The Seventh Day Adventists have a problem . . .
Founders of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) movement
Curious - besides "adventing" on the seventh day of every week, what has the current leadership of the SDA been up to? Well, let's see what google can find for us:
Note - if time is of the essence, just read the bold type in each incident.
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2007 - A Valley pastor turns himself in on charges of domestic violence.
Dr. James Doggette is an associate professor of Religion and Theology at Oakwood College.
His other job is Senior Pastor at Madison Mission Seventh Day Adventist Church on Shelton Road.
Dr. James Doggette is an associate professor of Religion and Theology at Oakwood College.
His other job is Senior Pastor at Madison Mission Seventh Day Adventist Church on Shelton Road.
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2011 - A South Florida woman was arrested and jailed last month on charges of swindling her fellow Seventh-day Adventist church and community members out of millions of dollars. Miami-Dade County prosecutors said Marguerite Martial Jean, 38, convinced 300 Haitian Americans in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood to invest at least $3.4 million in a spurious import business from 2007 to 2010, CBS News affiliate WFOR-TV in Miami reported.
Jean told potential investors she owned a lucrative wholesale rice business, said Michael Lamartine Porcena, pastor of Eden Adventist Church in Little Haiti. Porcena, who himself invested "all I had" in her scheme, said Jean used his name to lend credibility to her business.
"She would say, 'Well, Pastor Porcena is invested in my business.' Church members thought it must be a good business if I was invested," Porcena said.
Jean, who previously attended Eden Adventist Church, most recently transferred membership to nearby Shekinah French Adventist Company, an outgrowth of Eden, Porcena said.
"I could never think that someone like her, who taught Sabbath School and was a member of the church board, would do something like that," he said.
Jean promised her investors up to 22 percent in interest on their investments, Porcena said. Claiming she earned $600 in interest on every $1,800 pallet of rice from India, Jean said she would keep $200 and hand over the remaining $400 to the investor. Instead, Jean lived off investors' money, he said.
Though rare, the incident is not the first case of affinity fraud to strike the Adventist Church. In 2008, a London court found three Adventists guilty of leading a similar fraudulent investment business.
Jean told potential investors she owned a lucrative wholesale rice business, said Michael Lamartine Porcena, pastor of Eden Adventist Church in Little Haiti. Porcena, who himself invested "all I had" in her scheme, said Jean used his name to lend credibility to her business.
"She would say, 'Well, Pastor Porcena is invested in my business.' Church members thought it must be a good business if I was invested," Porcena said.
Jean, who previously attended Eden Adventist Church, most recently transferred membership to nearby Shekinah French Adventist Company, an outgrowth of Eden, Porcena said.
"I could never think that someone like her, who taught Sabbath School and was a member of the church board, would do something like that," he said.
Jean promised her investors up to 22 percent in interest on their investments, Porcena said. Claiming she earned $600 in interest on every $1,800 pallet of rice from India, Jean said she would keep $200 and hand over the remaining $400 to the investor. Instead, Jean lived off investors' money, he said.
Though rare, the incident is not the first case of affinity fraud to strike the Adventist Church. In 2008, a London court found three Adventists guilty of leading a similar fraudulent investment business.
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He faced three charges of indecent sexual assault and three charges of having sex with a female, between the age of 14-16 years.
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2014 - For what is the second time in the space of one year, my home country, the beautiful twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is facing a scourge of sexual deviancy by the Seventh Day Adventist Church’s most senior members. On the 23rd of July 2013, Pastor Marlon Holder of the 7th Day Adventist Church in Tobago was brought to court, facing charges of 6 accounts of sexual assault. More information is provided on the Pastor (now former Pastor) of the Church’s charges via the Trinidad newspaper – the Trinidad Express.
The crisis has worsened when on February 10th, school Principal and Senior Elder of the 7th Day Adventist Church – David Smith was charged with 14 accounts of sexual assault. The Trinidad Express reports:
The crisis has worsened when on February 10th, school Principal and Senior Elder of the 7th Day Adventist Church – David Smith was charged with 14 accounts of sexual assault. The Trinidad Express reports:
2014 - Two men who say they were molested in the 1970s by a youth group leader in Oregon sued the Seventh-day Adventist Church for $13.5 million on Tuesday, saying it had appointed a known pedophile to head the program and failed to remove him despite abuse allegations.
