just received our paperwork recently. The Secretary of State should be updating their website soon. This summer we are registering for tax exempt status. Currently, Awaken is still a subsidiary of Mosaic until we finish this paperwork. The elders began this paperwork process awhile back, but we have a few more loose ends to tie up. Your dad oversaw the Mosaic finances until Dec. 2006 and the Awaken finances until Dec. 2005.


This is the last email I sent to Eric Bryant on May 3, 2007:


Eric,

I've read through your answers several times but there are certain things about them that still don't make sense to me.

You wrote that my father oversaw the finances of "Awaken" until Dec. 2005. First of all, which "Awaken" are you referring to? According to the California Business Portal, the paperwork for:

Awaken Center for Creativity was filed on August 7, 2002. Agent for Service of Process Erwin McManus

. . . and the paperwork for:

Awaken International was filed July 22, 2003. Agent for Service of Process Erwin McManus

I visited the California Business Portal on April 30, 2007 and found:

Awaken Humanity
Filed April 20, 2007
Agent for Service of Process: Eric Bryant

Clearly, my father could not have been over the finances of this last "Awaken" since he "retired" from Mosaic on January 1, 2007 and has since resigned as one of its elders.

Also, when you wrote that my father oversaw "Awaken finances until Dec. 2005," this doesn't match what I remember. I remember my father saying that he resigned from the board of directors of "Awaken" in the summer of 2004. In fact, I believe he wasn't the only person to resign; didn't several of the elders also resign from Awakens board of directors at that time? My father says he resigned because he couldn't get the financial reports he needed to file the required Form 990. This must have been Awaken International since the paperwork to incorporate it was filed in 2003.

I guess what my confusion boils down to is this, what corporation are you referring to you when you use the name "Awaken?" The California State Attorney Generals office recognizes two legal entities with Erwin McManus listed as the Agent for Service of Process. Both of these legal entities are still listed as being under a suspended status at the California Business Portal. Are any steps being taken to either lift these suspensions or dissolve these corporations?

In regards to Federal recognition of Awaken Humanity:

The name Awaken Humanity has not yet shown up on the IRS Publication 78 listing of Charities and Non-Profits. I would like to see any official paperwork you have such as the actual application for tax exempt-status (either form 1023 or 1024) that you sent to the IRS along with any replies from the IRS.

Jimmy Duke wrote to me in an email:

For one to feel the need to ask "serious" questions, one must feel like the truth is not accessible and therefore needs to ask questions. And to be honest, that is just not the cast here at Mosaic. We are very open and transparent around here. And whenever I've needed clarity on something, I've asked and got an answer.

Eric, based on our previous email exchanges, I don't feel as though I am receiving any real "clarity" on the questions I have asked. I find this highly disturbing since I've not encountered such resistance from the other charitable organizations I've contacted before, in fact; a few of these volunteered to disclose information on their 501(c)(3) status before I even asked about it.

I admit, when I began asking these questions it was because I felt "the truth is not accessible" since:

1. "Awaken" does not list its board of directors anywhere on its related web pages.

2. There is too much ambiguity over the location of its office. (Which hinders "disclosure" by making it difficult for a concerned citizen to "walk in" and ask to see your documentation.)

3. Awaken has its own website but does not take advantage of the rules regarding on-line disclosure by including such documents on it web pages.

4. You still haven't acknowledged my request for a copy of your 501(c)(3) and its accompanying documentation which I am entitled to ask for under both State and Federal law. (I will let you know if my schedule will allow me to "walk in" to pick it up or (if not) I will provide you with an address where they can be mailed to as soon as you let me know how much the copies will be.) *

When I read through the web pages on "Awaken" I was alarmed to realize that there seems to be a lot of money being sent to "Awaken" in the form of proceeds from the sale of resources (films, film clips, Erwin's books, audio, DVDs, music), fees collected for conferences, and direct donations. This is why I began to ask my questions, I just wanted to be sure all this money was being handled with proper stewardship.

Unfortunately, your emails have not had much effect on alleviating my concerns.

Eric, I really was hoping that my questions would be answered without so much prompting on my part. I feel as if you, or whoever is behind your answers, has/have not taken my questions seriously.


Your sister in the Lord,

Yvonne W.




Some Concluding thoughts:


Awaken Center for Creativity and Awaken International are still under a suspended status.

I don’t know what year it was when these suspensions took place but I do know that “Awaken” has been receiving donations for its various charitable projects before its latest incarnation as Awaken Humanity as filed by Eric Bryant on April 20, 2007.

Based on the scant information I was given by Eric Bryant concerning “Awaken”, I consulted a free on-line legal resource and asked a specialist on California tax law the following question:

If a California corporation fails to follow through on the paperwork for establishing a religious non-profit under one name but 4 years later begins the paperwork on establishing another non-profit under a similar sounding name (same first word but different second word), can this new non-profit claim that any donations made during the interim period to the "short form" of the original name were tax deductible and/or covered under the new corporation?

The answer I received was:

No. The two organizations will have different EIN numbers.


EIN = Employee Identification Number, this number is issued by the IRS.

I am not saying this is what “Awaken” is trying to do but it appears as if this is what has happened.

I welcome any further comments on these issues from the leadership of Mosaic or Awaken. If my facts are incorrect, please let me know and I will correct them. If Mr. Bryant feels I have misquoted him or taken his words out of context I would be happy to reprint our entire unedited email exchange upon receipt of his written permission to do so.

As of today, May 5, 2007, I am not sure if I will be pursuing these questions any further on my own.


* I requested a copy of Awaken’s 501(c)(3) and its related documentation on April 17, 2007 using my full first and last (married) name. I am still waiting for some type of acknowledgement of my request.