Tag: child sexual abuse

Robert Corfield circumstances

WINGS Note: This letter was written by a professing man and sent to all workers in leadership in western US. WINGS is publishing this letter because it is a good example of professing men standing up and giving the workers guidence based on their professional positions and experience. It is also a reminder of how important it is to let professionals and law enforcement deal with victim statements and perpetrator contact.

It is also a reminder that further action is likely in some cases.

From (name redacted): 

Many situations of late have landed in my care, simply because I’ve been in the right place at the right time on more than one occasion and was able and willing to help. I’m not passive when it comes to children’s welfare and also vulnerable adults. My background also lends itself to understanding how to handle these situations maybe better than most. I spent 8 years with Spokane County working oftentimes side by side with the Sheriff’s Department personnel on many issues. I was formally trained on investigations, interrogations, and body language and used this training extensively while doing investigations from a Risk Management perspective.

Matt Smith has also been a big help. He is retired military and now works in Law Enforcement as a training officer at the police academy here in Helena, MT. He has penned a few letters describing how CSA/SA situations within the church MUST be handled from a legal standpoint as well as a moral standpoint. The workers have also appreciated his input and help.

Information was shared with me with details from Robert Corfield’s primary victim in Saskatchewan. I waited for as much detail as possible and vetted the information.

Since the information gathered was horrible, with lots of detail, I decided it was best that Matt Smith and I drive directly to the Manhattan grounds and meet face to face with Robert. We were hoping Scott Rauscher was also present when we got there, but felt it was best to not give anyone forewarning that we were coming. Unfortunately, I’ve also been involved in a couple of visits where the individual was given forewarning and thus, was able to make up a story to deny things and plan ahead on how they would respond. This is precisely why it was necessary to drop in on Robert without notice.

Robert was in charge of the preps at Manhattan and was leaving soon to join the crew at Ronan convention before returning for Manhattan preps. It was imperative with the information I had, that he did not have any more opportunity to be in close contact with minors and that quick handling of the situation was critical.

We found Robert in the brother worker quarters at Manhattan and he was alone. We told him we needed to visit with him and he agreed. Robert knows us, and mentioned that he was grateful for all the help we had been giving the workers and friends with the current issues. 

I explained to him that we were there to address an issue that involved himself. He was surprised. I told him that I would read to him all the facts and details we had and once I was finished, we could discuss it.

When I finished reading, Robert hung his head and said, “it’s all true”. 

Without going into much of the details of that conversation, I will say that Robert’s response was very humble and honest. He acknowledged that he still struggles with the desire for pedophilia and understood that he could no longer be allowed access to children. He mentioned multiple times that what Matt and myself were doing, and how we had come directly to him was “the right thing to do”. He thanked us. As hard as the discussion was for him, he seemed quite relieved that he would no longer have to face his temptation on a daily basis. 

We called Scott immediately after our visit and informed him of what had taken place and that Robert could no longer fill a role in the ministry. We also informed him that Robert could no longer attend any meetings where children would or could be present. Scott said he understood and asked us for permission to have Robert drive to Ronan where he was and they could work on a plan for him. I told him as long as there were no children present that would be fine, but he would need to leave before family’s arrived for preps later in the week.

Matt and I helped Scott write the notification letter to be sent out to the MT/WY friends.

We did this so that he would not use any ‘triggering’ comments for former victims or for victims we did not know about yet. 

Incidentally, there have been two more victims speak out since the news on Robert was sent out. This is also why workers should never pen these types of letters without help on how they need to be worded.

We know when these things arise, that the workers and overseers have virtually zero experience or, quite frankly, the credibility currently to handle the situation correctly. This is why this situation was handled in the manner it was, without involving other workers first.

It worked perfectly and this is how these situations should be handled. The result has been best for all involved.

Another side note. Robert will likely be facing criminal charges since there is no statute of limitations in Canada or MT. He committed crimes in both locations. Those who also knew of Robert’s crimes and failed to report (Dale Shultz, primarily) will also likely face criminal charges. Dale was horrible to Robert’s primary victim and needs to be held accountable for that situation and many, many others he has handled horribly and with utter disdain for victims.

As we have been asked to, and moved to help, we are keenly aware of the need to address these situations with God’s help and Spirit leading. God does expect action, but it must be according to his Will and in His timing. Without God’s leading we would be no better than those who have committed these horrific acts.

Hopefully this is helpful to you and others.

Sincerely,

(Name redacted)

A letter from Matt Smith has been published by WINGS. See https://wingsfortruth.info/2023/05/07/disclosure-and-separation-of-suspects-and-offenders/

Thoughts from a Candian elder in the church

I was encouraged to read the letter by Jonathan Olson with the central point on the folly of the “one true way” doctrine and I applaud Jon’s courage in taking the conversation there. Some may question how we get from CSA to the “one true way” issue but it’s vital to understand that CSA exists anywhere a skewed hierarchical organizational structure exists. Large corporations. Professional sports. Religion. The military. Extended families. These are all systems that have a specific hierarchical organization that is intensely revered from within them. And these are all systems where sexual abuse and other kinds of abuse flourish. As serious as the CSA issue is – and is rightly being addressed more aggressively than it has ever been in the past – it remains a symptom of a far deeper issue of self-righteousness in the church, as Jonathan has correctly pointed out. 

