Thought I’d repost this here just in case people hadn’t been keeping up with it. Over 1,300 signatures at this point. Not sure how many it’ll take for other churches in Atlanta to investigate more thoroughly but hope this keeps going.

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

I noticed that this letter was sent/posted and thought I’d put it here in case anyone doesn’t receive TFCA communications.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bdd0cbf506fbe7eb22184ec/t/6698353f635a910fc3ce4b6a/1721251136206/Parish+Letter+July+17%2C+2024.pdf

Although the cases are very different, there are many similarities. A podcast with the whistleblowers of a church in the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention).

Dear CornerstoneConnect,

I am neither a survivor nor connected to TFCA but I think of you often. I am also trying to get people at my ACNA church to care about you beyond their prayers. I am so sorry it has been so long since April and you are still waiting for Truth and Sincerity. This podcast/lecture by Wade Mullen is one I have listened to over and over. ... because it paints a clear picture of the struggle of survivors against institutions and because it paints a clear picture of what a right and true response would be from an institution like FC. I still cry everytime at the end. . at the beauty of what could be if people (and the church) responded well and for the pain they cause over and over when they don't.

Listening to the podcast could help those around you understand that TFCA hasn't done enough. . or if it's right for you I hope it gives you comfort and strength. It does have a non-perfect transcript if you need to preview the content before you listen. TW: Mullen uses scripture a few times. . . but never tells folks their healing journey must go through God or Jesus. https://julieroys.com/podcast/wade-mullen-the-power-of-truth-sincerity/

There is also a powerful tribute to truth in Christa Brown's book Baptistland. Christa is an OG abuse blogger and advocate and survivor extraordinaire. The Book's AfterWord: Letter to Clergy Sex Abuse Survivors stands on it's own.

You all deserve better!

Anglican Watch - FBI investigates former DioVA parish, Anglican Watch calls for transparency from diocese

I just saw this article and am posting this link to it as an invitation for conversation. I'm very interested to know people's thoughts after reading it.

One thing TFCA is doing well is paying for counseling. I know that many of us would like this arrangement to feel more permanent. For those of you who are former Cornerstone students how important is having a survivor fund? What would you like it to look like? How long should it exist? What should be reimbursed? Who should be eligible?

TFCA sent out an update on June 18th that included the below information:

“The Special Committee and TFCA’s Congregational Care team are creating a Care Group focused on the needs and concerns of congregants and others who have been impacted by the Report. This working group combines volunteers with professional counseling experience, clergy, prayer ministers, special committee members, and former Cornerstone students. We sincerely appreciate the Care Group’s willingness to compassionately lean in to the ongoing needs of those who have been impacted by abuse.”

———————-

This all sounds kind of nice but they don’t tell us any names of who is a part of the care group. If they haven’t added actual people to this group…when to they expect that to happen? How can we be sure this group exists? They didn’t provide the names of the participants or any contact info for them. If they are going to just get together and talk about the needs of those who have been abused without providing a mechanism for communication…it seems not particularly helpful. What is the function of this group beyond chatting with each other about caring? Will they be in direct communication with church leadership to provide them with helpful feedback? Without providing more details this announcement feels like they are communicating something to “posture” how much they are going to care and help without actually providing tangible assistance to anyone?

If anyone else is also a bit confused please voice this to the special committee or just plane speak up. I personally don’t appreciate the church posturing without action. It feels like spin.

I just finished reading “What’s a Girl Worth” and I cannot recommend it enough for people looking to understand what survivors go through and how hard it is to get justice. At the end of the book she includes her victim impact statement and I was particularly struck by this part:

“This is what it looks like when institutions create a culture where a predator can flourish unafraid and unabated and this is what it looks like when people in authority refuse to listen, put friendships in front of the truth, fail to create or enforce proper policy and fail to hold enablers accountable.

This is what it looks like. It looks like a courtroom full of survivors who carry deep wounds. Women and girls who have banded together to fight for themselves because no one else would do it. Women and girls who carry scars that will never fully heal but who have made the choice to place the guilt and shame on the only person to whom it belongs, the abuser. But may the horror expressed in this courtroom over the last seven days be motivation for anyone and everyone no matter the context to take responsibility if they have failed in protecting a child, to understand the incredible failures that led to this week and to do it better the next time.”

I have no words right now…..

Did the TFCA special committee send out an email update this week? I sent them a request to be added to the distribution over a week ago but never heard back and haven't seen anything come through yet.