The lawsuit said that church officials appointed Leslie Bovee in 1972 to lead a Seventh-day Adventist youth group in Veneta, Oregon, even though they knew he had previously served two years in prison for molesting three boys.
They allowed Bovee to work with children in a co-ed church program for youths called Pathfinder because he repented and was re-baptized, according to the lawsuit filed in Oregon state court against the church's national body. Then in 1975, he was charged with sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy, but continued to lead the local Pathfinders group until he denounced his religious beliefs in 1979, the suit stated. "This is a situation where they knew this guy had abused kids and they didn't just let him in the church, they put him in charge of the youth program," said attorney Peter Janci, one of two attorneys representing the plaintiffs.
Attorneys for the two plaintiffs, who said Bovee abused them in the Pathfinders program and who are now in their early 50s, described the lawsuit as part of a potentially growing legal battle against the church by people who say they were abused while involved in church activities.
The plaintiffs, identified only by their initials, filed their lawsuit after recently learning the church knew Bovee was a pedophile, said Steve Crew, the other attorney for the men.
They learned that in 2012, during a separate civil lawsuit filed on behalf of another victim in which they were called as witnesses, Crew said.
Richard Whittemore, an attorney for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, said the organization has previously settled three other cases involving allegations of abuse by Bovee.
"The church is very aware of all of the issues and takes great pains to make sure this kind of behavior is not going to be repeated," he said.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has more than 18 million members worldwide, according to its website. In the past two decades, at least 525 people have lodged claims alleging child sexual abuse in the church, according to a report last year from its risk management organization.
The lawsuit said that church officials appointed Leslie Bovee in 1972 to lead a Seventh-day Adventist youth group in Veneta, Oregon, even though they knew he had previously served two years in prison for molesting three boys.
They allowed Bovee to work with children in a co-ed church program for youths called Pathfinder because he repented and was re-baptized, according to the lawsuit filed in Oregon state court against the church's national body. Then in 1975, he was charged with sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy, but continued to lead the local Pathfinders group until he denounced his religious beliefs in 1979, the suit stated. "This is a situation where they knew this guy had abused kids and they didn't just let him in the church, they put him in charge of the youth program," said attorney Peter Janci, one of two attorneys representing the plaintiffs.
Attorneys for the two plaintiffs, who said Bovee abused them in the Pathfinders program and who are now in their early 50s, described the lawsuit as part of a potentially growing legal battle against the church by people who say they were abused while involved in church activities.
The plaintiffs, identified only by their initials, filed their lawsuit after recently learning the church knew Bovee was a pedophile, said Steve Crew, the other attorney for the men.
They learned that in 2012, during a separate civil lawsuit filed on behalf of another victim in which they were called as witnesses, Crew said.
Richard Whittemore, an attorney for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, said the organization has previously settled three other cases involving allegations of abuse by Bovee.
"The church is very aware of all of the issues and takes great pains to make sure this kind of behavior is not going to be repeated," he said.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has more than 18 million members worldwide, according to its website. In the past two decades, at least 525 people have lodged claims alleging child sexual abuse in the church, according to a report last year from its risk management organization.
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2017 - Lexington police arrested a 34-year-old man they say sexually assaulted a victim while he was a pastor. Eduardo Elias Cornejo, 34, is charged with criminal sexual conduct in the third degree after turning himself into Lexington police on April 12.
A victim report states Cornejo used persuasion and physical force to have sex with her in January 2017 after she repeatedly said no, making it clear she didn't want to engage in any sexual acts with him. Cornejo reportedly said not to tell anyone about the assault.
Cornejo was an associate pastor of the Columbia First Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Lexington at the time of the incident. He and his family relocated out of the state when he was fired in August 2017.
Police believe there may be other victims who were sexually assaulted by Cornejo, using his position as pastor to coerce or persuade.
