Public Statement: New Life International United Methodist Church Alexandria-

Dr. Obeng, PAstor John, and

The college advising work I did for New Life International United Methodist Church (NLIUMC) financially and emotionally ruined me.

I gave this church two years of service, enriching the lives of their students and members of their community. I took pride in my work and what we accomplished in that short time. I know what we built will produce benefits for generations.

In 2022–2023, I worked pro bono for a family member of Pastor John Obeng and Dr. Angela Obeng.
In 2023–2024, I offered discounted services after hearing claims of financial hardship from family members of Pastor John and Dr. Obeng, a friend of church leader Araba Annan, and other congregation members—all at great personal and donor expense.
By 2024, I had begun to doubt some of those claims. I made it clear: I would not return unless I was compensated.

After the church’s youth event in spring/summer 2024—where my name, success stories, and former students were apparently used to promote the upcoming youth ministry programming—Araba Annan reached out to finalize my return.

I initially refused. I told her I could no longer afford to subsidize their ministry’s college advising efforts with my own funds or those of my donors.
When she learned I wasn’t planning to come back, she asked me to reconsider. We scheduled a meeting. I made it clear that I would only return if New Life could commit to a $10,000 minimum deposit to protect myself and my business.

While I could not live on that amount alone, the deposit would cover office space I had planned to give up, help sustain me while I paused other projects, and allow me to continue employing interns from their community and mine. I agreed solely because a deposit was promised. I waited to hear if the terms were approved before proceeding.

Shortly after, Araba told me the church had approved the agreement—including the $10,000. I was immediately asked to prepare a presentation confirming my return and outlining the methodology we would use. I followed through. I contacted parents, scheduled intake calls, answered detailed student-specific questions, and sent out materials.

Before I presented the final pricing plan to families, I sent it to Araba for review. She expressed concern about cost, but made it clear we could work something out. At no point did she suggest the church would abandon the agreement.

In fact, I was told that former students and members of New Life’s community were already teaching my methods as a “stop gap measure” while we finalized terms.
I had concerns. Past essays I helped shape were being used as templates—which is not a professionally sound practice. Every essay I work on is customized to the student and to the current admissions landscape. Some of those reused essays had received poor feedback or relied on outdated techniques that could lead to rejection—or worse, admission with inflated cost.

But I didn’t object. I believed payment and formal inclusion were imminent. I believed I could correct any harm done during this “stop gap” and had no reason to object to New Life using my methods or materials without a license while finalizing terms.

As September turned to October, I became concerned. Araba began expressing doubts about finalizing the deal. Still, we had an agreement. I believed that even if the church stepped away, they would honor the commitment that brought me back.

That belief—despite my legal background—was naive. I believed New Life, Araba Annan, and the Obeng family would not financially harm me after benefiting so deeply from my services.

When students never materialized in November, I submitted the invoice for the deposit. I accepted that I would not be serving students—but I hoped to recover what I had spent.

Suddenly, New Life claimed they could not pay the invoice without a formal contract. I reminded them that all prior payments—including those for Obeng family members—had been made without one. Araba confirmed this history. In a final effort to settle, I offered to split the difference. They refused.

As of May 19, 2025, I have not received full payment from New Life. I did receive $1,000 to cover a chargeback initiated by a New Life member and temporary support from Dr. Obeng while my account was frozen. I made it clear I intended to return those funds. Despite not honoring their own commitments, I attempted to honor mine. I received no response.

In December—too late to take on new clients or advertise a regular admissions group—I was blindsided. While I continued working in good faith, even taking meetings encouraged by Dr. Obeng, I learned New Life had retained attorney Craig Franco of Odin, Feldman & Pittleman. He demanded written proof of a contract and later told me I would not be paid.

That was the moment I realized I had been used. That while I was covering expenses, New Life was working with counsel to ensure I would walk away empty-handed.

And yet, to this day, my image and my copyrighted presentation remain on New Life’s website, promoting a ministry that never paid me.

I had to close my business.
While I had taken on temporary work in the summer and fall, I now had to find long-term employment. I was forced to keep paying for unused office space—over $3,000 in additional expenses—on top of what I’d already spent preparing to serve New Life’s students.

I couldn’t find consistent work. The local job market became saturated. I live month to month. I’ve relied on credit cards and support from my parents—the very people I once hoped to support.

I fell into survival mode.
I developed physical symptoms. I lost direction. The only time I felt grounded was working with the three students I had taken on before this collapse.

I almost walked away from this work.
If not for those students, the ones I supported through TikTok, and the friends who reminded me who I was, I would have.

I tried to pursue internal accountability. I reached out to Rev. Kirk Nave of the Northern Virginia District of the United Methodist Church for a confidential conversation. But Pastor John had already told his side. I was told it was a misunderstanding. That I was the problem. I wasn’t offered accountability. I was offered advice—on how to protect myself from the church I had trusted.

In that same meeting, I learned that some of the hardship stories I’d heard in 2022 and 2023 may have been exaggerated—or fabricated. That I had given donor-backed, pro bono services to families who may not have needed them. That people had sought discounts under false pretenses.

I had served close relatives of Pastor John and Dr. Obeng in good faith. According to them, one now attends one of the most prestigious colleges in the country at little to no cost. Another received a significant tuition discount. By their own account, the Obeng family has received six figures in financial benefit from the work I provided—benefit that elevated their social, professional, and spiritual standing.

They were enriched. I was ruined.

It became clear: I was not just used by the church. I was used by the Obeng family. Used to build credibility for their ministry. Used to attract new families. And once the benefit was secured, discarded.

When I attempted to speak out, I was sent a cease and desist. But my name and work remain publicly linked to their ministry—while I remain unpaid.

My attempts to settle privately have gone nowhere.

So now, I use my voice.
To protect myself.
To warn others.

I am still looking for work.
But what they did not anticipate is that I am looking not only to support my family—but to bring this case to trial.

I have forgone bills to speak with attorneys. I’ve begun drafting filings with a paralegal. I’ve explored my legal options. And what I’ve already uncovered compels me to move forward—not just to recover what I’m owed, but to uncover what else may be exposed in discovery.

I plan to speak out.
I plan to report harm.
And I will sue.

I’m doing this not just for myself—but to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.

I’ve spent months in survival mode. I’ve struggled to connect with the people I love or work on what matters most. But naming names, and telling this truth, is the first step in reclaiming a narrative that tried to villainize me for expecting New Life, Pastor John Obeng, Dr. Angela Obeng, and Araba Annan to honor their word—and their faith.

This is not my last act.
This is just the beginning.

Today, I begin not only the next step in accountability—but the process of letting go.

So I can move forward in my work.
And in my purpose.

They have been enriched.
I have been depleted.
But I will not be erased.