The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Ronnie Gorton, worship leader (some reports say Gorton is the lead pastor) at Awakening Church in Atoka, Tennessee, stands accused of sexually assaulting several teenage boys.
The Covington Leader reports:
On Monday, former Awakening Church worship leader Ronnie Gorton was indicted on 47 counts of sexually assaulting teenagers.
Last month, Gorton, 39, was accused of sexually assaulting at least two minors. He was indicted for incidents involving three, however.
The nearly four dozen charges included five counts of aggravated sexual battery, 17 counts of sexual battery by an authority figure, two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child (Child Protection Act), 16 counts of statutory rape by an authority figure, two counts of exploitation of a minor by electronic means, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, two counts of purchasing alcohol for a child and one count of rape.
Tipton County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Billy Daugherty said one of the victim’s ages at the time of the abuse was the aggravating factor in the first set of sexual battery charges.
“The nature of these charges clearly indicate the victims, at some point, were under the age of 13. The age of consent in Tennessee is 18,” he said.
….
In a 2014 interview, Gorton said:
I’d be completely lost without him [Jesus] man. Just knowing some of the things that I have dealt with in my life and some of the struggles I deal with, I can imagine the type of hell that I’d be living in today without Him. So it’s only by His grace by His mercy why I’m here today.
My title, pastor means nothing. I’m human, I’m a man. I struggle like everybody else and there’s no way I could overcome these struggles and be victorious in some of these areas of my life without Him. It’s only by the grace of God that we’re able to have this conversation today.
Local Memphis reports:
A local minister indicted on 47 counts of rape and sex assault with two boys is now out on bond.
Ronnie Gorton’s bond was reduced to $100,000 on Friday.
The senior pastor of the now closed Awakening Church in Munford made bond on Friday and was released Saturday under the condition he wear an ankle monitor.
My wife and her mother talk via telephone every Sunday evening around 9:00 PM. One recent topic of discussion was the Winter Olympics. Polly and her Mom both shared what events they liked watching. Polly’s mom, a devout Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) Christian, shared one observation that left Polly and me laughing when she told me what her mom had said. There sure are a lot of gays in the Olympics now, Mom said, with, I am sure, a shaking of her head a low sounding, umm hmm — the sound she makes when something or someone doesn’t meet her approval.
Polly said nothing. She could have, of course, told her mom that there have always been gay athletes in the Olympics. Gays, gays, gays, everywhere gays, but for most of Mom’s life, they quietly hid in dark closets, so she didn’t see them. Out of sight, out of mind. Now that closet doors have been flung open, Fundamentalists are forced to see and engage people who are considered by them to be abominable reprobates. I have no doubt that Fundamentalists wish that gays would stop flaunting their sexuality — you know like heterosexuals flaunt theirs.
Mom’s youngest brother died of a viral heart disease at age fifty-one. Art was a wonderful man, a pacifist who refused to carry a gun during the Vietnam War. He was a telecommunications operator. Art lived in Michigan, hours away from his Fundamentalist family. When he traveled to Ohio to visit on holidays, he would attend church with the family at the Newark Baptist Temple. I never heard Art talk about God, Jesus, the Bible, or Christianity. He supposedly made a profession of faith as a boy, but I doubt that Art attended church other than when he was visiting his Fundamentalist family. After Art died, it was left to his two preacher’s-wife sisters to settle his estate and take care of his personal property. There were things “found” at his apartment that still can’t be talked about to this day. I’ve thought, over the years, surely everyone knew Art was gay. The first time I met Art was Thanksgiving 1976. I knew immediately that Art was “different” from the rest of us fine upstanding Christians. It’s too bad he died so young. I suspect he would have found today’s societal openness towards gays liberating. I would love to have had an opportunity to talk to him about life as a gay man in a Fundamentalist Baptist family.
I don’t fault my mother-in-law for being homophobic. She was raised in a Fundamentalist Christian home where human sexuality was defined by the Bible. Gay people were disgusting, vile cretins in need of old-fashioned Baptist salvation. Getting saved turned sinners into saints, homosexuals into heterosexuals. This is how I was raised too. From my elementary school years forward, I heard pastors, youth directors, and Sunday school teachers say that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah over the sin of ho-mo-sex-u-al-ity (shout the word loudly, enunciating each syllable while pounding on the pulpit). Gay people were viewed as sexual predators. No child was safe when near homosexuals. Church was considered a safe haven because there supposedly weren’t any gays in IFB churches.
