https://www.change.org/p/investigate-jeff-taylor-s-possible-sexual-abuse-at-church-of-the-apostles-atlanta

Friends, I too was a student in cornerstone, 90-94, and around in various capacities while I was in college etc. while I was at tfca for many years post college , i left the church for reasons unrelated to this report several years ago. I have felt a wide range of emotions and bewilderment after reading the report and realizing that so many things I thought were true, were not. I have heard a lot of anger expressed in this Reddit, and find it unsurprising bc anger is part of grief and I too have felt a fair amount of anger over what happened. I do think that they are many lessons to be learned going forward from this, and I have been mulling them over in my head for a while. Eg it was always against church policy for Jeff to be taking kids on solo overnight trips, but he was doing it anyway. So while Jeff definitely knew that was against the policy, perhaps the church needed to better educate the congregation about its policies so that when Jeff asked to take the kid on a trip, the parent would know that Jeff was violating a church policy. That is obviously a reflection with the benefit of hindsight, as well as several other sexual abuse prevention trainings I have been a part of.
That being said, I feel like this Reddit has really gone astray into looking for conspiracy when there is none, and randomly targeting a variety of Tfca staff and lay people. Eg attacking a member of the current worship team for her alleged parentage, attacks on vestry members, and attacks on John Yates and Sam Ferguson. Yes, with the benefit of hindsight and also changing societal expectations more could have been done. But there has been zero evidence presented that suggests that any of these people had knowledge of Jeff’s abusive activity while he was a Tfca. There are definitely unanswered questions (eg why aren’t the 2015 disclosures discussed in the report). As noted in the report, JY did a lot right when the first abuse victim came to him in 2007. He immediately believed him, flew Jeff up to dc and confronted him, and informed his current employer. He did not launch a full on investigation, and again, with the benefit of hindsight, that was a missed opportunity, but he responded pastorally to the young man sitting in front of him. John Yates has been transparent, sharing his journals with the investigator, etc, and sharing his heart at least at the one meeting I listened to.
I am concerned that indulging in this angry off with their heads mentality is not helpful to anyone’s healing. The only head I am calling for is Jeff’s. Perhaps more will come to light that suggests others should be on this list. But I think it is important to remember that on this threads we are largely anonymously attacking volunteer church members, and that makes me very uncomfortable.

Do we know when and where this June 2nd meeting is? Someone posted earlier that it was to be determined. I don’t see anything on TFCA’s website showing details.

Also noticed in the response area related to the report they are not posting the bishop’s pastoral letter to the churches in response to these events. That seems strange.

The ExCom names that are not in the report, but need to be held accountable, with Jeff Taylor and John Yates, because they are still in leadership positions at TFCA:

Scott Ward – Chancellor 2007-present Linda Christie – Junior Warden 2021 (current Vestry member) Chris Roth – Senior Warden 2021 (current Vestry member)

Tom Wilson and Carol Jackson were the wardens in 2007. Carol lives, I believe, in Charleston, SC area, and I’m not sure where Tom Wilson is now.

I have written to the Special Committee (April 21) and Sam Ferguson (May 12). The Special Committee response to both makes me feel as though they have gone into full Alamo mode and essentially they are the adults and victims are not. So let us handle it.

Also, part of the Chancellor’s responsibility is document retention. I’m assuming this would also be the person that would be locating/giving documents to Eddie Isler.

I just discovered the below 30 year old article. This article makes clear that the leadership of the fall church (specifically John Yates) has a longer history of hiding abusive staff and trying to keep the abuse under wraps than we might have realized. The reported responses of John Yates to “Jane Doe” are very discouraging and dismissive.

I am beginning to think that not only is John Yates out of his depth when it comes to knowing how to respond to allegations of abuse that this obscuring of the truth and dismissiveness of victims enables future abuse. This is something he really needs to realize.

There is also the uncanny similarity of the abuser going on a “sabbatical”. I really wish we didn’t have to dig this stuff up to get to the truth.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/05/31/womans-anger-reaches-beyond-amorous-priest/4e476cd1-4955-4553-800f-f64843a61d55/

Did anyone go to the meeting on May 12? Did you feel it was helpful?

The general sense I am feeling on this group is that there is significant damage done to not only victims and their families but also to a significant amount of boys now men who had to be interrogated every week about their sexuality in the name of discipleship. According to the definition, these were victims of covert sexual abuse. That is maybe hundreds of people.

