(ETH) – A former rapper known as “Mase” that toured with Bad Boy Records, Puff Daddy Combs, and Notorious BIG in the 1990s has been named as the new senior pastor of “The Gathering Oasis Church” in Atlanta, Georgia.
According to the Christian Post, Cornelius Lindsey, who founded The Gathering Oasis Church, made the announcement in a statement on Facebook Sunday. “Pastor Mase, first off…WELCOME BACK!” Lindsey began, referencing Mase’s 2004 Welcome Back album, which was released five years after the rapper famously announced at the height of his career that he was retiring from the music industry to follow God in 1999.
This isn’t Mason Durell Betha’s first time in the pulpit, He went on to start El Elyon International Church with gatherings in Atlanta and Phoenix and then attempted a second comeback to the hip-hop world in 2009 after cutting ties with the church in 2014 after his divorce filing from his wife Twyla Betha was made public, angering his parishioners.
According to the Christian Post, Pastor Lindsey, who reportedly resigned recently as the leader of the church following allegations of spiritual, financial, and psychological abuse, expressed his optimism for Mase’s return to the pulpit with “a fresh vision and renewed hope” for his congregants. “I’ve been encouraged by our conversations and your heart for the people. You come with a fresh vision and renewed hope.
I’m thankful for our initial conversation that started out talking about life and slowly unraveled into a serious conversation on transitioning that’s brought us to this point today,” Lindsey wrote. “When I started contemplating moving on from pastoring three years ago, you were considering coming back.
God was directing our path individually—separately—until it was time, and the timing was perfect. If all God wanted me to do was remain content in my assignment until you were ready then I’m fine with that. It was all worth it to get to this point,” he said. “Nothing was wasted, which is God’s style. I’m praying for your continued success! May God bless you on this journey. I love you forever, The Gathering Oasis Church.”