There’s a common thread amongst us all and shown on this site and in the comments; that we’re fighting to preserve the church. We don’t actually want to burn the church down. NOT because it’s the one true way, but because it’s good. It’s not perfect, it’s good. And that’s good enough. And maybe more importantly because it’s OURS. It’s what we’ve grown up with, or it’s what we’ve come to love through a friend at school or a workmate or a random invitation on a community centre bulletin board.  And we’d all be lying if we didn’t admit to having enjoyed many days of encouragement and hope while going to meetings and conventions and that many of our closest friends are also professing. And we’d all also probably be lying if we didn’t admit to being uncomfortable with the unwritten rules and regulations that have no scriptural merit. It’s one thing to abide by a rule that is simply a tradition, Jesus warned specifically against that in Mark 7 and in John 15. It’s another thing altogether – and not in a good way – to abide by a rule under the pretext that it achieves righteousness when in fact it’s an empty tradition. Tradition in and of itself is not evil. We love our hymns. They’re familiar to us and that’s okay. God created us, God created music, God created our brains that migrate to a certain amount of traditional “comfort”. God doesn’t despise that in us. And although this may be open to other interpretations, in Matt 6:23 when Jesus said “But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” it could mean that if the things that we think are Light and righteous are actually things that are meaningless (darkness), how much greater is THAT darkness. Because now we’re distracted from the true light . . .JESUS. If we can get a false sense of security by what we wear or because we don’t have a TV or a bottle of wine in our home, or because we think we have a membership card in the “one true way”, then the enemy has us right where he wants us. He has us completely distracted from Jesus as the real way and the truth and the life. 

I suggest that many of us would agree there is much about our church that is right and good. Clearly there’s a growing mistrust in the leadership of the ministry (understatement), but I’ve no doubt every single one of us knows some workers that we love and respect deeply and that point us to Jesus, instead of just pointing us to a religion. And the reality is that our church HAS helped direct us to Jesus, which is exactly what it’s supposed to do. Sometimes it’s been done in spite of itself, but it’s been done, and here we are. And many of us want to keep going to meetings in some way shape or form. But the minute we start worshipping the church, instead of where it should be pointing us (Jesus), that’s when we’ve gone adrift. The minute we revere the vessel that holds the water more than the water that quenches our heart and soul, that’s when the water spills and we wake up to the harsh reality that licking the cup doesn’t quench our thirst. 

Jesus didn’t pull any punches in declaring that religion was over, and the veil would be rent. He was now THE way. The law pointed us to Him, but now that He’d arrived, the law could be put away, made obsolete (Heb 8:13). And this is not to suggest that anyone is esteeming the old law, but the point is that Jesus was trying to show us that the old law, and all religious law in general, was no longer needed now that we could have a relationship directly with God. At that wedding in the 2nd chapter of John, Jesus could have turned the water into wine in any vessel. Surely there were empty bottles or skins laying around everywhere. But he chose to use the pots full of water specifically meant to be used for ceremonial hand washing (same ceremonial handwashing he mocked in Mark 7). He wasn’t just performing a miracle, he was making a mockery of the tradition of ceremonial handwashing, a mockery of trusting in religion. And yet here we are, some 2000 years later, with new versions of ceremonial handwashing, new laws, albeit “softer laws”, but laws nonetheless, that are just a distraction from Jesus as the way and the truth. 

Doing certain things because we believe that’s how they were done in the first century church is a noble, and possibly even worthy cause. But trying to prove that our church is the continuation of the first church is flawed at its core when Jesus himself promised that He would be with us. Jesus was unimpressed in Matthew 3:9 with with their lineage connecting back to Abraham. And Jesus would be unimpressed today with the claim to be a religious continuation of the first century church. If we focus on Jesus, then THAT’s the connection. Not lineage. Not provenance. The historical reality is that our church comes out of the radical reformation that followed the primary 16th century reformation, out of which came the anabaptist movement, of which we maintain many of the hallmarks of, for what remain as many good reasons. And all that is OKAY. It matters not where we’ve come from, it matters where we’re going and what we believe in. And if we believe we’re spirit led – as I’ve heard said often recently – then it’s time to put our faith where our mouth is and cease with this borderline blasphemy of thinking we’re saved because we belong to the correct religion.  There’s a big part of me that wants to post my name to this. But I’m committed to “staying with the ship” so to speak; to fight to make it right from within instead of fleeing into the night. And to be clear, I applaud the ones that have left the church but continue to meet and enjoy fellowship. I’m not quite there yet and I fear that we still have a long way to go before comments like mine will be well received by certain workers with influence. I am the elder of a precious little Sunday morning meeting in our home and as long as we’re not ostracized like some have been, we can slowly but surely be part of a rising crescendo of voices from within the church. So, I won’t post my name, in an attempt to try to keep my place so that our family can try to uphold a standard of truth from the inside, and to slowly effect change. I know many are doing the same, some quietly, some loudly, but God sees and hears all. 
A brother and friend from Canada. 