A victim report states Cornejo used persuasion and physical force to have sex with her in January 2017 after she repeatedly said no, making it clear she didn't want to engage in any sexual acts with him. Cornejo reportedly said not to tell anyone about the assault.
Cornejo was an associate pastor of the Columbia First Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Lexington at the time of the incident. He and his family relocated out of the state when he was fired in August 2017.
Police believe there may be other victims who were sexually assaulted by Cornejo, using his position as pastor to coerce or persuade.
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2017 - An ordained deacon has been arrested in connection with at least two sexual assault incidents at a west Houston church, police said. Barry Todd Durrell, 55, was arrested after reports of repeated sexual assault incidents involving two boys under the age of 10 at the West Houston Seventh Day Adventist Church, police said.
According to police, Durrell raped a 2-year-old boy in a closet in May 2016 at the church on West Sam Houston Parkway. They said the mother of the child found Durrell and the child in the closet.
Police said Durrell was arrested in March after investigating the mother's and child's allegations.
They said that during that investigation in February, a 7-year-old boy came forward and told family members about ongoing incidents with the deacon, where Burrell sexually assaulted him multiple times. According to police, the child was attending a class at the church, and Burrell took him to the restroom and assaulted him on multiple occasions.
The 7-year-old said the incidents happened at two other locations including Memorial City Mall and a motel. Durrell would go shopping with the family and offered to take the boy to the restroom, according to police.
Investigators said Durrell was convicted of a similar crime in California in 1988. They said he also admitted to another charge in Oregon. Both involved young children. Durrell moved to Houston in 1990 and has been a deacon of the church since 2003.
According to police, Durrell raped a 2-year-old boy in a closet in May 2016 at the church on West Sam Houston Parkway. They said the mother of the child found Durrell and the child in the closet.
Police said Durrell was arrested in March after investigating the mother's and child's allegations.
They said that during that investigation in February, a 7-year-old boy came forward and told family members about ongoing incidents with the deacon, where Burrell sexually assaulted him multiple times. According to police, the child was attending a class at the church, and Burrell took him to the restroom and assaulted him on multiple occasions.
The 7-year-old said the incidents happened at two other locations including Memorial City Mall and a motel. Durrell would go shopping with the family and offered to take the boy to the restroom, according to police.
Investigators said Durrell was convicted of a similar crime in California in 1988. They said he also admitted to another charge in Oregon. Both involved young children. Durrell moved to Houston in 1990 and has been a deacon of the church since 2003.
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2017 - A former pastor will serve 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl.
The sex crimes occurred in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1990, years before the former Seventh-day Adventist pastor lived in North Carolina and led churches in Shelby and Lincolnton.
Michael Wayne Hill, 54, was arrested two years ago. According to Florida news stations, the girl, who reported the crime to police in 2002, said Hill was a friend of her parents. She said Hill came to her house in Jacksonville to pick up pet supplies. The girl told police that Hill started talking about sex and then fondled her. She told police he left then came back an hour later and molested her again and raped her.
The sex crimes occurred in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1990, years before the former Seventh-day Adventist pastor lived in North Carolina and led churches in Shelby and Lincolnton.
Michael Wayne Hill, 54, was arrested two years ago. According to Florida news stations, the girl, who reported the crime to police in 2002, said Hill was a friend of her parents. She said Hill came to her house in Jacksonville to pick up pet supplies. The girl told police that Hill started talking about sex and then fondled her. She told police he left then came back an hour later and molested her again and raped her.
2018 - A woman sued the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Friday for allegedly removing a man accused of sexually abusing children from his role as a teacher only to position him as the pastor of one of the largest Adventist congregations in Portland.
The suit alleges that Lee Thompson abused a young girl in the early 1970s while he was teaching at Portland Adventist Elementary School, a private parochial school run by the church. After the allegations surfaced, the suit says the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists removed Thompson from his teaching role, but offered him a position as a pastor in Mt. Tabor, where he continued to abuse the plaintiff.
The plaintiff is named only as Laura Doe. The lawsuit seeks $4 million in economic and emotional damages from the church and asks the court to mete out punitive damages as well.