I didn’t personally know a gay person until high school. I knew a lot of people who were called queers and faggots, but these slurs were often hurled towards boys who refused to participate in gym or who acted in ways deemed unmanly. They may or may not have been gay. In ninth grade, my gym teacher decided to teach us how to square dance. My pastor got wind of this and made a fuss. Dancing? In school? This resulted in me sitting on the sidelines while everyone else, save two other boys, learned to do-si-do and swing their partner round and round. The other two boys? Yeah….the two “queers” who refused to participate in gym. I was thoroughly embarrassed by having to sit with these boys. (Please read Good Baptist Boys Don’t Dance.)
I am sure my mother-in-law, along with her fellow Christians, is upset and alarmed over how out-in-the-open gay people are these days. Why, there’s even gays kissing on TV! Umm hmm. What Fundamentalists fail to understand is that there have always been gay people. Religious oppression kept them from openly expressing their sexuality. Now, LGBTQ people are out of the closet and openly living their lives as they see fit. Their openness scares the Jesus right out of Fundamentalists. They genuinely believe that homosexuality is a sin above all sins, and that societies which endorse and support such behavior will be judged and destroyed by God. This is why Fundamentalists opposed same-sex marriage and continue to threaten boycotts of companies that support the “gay agenda” or the “gay lifestyle.” The problem now, of course, is that anti-gay Fundamentalists make up a small and shrinking percentage of Americans and tend to live in southern or rural communities. They no longer have the political power necessary to turn back the Sodomite horde. As the United States becomes more inclusive and tolerant, Fundamentalists are forced to admit that Christianity no longer rules the roost; that even some Evangelicals now think it is okay for people to be gay; that come the next Olympics there will be gay athletes. Umm hmm…..
About Bruce Gerencser
Bruce Gerencser, 60, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 39 years. He and his wife have six grown children and eleven grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist. For more information about Bruce, please read the About page.
Bruce is a local photography business owner, operating Defiance County Photo out of his home. If you live in Northwest Ohio and would like to hire Bruce, please email him.
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The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Ed Espinosa, the community outreach pastor at Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas, was arrested in December during a McLennan County Sheriff’s Office prostitution sting.
The Antioch Communications Director said in a press release that a former senior Antioch pastor was arrested Thursday for patronizing an illicit massage parlor.
Ed Espinosa was arrested by the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office.
Espinosa was the former Community Outreach Pastor at Antioch and local business owner.
Espinosa was immediately suspended from his position at Antioch on Dec. 7, 2017, after disclosing to his supervisor, and turned in his resignation on Dec. 19, 2017.
The women working at the massage parlors were victims of human trafficking.
They were made to live and work in unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the massage parlors, were kept under constant surveillance, and were made to provide commercial sex for customers.
Espinosa was on staff with Antioch’s Community Outreach Ministry for eight years.
Throughout his employment at Antioch, Espinosa passed multiple routine background checks and was never accused of misconduct toward women.
“Ed’s conduct was not only inappropriate but directly against our values and policy as a church and as the people of God. We continue to be committed to helping heal whatever is broken, whether on behalf of the victim or the victimizer, we believe restoration is still possible through Jesus Christ,” said Jimmy Seibert, Senior Pastor of Antioch Community Church.
UnBound, the anti-human trafficking ministry of Antioch, was involved in the sting of the illicit massage parlors where this crime occurred, providing assistance to the victims involved.
“While we are grieved for the pain of the Espinosa family and all the families impacted by this crime, we also know the pain and abuse that has been suffered by the victims involved. We will not tolerate this type of behavior at Antioch Community Church or in McLennan County,” said Susan Peters.