Overseer abuse of power

WINGS note: This letter was written by a very concerned friend.

After reading the most recent letter that captured so well the problem enshrined in exclusivity, I feel compelled to write. Silence at this point is complicity.

I applaud all those who have courageously shared their experiences as victims of abuse; sexual, physical, emotional and spiritual. We have heard from current and former workers, and current and former members of our fellowship. I say “our” as one who was raised going to meetings and has spent the last 30 years as an active participant.

How much longer is an open question. It is fully understandable that most, if not all who have shared their pain and their experiences choose to remain anonymous. I choose to sign my name to this letter. These are my thoughts and convictions, and mine alone.

To be clear, I am not a victim of abuse, at least not the most direct kind. But unlike many previous authors, I am angry.

I have brushed against abuse and abusers for my entire life, under the auspices of those entrusted with spreading the gospel, but did not know it. At least three known pedophiles spent significant time in my home as a child, teenager, young adult, and now as a father with my own children. None were known to me or my family, but all were known to the overseers at the time.

This only counts those that admitted their proclivities and crimes, not the generational monster that was Dean Bruer, who also spent a significant amount of time in our home, or any who have not yet been named and brought into the open. For a “never” event, that is far too frequent. It must also be acknowledged that what has been revealed in the past two months has been grudging at best, and had Dean not died, would not be known. That is inexcusable.

We keep hearing about the example of King David and giving grace to sinners as a way to pardon the repeated missteps in past and prior handling of abuse. Annaias and Saphira (Acts 5:1) are the examples we should be discussing. They intended good for the nascent Christian community by selling their property and donating the proceeds, but withheld money and lied, first by omission, then by commission when confronted. Both were struck down in that moment.

There are consequences for actions. I don’t pretend to know any person’s status with God, and believe that anyone can find and follow their own revelation and conviction. God is the final arbiter for all, but from a human perspective, nearly the entire current leadership has lost my respect and confidence.

As horrifying as the crimes of pedophilia and sexual abuse are, as tragic as it is that multiple workers and friends have endured their own emotional and spiritual abuse, as egregious as it is that endemic denial and deflection have pushed a Christian ideal into the realm of abuse, we are still discussing symptoms, not the root of the problem.

The foundational problem in our fellowship remains the insistence that we are the one true way, the only Christians doing it right. The most common term used to self-identify is “the Truth”, which says it all. This reeks of pride and self-righteousness. It also creates a clear and immediate in-group and out-group (with approximately 8 billion people in the out-group) and a moral and spiritual imperative.

I will go further than prior posters and say that as long as this pervasive and damaging doctrine exists, no substantive change is possible. It is not enough to say that it is spoken less frequently or directly, or hear it preached less forcefully from the platform at convention. It has clearly and cogently been spoken for generations, with concomitant and lasting damage. Redaction needs to be equally clear and forceful.

There is a legacy of sanctimony, hypocrisy, and refusal to allow change directly tied to this dogma, and a level of spiritual coercion that cannot be overstated. If salvation hangs in the balance, there is simply no choice–one belongs to this fellowship and toes the line, or one winds up in hell. The current crisis, the slowly unfolding nuclear implosion enveloping the church, is the fruit. Matthew 7 lays bare the truth–false teachings lead to bad fruit. As Matthew suggests, those trees need to be cut down and burned.

However, it is impossible to be an agent for change when no alternative exists. The level of change needed is more than structural, it is seismic. The ecumenical church that many of us wish for is so far from the current structure that it might as well be a fantasy. We need our own Martin Luther to nail his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of a church. But we don’t have a church building of course, another facet of which we are inordinately proud.

Second, as so many have pointed out, the pervasive denial of a power structure or hierarchy is almost as damaging, and a simple way to avoid responsibility. We are apparently not one body in Christ, but 18 geographic bodies (in the U.S. at least) with their own Ordnung, following a roughly similar tangent as Christians. Very simple way to pass the buck, and hyper-convenient way to pass abusers on without dealing with their actions.

 Our workers have the authority to assign location of fellowship, elders in those meetings, and who can or cannot take part. They have the authority to say who can and cannot take the emblems, the most direct and physical connection to Christ. They are the gateway to baptism, the closest thing we have to admission into the legacy of Jesus’ life. That is power, and when combined with a dogma that states we are God’s chosen people, it is a truly singular form of power. The overseers control every facet of the lives of those workers in their sphere of influence. They decide whom to allow to enter the ministry, where they labor, who their co-workers will be, and when/if they are dismissed from the ministry. That is clearly power.

