During these difficult weeks I’ve been keenly aware of your prayers & support. Words cannot express how meaningful your help has been during this time. Thanks so much!
First, I want to personally apologize for the times I have ‘tuned out’ the muted cry of a wounded, frightened person and left their plea for help unheeded. I am saddened and deeply sorry to know that my responses (or lack thereof) have hindered justice and/or healing in some way. I hope you will forgive me for this.
Along with our collective staff, I understand that many things must be different going forward. Even though many steps are still not defined, the following are a few of the things we are committed to:
1) We are going to ask everyone on our staff and the elders to take training courses regarding CSA (Child Sexual Abuse). We will not become investigators, counselors, etc., but we will educate ourselves, which is crucial for raising our awareness and safety levels. One of the courses we will take is called Ministry Safe ( https://ministrysafe.com/the-safety-system/awareness-training/ ). There is also a robust and free course (both General and Clergy segments) available from California (https://mandatedreporterca.com ). We also encourage each of you to sign up for one of these programs.
2) We are preparing a website to share important resources and guidelines regarding CSA. The site will contain information for workers, elders, parents, and children. Our goal is for all of us to do our part to keep each other safe. The information will be updated as new resources become available. We will also list several options for people who wish to report an incident of CSA or other types of abuse. I will send you a link to the site when it becomes active in the next little while.
3) Going forward, we will have a zero-tolerance policy regarding CSA. If we are made aware of CSA violations involving a victim who is presently a minor, we will report it to authorities immediately, in compliance with the law. If an adult confides in us about a personal CSA incident that occurred in their youth, we will urge them to consult professionals who can help them proceed in an advisable manner. We will support all who need support, and if the abuser is a present danger, will report this to authorities as mandated by the law.
Trust doesn’t come from demanding it, but by earning it. We’ve broken trust and we realize rebuilding that trust will be a process. We know you need more than a list of promises from us. You need to see proof that we care deeply for the most vulnerable people among us and that we will do all we can to protect them. You need to be assured that we will not shame or condemn victims…ever. You need evidence that we are being motivated and kept by divine love. These things are not too much to ask. This is what we want as well.
Likely there Is a lot that this letter doesn’t say that it should say. Hopefully you will feel free to contact me or any of the other workers with your concerns. Undoubtedly, part of our present trouble is the result of us not listening enough, or not listening with a full understanding. We want to hear from you and NEED to hear from you.
We have a great opportunity ahead of us, but it won’t come from quickly dismissing the reality of where we are today. We are at an important crossroads and only through genuine confession, humility and repentance will we make the right turn. We’ve got a lot of work in front of us, but I’m convinced by God’s grace our best days are ahead.
It is with heavy hearts we share news about a former worker Dean Bruer who has been accused of living a double life. There is substantial evidence that this is true which all has come to light since his passing. He never labored in our area but because he was a part of the (sic) this ministry it affects us all. I realize that many of you through different sources are already aware of this. We want you to know that this hurts us all.
We realize that we have a holy trust and this breach of confidence grieves us all. We want to live worthy of the trust you place in us and expect of us. So we apologize to you all that this has happened.
We know that you deserve to feel safe about our presence in your homes and around your children. In our area Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri we have our workers take instruction from MinistrySafe which teaches us to recognize unsafe tendencies and situations.
It grieves our heart to have to say these things, but if we work together, we can facilitate a safe environment that will promote a spiritual fellowship that edifies faith.
As members of this ministry, we want to assure you of how much we love and care for you. We are heartbroken by the disgrace of human failure, but our faith in the Lord’s ministry is unchanged. This is the ministry that our Lord established in the earth. Human failure can compromise its testimony, but it cannot undermine its validity. Judas Iscariot was also a part of this ministry, but in the wake of his betrayal the Holy Spirit still impelled this same ministry forward.
We want to assure you that we will do what we can to assist those who are victims of this abuse. We encourage you to first make sure that child abuse has been reported to the proper authorities. You can call the Oklahoma Abuse Hotline 1-800-522-3511 or www.okhotline.org ; Arkansas Abuse Hotline 1-800-482-5964, Missouri Abuse Hotline 1-800-392-3738.
Please feel free to visit with the workers in your field or with us or person you trust if you have concerns or questions. We will be confidential in-as-much as we can. It is also our legal responsibility in the case of underage victims to report abuse to the proper authorities. We understand that this is a very difficult journey for everyone. We remind all that by bringing to light this horrible behavior, we may be saving others from being victims of the same abuse.
