'Rood Awakening' negotiations begin

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The messy breakup of a Byron Center-based worldwide TV ministry was on the way to some sort of resolution Wednesday as both sides negotiated in Kent County court.

A Rood Awakening Ministries fired its founder and namesake, Michael Rood, 24 Hour News 8 reported last week.

Rood's lectures and video productions challenge conventional religions with his interpretations of the Hebrew scriptures. But the board of the organization went to court against Rood after firing him.

The ministry had split into factions, and it eventually shut down; 15 people lost their jobs.

As attorneys met in the courthouse Wednesday, trying to come to an agreement, Rood denied allegations he embezzled from the nonprofit organization. He called his firing a hostile takeover by other members of the ministry.

"Board members were alluding to a 13-page letter that Glen wrote that I knew nothing about, and it turned out that it was full of the most vicious lies that I could imagine," Rood said. "And then at that point, I knew the trap had been sprung. At that point, I knew that their plan was to get rid of me."

After lawyers spent five hours negotiating, there was no more mention of embezzlement, but apparent agreement on divvying up the ministry's assets.

The temporary agreement requires Rood to return property belonging to the organization and the organization giving Rood his equipment. Both sides also agreed to stop speaking negatively of each other.