A Victim Finds Her Voice, Salem, Oregon SDA church sued for not protecting child Options

[Shepherdswife]

I know this is not specifically about 3ABN, but I think it definitely relates:

16 years ago, a 7 yr old girl was repeatedly molested by a 15 year old who had an established history as a sex offender in another state. The church knew there had been problems, yet let him work with Pathfinders.

Attorneys for the woman, now 23, say "the defendants failed to investigate the background of the teen, ... and continued to retain him in this agency even after questionable matters from S.H.’s past came to light."
"They say the teen's background could have been fully discovered by a reasonable investigation, indicating that he had some history of inappropriate sexual misconduct with children."

Notice it looks like they are not only being held accountable for what they knew, but for what they could have known if they had investigated.

Defendants in the case include The North Pacific Union Conference Association of Seventh Day Adventists, Western Oregon Conference Association of Seventh Day Adventists, and the East Salem Seventh Day Adventist Church.

See the entire article here...
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august3...abuse_83107.php

When we as a church don't take allegations seriously, following up on them even if we may not think there is anything to them, or as one pastor I know expressed "I don't want to make a big deal of this because I don't want our church to be known as the church where these things happen", then headlines like this will appear. Maybe 15 or 20 years down the road, but they will appear. And as the victims of Catholic priests learned, sometimes the only way to get the organizations attention is to hit them in the pocketbook.

In all fairness, the Adventist Church has come a long ways in 16 years in understanding these issues and taking them seriously. But every one of us who is in leadership should take notes--you can't be too careful when it comes to our children and young people.

shepherdswife

[princessdi]

I don't know why we believe the SDA church is immun to such. They went back years on the Catholic church and held them accountable..

[Shepherdswife]

I don't know why we believe the SDA church is immun to such. They went back years on the Catholic church and held them accountable..

Some believe that it "doesn't happen in the SDA church". Or if it does, we shouldn't admit it or talk about it. Or that we should hide it so people are not turned away from "the truth" by hearing about it. Or even that it is not that big a deal. All reasons why some believe that "it couldn't happen to us"...

[Artiste]

I know this is not specifically about 3ABN, but I think it definitely relates:

16 years ago, a 7 yr old girl was repeatedly molested by a 15 year old who had an established history as a sex offender in another state. The church knew there had been problems, yet let him work with Pathfinders.

Attorneys for the woman, now 23, say "the defendants failed to investigate the background of the teen, ... and continued to retain him in this agency even after questionable matters from S.H.’s past came to light."
"They say the teen's background could have been fully discovered by a reasonable investigation, indicating that he had some history of inappropriate sexual misconduct with children."

Notice it looks like they are not only being held accountable for what they knew, but for what they could have known if they had investigated.

Defendants in the case include The North Pacific Union Conference Association of Seventh Day Adventists, Western Oregon Conference Association of Seventh Day Adventists, and the East Salem Seventh Day Adventist Church.

See the entire article here...
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august3...abuse_83107.php

When we as a church don't take allegations seriously, following up on them even if we may not think there is anything to them, or as one pastor I know expressed "I don't want to make a big deal of this because I don't want our church to be known as the church where these things happen", then headlines like this will appear. Maybe 15 or 20 years down the road, but they will appear. And as the victims of Catholic priests learned, sometimes the only way to get the organizations attention is to hit them in the pocketbook.

In all fairness, the Adventist Church has come a long ways in 16 years in understanding these issues and taking them seriously. But every one of us who is in leadership should take notes--you can't be too careful when it comes to our children and young people.

shepherdswife

Shepherdswife, I also think that we as a church should take the allegations seriously.

In the case of Tommy Shelton and 3ABN's dealings with him, I am concerned by the adamant statement of "Dallas" in his new thread this evening that Elder Jim Gilley will not be apologizing for anything that came before his current tenure at 3ABN. I believe that there was an advertisesment for one of Tommy Shelton's duet recordings that very evening with a prominent picture of him on the screen. I do know that very frequently lately he has been included as accompanist in the reruns of the "Melody" musical programming.

Even though Elder Gilley's rational is that the things of the past don't involve him, I feel that this is a means of sweeping past events under the rug so a new era at 3ABN can begin more easily.


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