Churches are becoming political organizations… It probably will not be long until the churches will divide as sharply upon political, as upon theological questions; and when that day comes, if there are not liberals enough to hold the balance of power, this Government will be destroyed. The liberty of man is not safe in the hands of any church. Wherever the Bible and sword are in partnership, man is a slave. All laws for the purpose of making man worship God, are born of the same spirit that kindled the fires of the auto da fe, and lovingly built the dungeons of the Inquisition. All laws defining and punishing blasphemy — making it a crime to give your honest ideas about the Bible, or to laugh at the ignorance of the ancient Jews, or to enjoy yourself on the Sabbath, or to give your opinion of Jehovah, were passed by impudent bigots, and should be at once repealed by honest men. An infinite God ought to be able to protect himself, without going in partnership with State Legislatures. Certainly he ought not so to act that laws become necessary to keep him from being laughed at. No one thinks of protecting Shakespeare from ridicule, by the threat of fine and imprisonment. It strikes me that God might write a book that would not necessarily excite the laughter of his children. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that a real God could produce a work that would excite the admiration of mankind. Surely politicians could be better employed than in passing laws to protect the literary reputation of the Jewish God.
This is the one hundred sixty-seventh installment in the Songs of Sacrilege series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a song that is irreverent towards religion, makes fun of religion, pokes fun at sincerely held religious beliefs, or challenges the firmly held religious beliefs of others, please send me an email.
Today’s Songs of Sacrilege is Heaven Laid in Tears (Angels’ Lament) by Draconian.
Behold the skies, they’re full of lies… in disguise
Behold the skies, they’re full of lies… in disguise
O, creator, so long we have fallen to our knees
So long we have murdered our honor, while protecting thine
Behold the skies, they’re ful of lies… in disguise
Behold the skies, they’re ful of lies… in disguise
And we, warriors moulded in the blood of his vanity
The silent, loyal shepard who tends my light is dead… in me
So let the night take thee in her arms,
And dry these tears into her embrace
It’s the end of pretending and defending…
God’s holy light
El-shaddai, we serve thhe, henceforth… no more
Show me heaven, show me guilt… embrace the pain
We must suffer to realize, we must despair again and again
No longer our knees we shall bend, no longer fold our frozen hands
We long for the darkness, our flames still burn for mother night…
Behold us now, as we cry, soon to die… to rise again
Behold the skies, they’re ful of lies… in disguise
Behold the skies, they’re ful of lies… hear our cries
I have seen us bathing in blood to defend his very glory
I have seen us kneel and praise for nothing…
I have seen him dying in our eyes
I have realized that god owes us his
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Flip Benham, a virulent anti-abortion preacher, was arrested for threatening a volunteer at a Charlotte, North Carolina woman’s clinic.
Concord pastor Phillip “Flip” Benham was arrested for threatening a volunteer at a Charlotte woman’s clinic.
The pastor, who holds rallies with dozens of people throughout the week, especially at woman’s clinics that provide abortions, told Channel 9 the arrest was “bogus.”
A volunteer at A Preferred Woman’s Health Clinic on Latrobe Drive in Charlotte claims the pastor threatened her life during one of his rallies.
The clinic’s director told Channel 9 in a statement that they are scared by the group’s “pattern of violence.”
The volunteer said Benham approached her and “menacingly” and “repeatedly” told her, “You are dead,” and was fearing the threat would be carried out.
“There has never has been one convicted act of violence there at all. I’ve been there 17 years,” Benham said.
Benham claims he did not threaten the clinic volunteer, but rather said she was “dead in her sins.”
He said he was referring to the Christian principles that don’t align with abortion.
Benham told Channel 9’s Stephanie Tinoco that he has worked to stand up for unborn children and has been arrested dozens of time.
He said he will gladly sit in a cell for the cause. He said he lost count how many times he’s been arrested.
“We care about choice. We know that God has called all of us to make a choice. And only we have that choice. We want to help them,” Benham said.
….
Benham said he wants women to know if they’re willing, his crew is willing to help them get through an unwanted pregnancy and choose life.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Steven Winn, an unpaid youth worker at Open Door Baptist Church in Mesquite, Texas, stands accused of sexually assaulting a teen church girl.
Police in Mesquite have arrested a youth pastor’s assistant at a local church and charged him with sexually assaulting a child.
On Feb. 18, police received a report about the sexual assault. Their investigation concluded that Steven Winn, 33, had an ongoing sexual relationship with a teenager for just over a year. She was 15 when the relationship began and 16 when police got involved.
Police said Tuesday that Winn is the assistant youth pastor at Open Door Baptist Church in Mesquite. The victim was a student at the church’s Christian school, police said.
