COGIC Family paid for church life insurance policy, the company says it might not be valid

Family paid for church life insurance policy, the company says it might not be valid

A Midwest City woman said she cannot access her husband’s life insurance policy after his death. Angelia Wright said she purchased the policy through The Church of God in Christ in 2018. According to its website, the Church of God in Christ, Inc. (COGIC) is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Churches in the metro area are under the Great SE Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ, which offered the policy.

Wright bought one $50,000 plan for herself and one $50,000 plan for her husband, Tommy, paying $70 per month.

After her husband’s death in February, Wright called the insurance provider, Lincoln Financial, to access the policy so she could pay for his funeral. She claimed the company asked her if she could provide tax information since she was an employee of the church.

“I said we don’t work for The Church of God in Christ,” said Wright.

According to Wright, the church claimed she and her husband were employees to get a group rate on the policy. She said when she told the church’s financial advisor about the problem, he told her to come to his office to sign paperwork and he would handle it.

“I didn’t even look at the letter,” said Wright, who had been a member of the church for more than 40 years.

Her daughter Felicia said the financial advisor, Dedrick Adell, had the piece of paper ready for her to sign when she showed up. It wasn’t until she took a closer look at the paper later that it was written as if she penned it.

“It states that my father was an employee for a Church of God in Christ,” said Felicia. “He has never worked for The Church of God in Christ.”

KFOR News 4 spoke to Adell and asked if he falsified documents to show Wright and her husband worked for the church.

“No ma’am,” said Adell in a phone call.

We asked if the family had ever worked for the church.

“They actually did work for them because they actually volunteer all the time, working through the church,” said Adell.

KFOR responded by saying that a volunteer is not a paid employee. Adell said he was working to fix the problem but the Wright family said the insurance company already closed the policy because of too many “red flags.”

KFOR also reached out to Church of God in Christ Bishop Malcolm Coby, but our call was not returned. Wright attends Jones Chapel who said they are victims too. It’s the denomination, not the church she attends, that offered the policy. She said she wanted to get the word out to protect her fellow congregation who could also be affected.

“We have no closure. My dad is still at the crematory,” said Felicia. “We’re trying to make sure that we bury him properly, and to find out that they falsification or falsified documents to do this is very disheartening.”

Wright said she was reaching out to lawyers to handle the issue that’s affected their entire family.

Tommy Wright still has not been buried and the family has no way of paying for the funeral. They said that was what the life insurance policy was for. They recently started a GoFundMe account to help pay for his funeral. You can access the account here.

[Morkiemom]

Lawd! Just getting worse & worse in COGIC

[vickicali]

The insurance company should make it right since she did pay monthly. I wonder what COGIC got paid to write those policies???

[isaacpowell]

All that money the COGIC has. Bishop Shepard needs to pay the lady

[SharonWarfield]

I am a licensed insurance agent and I think I see what happened here:

The church sold these employer insurance policies the same way you sign up for insurance when you take a new job. Then they put together this sorry-a** letter stating the applicant was employed by the church🙄. The insurance company has the authority to cancel any policy when fraud is suspected, which is exactly what they did. So, unfortunately, the family will not get anything from the insurance company because they are not at fault (I know it’s horrible, but that’s how it works).

Now, here’s where it really gets sticky: There definitely was a licensed insurance agent involved in this foolishness and HE or SHE needs to be reported to the Insurance Commissioner so that their license can be revoked. The name of the agent involved is in the original paperwork for the policy. Also, they need to file a claim with the Attorney General in their county so that this situation can be fully investigated. AND COGIC needs to pay for the man’s funeral because I guarantee that the funeral home is charging the family because they have already embalmed the body and they don’t hold bodies for free.

[gloriahyde]

This is so sad to hear. I'm praying for the Cogic as a whole.

[mrk]

That dude actually said "yes they work for the church, the volunteered". WTF??? I hope they are able to sue and get their money back.

[Albacore]

By now, the members of the church including the pastor could have collected enough money for a cremation. The deceased is at a crematory. Cremations typically cost less than $2000.00. Where’s the Go Fund Me? This is embarrassing, and a disgrace to COGIC. I am sincerely sorry for this families loss and appalled at the negligence of church and it’s leader’s.

[winstonsweeting]

So many questions...since when did the letter I in COGIC stand for insurance. This is why the denomination stays in the courts. Always fleecing the saints

[roderickwilson]

And she absolutely right. She won't get it. I bet they probably forged allegedly in my opinion

[troublesomehouse]

My father didn’t even attend church, so he definitely didn’t work for them. That paperwork was signed after his death. They told my mother that they needed her signature. My mother didn’t read it because she trusted the district and their representatives. All of us were at work or school when they requested her to sign the paperwork.

[valeriesherman]

I am so sorry for the situation the family is in. She said that it wasn't the particular church they were at but it was the association she got the policy from. Isn't that one and the same? That's what they are under then that's what they are. I'm curious how much did the 'church' get? Surely the policy isn't sitting dormant.

[sharonkeeble]

Oh my goodness it’s so much evil on this planet 🌎 Earth, help this family indistress Lord!! Makes no sense at all😢 I’m done😔🙏🏻

[bflut]

This is sad. Whomever is responsible in COGIC for this will reap a whirlwind from the Most High.

[praizequeen]

Insurance fraud?! Somebody's ass is going to jail. Believe that!

[troublesomehouse]

My mother paid on this life insurance for 5 years. Was it denied for 5 years when she paid on it every month? No, it was not. Was it denied after my father passed? Yes, it was denied. Ever since his passing it has been nothing but complications regarding his policy. Even after my father’s death, my mother was called and requested to sign paperwork saying that he worked for the company. My father has never worked for the company and was retired years before his death.
You remain committed to assisting our family? How? By not paying for his burial? By posting this on your page? By withholding her license that she studied for? Withholding her license because there are certain names noted on the lawsuit besides COGIC? In a few more days it will be a year since he passed, and there has been no resolution.
There hasn’t been ANY benefits paid to our family related to this burial policy.

[chuckspoke]

Only thing they mostly receive is premium paid prior to death. Insurance automatically look for any obvious irregularities on all claims. But when you give them a legitimate reason to deny settlement they most probably are going to deny claim. There seems to be aggressive insurance selling tactics going on. False information is placing policyholder in bad situation. Wrong time to get educated on contract writing and linguistics when policyholder turning file a claim. Was church getting money from selling the policy or percentage of premiums I would like to know? Also, the insurance have compliance officers and departments that approve everything before using the policy. Why deny after compliance had signed off in the beginning concerning that note (if the was question of employment). Like I said earlier might have given them a reason to deny the claim with that employment question. Update: answer or insight explained and received to my response.

[sandramuchUBYah]

Simply Nefarious Come out from Amongst them Devilish Wolves

[ajsassy]

Soooo nobody in the family, friends or the church can financially help bury this man while they get this all straighten out? Six months? Every day the funeral home charges. This story isn't making much sense. Also when did COGIC start offering life insurance? What is the name of the actual insurance company? This family should have contacted COGIC by now! The top!

[evastewart]

Lies lies and more lies this is a mess WOW

[RoAndSid]

Shameful, though not surprising at all