"This is not the first time the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been accused of turning a blind eye towards child sexual abuse," says Stephen Crew, who is representing Doe in the suit. "We believe it is important to uncover the truth about what happened and to hold the Church accountable—to help ensure that this does not happen to children today."
The suit alleges that Lee Thompson abused a young girl in the early 1970s while he was teaching at Portland Adventist Elementary School, a private parochial school run by the church. After the allegations surfaced, the suit says the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists removed Thompson from his teaching role, but offered him a position as a pastor in Mt. Tabor, where he continued to abuse the plaintiff.
The plaintiff is named only as Laura Doe. The lawsuit seeks $4 million in economic and emotional damages from the church and asks the court to mete out punitive damages as well.
"This is not the first time the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been accused of turning a blind eye towards child sexual abuse," says Stephen Crew, who is representing Doe in the suit. "We believe it is important to uncover the truth about what happened and to hold the Church accountable—to help ensure that this does not happen to children today."
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2018 - A San Jose youth pastor was arrested last week on suspicion of sending sexually explicit images of himself to a 13-year-old girl who was part of the congregation that he served, according to San Jose police. Luis CruzCruz, 24, of Fremont, is a San Jose youth pastor who was arrested Jan. 18, 2018 on suspicion of sending sexually explicit images to a 13-year-old girl he met at his church, according to police. (San Jose Police Dept.)
An investigation by the SJPD Internet Crimes Against Children and Child Exploitation Detail task force contends that between November and December last year, CruzCruz sent multiple illicit images to the underage victim. There is no current evidence that the victim sent any in return.
The victim and her family attended San Jose Seventh-Day Adventist Church, where CruzCruz worked as a youth pastor, police said.
An investigation by the SJPD Internet Crimes Against Children and Child Exploitation Detail task force contends that between November and December last year, CruzCruz sent multiple illicit images to the underage victim. There is no current evidence that the victim sent any in return.
The victim and her family attended San Jose Seventh-Day Adventist Church, where CruzCruz worked as a youth pastor, police said.
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2018 - A pastor has been charged with the alleged sexual assault of an underage girl, San Bernardino police said. Colton resident Harold Dien, 57, a pastor at a Seventh Day Adventist church, was charged Thursday with misdemeanor counts of sexual assault on a minor. Police say the assault occurred in Loma Linda, but not on church grounds.
The pastor also has a connection to Seventh Day Adventist churches in Upland and Orange County, said San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Cindy Bachman.
The investigation into Dien began Feb. 5, when an SBCSD officer responded to a Child Protective Services referral regarding possible child abuse, said Sheriff-Coroner John McMahon. Dien was identified as the suspect after police conducted several interviews, including with the victim.
The pastor also has a connection to Seventh Day Adventist churches in Upland and Orange County, said San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Cindy Bachman.
The investigation into Dien began Feb. 5, when an SBCSD officer responded to a Child Protective Services referral regarding possible child abuse, said Sheriff-Coroner John McMahon. Dien was identified as the suspect after police conducted several interviews, including with the victim.
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2018 - A 76-year-old Virginia pastor has been served a warrant there and jailed pending prosecution on a Harrison County charge alleging he molested a girl. Daniel Houston Shafer has waived extradition, according to Harrison Sheriff’s Detective Lt. Rob Waybright. The Sheriff’s Office has until next Monday to pick up Shafer at the New River Valley Regional Jail in Dublin, Virginia, according to the lead investigator, Harrison Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Zach Mealey.
Shafer then would be brought directly to Harrison Magistrate Court for an initial appearance on the charge of first-degree sexual abuse, Mealey said. Shafer is accused of inappropriate touching of a girl under 12 earlier this year in Harrison County, Mealey said. Shafer was visiting the area at the time, the sergeant said.
The charge is based on an interview at the Harrison County Child Advocacy Center, according to Mealey.
Shafer is listed as pastor of Highway for the Remnant Ministries Inc a Seventh Day Adventist ministry., according to a Facebook posting. That website listed travel plans this fall for Seventh Day Adventist churches in the Virginia communities of Galax and Wytheville and to the Hartland Institute and the Village Lighthouse Church.