A website devoted to provide victims of abuse a place to find the resources to help them is Voicesforthetruth.org.
12-month jail sentence for Courtice man busted in child exploitation investigation led by Peterborough officers
Project Peacehaven focused on proactively identify, locate and arrested people allegedly looking to sexually exploit children
By Todd Vandonk Reporter Peterborough Examiner, Mon., Sept. 27, 2021
A Courtice man has been jailed in connection to a child sexual exploitation investigation led by Peterborough County OPP and the Peterborough Police Service in 2019.
During the investigation, named Project Peacehaven, investigators accessed online chat rooms and social media applications designed for youth in order to proactively identify, locate and arrested people allegedly looking to sexually exploit children in Peterborough, police said at the time.
During the three-day investigation, police say investigators communicated with 36 suspects beyond simple introductions. The communications established ages, which police say were well outside the consensual parameters established by the Criminal Code, and included inappropriate sexual content. Police say six people were arrested when they arrived at a set location to meet a child for sexual purposes.
On Wednesday, Sept. 22, Courtice native Joshua Burgoyne was sentenced to 12 months in jail by Justice Stuart Konyer. Burgoyne was originally charged with four counts of luring a person under the age of 16, but at an earlier court date he pleaded guilty to one count of communicating with a person under the age of 16 for the purpose of sexual touching.
During his sentencing decision, Konyer said Burgoyne started a conversation with two undercover police officers in an online teen chatroom in 2019. The decoys identified themselves to be 13 and 14 years old while Burgoyne was 40 at the time. Further, Konyer said Burgoyne quickly turned the conversations sexual, and after two weeks he made an arrangement to meet for sexual purposes with who he thought was a teen. Burgoyne was met by officers and arrested for luring a child.
Konyer said sexual offences against children are often “devastating,” and strong sentences need to be handed down to protect children from “online predators,” like Burgoyne.
Before being sentenced, Burgoyne said he was sorry for what he did, and it was a one time thing.
However, Konyer said he was troubled by Burgoyne’s lack of insight because Burgoyne reported in the pre-sentence report that he had no sexual interest in children. Konyer said the chat history suggests otherwise, noting Burgoyne thought he was talking to young teens and was grooming them for weeks so he could meet them for sexual purposes. Konyer also noted that Burgoyne understood his actions were illegal, and mentioned in the chats that he was concerned about being caught.
Updated: February 27, 2019 Published: February 27, 2019
PALMER — Attorneys for two young people allegedly abused by a Wasilla teacher now say the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District hired Lukis Nighswonger after he was fired from a retail job for inappropriately touching a customer.
Lukis Nighswonger is arraigned on additional charges at the Palmer Courthouse in Palmer, AK on Tuesday, Oct 15, 2018. (Bob Hallinen / ADN)
Nighswonger, 36, taught at Iditarod Elementary School from 2005 until his arrest on sexual abuse charges last fall. He’s now charged with 19 counts of sex abuse of a minor and sexual assault in a criminal case involving at least eight victims dating back to 2002. Nighswonger told investigators he was a pedophile who “has been attracted to kids for as long as he can remember,” according to charging documents.
The arrest also revealed that Nighswonger was allowed to continue teaching even after students began reporting concerning behavior in 2012.
Two civil lawsuits filed last week added new claims the school district failed to protect students after a teacher and administrator at Iditarod dismissed concerns brought by the mother of a fourth-grader who told her Nighswonger touched him and made him feel “weird” during the 2015-16 school year.
The principal at Iditarod during that time, Scott Nelson, was placed on administrative leave from his current post at Juneau’s Riverbend Elementary School in mid-February, according to a report in the Juneau Empire. Officials with the Juneau School District said they were examining the Mat-Su lawsuits. Nelson is in his first year at Riverbend.
Attorneys for two former Nighswonger students, a boy and girl identified only by their initials, also say that Nighswonger was fired from a job at a clothing store in 2001 or 2002 for “touching a customer in a sexual way,” according to an amended complaint filed Monday in Anchorage Superior Court. District policy requires that the district conduct a pre-employment investigation of applicants and hire only people “whose background and behavior exemplifies a standard deemed appropriate for individuals working with children.”
Attorney Mike Kramer said his Fairbanks-based law firm was contacted by two people who attended the University of Alaska Anchorage with Nighswonger when he was a teaching student.