Pastor Bob Ross with the church said Winn was never employed by the church and was a volunteer who served as an assistant to the youth pastor.
“Mr. Winn’s primary duties consisted of helping to drive our teens to various activities such as camp, youth rallies, and summer camp,” Ross said. “He had no official duties or title of any kind.”
Police say Winn worked for the City of Mesquite as a construction inspector in the Public Works Department for 14 years. He was terminated on Feb. 20.
Two days later he was arrested and charged with three counts of sexual assault of a child in Dallas County. His bond was set at $25,000 for each count. A few days later he was charged with three counts of sexual assault of a child in Kaufman County. His bond there was set at $1,000 for each count.
Police say sexual encounters between Winn and the teen occurred in both counties. There were multiple occurrences in each, but prosecutors settled on three cases to charge, MPD said.
In 2011, Matt Jarrell, Open Door Baptist Church’s pastor at the time, was accused of rape. He hung himself in jail.
According to the Star-Telegram:
Open Door Baptist Church pastor Matt Jarrell died in May 2011 in a Charleston, W. Va., jail cell. Days before, Jarrell had been arrested and accused of raping a woman.
The woman told authorities Jarrell picked her up in Charleston when she needed a ride home. Instead of taking her home, he took her to a secluded area and raped her, according to a criminal complaint.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
In 2018, Spenser Farr, a student pastor at Hamlin Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri, was accused of molesting two boys at local public pools.
A Greene County church has cut ties with its student pastor after he was accused of molesting two children in Phelps and Crawford counties several years ago.
Spenser A. Farr, 24, has been charged with five counts of statutory sodomy in connection with incidents in 2012 and 2013.
Court documents say the sexual abuse took place at two public pools: The Centre in Rolla and the Steelville City Pool in Steelville.
In the summer of 2012, Farr was showering with a boy after Farr, the boy and the boy’s sister had all gone swimming together at The Centre, documents say. During the shower, Farr allegedly touched the boy’s genitals and continued to molest him after the boy told Farr to stop.
According to documents, the boy was either 12 or 13 at the time.
Farr repeatedly sexually abused a different boy at the Steelville City Pool in the summers of 2012 and 2013, court documents say, while Farr worked at the pool as a swimming instructor and lifeguard.
Farr allegedly molested the boy in the pool despite the boy telling Farr to stop.
According to court documents, the boy said Farr molested him about eight times in 2012 and more than 20 times in 2013.
The boy and his father reported the abuse to a manager at the Steelville City Pool in 2013, court documents say, at which point Farr was fired.
When a detective spoke with the manager in 2017, the manager confirmed that Farr had been fired for touching a child’s genitals, court documents say.
It’s unclear if the manager told authorities about the alleged sexual abuse before police approached her in 2017.
The News-Leader has reached out to the city of Steelville for comment.
Phelps County Prosecutor Brendon Fox filed the charges against Farr. Fox said he is unsure whether the pool manager was considered a mandated reporter. A mandated reporter is someone required by law to report suspected child abuse, neglect or exploitation.
Fox said it was his understanding that the investigation into Farr began after a delayed report of abuse by the victims and their families.
Farr apparently moved on from being a lifeguard to become a youth pastor in Greene County.
Hamlin Baptist Church — which is located just northwest of Springfield city limits — said in a statement that Farr is no longer a student pastor at the church.
“The church personnel team has released Spenser Farr from the position of student pastor at Hamlin Baptist Church and we have no other announcement or information at this time.”
It does not appear from court documents that the accusations against Farr are in any way related to his time as a youth pastor at Hamlin Baptist.
….
In April 2019, Farr was convicted of three felony counts of first-degree statutory sodomy and sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
A Springfield man was found guilty Wednesday of sex crimes committed against children at recreation areas in Rolla and Steelville in 2012, according to a press release from the Phelps County Prosecutor’s Office.
Spenser Farr, 25, was convicted by a local jury of three felony counts first-degree statutory sodomy after a three-day trial. The jury deliberated for approximately five hours before returning their verdicts of not guilty on two counts and guilty on the other three.
….
The release details in June of 2017 “victim 1” disclosed to his youth pastor that he had been molested by Spenser Farr in a shower at The Centre in Rolla in 2012. The case was investigated by Detective Adam Meyer of the Rolla Police Department. Det. Meyer interviewed the youth pastor and other witnesses before learning that Farr had been accused of touching a different boy at the Steelville Pool, also in 2012.