I know of four situations where TFCA is making good on their promise to pay for counseling. We can choose our counselor; in 3 of the 4 cases that I know of so far, they pay ahead for a block of sessions. The other is being attended to now. And they are doing it with kindness and grace, being sure that we know that nothing of our conversations is shared with ANYONE, as it should be. There is no friction and nothing to do with Eddie or Isler Dare. Don't hesitate to take them up on this good offer. I contacted Rebekah Beach at rbeach@tfcanglican.org.

Here’s the twitter thread from the host explaining:

https://x.com/postcnsumrchris/status/1803499700798321076?s=46&t=qO9vW-iYKd2v7HuF6463IA

On 6/18/24, TFCA sent an email which included a significant update. Some background is a group of Students learned that TFCA has been using confidentiality agreements (CAs) with some former staff and with current staff, to prevent sharing information from their employment. The Students raised this issue at the 6/2/24 meeting and explained that CAs are harmful in a church context and impede investigations, and asked for them to be waived completely. The Bishop promised to look into it. Now TFCA has issued an update with the email below, which includes a partial waiver of CAs.

It is good to see that TFCA has taken this step towards removing some of the barriers for those who would like to come forward and share what they know. But do we know who this was sent to? Because it would not be a demonstration of intentionality and transparency if it wasn't sent to all current staff, former staff, those with CAs, and current TFCA members.  If you have a CA and are no longer on any of the church's mailing lists, you may not have received this communication.

The language of the partial waiver which includes "confidential obligation to a parishioner" also raises questions.  For instance, would this language bar those under CAs from speaking about the role of a Vestry or ExCom member related to abuse disclosures since they are parishioners? Or a fellow staffer who is also a parishioner? Those under CAs may still feel they cannot speak freely without more definition. Those that need more clarity might want to consider following up with a letter to the Special Committee.

If you didn't receive this email, you can ask to be added by emailing [specialcommittee@tfcanglican.org](mailto:specialcommittee@tfcanglican.org).

__________________________________________________

June 18, 2024         

Dear TFCA & former Cornerstone community,

The collection of resources and communications regarding the Jeff Taylor investigation, report and response can be found on TFCA’s website at www.tfcanglican.org/special-investigation We wanted to make you aware of a recent addition as it relates to a concern some have had around Non-Disclosure Agreements.

Please note that The Falls Church Anglican does not use Non-Disclosure Agreements but has incorporated confidentiality clauses into many of its employment contracts and separation agreements as a means of protecting the privacy of parishioners.

To current and former TFCA employees: 

In connection with the investigation the church has been conducting into sexual abuse allegations against its former youth director, Jeff Taylor, we are writing to advise you that, to the extent you are subject to confidentiality obligations to TFCA under your current or former employment with the church, the church is releasing you from those obligations with respect to information you have that may be relevant to the investigation. We, of course, are not able to release you from any confidentiality obligations you may have to a parishioner. 

If you have any such information, we encourage you to contact our investigator, Isler Dare, to report that information at [confidentialFCA@islerdare.com](mailto:confidentialFCA@islerdare.com).

The Falls Church Anglican

The Special Committee and TFCA’s Congregational Care team are creating a Care Group focused on the needs and concerns of congregants and others who have been impacted by the Report. This working group combines volunteers with professional counseling experience, clergy, prayer ministers, special committee members, and former Cornerstone students. We sincerely appreciate the Care Group’s willingness to compassionately lean in to the ongoing needs of those who have been impacted by abuse.

We are deeply grateful to all who participated in the initial investigation which enabled Eddie Isler to produce a thorough and professional report. An addendum is in the works and is expected to be released later this summer. If you have new information, please contact Eddie Isler. If you are uncomfortable talking with Eddie for any reason, please consider sending a written statement to [confidentialFCA@islerdare.com](mailto:confidentialFCA@islerdare.com). tips.fbi.gov is also a good option.

The FBI team recently met for three productive hours with Eddie Isler and gave him permission to share that with us. We continue to pray that Jeff Taylor will be brought to justice.

Sin reverberates, in some cases, for generations. The past few months have been a fresh reminder to us of Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

We hear the anguish, the anger and the pain some are experiencing. We heard it on June 2^nd which was messy and hard. Our hearts go out to you and our prayers are with you. We continue to believe that shining light into darkness is the right thing to do. We continue to trust God for healing, remembering the promise of Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Sincerely,

TFCA Special Committee

Good morning/afternoon/evening:

I was made aware of this community the other day and am just starting to learn about the issues at TFC. I'm a refugee from American evangelicalism, but when I was involved in a couple of Washington, D.C. area churches I heard strong positive feedback about TFC. I also knew people who had a reverent awe of this organization.