In the meetings, the hierarchy is clear, with women at the bottom and men/elders on the next rung. Within the ministry, the hierarchy is also quite clear, with all women at the bottom, younger men on the next step up, and exclusively older/experienced men at the top. To deny this structure exists is disingenuous at best, outright malfeasance at worst. There is no system of feedback or accountability, so combined with a dash of narcissism, the result is a recipe for abuse of all flavors with no recourse.

I believe that the majority of those attending meetings are good and loving people with well-intentioned ideals. I believe the same can be said of the majority of workers, who are willing to give their lives in service to this ideal. I believe the current church structure has strayed so far from the stated ideal that it is untenable. I am angry and believe there is a silent majority in the church who are in accord but has no voice. Until the problem is named, change is not possible. Once named, change remains a far-off and potentially unreachable goal, but honesty is a start.

Jonathan Olson

May 28, 2023

Notification that Jeff Thayer not returning to the MN/IA staff

Dear Elders in the EB/Alex field,

We are wanting to let you and your meetings know more about Jeff’s situation, although a lot of it is still unknown. Some have expressed not wanting any more emails with this kind of news, so we are asking you to share it with your meetings as you see fit. We hope this will be a gentler, more sensitive approach to sharing news.

The MN/IA staff will be together in Rochester on 5/26 for a staff meeting. Lyle Schober will be with us as well We are all looking forward to it I got back to the field on Friday and yesterday Kara returned from IA. We are glad to be back together and in the field. We are needing to regroup a bit and will be in touch when we have some meetings scheduled.

Your prayers and care are appreciated,

Kara & Marla

Here is the letter to share:

Dear Friends,

We want to send a short note to give some clarity about the thoughts about Jeff Thayer. It seems rather clear that it would be best to not have Jeff return to the MN/IA staff regardless of the outcome of any investigation. We hope this will be enough to answer questions that have circulated about his future here in these states.

There will be help sent to fill the needs but at this time it is not clear who it would be and when that may occur. In the meanwhile we encourage everyone to have patience and continue to seek the Lord for your assurance and bread.

Your servants for Christ’s sake,

Dean Dykstra
Marla Freesemann
Lyle Schober
John Simons
Shari Stamps

Open letter from a group of professing mental health professionals

Our purpose is to help our fellowship move forward in the spirit of healing.

Who we are:

We are experienced professionals living throughout the States and Provinces of North America.  We are psychologists, clinical social workers and professional counsellors who specialize in child and adolescent counselling, marriage and family counselling, trauma counselling, sex therapy, school psychology and generalists in mental health and addiction therapy.  Some of us are in private practice, some work for school systems, some are in public health, some specialize in the foster care and adoption process, some work in inpatient psychiatric settings, and some have worked in forensics and the criminal justice system.

How we can help:

We can help with mental health referrals and provide resources specific to our areas of expertise. We are not law enforcement or investigators, and we cannot engage in those processes. 

We have/can:

  • Answer mental health questions.
  • Advise on Child Sexual Abuse laws.
  • Advise on duty to report and reporting procedures.
  • Provide Child Sexual Abuse/Sexual Assault information and resources for these requests.
  • Consult with workers on disclosure protocols.
  • Assist in making referrals to mental health professionals.

Resource website currently being built.

Contact us:

professingtherapistsgroup@gmail.com

Comprehensive letter from Perry Pearson to Dakota friends

From: Perry Pearson [email address redacted]
Date: Wed, May 24, 2023  
Subject: Letter to Dakota friends
To: Perry Pearson [email address redacted]
Cc: Paul Haakenson [email address redacted]

Dear North & South Dakota Friends,

We would like to share with you what we discussed at our staff meeting on May 19th. The information below has been reviewed and accepted by all workers on our staff.

Several topics we covered and will discuss here are as follows:

  • Reporting concerns of child sexual abuse (CSA)
  • Guidelines regarding sex offenders’ attendance in meetings
  • Current and additional child safety training for the Dakota staff
  • Accountability for workers’ behavior in the home

Since being notified in March of Dean Bruer’s crimes, the Dakota workers have received no allegations of child sexual abuse/sexual abuse (CSA/SA) against anyone in the ministry in the Dakotas. We are aware this is a widespread issue with allegations presented in other states. We encourage any victims to reach out to available resources to begin your journey toward healing. The Dakota workers support you and will respect your confidentiality in this process.

A few available resources:

National Suicide & Crisis Hotline: 988 (Call or Text)

RAINN (National Anti-Sexual Violence Organization): 800-656-HOPE (4673) or online.rainn.org (Live Chat)

These hotlines can assist you in connecting with appropriate resources in your area.

Reporting Concerns of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA):

The safety of children is everyone’s business. Mandated reporters are required by law to report any reasonable suspicions of child abuse or neglect to the authorities. Anyone can and should report reasonable suspicions of child abuse or neglect. According to the laws in North and South Dakota, workers are not considered mandated reporters. However, we intend to respond as mandated reporters and report all suspicions and concerns of CSA. We were advised to report suspicions and concerns to Child Protective Services so that the report is brought to the correct people and the appropriate action can be taken immediately.