2019 - Attorneys for two victims abused by Orlando Seventh-day Adventists pastor Billy Leveille have filed a lawsuit against the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, alleging the church was negligent after the Orlando pastor was convicted of sexual activity with a minor and child abuse.
The women who wanted to be named and tell their stories had attended Bethel Elise Haitienne Des Adventists Church in Orlando, where Leveille was the senior pastor.
Kenia Gilles said she was 16 years old and Jeny Desronvil said she was 21 when the abuse began, shortly after they were both elected and appointed to the church's secretarial team.
Shafer then would be brought directly to Harrison Magistrate Court for an initial appearance on the charge of first-degree sexual abuse, Mealey said. Shafer is accused of inappropriate touching of a girl under 12 earlier this year in Harrison County, Mealey said. Shafer was visiting the area at the time, the sergeant said.
The charge is based on an interview at the Harrison County Child Advocacy Center, according to Mealey.
Shafer is listed as pastor of Highway for the Remnant Ministries Inc a Seventh Day Adventist ministry., according to a Facebook posting. That website listed travel plans this fall for Seventh Day Adventist churches in the Virginia communities of Galax and Wytheville and to the Hartland Institute and the Village Lighthouse Church.
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2019 - Attorneys for two victims abused by Orlando Seventh-day Adventists pastor Billy Leveille have filed a lawsuit against the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, alleging the church was negligent after the Orlando pastor was convicted of sexual activity with a minor and child abuse.
The women who wanted to be named and tell their stories had attended Bethel Elise Haitienne Des Adventists Church in Orlando, where Leveille was the senior pastor.
Kenia Gilles said she was 16 years old and Jeny Desronvil said she was 21 when the abuse began, shortly after they were both elected and appointed to the church's secretarial team.
2019 - Sarah Kurtz, 50, has been charged with stealing nearly $230,000 while serving as secretary/treasurer at a Village Seventh-Day Adventist School. Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic said Kurtz is alleged to have taken the money between 2011 and 2018 while working for the Village Seventh-Day Adventist School. Last November a letter from Village Seventh-Day Adventist Church and School officials to church and school families stated that the school had been “defrauded approximately $229,000.” Kurtz allegedly embezzled money by means of automatic bill payments, use of the school’s debit card for personal purchases, fund transfers to a personal account, and by cash payments. The church pastor and school principal said that through restitution or insurance, the school will recover the lost funds. The officials said further that stricter internal controls and tighter systems of accountability have been implemented, and that the school’s budget is on solid ground. Kurtz was arraigned Thursday before Berrien County Trial Court Judge Charles LaSata on a charge of embezzling $100,000 or more, a 20-year felony.
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2019 - Grenville Johnson stopped attending the Seventh Day Adventist Church after his daughter was abused by her uncle, a former pastor. Maureen Johnson found out that her uncle had been molesting her daughter when he confessed to her in front of a pastor that he had “asked my daughter to take off her panties”. The pastor was from the Seventh Day Adventist Church in George. Her uncle was a former pastor and an elder in the church and she had belonged to the church her whole life.
2020 - Adventist Pastor Charged with Multiple Counts of Sexual Assault
Multiple media outlets are reporting that Helio S. Ferreira, a man who served as an Adventist pastor in Georgia, has been arrested, charged with multiple counts of sexual assault.
He is accused of sexually assaulting three women over a six-year period when he was living in or visiting Oregon’s Multnomah County.
2021 - Brad Dahr, 53, accused of sexual interference, luring a child, possessing and distributing child porn. Dahr known as 'Pastor Brad' in Lower Mainland, parts of Alberta and Northwest Territories is accused of sexual interference, voyeurism, luring a child, possessing and distributing child pornography, and making sexually explicit material available to a child. According to a LinkedIn profile, Dahr left the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Alberta after 14 years there.
2022 - A former youth minister, accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting two young boys at a Norwalk church, was charged Friday with sexually assaulting the two boys at various locations in Bridgeport.
Jean Bernard, of Shelton, who worked as the youth minister at Mont Des Oliviers Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norwalk, was charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault, two counts of risk of injury to a child and one count of fourth-degree sexual assault.
