Adult: Kids duped into religious event

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) - An event at a Rio Rancho high school touted as family fun with prizes, food and games instead upset some parents and grandparents who say they were misled into a religious revival meeting.

"They were all excited.  They wanted to go.  It was free," a Rio Rancho grandmother said of her grandkids.

KRQE News 13 is not identifying the grandmother at her request but we will call her Rachael.

She said Thursday night she attended an event at Cleveland High School that was put on by The Future Champions of America, a faith-based nonprofit group that rented out the school gym.

"A sheep in wolf's clothing, that's what it felt like," said Rachael.

According to the flyers it was going to be a night of showtime basketball, entertainment, door prize and food.

There was no mention of religion, but she said about halfway through the event they got a heavy dose of it, starting with a personal story that sounded more like a testimony.

From there Rachael said Freddie Freed, the CEO of Future Champions of America, was introduced and started preaching.

"He quoted the scripture John 3:16," she said.

Parents learned of the event after their kids attended assemblies put on by the same faith-based organization at their schools earlier this week.

"Anti-bullying, anti-drug, showing respect, tolerance, civility all of the good values that we are trying to promote in our schools," said Rio Rancho Public Schools spokesperson Kim Vesely, adding, "It's strictly a nonreligious type of a thing."

It was at those assemblies, though, where students were given the flyers advertising Thursday night's event at the high school.

Rachael and other parents believe it was an underhanded move by Future Champions of America to lure them to a religious event.

"They used our children; that's the way it felt," Rachel said.  "They tricked our children."

RRPS said it received a number of calls from concerned parents they also received calls from parents who liked the event.

In any case, Vesely told KRQE News 13 in an interview Friday afternoon they did not know Thursday night's event was going to be a religious one.

"Let's just say it wasn't what we expected," she said.

Jason Gibbons, known as White Shadow, is a showtime basketball player.

He's the one that puts on the assemblies for the organization at the schools and took the lead at Thursday night's event.

In an interview with News 13 he denied any trickery.

"I hate to think that anybody would come away from any of our events feeling misled or feeling like they didn't feel good about what happened there," Gibbons said.

After the event was over the group handed out New Testaments to some of the older kids.

They also handed out different flyers which encourage people to go to a service at a local Baptist church this Sunday.

The school district said its reference checks did not show that the group preached religion even though it advertises itself as a faith-based.

The school board spent about $12,000 to bring the group to Rio Rancho for more than 20 assemblies at its schools.