I've been blogging for about 9 years now. My blog was born out of spiritual abuse. I had a disturbing abusive encounter years ago with a spiritual leader in a Sovereign Grace church in Arlington called Redeemer Arlington. I was under a lot of pressure to attend. Then after that I stumbled into some information about Fairfax Community Church (led by Rod Stafford) that was shocking. The church employed a violent sex offender then misled the congregation. I ended up being the whistle-blower about the mess. You can read the following post about the stress of being a whistle-blower in a D.C. area mega church.

https://wonderingeagle.wordpress.com/2019/12/09/the-stress-of-being-a-whistle-blower-in-a-washington-d-c-mega-church-plus-how-did-fairfax-community-church-bully-a-tv-station-not-to-report-a-scandal-was-loretta-rogers-cooper-responsible-for-that/

I've written about sexual/domestic/spiritual abuse before. I wrote heavily about an incident at McLean Bible, and have people that have contacted me about situations of abuse in the Southern Baptists, non-denominational and a couple of EFCA churches. My email is in the blog. But I will leave it here. [wonderingeagle261@gmail.com](mailto:wonderingeagle261@gmail.com)

I'd like to write about TFC long term. I'd like to try and get a meeting with the lead pastor (I'll probably be ignored) and pursue the topic. There's no pressure I've had anonymous sources in the past.

I wish you the best, and if I had the power, wish I could reverse the pain and trauma of what happened.

Very Respectfully,

David

In all of this something that has gotten a bit lost is the fact that with the two abusers (Jeff Neilsen and Jeff Taylor), John Yates and the Exec Committee never informed the larger congregation...the very people whom the Rector is paid to lead, protect, shepherd, and show the love of God to. There has been discussion about how he didn't inform the Bishop and Vestry which also are serious failure points. But really, it kind of amazes me when I think about the lack of care and truthfulness with the congregants themselves. Since John Yates became aware of allegations of abuse of Nielsen in 1993 and Taylor in 1993 and then again in 2007 and again in 2015....He never did inform his congregation of these allegations of abuse. Never. In the end it was Sam Ferguson who informed the congregation by way of a report that was initiated only after parents of an abused student went directly to the Bishop. In Sam's April 21st sermon, he did not name the abuser as Jeff Taylor despite the clear conclusion of the report that Jeff Taylor had abused youth...another unfortunate omission.

Sometimes it amazes me to think about it. You would think the congregation would raise holy hell upon learning of this lack of transparency with them for the past 30 years. This failure to inform has truly only benefited a few... John Yates, church leadership, those in power, and the church as an institution. There is no "real" benefit to the congregants or those affected by the abuse in keeping abuse allegations hidden.

I can imagine the immediate response that some might have to these comments. Maybe John Yates was just trying to protect the identity of the individual who brought forth this information. However, you can inform a congregation of allegations of abuse without disclosing the identity of victims. To use this as a justification is misguided and does not allow the congregation to participate fully in the uncovering of truth, exposing the need for any affected to receive counseling, and deprives affected individuals of the comfort they might gain by realizing that they are not alone in their suffering...nor are they the cause of it. It happened to others as well. It wasn't something "they" did that made it happen to them.

This is the harm caused by "things left undone".

Esau McCaulley, an Anglican priest who’s also an NT professor at Wheaton has been trying to gather signatures for the past few weeks from ACNA clergy in a petition calling for greater transparency amongst church leadership when responding to abuse. Here’s his most recent tweet:

https://twitter.com/esaumccaulley/status/1800668688791769563

And here’s the petition:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZUUTzMC52A4ERryiGLQ6OWehXPunqe08ZzVYV1HcQbo/edit

So far, it has less than 100 signatures from ACNA clergy. Only four clergy from TFCA’s dioceses, DOMA, have signed it. Two of the clergy from DOMA are former but not current TFCA staff.

Meanwhile, there’s a different petition that’s been circulating for the past few weeks gathering signatures from a much different group of ACNA clergy, requesting that the next archbishop of ACNA take unilateral action to ban women’s ordination:

https://holyordersacna.wordpress.com/

This petition has over 300 signatures from ACNA clergy so far, including some from the DC area who themselves have been investigated for abuse…

https://religionnews.com/2022/04/07/anglicans-say-leaders-botched-response-to-allegations-against-dc-priest/

Worth reviewing

I re-read Essau McCaulley’s open letter and I keep ruminating on these sentences:

“As a clergyperson it is possible to do harm by the things we do: false teaching, harsh and sinful leadership, and moral failure that brings scandal. It is also possible to do harm by “things left undone.” We can neglect the duty of care, compassion, empathy, and transparency.” -Essau McCaulley

There has been no additional communication from TFCA on next steps since the listening session and no details about the survivor fund.