“People who knew him there reported to us that he worked at a clothing store in Anchorage while going to college and reported being fired from that job for sexually touching a male customer in a dressing room,” Kramer said Tuesday, adding his firm still needs to do more research about Nighswonger’s employment history. “We believe the district failed to adequately investigate his background including that job and the reasons for him leaving that job.”
The complaint also resurrects the claim that Iditarod administrators were concerned enough about Nighswonger’s behavior to move his classroom to a location visible to the principal. School superintendent Monica Goyette last year confirmed that Nighswonger was moved to a different classroom based on a potentially concerning student report six months earlier.
Asked whether the Mat-Su school district was aware of Nighswonger’s termination from his former job, a spokeswoman said all she could say was “at this time we’re cooperating with the investigators” from the Wasilla Police Department in the criminal case.
District officials did not immediately respond to a number of other questions.
Nighswonger’s next court appearance in his criminal case is a March 21 pretrial conference, with trial scheduled to begin in April.
Zaz Hollander is a veteran journalist based in the Mat-Su and is currently an ADN local news editor and reporter. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) -A Palmer judge has ruled that interviews a former Wasilla teacher gave to police can be used as evidence in his trial, which has been delayed until December.
Lukis Nighswonger, 38, is charged with several counts of sexually abusing minors after allegations that he inappropriately touched some of his students at Iditarod Elementary. He has been in jail since September 2018.
Three recordings with police officers were the subject of an evidentiary hearing at the end of July. During his conversations with authorities, Nighswonger admitted to being a pedophile.
Nighswonger’s attorney, Neal Ainsworth, filed a motion to suppress the evidence that requested the judge to throw out the interviews before trial.
Ainsworth said his client was sleep deprived from sleeping in his car days before the interviews and was not in the right state of mind to waive his Miranda rights. In his ruling denying the motion, Judge Jonathan Woodman said Nighswonger did the interviews voluntarily and was free to leave at any time because he was not under arrest.
“Thus, this court concludes that Mr. Nighswonger was not in custody for the Sept. 24, 2018 interview, and as a result, Miranda warnings were not required,” Woodman wrote.
Woodman said several factors led to his decision including how the interviews were conducted and whether Nighswonger was allowed to leave afterward. Woodman also found Nighswonger “knowingly and intelligently waived his Miranda rights.”
He noted Nighswonger may have been sleep deprived, but “nothing in the record indicates that it was to a level that would preclude an intelligent waiver of Miranda rights, especially considering Mr. Nighswonger’s level of education.”
EVIDENTIARY HEARING
The three recordings were played in their entirety during an evidentiary hearing.
In the first interview, Nighswonger is at the Mat-Su School District office in Palmer where he met with now-retired Palmer police officer Kristi Muilenburg. There are video and audio from Muilenburg’s body camera.
Nighswonger said he touched a female student down her pants in his classroom with other kids present many years prior. He told the officer he knew he was under investigation by the school district.
Muilenburg did an initial interview then drove Nighswonger to the Wasilla Police Department.
“He didn’t display any kind of mental health behaviors that I was concerned with. He seemed to articulate himself well,” Muilenburg said.
The second interview is an audio recording made with Wasilla police investigator Daniel Bennett. Nighswonger said he was “in a bad state of mind” but was not self-destructive. Bennett interrupted to read Nighswonger his Miranda rights. About 10 minutes into the conversation, Nighswonger said, “I’m a pedophile.” Nighswonger said he had been placed on administrative leave several days before and had been living in his car for the past three nights.
He wanted to be locked up in jail after the interview.
“I don’t care what amount of time it is, but it’s something that needs to be real. It needs to be a decent length of jail term, it needs to be a stamp that goes on my file forever. It needs to be — if I have poor impulse control, this will curb my impulses by getting me registered,” Nighswonger said. “I would prefer to be locked up tonight. I don’t feel like I’m in a very good state of mind.”
Bennett testified Nighswonger was not arrested that day.
“He made it clear right off the bat that he wanted to go to jail and I advised him that I understood that. I even said, ‘You don’t know really what you’re asking for. It’s not going to be as dreamy as you think,’” Bennett said.
The third interview took place on Sept. 26, 2018, and was recorded at the Wasilla Police Department.
Bennett again read Nighswonger his Miranda rights then the two had a lengthy discussion to see if Nighswonger wanted an attorney. He did not.
