New Leader To Address Congregants Of First AME Church Sunday

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Congregants of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles will be hearing from a new leader this weekend, KNX 1070 reports.

Worship services led by the Rev. J. Edgar Boyd will begin at 8 a.m. Sunday at the church on South Harvard Boulevard.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Pastor John J. Hunter was reassigned by Bishop T. Larry Kirkland to Boyd's congregation in San Francisco.

As of Friday, neither he nor Hunter could be reached by the newspaper for comment.

Hunter's leadership of the First AME Church for eight years was marked by controversy.

Hunter was criticized for his alleged personal use of church credit cards, among other things. He was also accused in a sexual harassment lawsuit that eventually settled.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)