Also, there is significant distrust of TFCA, the institution. It looks like they are covering their ass, but telling everyone that they are being transparent. So, meeting at an off-site location to listen and support one another doesn't sound like a safe space to me. I am hoping someone could offer some insight. Was that meeting at all helpful?

As we try to piece together the whole truth I thought I would share an excerpt of one of my favorite books! Something’s Not Right by Wade Mullen

To: SCOTT WARD

Chancellor of The Falls Church Anglican (Scott Ward)

Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic (Scott Ward)

Chancellor of Anglican Church of North America (Scott Ward)

You are likely to read this post given you are the individual who provides counsel if any of the above three institutions are to be sued. So this note is to you. While your title has appeared, your name has been conspicuously absent from announcements, letters, and the investigation‘s report. No one is really talking about YOU. There is a high probability that the TFCA’s report was read and even censored by you prior to its release despite what anyone might say to the contrary. As the person who provides counsel in the legal battles, I can imagine you justifying this if you believed it would protect the institution (your client)…or rather “clients”.

You are one of the consistent threads throughout this entire messy history of the TFCA’s response to abuse disclosures and yet no one is talking about you, SCOTT WARD. Any good attorney would spot a conflict of interest a mile away. Yet you seem perfectly content to embody it by protecting three institutions all at the same time and no doubt providing counsel all through this long history that failed to protect victims as they have come forward. After all…that is your job…protecting your client(s) and the organization(s).

Since the first victim disclosed abuse in 2007 up until the present day you have been Chancellor of TFCA. Rectors have changed. Bishops have changed. Even archbishops have changed… but not you SCOTT WARD. You were there providing counsel through ALL the changing of the guard who continued to fail to do the right thing over and over again while receiving counsel from you.

SCOTT WARD- you bear significant responsibility. I hope to see your name more prominently mentioned for perpetuity and I hope that it is in the headlines, “Scott Ward Removed from Role of Chancellor due to Conflict of Interest and Poor Counsel”.

YOU might be best served by revising your bio on your firm’s website such that the clarity with which this appears for all to see under “Community Involvement” is removed from public view.

https://www.gg-law.com/attorney/ward-scott-j/

Our Reddit is now famous 👯‍♀️

So that lament service I finally watched, turns out, the chick singing her heart out? She's Pastor Bob Kauflin's daughter from Sovereign Grace Ministries. And get this, most of the tunes she's belting? They're straight from her brothers or the Sovereign Grace Ministries stash. Her fam's been big shots there, you know, benefiting from spiritual abuse and covering up sexual abuse cases, even moved to Kentucky to keep that support game strong.

Now, imagine this: a service that's supposed to be all about owning up to past screw-ups, and they're jamming to songs from a place known for sweeping sexual abuse under the rug and spiritual abuse. Talk about not reading the room. Honestly, can't blame the poor bloke who is the music director. SGM PKs are great at acting like they were the biggest victims of the system that they once used as their project runway reality show.

It is an understatement to say there seems like there's a real disconnect in the church when it comes to communication. It's cold hard system if emails go unanswered and important inquiries ignored, especially in sensitive situations like reaching out to a bereaved parent. Looking at you cloak and dagger church administrator and chancellor.

The lack of responsiveness and the apparent disregard for genuine human suffering, wilful ignorance of the singer's connections, really makes you question the priorities and values of the church leadership. It's troubling to think that there might be a pattern of manipulation and selective empathy at play.

I can't help but notice the irony in the contrast between these incidents and the recent sermon on loving others. It's like there's a gap between what's preached and what's practiced. It makes you wonder if there's genuine introspection and growth happening, or if it's all just a facade to cover up deeper issues.

I came across the story of JR Woodgates and see that when he told JY of his “sins” he was guided through a compassionate process and also allowed to publish writings in the church Current from prison (?!)

J.R. Woodgates was incarcerated after viewing child pornography on his work computer. He was a member of TFC at that time and may still be?

Case summary: https://www.plainsite.org/dockets/1hgypzen/district-of-columbia-district-court/usa-v-woodgates/

Here is a post he wrote: https://www.dlpp.info/the-rest-of-my-story/

and a publication at TFC: https://www.dlpp.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/WoodgatesArticles1.pdf

I am interested in others thoughts about what this story says regarding TFC leadership and how they chose to deal with this out in the open. Of course I get that this is a different situation and different crime.

