Jackson Free Press

Religious organizations are generally not allowed to donate to politicians, but often find clever ways to skirt the Internal Revenue Service prohibitions.

One way is just for the pastor and key church officials to personally make big contributions, and encourage their flock to do the same, to support candidates who share their values. Another is to allow candidates to speak to congregants directly, which lets the politician associate himself or herself with that particular house of worship.

Both are gray areas.

It's quite another thing, though, for a church to give directly to a political candidate. That's what appears to be happening in the case of Hinds County Democratic hopeful Willie Earl Robinson. Campaign finance reports show that Hill of Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Bolton made a donation of $500 to Robinson's campaign.

Robinson's challenger in the Hinds County District 2 race, Darrel McQuirter, is a pastor. The name of his church -- Pleasant Green Baptist Church -- does not appear on his finance reports, but McQuirter and his wife personally contributed more than $7,000 to the campaign coffers.

Under the Federal Election Campaign Act, charitable organizations (in fact, all corporations) are prohibited from making contributions in connection with federal elections. This is not a federal election. However, the IRS code, which applies to all organizations that have tax-exempt status, states: "(A)ll section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office."

A Guidestar.com search of 501c3 nonprofits as well as a search of charities through the Mississippi Secretary of State yielded no results for a Hill of Zion M.B. Church in Bolton.

An attempt to reach the church by phone this morning was not successful.

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2013/oct/08/14003/

We got this list of endorsements the other day from the Tony Yarber camp. It's verbatim, but we think they meant April 1 in the first line:

On March 1, 2014 at 10:30 am at the Yarber for Mayor campaign headquarters (932 N. State Street) approximately 10 pastors endorsed Councilman Tony Yarber for mayor of the city of Jackson, MS. Rev. Jesse Sutton, the so-called “Dean” of pastors in the state and pastor of New McRaven Hill MB Church, made very profound comments about Yarber, stating, “I do not need a script for Tony. I have known him all of his life.”

Below is a listing of pastoral endorsements for Tony Yarber:

Pastor Baron Banks Pine View Presbyterian Church

Pastor Jimmie Burse Pastor, Holy Ghost Baptist Church Moderator of COMBDA

Pastor R.E. Cook Greater New Jerusalem

Pastor John C. Evans Cathedral A.M.E. Zion Church

Pastor Thomas Jenkins New Dimensions

Pastor Jay Johnson Abounding Grace

Pastor Julius Laird Wayside Church of Deliverance

Pastor M.V. May Rehoboth Church

Pastor Willie Macula New Hope MB Church

Pastor Charles Polk St. Luther MB Church

Pastor Ernest Slaughter New Canney Creek MB Church

Pastor Bobby Stapleton Rehoboth International Ministries

Pastor Arty Stuckey Restoration Baptist Church

Pastor Arthur Sutton Progressive MB Church

Pastor Frank Sutton Fairfield Baptist Church

Pastor Jesse Sutton New McRaven Hill Baptist Church

Pastor Clyde Tate Antioch Baptist Church

Pastor Willie Tobias Progressive Morning Star Baptist Church

Pastor Marek Walker Cherry Grove MB Church

Bishop Isaiah Williams Potter’s House Church