Former Church on the Rock Employee Indicted for Embezzlement

In a city with a reputation of having churches on every street corner, Lubbock’s Church on the Rock stands out for its Dream Center initiative, which aims to “invest in the lives of disadvantaged and overlooked families in the Lubbock community.”

That makes it all the more shocking to learn that a Church on the Rock employee spent years stealing money from that same initiative and using it for personal gain. That’s what KAMC News reports, that 51-year-old Lisa Dawn Stabeno worked for Church on the Rock from 2013 to 2018 as an accounting manager.

Stabeno is accused of embezzling about $29,000 in total from Church on the Rock. According to an indictment, Stabeno used the stolen funds to pay for personal expenses and the debts of family members.

The indictment specifically alleges that on July 16, 2014, Stabeno used a credit card in the church’s name to pay for the medical debts of a family members. On October 2, 2014, that same card was used to make a family member’s rent payment, and on June 26, 2017, another church account was used to pay off a credit card.

Those are only a few of many instances in which Stabeno is accused of taking advantage of her position. Stabeno was indicted for bank fraud on Wednesday, Dec. 9, and is currently being held in the Lubbock County Detention Center.