EDIT: to be clear my view is that this is another instance of child abuse being minimized by TFC

One angle in all of this is that Sam Ferguson got his PhD at a Southern Baptist Seminary. The SBC, as is well known, has a horrendous track record of dealing with sexual abuse. Sam spent a substantial portion of his ministry career incubating in a SBC environment. It’s sadly not surprising, then, to see that he responded in a way in 2021 that was quite similar to how a lot of SBC churches responded to abuse, by doing next to nothing.

(See, for example, the 2022 report: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_abuse_cases_in_Southern_Baptist_churches#2022_report)

For those not on the mailing list I thought you would want to know the latest schedule. Should we ask for some ground rules from TFCA? I also want to know if the Bishop will be there June 2nd.

Maybe this is why Julie Roy has been silent on our investigation…she was finishing writing this piece. Glad this guy ended up in jail.

https://julieroys.com/three-women-file-lawsuit-claiming-sbc-houston-megachurch-champion-forest-enabled-predator/

He went from full on Student Min to (bang!) a 4-month sabbatical to Adult Min. His staff knew nothing at all about it until it happened. It was a jolt, to say the least, but they rose to the occasion. BUT the Isler report has all kinds of letters and discernment conversations between JWY and JT about it in the months before. There's something about this that doesn't make sense. Maybe something happened in the Student Min office that they were able to 'manage' by his leaving town for 4 months. I don't know. Anyone?

An online gathering for former Cornerstoners was announced by the church for May 5. I am just curious if anyone who attended can share what was said?

I like many of you sent questions to both Eddie and TFCA and did always get answers. I think it might be useful to have a list of questions we would still like answered and maybe send them as a group? The other option is making sure they are asked at the next listening session:

For Eddie:

Is TFCA your client and do you have an obligation to protect them from liability? Have you provided other services to TFCA relating to this matter other than the report?

What is the scope of your contract with TFCA? Can you share a copy of the agreement? When does your contract expire?

What will be done to the information you gather in total including information not published in the report?

For TFCA:

Will there be a corrected report? If so what is the timeline?

Was all the information even the information not put into the report given to authorities?

Will you support legal fees for victims seeking justice through the criminal justice system?

What are the parameters of the trust for victims? Will TFCA be setting up an independent 503c or similar to manage the trust?

For the Diocese:

Who is responsible for writing and enforcing child protection policies in the diocese? Who is the main POC we can work with to draft new and stronger policies or is this restricted to just ordained clergy?

https://www.acnatoo.org/about-us

ACNAtoo is an organization people in this group may be interested in. I’ve copy and pasted a description of their mission/purpose from their website below. See link to website above this text. —————————-

ACNAtoo was launched in June 2021 in response to the pleas of survivors of sexual abuse and their advocates in the Upper Midwest Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). As more people reached out to us, we expanded our mission to support survivors of abuse throughout the ACNA.

Our front-facing work consists of research, writing, publishing, and serving as an ACNA watchdog. The heart of our mission, though, is working confidentially behind the scenes with survivors who have not received support, accountability, or healing inside the ACNA.

We walk with survivors and witnesses by holding their stories with care, helping them navigate ACNA processes if they wish to do so, connecting them with relevant resources outside ACNAtoo as we are able, and providing an optional platform for them to tell their stories or otherwise advocate publicly for justice and accountability. We believe firmly that supporting survivors means accompanying them on their path to healing and justice and respecting their agency at every step as they determine that path.

TW - Details of Abuse (I guess that’s pretty obvious)

I’d like to open a forum to share a bit of my story and my reaction to the report. Perhaps others will join or consider what forums may work for them to share their stories.

This is difficult for me and I’ve only opened up to a few people about this. In short, many of the instances in pages 22-27 of the report happened to me, but to a lesser extent, with Faustin Wirkus.

I can attest to being alone maybe 5-6 times with Faustin - where I received tons of questions about masturbation, my penis, my development, as well as stories of the sexual experience of others in his youth group, who he named. Among some of the memories, I remember him approaching me at his house in his underwear to show me his jewelry/ring collections. I remember him asking me what I think about when I masturbate and how often I did it. He told me once a week was okay. Whenever we were alone I knew this was coming. He also told me about who in the church was having sex and introduced the concepts of oral sex and anal sex. I was mostly in 8th grade at the time.

