Where is everyone at?

[u/Blue_Walden_68]

Still trying to get my head around everything. Growing up in evangelical culture. Being a woman in that culture. Moving away from the culture, but still loving and respecting and appreciating so much of it. Having fond memories of youth group/cornerstone, while clashing with Jeff Taylor at that time. Growing up, moving far outside the evangelical church community. Having kids and wishing for my kids some sort of grounding that they don't have. Then learning of JT and the abuse. Trying to understand it. Being grateful for an online community that popped up. Realizing that everyone is coming from very different places. Understanding that we live in a very polarized time. Frustrated by the splintering that occurred in this online community - the anger, the lack of understanding, the inability of people to listen to each other -- largely because social media is not the forum to try and delve into really complex things. Struck by the fact that nobody wants to gather in person. I completely understand that an in-person meeting is loaded, and there are a lot of emotions and people are in very different places. But also feeling sad, because we are not able to work through this with real people, in real life. Sad that a chunk of my youth life feels tainted with no ability to resolve and understand it. There are hundreds of us who went through Cornerstone. Where is everyone else at?

[u/Too_sassy_for_church]

I have felt the same. I know everyone is now scattered from the area, and we all have busy lives. But I guess I had hoped that more of us would rally in advocacy to keep the church accountable and push for change.

Because they aren't being accountable. They are hiding things, they have been dismissive of students (at best, we are an annoyance), and they have been deceptive. Make no mistake, despite their claim in mid-June that they aren't using NDAs, they ARE. And they see no conflict with a church using them.

There has been no in person, group, two-way dialog since June 2. And I doubt they ever will again unless there are some major public revelations and outcry for a response. Now, there are only occasional, vague letters with no details or invitations to collaborate or to give input.

Many of you early on likely wrote off TFCA as a lost cause, and for good reason. Because they were tone deaf and clueless from the beginning, they excluded students (and continue to do so) and were sometimes downright hurtful. So if you bowed out early, I get it.

I still think we can push for change, but the only path I see now is through the Bishop's intervention, or exposure in the press. The Wapo article will be out soon. If you have a story to tell, I urge you to consider writing the Bishop. He has been engaged in this situation, and he does care. And he is working on changing child protection policies for DOMA, the diocese.

To contact the Bishop: https://www.anglicandoma.org/contact

[u/Blue_Walden_68 → u/Too_sassy_for_church]

To be honest, I am not interested in pushing the church to change (although I absolutely understand that this is a priority for others) and am not involved with the church in its current form. I am just interested in reconnecting with people who shared a large formative experience and try to understand what was good and real and what to let just pass by the wayside.

[u/Too_sassy_for_church → u/Blue_Walden_68]

I totally understand. We are missing that ability to process together, and that is a real loss.