“I don’t think I’ve had a single person that hasn’t said it’s time to get a lawyer. I’m going to be honest with you, I’m not going to deny a single thing I did,” Nighswonger said.
Ainsworth said his client was exhausted from sleeping in his car for days and it had impacted his judgment. It’s one of the reasons why he filed a motion asking the judge to suppress the statements Nighswonger made to police.
“That coupled with 12 times throughout the interview, Nighswonger’s talking about — it’s almost like he’s having out-of-body experience — how he’s hearing voices, he’s on the precipice. He does that 12 times throughout the whole interview,” Ainsworth said.
Deputy District Attorney Melissa Wininger-Howard argued that Bennett made it clear Nighswonger didn’t have to make any statements and was legally allowed to have a lawyer present if requested.
“I believe he made a point to say he’s very proud of his school teaching career. He was teacher of the year, I believe. So this is a person who is certainly aware of his rights and knew what he was doing and knew what the consequences were because he wanted to be held accountable at that time,” Wininger-Howard said.
TRIAL POSTPONED
The coronavirus pandemic has delayed jury trials across Alaska, including Nighswonger’s.
“The state, as well as the victims, want this case to go to trial as soon as we’re able,” Wininger-Howard told the judge.
Woodman tentatively scheduled Nighswonger’s trial for the beginning of December but said that may change depending on COVID-19 restrictions.
Pima County man sentenced to prison for sexual abuse of child
Jason Scott Lennox, accused of raping a young child multiple times, has pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual conduct with a minor and sexual abuse of a child. (Source: Pima County Attorney’s Office)
By 13 News Staff
Updated: Nov. 7, 2018 at 9:48 AM GMT+13
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) – A Pima County man who pleaded guilty in September to second-degree sexual conduct with a minor and sexual abuse of a child was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
According to information from the Pima County Superior Court, Jason Scott Lennox was sentenced to 15 years in prison for continuous sexual abuse of a child. He was also given lifetime probation after release for sexual conduct with a minor.
Lennox will also have to register as a sex offender.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office said Lennox, 43, raped a very young child at least three times from 2007-11.
Copyright 2018 Tucson News Now. All rights reserved.
Pima County man pleads guilty to child sexual abuse
Jason Scott Lennox, accused of raping a young child multiple times, has pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual conduct with a minor and sexual abuse of a child. (Source: Pima County Attorney’s Office)
By 13 News Staff
Published: Sep. 25, 2018 at 10:28 AM GMT+12
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) – A Pima County man is facing a lifetime in prison after admitting to raping a young child.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office said Jason Scott Lennox pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual conduct with a minor and sexual abuse of a child on Thursday, Sept. 20.
The PCAO said Lennox, 43, raped a very young child at least three times from 2007-11.
Lennox faces between 13 and 42 years in prison when he’s sentenced Nov. 6.
Copyright 2018 Tucson News Now. All rights reserved.
The 48 year old Kendrick man accused of raping a 14 year old girl has been sent to prison. Eric Scott was sentenced Wednesday to between 5 and 20 years in prison in Latah County Second District Court. Scott previously pleaded guilty to a felony child rape count back in July. He was arrested by Idaho State Police a year ago for raping the girl on several occasions starting in 2012. The judge retained jurisdiction in the case which means Scott’s sentenced will be reviewed at a later date.
Eric Scott, a 48-year-old Kendrick man, was sentenced Wednesday in Latah County 2nd District Court to five to 20 years in prison for raping a girl under the age of 16. Judge Jay Gaskill also retained jurisdiction over Scott, sentencing him to a rider for 365 days, after which time Scott will be eligible for probation.
Almost a year ago to the day, Scott was arrested by Idaho State Police on suspicion of repeatedly raping a girl under the age of 16 over several years. Scott, a former information technology manager for the city of Lewiston, pleaded guilty to rape in July.
During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Scott’s attorney, David R. Partovi, called many of the defendant’s family members to the witness stand in order to testify to the progress Scott has made emotionally and spiritually during the past year. In his opening statement, Partovi said he was not justifying Scott’s actions but he stated that at the time when the rapes were occurring Scott was in an abusive marriage. The abuse ultimately drove him to seek comfort with someone who shared his same experiences, and unfortunately that bond grew too close, Partovi said.