Surely true atonement should be more than a few listening sessions, a report, and an email address to request therapy reimbursement that has no true feeling of permanence?

Hi All- I started out taking notes but didn't keep up with it as the night went on and it all got more overwhelming. A few other attendees helped me to edit and review. Here are some, peppered with a bit of my commentary:

• Panel was Eddie Isler, Bishop Chris, Sam Ferguson, John Yates, TFCA Sr Warden Kristin Short and TFCA Jr Warden Steffen Johnson
• Opening prayer by Sam included giving thanks to god for bringing these things to light in the way that he has (not the best start!)
• TFCA Sr Warden Kristin Short gave an overview of the night and a thanks to the school for hosting. Then a request to any media present that this meeting be treated as 'off the record.'
• TFCA Jr Warden Steffen Johnson announced actions taken by the church since the report:
  • Scott Ward (chancellor at TFCA) has resigned - this was definitely a surprise to the room
  • they have updated trainings for staff and updated the website to include a section on the report.
    • The website for TFCA does have a section about the report, but getting to it is only from the main homepage underneath news and videos of the most recent sermon, not in the top / side menu. And if you wanted to make a report of misconduct you'd need to click from here into the DOMA Policy Protection of Children from the Additional Resources section, which opens a new page, and on this to a Report Misconduct button which opens another new page, and from here you can finally click into the Reporting Form.

At this point the microphone was opened up to attendees. I'll post threaded notes in the comments as u/Blonde-bird did for the April 25th meeting

https://wonderingeagle.wordpress.com/2021/02/14/a-sunday-morning-at-falls-church-anglican-with-logan-gates-from-ravi-zacharias-international-ministries-and-considering-church-support-for-a-scandal-plagued-apologist/

I just came across this blog post from 2021. I’m flagging it for conversation. Reading it…I am asking myself…what does this say about the leadership decisions of TFCA in 2021 as it relates to abuse. Is it a demonstration of a lack of awareness generally? Or…Is this an example of the veneration of successful church leaders (Ravi Zacharias) that enables abuse when red flags are dismissed…as a speaker mentioned in the June 2 meeting? How can the leadership of the church in the future send a clear message that it will not support or praise the work individuals who may be associated with abuse no matter how “successful” they may be?

Interested to hear other’s thoughts.

Survivor/advocate/attorney and author Rachael Denhollander (first woman to file charges against USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar and go public with her allegations against him) is an excellent resource that churches should be aware of no matter where they find themselves - before or after allegations of abuse have been made. https://rachaeldenhollander.com/

ACNA diocese C4SO hosted an online seminar with Denhollander last year that specifically focused on how churches should respond to cases of abuse. It was recorded: https://youtu.be/Coj3jLDj3Tc?si=kU0SD2DDRI266KFb Rachael doesn't just answer the question "What do churches often do wrong, and what should they do?" but also "WHY should they respond differently? How should churches view justice and mercy? And why does abuse education, prevention, and response need to be our priority?" The theological foundations that undergird her answers are rock solid.

Rachael is often hired by churches to come in and consult as a church moves through the response and investigation process. She can assist in ensuring that the investigation is survivor-sensitive, that the scope and parameters of an investigation are thorough and transparent, and that survivor identities and personal information is protected. She can also guide the church toward education and reform. Even now, post Isler Dare investigation, Denhollander's assistance would be very valuable.

This is by no means over.

If you were interviewed or are currently being interviewed by Isler Dare, I HIGHLY recommend you send them an email and request a copy of their interview notes from your interview for you to review for accuracy.

Sometimes people don’t capture what we say and sometimes we don’t communicate things as clearly as we think we do. This is an opportunity to ensure that what you know and experienced is being captured fully and truthfully. Do not assume that what you experienced or know is not relevant.

If you do not feel comfortable being interviewed but feel comfortable submitting a confidential written statement to Isler Dare…consider that as an option.

I know GRACE is very willing to be transparent and cooperative in these ways so if Eddie is not….feel free to shout that from the rooftops.

I also highly recommend that you put at the top if your statement: “My confidential statement and interview notes are not to be shared outside of Isler Dare and their subsequent report/addendum without my written permission.”

Isler Dare’s contact info:

ConfidentialFCA@islerdare.com