Pastor Kong Hee and Wife Live like Hollywood Stars

SINGER Ho Yeow Sun, wife of Revrend Kong Hee, of City Harvest Church, who are being probed for alleged misuse of church funds, lives in a $28,000-a-month estate in same exclusive suburb in Los Angeles as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, reported The New Paper on Sunday.

The pop star, 40, popularly known as Sun Ho, who has been shuttling back and forth between Singapore and the US since 2003, is renting the place at Hollywood Hills, which has four buildings in all. She lives in the sprawling estate - which is listed for sale at US$5.6 million (S$7.7 million) - with her son, an assistant, a nanny and her relatives.

She can boast of having Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt as her neighbours. She is now back in Singapore to help in the investigation of the City Harvest Scandal.

The New Paper on Sunday team, who went to the estate, spotted a black SUV and black Mercedes Benz CLK550 driving in an out of the estate, which has a total built-up area of 6,766 sq ft - or about the size of five five-room HDB flats - a swimming pool, a sun-deck and two-car garage.


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By Ion Danker
Imagine living in a S$28,000-a-month rented estate where famous Hollywood celebrities such as Paris Hilton’s sister Nicky, “Ugly Betty” star America Ferrera and British singer Leona Lewis are your neighbours.

If luck is on your side, you could even cross paths with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who are also said to own a property in the vicinity.

Sounds too good to be true?

The Hollywood Hills estate is the place singer Ho Yeow Sun, 40, popularly known as Sun Ho, calls home since she moved to Los Angeles for her music career.

She is the wife of Reverend Kong Hee, 45, and co-founder of City Harvest Church and has been commuting between Singapore and the U.S. since 2003.

According to The New Paper, the Hollywood mansion Ho has been renting for the past year is listed for sale at S$7.7 million. It’s reported that Ho lives there with her 5-year-old son, Dayan, an assistant, a nanny and her relatives.

The profile of residents in the neighbourhood is said to comprise millionaires and high-profile businessmen who like the quiet, peaceful and well-policed area with a low crime rate.

The report’s detailed description also indicates that the dark green Spanish Mediterranean-style building Ho is renting stands out from the rest of the properties in the area due to its large size.

The estate stands on 29,000 sq ft of land or about a third of a football field. It’s made up of a main house, three self-contained structures, with quarters for a butler, nanny and maid. Not only does it boast a swimming pool, a sundeck and a two-car garage, its driveway still has space for another 9 cars.

The total built-up area of the estate is 6,766 sq ft or about the size of 5 five-room HDB flats, while the 4,135 sq ft main house has four bedrooms.

The paper also said the housing agent in charge of the property described Kong Hee’s wife as “Singapore’s top singer and entertainer” while a neighbour said she was very “sophisticated and seems traditional” as she often hosts gatherings during special occasions like Chinese New Year.

Back in Singapore, the couple also made some big property moves through the years.

They started off in a five-room HDB flat in Tampines which was purchased at S$127,000 before selling it for S$420,000. They then moved to a unit at Horizon Towers costing S$1 million in River Valley before selling it off to buy a new apartment at The Suites at Central on Devonshire Road, said to be worth about S$2.6 million.

Ho returned to Singapore last Monday to assist the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) in an investigation into alleged misuse of church funds. She was said to have been grilled by police for more than eight hours.

Her husband, Kong Hee recently explained his silence in a Facebook post that said, “Because we’re in the midst of the investigation, I am unable to provide any details about the progress besides what already has been released by the Singapore Police in their statement to the press.”

“But I would like to assure everyone that I, together with the Management Board of the church, am fully cooperative in providing the necessary information needed for the investigation,” said the Pastor, who himself was recently accused of plagiarising three prominent Christian authors.

The couple and at least 16 others connected to the City Harvest Church are currently assisting the CAD in ongoing investigations.
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LEADERSHIP CHANGE
(SINGAPORE) There has been a leadership change at City Harvest Church, which is under investigation by the police.

Its founder has taken a backseat while two pastors, Derek Dunn and Aries Zulkarnain, have been put in charge of running the church. This arrangement will continue until the current investigations are completed.

The founder, Pastor Kong Hee, will however remain the president and chairman of the City Harvest board. He is among the 20-odd church members summoned by the Commercial Affairs Department as part of the probe.

Meanwhile, City Harvest has appointed auditors from RSM Chio Lim to conduct an independent review, Pastor Dunn told The Business Times yesterday.The independent review will examine the church’s corporate governance structure and internal control processes.

‘If the review identifies lapses, the church will take necessary corrective measures recommended by the adviser to prevent such lapses in the future,’ said Pastor Dunn. ‘The church is fully committed to accountability and integrity in the church’s dealings and has taken steps to protect its interest and that of its members.’

He broke the church’s silence for the first time since the probe began.

At the start of this month, the police and the Commissioner of Charities said that they were investigating ‘financial transactions involving several individuals and companies, related or connected to the City Harvest Church’, after the Commissioner’s office received complaints of misuse of church funds.

These related companies under probe include those that are not charities or subsidiaries of the church, the Commissioner’s office said.