RAINN Hotline (They will direct you to the appropriate reporting jurisdiction):800-656-HOPE (4673)
North Dakota Child Abuse & Neglect Reporting (M-F 8am-5pm): 833-958-3500
South Dakota Child Protective Services (M-F 8am-5pm):877-244-0864

If you believe a child is in IMMEDIATE danger, call 911

Guidelines Regarding Sex Offenders’ Attendance in Meetings:  

We will continue to work within full compliance of each offender’s parole restrictions within North and South Dakota. Each situation varies and has its own concerns; however, there are a few general guidelines we will be putting in place, in addition to any legal restrictions that may be associated with their case:

  • There will be NO registered sex offenders at any ND/SD convention.
  • The people in the meeting will be consulted before an offender attends. No one will be in meeting with an offender against their wishes.

Current and Additional Child Safety Training for the Dakota Staff:

We are all helping each other be accountable. We do not need to live in fear, but we do need to be aware. We discussed several different child safety programs that would be a benefit for us to take.

  • All of the ND/SD workers are certified in the Ministry Safe program. This has been ongoing since 2010. It is renewed every 2-3 years.
  • All of the ND/SD workers will take the ND mandated reporter training by May 31, 2023 and retake it every 2-3 years.
  • All of the ND/SD workers will take the Youth Protection Training offered by Boy Scouts of America before June 8, 2023 and retake it every 2-3 years.
  • All workers transferring to our staff from other areas or starting in the work will take the above training also.

We are also asking all of our elders and wives to take the Ministry Safe course. [names redacted] in Sioux Falls will be managing the course for the elders and any of the friends that wish to take it. If you are interested in taking the course, please contact them at [email address redacted].

We invite anyone who would like to educate themselves to also take advantage of these resources.

Ministry Safe: https://ministrysafe.com
North Dakota Mandated Reporter Training: https://mandatedreporter.pcand.org/index.html
Youth Protection Training: https://www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection

Accountability for Workers’ Behavior in the Home:

We want to do all we can to be a safe ministry.

  • We recognize that it is safest when two (or three) workers work together in a field.  We commit to doing this in our work except in rare, unavoidable circumstances.
  • Workers will not purposefully seek to be alone with children in secluded areas.
  • Workers’ activities with minors will be with parental consent or involvement.
  • Workers will be respectful of personal property.
  • If you, for any reason, are uncomfortable with a worker in your home, please communicate with us and alternative arrangements will be made.

We cannot change what has been done in the past, but we can do our very best to improve the future. It is important to us that you are comfortable with us in your homes and with your families. Please communicate with us regarding your comfort level and concerns, and know we will listen and respect your boundaries.

Things we would like to encourage you:

  • If you observe a worker alone too much, please approach them and/or alert other workers.
  • If you see inappropriate behavior in a worker, please tell someone you trust.
  • If you are not comfortable with what has been asked of you, say NO.
  • If you see that any of the items outlined above are not being adhered to, please tell someone you trust.

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us so that actions can be taken to alleviate them. We have outlined initial steps to address the CSA/SA issues. We realize it is just a start. We are committed to follow through and know there are more conversations to have and actions to take. Please continue sharing with us and making suggestions so that the ministry and the meetings can be a safe place for all.

Sincerely,

Your staff of workers in the Dakotas

Emails to/from Merlin Affleck and Michael Hassett re Burkinshaw and McChesney allegations

WINGS Note: This is a series of emails between Cynthia Liles, Merlin Affleck and Michael Hassett, with an introduction by Cynthia.

Hello everyone,

As you may know, we’ve been working diligently behind the scenes to protect the community and expose wrong doings. Sadly, in many instances when we are advocating on behalf of survivors, our voices are not being heard by those currently in authority. We feel the pattern of stonewalling by leadership continues even today, as evidenced by the following email exchange. After two months of working on this crisis, it is evident that new leaders who are willing to be ethical, transparent, caring, and operate with integrity are necessary.

We need your help!

Please use your voices to demand accountability and change from leadership.

Please note that as of 5/28/23 there has been no response from either Merlin or Michael.

Forwarded Conversation

Subject: Walter Burkinshaw/Leanne McChesney

————————

From: Cynthia Liles <email redacted>
Date: Sat, May 20, 2023 at 10:14 AM
To: Merlin Affleck < email redacted >, Michael Hassett < email redacted >
Cc: Lauren Rohs < email redacted >, Sheri Autrey < email redacted >

Dear Merlin and Michael,

Merlin, as you know, the Walter Burkinshaw victims have been very distressed to learn that Walter is still allowed in meetings. There are criminal cases pending against him for pedophila, which you are aware of. Last week I left a detailed message for Ben Collyer, who I understand is one of the workers in Walter’s field, explaining how distressing it is to the victims to know Walter is in meetings. I have not heard back.

