Banks ran the Word of Life Apostolic Church out of a storefront in a mall in Riverside County.
The sisters (aged 4 to 11) were found emaciated and often were denied food for days and beaten with cords and other objects by Banks.
The jury only took five hours to convict Banks of 16 felonies, including willful harm or injury to a child, child endangement, and sexual penetration by force or fear.
The oldest girl wrote a letter to Banks that was read in the court. It stated in part “Mom, I know somewhere in your heart you were a nice person. It was not right what you did to me and my sisters. Mom, I want you to know that I forgive you and I will be praying for you. But mom, It will never be OK what you did to me and my sisters.”
It appears that the Word of Life Apostolic Church missed that little part in the Bible about “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”
We have seen a steady incarceration of pastors recently on abuse and other charges, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here.
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