Scott’s son, Stanley Austin Scott, testified that since his parents’ divorce and over the past year, his father has become “a completely new and different person in every way.”
Glenda Kadir, Scott’s older sister, testified “he is a changed individual – he is the rock holding us together.” Kadir said Scott has spent an extended period of time over the past several months at her home and she has never been concerned for her own 13-year-old daughter’s safety.
“My brother is a great guy who made a horrible mistake,” she said. When asked if she believed her brother would re-offend, Kadir said “absolutely not – zero (chance).”
Assistant Prosecutor Mia Vowels argued a psycho-sexual evaluation showed Scott was considered to be a moderate risk to re-offend.
Scott’s victim, now 20, also took the witness stand in Scott’s defense Wednesday in an effort to persuade Gaskill to impose a lighter sentence. “We’ve both made a mistake and we are both at fault,” she said. “He was the adult in the situation (but) I pursued it – I threw myself at him, I made it easy. We shared so much abuse together.”
Vowels argued what happened to the girl was not a mistake and Scott had spent many years grooming her to believe she was at fault as well.
In addition to a 10-year prison sentence, Vowels asked Gaskill to impose a $5,000 civil penalty so that in the future if Scott’s victim decides to seek counseling she would be able to receive some cost compensation.
Before the sentence was imposed, Scott stood to speak a few words in his defense.
“I want to apologize for not being the man I should have been,” he said. “What happened was a collision between (my victim) and I. I am ashamed of what I allowed to happen. I am committed to growth and self-help.” Scott will also be required to register as a sex offender and a no-contact order between he and the victim was extended.
The Maricopa Police Department is seeking to charge an Idaho man for multiple child-sex crimes that allegedly occurred while the man briefly lived in Maricopa more than five years ago.
Eric Noel Scott, 47, was arrested Jan. 26 by Idaho State Police in Latah County, Idaho, on charges of rape involving a minor after allegedly confessing to his ex-wife that he had done so over a two-year period, an MPD report said.
Scott’s alleged admission included the period of time from 2011-2012 when he lived in Maricopa, the report stated.
Capt. Lonnie Richardson of the Idaho State Police confirmed his department’s role in Scott’s arrest, but was unable to comment further due to the ongoing investigation.
While being interviewed by Idaho State Police, Scott allegedly made the statement, “It’s hard to describe. The first time I touched [the minor] I was so angry with myself, like, I cannot believe I did that… I was ashamed of myself and the mere temptation, and it just gradually grew in time.”
Latah County court documents indicate Scott posted a $200,000 surety bond on Feb. 1. He is currently free on bail pending trial.
MPD filed its complaint against Scott on June 5, with charges of sexual conduct with a minor and molestation of a child.
InMaricopa is following this story and will provide updates as they become available.
Former Lewiston IT manager gets at least five years in prison
Eric N. Scott convicted of raping 14-year-old girl
By JOSH BABCOCK of the Tribune
Jan 4, 2018 Updated Jan 4, 2018
MOSCOW – A former city of Lewiston information technology manager convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to at least five years in prison Wednesday in Latah County 2nd District Court.
Eric N. Scott, 48, of Kendrick, pleaded guilty in July to raping the girl repeatedly over a two-year period that began in 2012 when she was 14. He was sentenced to five to 20 years with retained jurisdiction, which allows the sentence to be altered at a later date.
According to court documents, Scott’s former wife told a deputy from the Latah County Sheriff’s Office that she had recorded conversations with him in which he admitted to having sexual contact with the victim.
Scott told his ex-wife that he felt “horrible” about the incidents and had contemplated suicide, according to court documents. Investigators who interviewed the victim reported that she said Scott had sex with her approximately five times when she was about 14 or 15 years old.
Last January, Idaho State Police Detective Mike Mooney contacted Scott to arrange an interview at the state police office in Lewiston. Scott consented, but investigators learned a short time later that he had arranged to meet the girl. Mooney then intercepted Scott and arrested him for rape as he left his city of Lewiston office.
Kendall Adams is understood to be still attending meetings in Idaho. Details of his 2013 convictions and entry on the Idaho Sex Offender Register are being shared so those in the area attending meetings with children who may have contact with Kendall are aware of the history.
Dear fellow workers. Please share one copy of this letter with each elder in your field.