Society expects institutions to keep their communities safe — especially the children. You may say, “Oh, he’s an old man and he’s in a wheelchair,” or “he’s not in meetings with children.” To the victims, that shows you are standing with the perpetrator and not with them. In addition, I have worked on cases where perpetrators were still abusing children well into their 80’s. Pedophilia is not something that goes away with old age.

Merlin, I also understand that you may have a written confession from Walter. Any and all written documentation from Walter admitting his crimes is key evidence and should be turned over to law enforcement as soon as possible. If it is true that you have such a statement from Walter and you haven’t turned it over to law enforcement, it begs the question: Why are you protecting a pedophile?

I also understand Leanne McChesney is attending meetings. She also has criminal charges pending for sex crimes against children.

It is highly probable that Walter and Leanne have sexually abused other children that have not yet come forward. The friends have a right to know about the charges against alter and Leanne. Please do the right thing and notify the friends in Canada and anywhere else Walter and Leanne have been.

Best,

Cynthia

Cynthia L. Liles
Private Investigator
liles.cynthia@gmail.com
503-334-6866
lilesinvestigations.com

———-

From: Merlin Affleck < email redacted >
Date: Sat, May 20, 2023 at 6:23 PM
To: Cynthia Liles < email redacted >

Hello Cynthia,

I do not have any written confession from Walter. It was at my encouragement that he willingly went to the RCMP himself 2 or 3 years ago and spoke to them directly. Be assured that his case has been in professional hands for a long time already.

Yours truly, Merlin

———-

From: Cynthia Liles [email redacted]
Date: Sat, May 20, 2023 at 7:23 PM
To: Merlin Affleck < email redacted >, < email redacted >
Cc: Sheri Autrey < email redacted >, Lauren Rohs < email redacted >

Hello Merlin,

You state you encouraged Walter to turn himself in to the RCMP two or three years ago. He must have confessed to you? There are two NEW cases filed against Walter. Your account of his verbal confession would be key evidence. Will you agree to contact the RCMP in Vernon and Wainwright to give a statement?

You did not address the other subject of my email. Will you agree to notify the friends that Walter and Leanne have charges against them for pedophilia and remove them from meetings?

Thank you,

Cynthia

———-

From: michael hassett < email redacted >

Date: Mon, May 22, 2023 at 3:29 PM

To: Cynthia Liles < email redacted >

Hello Cynthia,

Our friends in the area where Walter lives are all aware of the accusations against him. They were informed when he first moved to the town.

Michael

———-

From: Cynthia Liles < email redacted >

Date: Mon, May 22, 2023 at 9:19 PM

To: michael hassett < email redacted >, Merlin Affleck < email redacted >
Cc: Lauren Rohs < email redacted >, Sheri Autrey < email redacted >,
Darryl Doland < email redacted >

Hello Michael and Merlin,

I’m sorry — there must be some confusion. I didn’t ask if the friends in Walter’s area were aware of the accusations against Walter. I was letting you know that it is very distressing to his victims to know that he is still attending meetings. Neither one of you have acknowledged in your replies that this news may be upsetting to the victims and neither one of you have asked what you can do for the victims. That tells me your focus is not on the victims. In fact, it tells me you could care less about the victims. If you cared about victims, you would notify the friends in Canada of the pending charges against Walter and Leanne and ask victims to come forward

Merlin, you say you had Walter turn himself into law enforcement a few years ago. I’ve read the minutes of your April 6, 2023 meeting in Kelowna, B.C. You acknowledge Walter committed crimes. I understand he confessed to you. Do you realize Walter denied everything to law enforcement? It dawned on me after our last email exchange that if he had truly confessed when you sent him to law enforcement, he would have already been charged and most likely entered into a plea deal. I’ve confirmed that did not happen because he denied everything.

So, again, are you willing to give a statement to law enforcement in the new cases that have been filed? If not, why not? Your actions are very confusing to me. I do not understand why you would choose to stand by a pedophile instead of the victims who were innocent young children when they were sexually abused by their overseer — the most trusted position in the hierarchy of the Truth. I also noticed in your minutes that you felt Walter’s crimes were on the “low end” of the crime scale on a scale of 1-10. The actual act of sex abuse against a child has absolutely nothing to do with the trauma response. I have worked on hundreds of these cases and have witnessed this phenomenon many, many times. One child who is anally raped can have less of a trauma response than that of a child fondled by the same perpetrator. Again, the actual act has no correlation to the trauma response. It is not up to us to determine the severity of trauma inflicted on victims.

Cynthia —

Cynthia L. Liles
Private Investigator
liles.cynthia@gmail.com
503-334-6866
lilesinvestigations.com

Resources issued by Rob Newman to CA/AZ/HI/NV workers and friends

Dear Workers, Elders and Friends,

Good evening.  The attachments are the CSA Information, Child Safe Policy, and Workers’ Code of Conduct documents (The CSA Information document was first sent out almost a month ago).