Det. Meyer identified and interviewed that boy, “victim 2,” who disclosed that Farr had been his swimming lessons instructor and had molested him in the pool. After the allegations came to light in 2012, the father of “victim 2” confronted Farr at the pool about it and Farr resigned shortly afterward. The family of “victim 2” decided to not pursue the case further due to the stress and impact on him, but when Det. Meyer made contact in 2017 he was older, more mature, and able discuss his experience. Det. Meyer identified another boy, “victim 3,” who described several incidents at the Steelville Pool in 2012 where he could feel Farr’s erection touching him. He never told anyone until he spoke to Det. Meyer in 2017, but he stopped going to the pool and being around Farr before anything worse could happen.
At trial, all three victims testified along with Det. Meyer and some of the victims’ parents who described unexplained changes they observed in their children in 2012. The defense presented evidence from Farr, his parents, another lifeguard, a police officer from Steelville, and other members of the church.
“Detective Meyer did an outstanding job investigating this case. He spent months chasing down every lead and interviewing everyone who might have had information. Without his tireless efforts for the victims, this conviction would not have happened,” said Fox. “I want to thank the victims for coming forward. Studies show that at least 1 in 6 men will be victims of sexual abuse at some time in their life. For various reasons, the crime often goes unreported. Victims need not suffer in silence; law enforcement cares and wants to help.”
At sentencing Wednesday, the jury recommended 10 years in prison on two of the counts, and five years in prison on the other. Final sentencing will take place at 10:30 a.m. June 17. Beger revoked Farr’s bond after the verdict and ordered a sentencing assessment report.
At the time of his arrest Farr was employed as a student pastor with Springfield-based Hamlin Baptist Church. Farr was not an employee of The Centre at the time the 2012 incident occurred.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Six men have filed a civil lawsuit against Hope Church of the Assemblies of God in Albany, Oregon, alleging that church youth leaders sexually molested them in the 1980s.
The lead pastor at Albany First Assembly church wrote a letter to church members on Saturday, informing them of a lawsuit filed against the church by six men who say they were sexually abused as children by church youth leaders.
“As a church with a rich history in and reputation for valuing, caring for and serving all people, we are deeply saddened by any mistreatment of anyone, but especially of those who are most vulnerable among us,” Frank Silverii stated in the letter. “Therefore, we commit ourselves to pray for the plaintiffs that they will receive the healing, hope and restoration that is needed.”
The lawsuit was filed Friday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Five of the plaintiffs are represented by their initials in the suit. The sixth plaintiff is listed as Anthony Burwell. The defendants are the First Assembly of God of Albany, Assemblies of God Oregon District and the General Council of the Assemblies of God.
First Assembly church in Albany rebranded last year as Hope Church.
The plaintiffs assert that two leaders of a church youth program sexually abused them in the 1980s. According to the complaint, Ralph Wade Gantt and Todd Clark were leaders in the church-sponsored Royal Rangers, an educational and recreational program for boys similar to Boy Scouts. The lawsuit alleges Gantt and Clark abused their position of leadership, trust and respect to repeatedly sexually abuse the six plaintiffs when they were as young as 10 years old.
Gantt and Clark were criminally convicted in 1988 for sexually abusing several boys, one of whom is a plaintiff in the current lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that the church and its governing organizations failed to investigate and let police know when a boy in 1984 reported Clark had sexually abused him.
Silverii stated in his letter that the church “moved away from the Royal Ranger program back in 2011.”
….
Silverii states that after a lawsuit was settled in 1991 regarding abuse by Gantt and Clark, the church used media outlets to seek other victims who were abused by Royal Ranger volunteers.
“No one else stepped forward until 2016, which was another lawsuit alleging abuse from the 1980s, and again today (27 years later),” Silverii wrote.
The Dumas Law Group, which is representing the plaintiffs in the current lawsuit, filed suit against the Albany First Assembly church in 2016 on behalf of a separate plaintiff who alleged abuse by Clark and Gantt. That lawsuit was recently resolved with a confidential settlement, said Gilion Dumas.
She said the delay in pursuing a civil lawsuit is common with abuse victims.
