UPDATE: Perry Noble fired from NewSpring Church? Alcohol problem confirmed in Sunday service announcement
Speculations that megachurch pastor Perry Noble has been fired recently over domestic issues, among other things, are expected to be addressed during the Sunday services at NewSpring Church in South Carolina.
The Christian Post, who was informed by a source that Noble was allegedly fired for issues relating to a "terrible marriage, alcoholism and maybe more," reached out to the church's public relations department to verify if the rumors are true.
Without confirming or denying the issue, the department's head, Suzanne Swift, invited the Christian publication to personally attend or watch streaming videos of NewSpring Church's services on Sunday.
"It's great to hear from you! I would love to invite you to join us at church this Sunday to learn more from Perry and NewSpring Church. We will have services on Sunday at 9:15am, 11:15am, 4pm or 6pm at our Anderson Campus, located at 2940 Concord Road," Swift said in an email.
Local media platform WYFF 4 reported that the leadership of NewSpring held a closed door meeting on the afternoon of Thursday, July 7. When asked what the meeting was about, the church, through Swift, gave the outlet the same email it sent to the Christian Post.
Noble has been involved in a number of controversies over the last few years. In January 2015, he drew criticism from the Southern Baptist Convention after referring to the Ten Commandments as "promises" and "sayings." Noble explained the Hebrew language has no word for "commandment."
"Instead of Ten Commandments that you have to keep if you're going to be a follower of Jesus, they're actually 10 promises that you can receive when you say yes to Jesus," Noble said.
He later admitted that there is a Hebrew word for "commandment" and apologized for the mistake, saying he misunderstood a teacher in Israel.
In 2014, Noble surprised everyone with the admission that he had been taking anti-depressant drugs since 2012 to fight anxiety attacks.
He said his struggle with anxiety and depression began in 2008, which continued for years. He first refused taking anti-depressants and was able to pull through with biblical counseling.
He later wrote a book entitled "Overwhelmed" based on his experience. However, while writing the book, the attacks came back. It was during this time that he decided to take anti-depressant medicines.
Noble said it was one of the best decisions he has ever made, and he was not ashamed to announce he is taking the meds.
"It really has clarified my thinking, made me way less of an emotional basket case and allowed me to make better decisions," he wrote on his blog.