Here is more hopeful news as we address only one of the covered up crimes, the rampant sexual abuse, in the Church of the Living Word.
One of the first of many sexual abuse lawsuits expected under a new California law targets Modesto megachurch NEWSBOB ALLEN | OCTOBER 22, 2019
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baptistnews.com]
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Assembly Bill 218
Oct. 13,2018 Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 218, giving victims of childhood sexual abuse either until age 40 or five years from discovery of the abuse to file civil lawsuits.
“This historic state law will make California safer for thousands of families,” said her attorney, Joseph C. George, “but only if victims, witnesses and whistleblowers in schools, camps, churches and day care centers do as Tracy’s doing — find the strength to pick up the phone and call a source of help, be it a therapist, the police, or an attorney.”
“Abuse of innocent kids and vulnerable adults can happen anywhere,” the attorney said. “But it’s often more egregious at these personality-driven mega-churches where there’s an unhealthy degree of reverence for the founders or pastors and either weak or non-existent boards or supervisors.”
"NEWSBOB ALLEN | OCTOBER 22, 2019
A survivor of childhood sexual abuse is suing a California church .... one of the first of many lawsuits expected to be filed under a new law greatly extending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims.
...while attending the high school youth group at First Baptist Church in Modesto in the mid-1970s.
Two weeks ago Epler could not have filed the lawsuit, because she waited too long to disclose abuse that she says started when she was 17. That changed with the stroke of a pen Oct. 13, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 218, giving victims of childhood sexual abuse either until age 40 or five years from discovery of the abuse to file civil lawsuits.
The previous limit had been 26, or within three years after a survivor discovers that psychological injury or illness experienced in adulthood was caused by abuse suffered in childhood. The bill also includes a three-year “lookback” window allowing victims of any age to bring claims that would otherwise be barred by statutes of limitation.
“This historic state law will make California safer for thousands of families,” said her attorney, Joseph C. George, “but only if victims, witnesses and whistleblowers in schools, camps, churches and day care centers do as Tracy’s doing — find the strength to pick up the phone and call a source of help, be it a therapist, the police, or an attorney.”
"... church leaders removed a staff member who was overseeing about 200 junior high age young people after learning of her abuse in 1977, but instructed her not to tell her parents or any else about the abuse."
"Rather than taking disciplinary action such as reporting the allegations to the police, Epler says the congregation “praised and glorified” her abuser and promoted his transfer to become the minister of youth education at Peaceful Valley Church of God in Sonora, California, in 1978."
..." interview that he would begin grooming girls at a younger age.
“He wouldn’t have sex with them, really, until they were late 17 or early 18 so he could say that it was a consensual thing, because they were of age,” Berryhill said.
“It was almost like a cult,” she said. “He had everybody under his spell, that he went after, because he worked on them. He groomed them for two or three years.”
Scottsdale Police Department ... report to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office detailing a dozen allegations of sexual misconduct against Hughey during the 1980s and 1990s, while he was working as a youth pastor at Scottsdale Bible Church."
Also quoting from the link above from Modesto,doesn't the statement right below seem all to familiar with what is now being exposed in TLWF?
"Epler’s lawsuit claims that the church worker “physically perpetrated acts of childhood sexual abuse” upon her when she was a minor. It alleges that leaders
“made a concerted effort to hide evidence relating to childhood sexual assault” by engaging in a “cover up” as defined by California law."“Abuse of innocent kids and vulnerable adults can happen anywhere,” the attorney said.
“But it’s often more egregious at these personality-driven mega-churches where there’s an unhealthy degree of reverence for the founders or pastors and either weak or non-existent boards or supervisors.”[
baptistnews.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/2019 05:17AM by NancyB.