“As a result of the trauma caused by childhood sexual abuse, very few sexual abuse survivors — especially male survivors — ever report what happened to them,” Dumas said. “It can be years and even decades before those who do report come forward to do something.”
I am making you aware of a lawsuit that has been filed against our church, the Oregon Ministry Network (Oregon Assemblies of God) and the Assemblies of God national office. We were made aware that a lawsuit had been filed via a forwarded email on Friday afternoon (February 23, 2018). To date (February 24, 2018), and to the best of our knowledge, the church has not yet been served.
What we know: There are six Plaintiffs alleging sexual abuse, five of which, are unidentified. The Plaintiffs allege the abuse took place between 1980 and 1986, at the home of two Royal Ranger volunteers that were part of our church at that time, and at state-wide event (32-38 years ago). Royal Rangers is an all-boys program similar to Boy Scouts only with a greater emphasis on the Bible and spirituality. As a side note, Hope Church moved away from the Royal Ranger program back in 2011.
Our current Kids Small Groups program (KSG), involves boys and girls, and is structured in group settings with multiple leaders. Extracurricular activities (e.g., sleepovers etc.) are hosted on the church campus or at retreat settings and not at an individual’s home. In addition, every person who serves around minors is required to go through a FBI background check and training in child safety. The protection of our kids is paramount to God and to us.
Also, it is important to note that we are incredibly proud of all those who currently lead and work with our children and youth, and extremely confident in the level of care and safety these ministries provide. The current claims reference a previous lawsuit that was litigated and settled back in 1991 (27 years ago), at which time the perpetrators were convicted and sentenced for their crimes. In addition, our church put out a plea in 1991 through available media outlets asking for all others to please step forward if they too, were violated in anyway by the Royal Ranger volunteers. No one else stepped forward until 2016, which was another lawsuit alleging abuse from the 1980s, and again today (27 years later).
As a church with a rich history in and reputation for valuing, caring for and serving all people, we are deeply saddened by any mistreatment of anyone, but especially of those who are most vulnerable among us. Therefore, we commit ourselves to pray for the Plaintiffs that they will receive the healing, hope and restoration that is needed.
[This letter was fine until this point. The church’s pastor decided to paint some faux gold on a stinking, foul turd.]
Over the years and in recent weeks Hope Church has witnessed the beauty and power of Jesus and His Gospel people freed from their past wounds, experiencing a renewed purpose for living and a promised home in heaven one day. This is why the Gospel is such good news! And, this is why we do what we do as a church. We are extremely proud of our Hope Church family as they continue to serve Jesus by serving others throughout our community and valley. Furthermore, we are excited about the future God has for us.
Please continue to pray for the Plaintiffs, the Hope Church family and the lawsuit; that it will be swiftly and satisfactorily settled for all involved.
Please direct any additional questions to the Lead Pastor’s office. Thank you.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Frank Silverii
Lead Pastor
Hope Church
www.hope.church
The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Joshua Clemons, youth pastor at Crossroads Community Church in Parker, Colorado, stands accused of sexually assaulting a minor church girl.
A former youth pastor at Crossroads Community Church faces charges of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, and authorities are looking for more possible victims.
Joshua Clemons, 35, was arrested Tuesday by the Denver Police Department amid an ongoing investigation into allegations he sexually assaulted at least one member of the youth program he led.
Parker police say 18th Judicial District prosecutors have already filed three charges of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust against him.
Clemons worked as a youth pastor at the Parker church from 2008 through September 2015, the police department said.
Police said there are three incidents that allegedly occurred involving members of his youth group, and that the church brought the information to the department’s attention and was fully cooperating with the investigation.
According to police, the church brought the allegations to police in December 2016, but at the time, Clemons and the girl said they had a consensual relationship and the girl was 18 years old. But after further investigation from the church, it was discovered their relationship started before she was of age.
There were two other girls who were allegedly victims of Clemons’, police said.
….
Crossroads Community Church released the following statement:
Statement from Crossroads Community Church Board and Executive Leadership
Feb. 27, 2018
Today, a former youth pastor who was employed from 2006 to 2015 at Crossroads Community Church was arrested on charges related to alleged sexual abuse of three then-minor girls during his tenure at our church.
This arrest stems from allegations revealed to Crossroads on February 1, 2018, which we immediately reported to local law enforcement authorities.