These three documents are the three that we have been developing with the help of professionals, friends and workers over the last seven weeks.  As the names indicate, these three documents are dependent upon each other, with the first being educational, the second outlining policies for CSA matters, and the third presenting outlines for proper conduct (actually for both workers and friends).  Please encourage everyone to make time to understand each document– there is a lot of material presented, and it is important for the safety of our children.  We appreciate everyone’s effort and time to be advised and aware, to do your part in protecting the children and vulnerable among us.

Elders, please forward this email with attached documents to all responsible people in your meeting.  Also, anyone may feel free to forward this email with attachments to any other responsible person that would like to have it.

For any that would like them, here are three links to these documents online, with the latest versions if/when there are updates:

CSA Information:                                         https://tinyurl.com/CSAinformation

Child Safe Policy:                                          https://tinyurl.com/ChildSafePolicy

Workers Code of Conduct:                        https://tinyurl.com/WorkersCodeOfConduct

Thank you to the many that have helped with this process.  And thanks for all your prayers.

With gratitude and care,  Rob

csa-information-resources-ca-az-hi-nvDownload
child-safe-policy-ca-az-hi-nvDownload
workers-code-of-conduct-ca-az-hi-nvDownload

Ex-worker shares: Resources for understanding abuse in church and institutional responses to abuse

I am extremely weary of church leadership’s hodgepodge response to the multi-generational patterns of abuse, denial of abuse, vague apologies when abuse is glaringly obvious, suppression of witnesses, and victim shaming.  

I am sick of communications that offer a sentence or two about the victim(s), if any, while providing paragraph(s) about the goodness of perpetrators or the need to accommodate and/or not judge them.  

And while I initially appreciated that some in the ministry had been taking training about CSA, I am tired of that being used as cover. Many recent communications clearly demonstrate that leaders do not understand or believe the training they have supposedly kept current. Ten to fifteen years of 1-hr training, taken every other year, equals 5 to 7.5 hours of training, on average. That, plus any other training taken, is clearly NOT enough for some. “Policies are what you DO, not what you SAY you do” and some leaders can’t even get to the SAY part.  (https://ministrysafe.com/the-safety-system/monitoring-oversight/ ).  

Training should be one part of a comprehensive, nationwide plan. There are resources for getting this together, such as the proactive 5 Part Safety System that can be developed with and reviewed by MinistrySafe Institute. I’m very grateful for those who are DOing and have taken this training seriously in their day-to-day lives, but leadership needs to drop the “we’re not an organization” act and get organized on this issue. Not every expert we consult has to be in the fellowship, and there’s plenty of money out there to pay for services.  

For those like me who are struggling with these frustrations, there are resources that help to make sense of some of the deeply human (i.e., not very spirit-led) responses to abuse that we have been subject to. Spoiler alert: we’re just like all the other churches, or worse.

For those overseers and ministers asking for prayers and direction and feedback because you “want to get this right,” I pray that you have enough humility and honesty to learn from a Christian woman with short hair and jewellery. Her name is Diane Langberg. She has studied abuse in churches across the world. From her work you will see that the patterns of abuse, cover-ups and neglect of victims that have been laid bare in our fellowship are the same patterns revealed in other institutions that most of you would call “false churches.” Diane is a psychologist and was studying PTSD before it had a name.  

Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church https://www.amazon.com/Redeeming-Power-Understanding-Authority-Church/dp/1587434385

This video is another option that covers some of the book topics. I implore you to watch it and take it seriously:

A second book by Wade Mullen is also useful. Wade’s PhD was focused on institutional response to abuse, with a focus on churches. The desire to protect the image of an institution or a powerful person at the cost of victims is a straight-up human response. It is not a spirit-led response. Especially important, this book describes what an effective apology looks like. Overseer letters I’ve seen, if they offer an apology, mostly look like apoloscuses rather than the type of apology that leads to healing.

Something’s Not Right: Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuse–and Freeing Yourself from Its Power https://www.amazon.com/Somethings-Not-Right-Decoding-Abuse/dp/1496444701

A third book, “When Narcissism Comes to Church,” gets personal. First, it challenges us to look inside for the elements of narcissism that each of us carry. It asks us to see the narcissist as a wounded person. But it also calls out the real damage done by individuals in our midst who carry and act on their narcissistic traits. We must not ignore that damage.  

Further, the chapters on narcissistic SYSTEMS clearly describe the dangers of swimming in the waters of “we are the only true Christians.” First, this message is very attractive to narcissistic personalities. Second, a power structure that has no accountability (especially when leadership pretends that hierarchy doesn’t exist, even, allegedly, when under oath) is an absolute dream scenario for a narcissistic person. All of the above puts the narcissistic preacher in the role of feeding ON the sheep, not feeding the sheep. I personally witnessed this type of behavior while in the ministry. I believe the whole staff knew about the damaging behavior of our overseer, but no one could really challenge this “anointed one.” I realize now that I experienced trauma under this leadership, as did others. I am still recovering. Some mainstream churches now actively screen for narcisstic personality traits in pastors. Perhaps we could learn from their wisdom.  

