Methodist Funeral Home Owner Declares Bankruptcy

ERIE, PA - In a surprising turn of events, a once thriving funeral home has declared bankruptcy. Bob Robbins, the owner of Wellspring Funeral Home, told TBNN, "We used to have more business than we knew what to do with. However, lately we have been struggling a great deal. There just isn't enough money coming in to keep us afloat."

One former employee, who will now be waiting in unemployment lines, filled us in with more of the background information. Tim Emerson, a six year employee of Wellspring, said, "I think this is actually more of a theological issue than anything else. Mr. Robbins attends a Methodist church. Well, about six months ago his pastor was preaching through the book of Ephesians. When she reached Ephesians 2:1-3, his pastor told the congregation that when Paul wrote the word 'dead,' what the apostle really meant was 'dying.' She continued by saying that in order for a person to choose God, they couldn't really be dead spiritually.

Emerson went on, "Mr. Robbins got thinking about this. He told me that he began to wonder if any of the people that we had been burying were really dead, or if they just looked dead but were in fact only dying. Since then, we haven't been able to bury or cremate anyone. As you must understand, that puts a damper on your funeral home business. Since that sermon six months ago, our business has dropped 95%."

We later returned to Mr. Robbins and inquired whether or not he would be willing to bury anyone in the future. He responded, "I realize that I'll have to do that in order to re-open the business. I just don't think I can do it. I just couldn't live with the thought of anyone that I had buried waking up underground."

And yet another American business goes under.