These objections were apart from complaints over the church’s purchase of a minority stake in Suntec Singapore. The acquisition would cost the church $310 million, including expected renovation and equipment expenses, City Harvest announced in March.

Pastor Dunn declined comment on the ongoing police investigations. ‘We are very grateful for and deeply appreciate the strong love, concern and support demonstrated by all of our members as well as those from the Christian community here in Singapore and abroad, during this challenging period,’ he said.

‘The authorities have been more than professional and have extended their utmost courtesy to our members in the investigative process.’

While the two pastors will take charge of ministerial duties at City Harvest, the 10-strong board will continue taking on the management role. The church created a deeper separation between the executive and board roles after a review by the Commissioner of Charities some two years ago, said Pastor Dunn.

Recommendations from the review on City Harvest and six other religious organisations – which were mostly kept private – included cutting the number of pastoral members sitting on the church board. The church currently has 24 pastors.

‘Following the review, the church has reduced the number of pastoral members on the board to three. This allows a greater degree of independence of the board from the church’s spiritual and pastoral leaders,’ said Pastor Dunn.

Previously, pastoral members made up a majority of the board.

‘There is no doubt, however, that it is not practical for a church to effect a complete separation of the leadership of the governing board from its pastoral leadership,’ he added.

The board looks at the daily operations of City Harvest, which entails ensuring that the accounts of the church are properly audited and recorded, as well as managing its investments.

Its other duties extend to administrative matters, which were previously under the purview of the pastoral department.

The board members are nominated by an executive member and voted in by a simple majority. They serve for a year, before being put up for re-election at the church’s annual general meeting (AGM) the next year.

BT understands that there are 750 voting members of the church, who are eligible to vote in board members. These include ordinary members who take on more responsibilities, having been with the church for a longer time and receiving training.

As part of the 2008 review, the Commissioner also asked the church to consider a strategy for board renewal, with ‘particular attention’ to the roles of the chairman and the treasurer, said Pastor Dunn, adding that the plan was put in place by the 2009 AGM.

Investigations into the church and its financial dealings have flung the door open to debate over the segregation of commercial and religious pursuits of the church, which had total funds of $103 million, including a $65 million building fund, for its fiscal 2009.

And what are the church’s views on the comfortable lifestyle enjoyed by Pastor Kong and his wife, Ho Yeow Sun?

Pastor Dunn stressed that claims of extravagance have been exaggerated.

‘Concerning the lifestyle of Rev Kong and his wife, we know them well. Rev Kong is a dedicated and motivated senior pastor of the church. He has been working hard for the past 20 over years and is a renowned and recognised personality on the speaking circuit. His wife is a successful singer,’ he said.

‘While their lifestyle reflects their own accomplishments, we do not see it as lavish or excessive.’
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.singapore
From: wiseguy
Subject: Sun Ho: Hollywood Star???
(http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/06/20/pastors-wife-lives-lavishly-
in-l-a/)

Patrick says:
The fact is, there are way more inconsistencies and suspicious "facts"
regarding Sun's music career that far overshadow any humanitarian work
that Sun has done on behalf of the church.

For one, in Singapore, outside her church followers, she is hardly
considered a pop star or celebrity. At best, she is known for being
the pastor's wife who is trying to be a pop star.

Even though her own websites and wiki suggests she is big, there is
hardly any media who writes about her or reviews her music. Do a
simple Google search and see how little 3rd party info there actually
is. Compare that with if you google "Stephanie Sun" or "J J Lin" who
most Singaporeans will consider bonefide successful Singapore pop
stars. A legit mainstream celebrity should have online mentions beyond
church supporters.

Her "lavish lifestyles" are really no issue if it is her own money.
However, the suspicioon sets in when no actual numbers are available
for the number of albums she has actually sold in Asia. Her supporters
have claimed "millions" have been sold but there is no 3rd party or
documented collaboration.

In addition, she would have no money coming in from her first two
albums since she donated the proceeds of both albums to charity as
reported in The Straits Times.
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/2148/poon-says-sorry-pastor-asks-chur...

But, what is published fact is that her sole music management company
has lost way more money than record sales have brought in; based on
financial records, as widely reported in the media and available
through ACRA. Latest available FS from 2007 shows in lost S$5.8mil
dollars.

So, any objective person would question where her money comes from?
Her other businesses have made little or no money (based on released
FS) and her husband does not draw a salary as a Pastor. She has not
released a single album in the US so it is unlikely her recording
label will pay $28k a month on her acccomodation when she brings in no
money. Her dance chart hits are not indicators of sales as shown and
she does not tour.

So how does one live it up in Hollywood when there are no indication
of big money rolling in?

These are not accusations but simple questions that have not been
answered yet, which is why there is a police probe in possible misuse
of funds. The unfortunate possibility for her or her husband is that
the CAD have an impeccable conviction rate once they start an official
investigation.

This has nothing to do with pesercution of religion or media-bashing
on Sun. It is the asking of questions that have never been answered.
Because CAD has stepped in, the public, disenchanted members of the
church and ex-church members have seen it appropriate to begin asking
the hard questions and not reply so much on "blind faith".