Crossroads Community Church takes any inappropriate behavior with our young members very seriously. We are heartbroken and grieve with those who are victims of sexual assault and their families.
The individual facing charges resigned from Crossroads in 2015, citing work-related stress. In December 2016, the Crossroads Leadership Council was made aware that after he left church employment, he had apparently engaged in a relationship with an 18-year-old female who was formerly a member of his youth group.
Crossroads’ leadership immediately reported this information to local law enforcement, though no laws were alleged to have been broken.
On February 1, 2018, the mother of the young lady we learned about in 2016 contacted us to express her concern that this former youth pastor was being hired by another church in a position to oversee young people. She further informed us that she had recently learned her daughter’s relationship with this man had begun while her daughter was a minor, and that they believed there were other possible victims.
The same day the mother made us aware of these alleged criminal offenses, we immediately reported the new information to local law enforcement authorities and continue to fully cooperate with them during this investigation.
We have been praying for healing and restoration for any victims, known and unknown, and we ask our entire community to do the same.
We encourage anyone with information regarding potential criminal activity, especially any victims, to contact law enforcement immediately. The Parker Police Department may be reached at 303.841.9800, and the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline is (844) CO-4-KIDS, or 844.264.5437.
For many years, Crossroads Community Church has had protocols in place—including a national background check that is performed on all employees when they are hired and again every two years—to try to ensure this would not happen. We also have written expectations of employees that include standards of conduct as safeguards for both our employees and those under their care.
In light of this situation, we are conducting a thorough review of our employment procedures and policies to ensure every safeguard is in place to protect anyone, especially young people, from any predatory behavior on our campus or at the hands of any employees or volunteers. We will remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent such behavior, and swift and firm in dealing with any situation known to us.
The affidavit states that Clemons and the alleged victim knew each other since the girl was in fifth grade, but they didn’t begin a sexual relationship until September 2014 – when she was 17 years old.
The alleged victim told police that Clemons had admitted to kissing two other girls in the youth group but police didn’t provide any further details about those incidents.
The investigation began in February 2018, when the pastor at Crossroads Community Church informed police that the church learned of the relationship between Clemons and the alleged victim in December 2016. But Clemons claimed at the time that the affair didn’t begin until October 2015, several months after the girl turned 18.
The pastor reported the case in 2016 because he was concerned that the relationship had actually started when she was a minor, the affidavit states. At the time, police said no crime had been committed.
The pastor then went back to police in February of this year after hearing from the alleged victim’s mother, who was concerned that Clemons was being hired as a youth pastor by another church, according to a statement from church leadership.
In an interview with police a few days later, the alleged victim said she and Clemons first had sexual intercourse in June 2015 when she was a 17-year-old senior in high school, but they had kissed and had other sexual contact before then. Clemons was married at the time but told the girl that he wanted to divorce his wife to be with her, the affidavit states.
Clemons knew the girl was underage and even gave her a card with a message along the lines of “We’re legal” on her 18th birthday, according to the affidavit.
The relationship continued when the alleged victim graduated from high school and enrolled at Colorado State University, the affidavit states. The alleged victim told police that Clemons visited her almost daily and the two continued to have sex regularly.
At one point, Clemons went to a pharmacy and bought Plan B – the so-called “morning after pill” — and made the alleged victim take the medication.
The relationship ended in late 2017, the affidavit states, at which point the alleged victim said Clemons started “stalking” her and showing up at her new church. The alleged victim threatened Clemons with a restraining order, according to the affidavit.
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Clemons’ church bio states:
I love the Broncos, ALL other Colorado Sports teams, and Batman. I eat hot cakes from McDonalds every single day, I’m a native of Colorado, and I got my bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Metro (I wanted to be more like Batman), followed by a Master of Divinity degree with a specialization in Youth and Family at Denver Seminary. I love students and want to be more like Jesus everyday! In 2008 I married my lovely wife, Julia, a doctor in Denver hospitals. We have one other member of our family, Tulo (our super dog!). I have been loving on students at Crossroads since 2006.
“Loving on students” has a whole new meaning now that Clemons is facing sexual assault charges. Evidently, his criminal justice classes didn’t teach him that having sexual relations with minors and people you have authority over is a crime.