It is important to be open, honest, and transparent regarding the recent occurrences of negative impact that have evolved in the past while. Please ask the elders not to make copies of this letter or forward it digitally but if anyone comes to them with concerns they can discuss it verbally. To avoid speculation these matters to which we refer pertain to the actions of Walter and Aaron only. In disseminating this Information, strive to use the language as it is written herein. While each have a right to know the facts, discretion must be exercised as these matters are now under investigation by the appropriate legal authorities and we all have a legal obligation not to interfere with the process. The following Information can be shared.
Currently
Allegations against Walter involving children are being investigated by the appropriate legal authorities and he is willingly cooperating.
Allegations against Aaron concerning the viewing of child pornography are in the hands of legal authorities.
Both men have been removed from the Worker’s List and will not be involved in any Gospel work.
Walter resides in a private senior home in Wainwright, Alberta.
Aaron working a an electrician and resides with his parents in FSJ
The law provides excellent provisions to ensure the safety of all children.
Moving Forward
All BC Staff are enrolled in a Sexual Abuse Awareness Education course.
The BC Staff will be educated and understand the contents of BC Child Protection laws.
All workers in BC will be provided with the Worker’s Code of Conduct, and will read it, understand it, and adhere to it fully and completely. This policy will be reviewed annually.
Elders, please share this with any in your meeting that you would know that are distressed about these things.
Many of you have heard about the sad and distressful situation that arose in the Northwest about Dean Bruer. Dean passed away a few months ago, but evidence has come to light that he was living an immoral deceitful life.
We are thankful that the NW workers who are responsible for dealing with the matter are actively doing so, and seeking to be helpful as they can.
Some here are wondering what we are doing in our area to seek to prevent that from happening here.
Several years ago some of the older brothers here in the eastern states attended some seminars and then held “safety meetings” with the different staffs. The purpose of this was to help us be aware of the dangers of sexual abuse against children or adults, and our responsibilities of reporting such to the authorities.
We also learned about things pertaining to boundaries and safe behavior.
We also want adults to feel free to talk to us if they are a victim of sexual abuse by a worker or one of the friends. We feel it is important for these things to be dwelt with.
I continue to require our staff to take an on-line “Ministry Safe” course every two years or so. My last certificate is dated June 18, 2021, so I plan to soon take the course again.
One verse that has often been a help to me is what Jesus told Peter in John 21:22, “Follow thou Me”. Another verse I am thankful for is: 2 Timothy 2:19,
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
I want you to know that if there are any of you that would like to talk with me I am willing to do so. Some may wish to talk with a worker on the staff that you are more acquainted with. Our preference is for a face to face meeting, but we would accept a phone call as second best.
Since Monday we have been gathering information with regard to the allegations against Mark Huddle. During this discovery process, sexual abuse incidents from seven different women have been brought to our attention, three of which involved children under the age of 12. We also visited with Mark in person, with Steve Peirson present. At this time we are not aware of any victims that are currently minors, but we regret to say that five of the seven incidents involved minors when they occurred. All things considered, the allegations against Mark are credible and serious.
The emotional and spiritual harm upon these victims has had a lasting negative effect. Although some people may think these actions (i.e. sexual touching through clothing) were not serious, the reality is that they have a very harmful effect upon young children and are considered by law to be a grave crime.
After gathering information about the allegations and communicating with all accessible, affected individuals, we consulted with CSA (Child Sexual Abuse) professionals for their advice. We brothers agree with their conclusion that Mark should not continue in the work. Mark has readily agreed to receive therapeutic help.
Let’s support all victims by respectfully listening without blaming. We fully intend to support the needs of the victims in every way we can and encourage others to feel free to come forward and report concerns. As all of the victims mentioned above are now adults, we respect their wishes regarding whether or not to report these incidents to authorities. Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of victims is of utmost importance.
We will be communicating more about these and other situations which pose safety risks to the community. We are learning from these experiences and are committed to increased safety. In the near future we will send communication regarding specific CSA issues, mandated reporter training and other necessary changes going forward.
We all grieve with the reality of this troubling situation, yet we know that God is still on the throne and we find solace in Psalm 61:2, “When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” We very much feel the hand of God working in recent events, leading us to be forthright about these issues, in the same way the apostle Paul did in 1Corinthians 5. God will help all who look to Him and His Son to go forward spiritually stronger and healthier.
Your brothers,
Dale Shultz, Merlin Affleck, Rob Newman, Scott Rauscher, Doyle Smith, Darryl Doland
WINGS for Truth 