When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse https://www.amazon.com/When-Narcissism-Comes-Church-Community-ebook/dp/B07ZG79HHF

In conclusion, there are many good people and ministers in the fellowship. There are ministers who truly love, serve, and crave positive change. I believe many sincere prayers have been made for guidance in the past and are still being made to find a better path forward. But I DO NOT believe many of us are even at a point of being completely honest about the crisis of abuse (of all kinds) in our group.

The ministry, despite being freed from day-to-day jobs to focus wholly on spirituality, completely whiffed on interpretation of certain scriptures about dealing with problems within the fellowship. For generations, people have been discouraged, and in some cases outright forbidden, from seeking legal and/or professional intervention. We are now told “go to the authorities” and “seek professional help” as if those instructions have always been church policy. Let us be honest – giving that advice without an apology and/or context is gaslighting. That change in stance is a reinterpretation of scripture after GENERATIONS of getting it wrong. And only STARTING to get it right 10-15 years ago because of the threat of law enforcement and, most likely, pressure from the friends.

It is time for the ministry to demonstrate love by LEARNING AND LEADING rather than being forced to do the bare minimum for victims of all kinds of abuse. It is time for the quiet bystanders, including some of my respected former co-workers, to speak up to the powerful. There are many of us out here that have your backs. It is time to stop pretending we don’t know about bad actors. It is time to stop the revisionist history. It is time to stop the self-deception and willful ignorance. It is time to apologize specifically and meaningfully to current and past victims. It is time to recognize that it is not love or mercy to put an abuser in a position where they can easily abuse again. It is time to recognize that it is evil to merely note the wounds of victims without working to provide healing. It is time to see ourselves in the priest and the Levite, when we should be doing the work of the Samaritan. It is time to stop using David’s murderous and adulterous failings as an excuse for perpetrators while simultaneously holding victims to the standard of a younger David who wouldn’t act against an anointed one. It is time to accept that, through abuse, denial of justice, and misuse of certain scriptures, we have driven many people out of the fellowship. It is time to stop judging victims and start holding ourselves, including the most powerful among us, accountable. It is time for serious, structural change.

Anonymous

About the author:

I spent several years in the work and I am now a parent. I’m sad that this letter must be shared anonymously, but it is a necessary precaution for my family at this time. I greatly respect the bravery of others who share their names. I pray for the day when open conversation around difficult issues is the norm.

Offense – Mercy – Saving sinners

WINGS Note: In the 2019 letter pasted below, Robert Eberhardt states “I was a sexual offender”. He has recently advised that he was referring to “consensual relationships” in this letter. Adult consensual relationships are entirely different to child sexual abuse or adult abuse/assault.

His letter was written to explain why special arrangements were being made for convicted CSA offender Price Turner to attend meetings in Wisconsin.

His call for mercy does not necessitate attendance at meetings, nor should it form an obligation on victims. This letter, and the various circumstances that have been exposed recently, raises issues that need to be considered deeply.

Robert Eberhardt is the current overseer of AL/MS/LA. He has labored in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. He has been the overseer of MO/AR, WI, and AL/MS/LA.

For more information about the specific case of Price Turner see https://wingsfortruth.info/2023/05/23/price-g-turner-iii-wisconsin/

8/23/2019

Dear <redacted>,

<redacted paragraph – news of recent visits>

You have asked me to explain Bruce Shaw’s question regarding gospel meetings where a registered sexual offender would be present. If you are looking for someone to assign blame to for this you may put it all on me. What may appear to you as a single worker’s obsession with helping sexual offenders and rapists, is in fact the whole purpose of God in establishing this ministry and our being His servants in it. Paul in his first epistle to Timothy chapter 1, verse 15: This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

I previously wrote to you the following: Yes, the concern you would have for your children is taken seriously. I have spoken with Bruce this morning and have advised him to restrict Price to an as yet to be formed Sunday morning meeting that would be absent of children. The generally attended gospel meetings will now be off limits to Price, but some restricted gospel meetings where no children are present he will be permitted to attend. The Special meetings, union meetings, Wednesday meetings, and conventions will also be restricted from him and anyone else is the same situation.

In all of my years in this ministry I have been reminded from time to time of what our old brother, George Walker, advised; In judgment it is better to err on the side of mercy.

I know that you and some others are not willing to meet with sexual offenders. Because of this, I have written the few sentences above with the hope of alleviating your concern for the safety of your children.

In this attempt, I have been self-condemned as a hypocrite. You see, in the past, I was a sexual offender. The only reason for my being here today is because of the mercy and grace of God. He included me into His family and fellowship. How can I exclude others from fellowship, when I wasn’t?

There is a way for the sinner to be accepted, for righteousness to prevail and God to be glorified.

I hope that you will understand that the safety of your children is no less important to me than the salvation of some poor sinner’s soul.

May God, the Father of us all, keep us united and safe from every evil thing.

You may share this with anyone you wish.

With love in Christ,

Robert Eberhardt