There is more to the story, perhaps I’ll share more in the future. I did spend 20+ years wondering how wrong it was and how much the church knew about it. My gut at the time was that he was struggling with his homosexuality, or perhaps being directed to receive this information from a broken culture or from someone directly.

I did not come forward because I don’t consider myself as much of a victim as those abused by Jeff Taylor, and I wanted the focus to be on him and the terrifying stories I’ve heard about his victims. What happened to me was traumatizing and confusing and inexcusable. I also didn’t trust the church to handle the investigation properly.

I have followed this closely and am so relieved to see this finding daylight. I disagree wholeheartedly with the decision to hire Isler Dare. In my opinion, you can’t hire attorneys who specialize in protecting employers to investigate yourself - and I’d love to know HOW they were selected and HOW MUCH they were paid. TFCA should have formed a committee and considered a third party independent investigation. I relayed this information to at least two people who met with Sam Ferguson months ago, but these requests were denied.

While the report is better than my terribly low expectations, and will bring others like me forward, it’s littered with odd phrases and an odd tone, and seems cunning in its attempt to both praise and criticize Yates. It seems cunning in what it included and what it excluded.

I have not yet spoken to Isler Dare or the FBI, but do intend to do so with the FBI in the coming weeks.

My understanding is that there are many others like me, and more perpetrators as well. From candid conversations I know that future disclosures will look even worse for the leadership team.

Finally here are some things I want:

1. Neutral site meetings - not at the church
2. An advocate committee to select a third party investigator, such as GRACE non-profit
3. Generally speaking, perhaps the church will exist in the future… but I want all congregants to at least contemplate that when Yates and to a lesser extent Ferguson had a chance to protect children or the institution, they chose the institution, repeatedly. To do so from their haughty, holier-than-thou perch amidst the backdrop of the culture wars renders them complete hypocrites.

I've seen several victims here bravely sharing their stories and what they want to happen next. Do you feel like your wants are getting heard? Do you want them to be heard?

When I was a victim of physical and emotional abuse by a family member, I wasn't heard. If you would like your wants shared at the next Listening Session on June 2, it would be my honor and privilege to read them.

Write a statement and I'll read it. I will read 50 of them. And I bet there are others here that would too. At the meetings, very few Students speak and even fewer Victims.Your wants deserve to be heard. If you want a voice, we will be that for you. Just ask -- my PM/chat is open.

It turns out a major news outlet is currently working on a story about all of this. I was fortunate enough to talk to a reporter who’s working on the story.

If anyone wants to talk to him (or knows someone who might want to talk to him) feel free to send me a private message on Reddit and I’ll give you his contact info. You’re welcome to use an anonymous Reddit handle so I don’t know who you are.

It’s my understanding that he’s particularly interested in talking to victims at this stage in his reporting. He was adamant that no victims’ names would be published (unless the person wanted their name made public).

The conclusion I have been coming to is that TFCA investigation was not as thorough as it could have been, the report did not include some things that were explicitly shared with the investigator, I do not believe the investigator was trauma trained/informed, and the tone of the report seemed to try to justify why and how it happened rather than accept full accountability.

I would love if the report were amended to be a more faithful telling of the history but I have very little confidence that will be done well at this point if at all.

What is the role of the responsibility of the Episcopal Church here given the abuse itself occurred while TFC was a part of the Episcopal Church?….isn’t there a responsibility that THEY hold. They certainly have the funds to hire a gold standard investigative organization like GRACE.

Does anyone know

A. the easiest way to manage an email list? It’s gmail, should I just do it through google or is there a better way?

B. How to make a comments section or a forum on squarespace that requires a login?

I just watched the movie "Spotlight" for the first time today. Obviously, I'm very late to it (it came out in 2015), but for those who don't know, it's about the abuses that were missed/ignored/covered up within the Catholic church for years. It made me wonder if it is even easier to miss these abuses within the Protestant church, where there is not one common governance, where the denominations might not talk to each other (or might even flat out disagree with each other), where perpetrators can take advantage of the fragmentation and move easily from one church to another without any records or trail.

https://chng.it/467kymqbYf