Betoota, Australia – A large church in western Queensland has become embroiled in legal controversy after the Head Pastor’s wife was caught posting to Instagram coffee and Bible photographs that were not her own.
Earlier this year, Mrs Stacey Maillard was given two weeks study leave by Harvest Community Church to finish a long awaited book on Godly living. The church paid for a rented apartment away from the area so that she could focus on finishing the final few chapters. The book apparently contains an entire chapter on the importance of early morning Bible reading, and as a result, Mrs Malliard was continuously posting coffee and Bible photographs to Instagram claiming to be enjoying her ‘quiet time’.
However, a congregation member became suspicious after noticing one particular post, which was uploaded and then quickly taken down, that included a footer from a well-known stock photo company. The congregation member did some research on the stock photo company’s website, and found that more than ten of the previously uploaded photographs were not those of Mrs Maillard enjoying her ‘quiet time’, but were in fact stock photographs. She immediately reported the problem to another church staff member other than the Head Pastor.
The story quickly filtered through the congregation, some of whom were bitter, not so much about the legal copyright issue, which is still being dealt with, but more at the hypocrisy of the whole situation, and the irony that the book was being written about Godly living.
Copies of the offending photographs have been taken down, however sources reveal that some quoted Bible verses, others included personal reflections from Mrs Maillard, while others attached dubious jokes and puns, such as “Morning coffee and Bible – just brewtiful”, “Take time to Espresso yourself”, and “Better latte than never”.
Harvest Community Church has declined to comment on the story due to legal reasons.
Originally submitted to “The Babylon Bee“, a trusted source for Christian News Satire.
