Dear Elders, including all Friends in the Anchorage/Mat-Su area,

Sean and I and all of us workers in Alaska received some tragic news on Thursday afternoon (March 23) about Dean Bruer. Dean was among us in Alaska from his coming to Juneau in the mid 1970’s, spent his first five years in the ministry here, then five more years (1997-2002), and then was a trusted overseeing worker in Montana/Wyoming and Oregon/S. Idaho until his death in June 2022. I’m sorry and apologize to you for delaying getting this news of Dean’s dark/unacceptable secret life to each of you. In hindsight, I should have sent a memo to each of you that day. Attached is the letter (from Doyle Smith current OR/S ID overseeing worker) that tells what we heard on Thursday.

I want to be transparent and accountable here with a welcome to you to communicate. Many of you have been very helpful to me already, and thank you for your caring advice/help/patience to/with me. One thing we want to make very clear, is that if anyone has felt uncomfortable with any of the workers you’ve been around (including me/us), we want you to feel at liberty to share that with us or other workers or friends that you trust. Also, if anyone is a victim of abuse from a worker or an elder or anyone connected to our fellowship…the police should be contacted, as this is a legal issue. We don’t want to have a culture among our fellowship that is conducive for predators to work within.

Jesus said there would be wolves in sheep’s clothing, so unfortunately we can’t always trust everyone in our fellowship…but we’re very thankful that we can always trust the Spirit of God and the words of Jesus.

We realize that much communication has been ongoing since these details of Dean have been made known. One matter I’ll mention that has been found to be inaccurate, is a Memo outlined in a red border titled, “In reference to the Dean Bruer case” from the Clackamas Co Sheriff’s Dept. I’ll copy/paste what Doyle Smith found out today from the Clackamas Co Sheriff:

There is a message, going around to many “In reference to the Dean Bruer case”. A deputy at the Sheriff’s office has confirmed there is a case number, but “since the man is dead” there is NO active investigation taking place at this time. They are referring people who call to me, and no one has called me yet.

Please pardon us if this isn’t including all of what could or maybe should be said here, but please feel free to be in touch, now, or anytime in the future.

Your brothers in Christ, Sean and Dan