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2020 - Adventist Pastor Charged with Multiple Counts of Sexual Assault
Multiple media outlets are reporting that Helio S. Ferreira, a man who served as an Adventist pastor in Georgia, has been arrested, charged with multiple counts of sexual assault.
He is accused of sexually assaulting three women over a six-year period when he was living in or visiting Oregon’s Multnomah County.
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2020 - Seventh-Day Adventist Church Pastor Bernard Tambo arrested and detained at Homa Bay Police station. A pastor who allegedly defiled a Class Eight girl has been arrested in Homa Bay County. The pastor who is in charge of one of the mainstream church’s district comprising of 10 churches, was detained at Homa Bay Police Station on Wednesday.
He surrendered to the police after going missing for six days over allegations of defiling the 14-year-old girl, a member of his church.
The suspect is accused of defiling the minor in the church’s house meant for a pastor’s residence at Kobuola Kogwang’ Sub-location in East Kanyada Location on December 2.
Homa Bay Sub-County Police Commander Sammy Koskey said the pastor had been on the run since he allegedly committed the offence.
2020 - A SEVENTH-day Adventist pastor has been jailed for 15 years for sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl on at least four occasions, including raping her near the church building in Kairuku, Central. Justice Mogish said - “For three years the offender persistently violated that very special relationship with the victim, a most vulnerable member of his congregation near the church building.
He surrendered to the police after going missing for six days over allegations of defiling the 14-year-old girl, a member of his church.
The suspect is accused of defiling the minor in the church’s house meant for a pastor’s residence at Kobuola Kogwang’ Sub-location in East Kanyada Location on December 2.
Homa Bay Sub-County Police Commander Sammy Koskey said the pastor had been on the run since he allegedly committed the offence.
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2020 - A SEVENTH-day Adventist pastor has been jailed for 15 years for sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl on at least four occasions, including raping her near the church building in Kairuku, Central. Justice Mogish said - “For three years the offender persistently violated that very special relationship with the victim, a most vulnerable member of his congregation near the church building.
2020 - A Seventh Day Adventist pastor and his wife were arrested for child abuse last week.
This after a 10-year-old girl was reported missing at Hlobane SAPS on Monday, July 20. The pastor, who allegedly originates from Pongola and Jozini, has been staying at Coronation in the old Village Section with his wife.
The girl is an adopted child of the family and was reported to have been missing since the afternoon of Sunday, July 19. The news of the missing girl travelled through the community of Coronation and the police began investigating the matter, as it was alleged that the pastor and his wife were ill-treating the girl. Initially failing to find the girl in the pastor’s house, the K-9 Unit was then deployed to continue the search. During a second search of the pastor’s house, they found the girl in a plastic bag on top of a wardrobe.
The girl was allegedly crying, and accused the pastor and his wife of abuse and starving her. She also allegedly told police that she had been locked in a kist (ibhokisi lomshado) since Sunday morning, July 19.
Allegations from the community were that the family wanted to use the child for a muti killing in order to grow their church support.
The suspects were placed under arrest and appeared in the Hlobane Magistrate’s Court on July 23.
This after a 10-year-old girl was reported missing at Hlobane SAPS on Monday, July 20. The pastor, who allegedly originates from Pongola and Jozini, has been staying at Coronation in the old Village Section with his wife.
The girl is an adopted child of the family and was reported to have been missing since the afternoon of Sunday, July 19. The news of the missing girl travelled through the community of Coronation and the police began investigating the matter, as it was alleged that the pastor and his wife were ill-treating the girl. Initially failing to find the girl in the pastor’s house, the K-9 Unit was then deployed to continue the search. During a second search of the pastor’s house, they found the girl in a plastic bag on top of a wardrobe.
The girl was allegedly crying, and accused the pastor and his wife of abuse and starving her. She also allegedly told police that she had been locked in a kist (ibhokisi lomshado) since Sunday morning, July 19.
Allegations from the community were that the family wanted to use the child for a muti killing in order to grow their church support.
The suspects were placed under arrest and appeared in the Hlobane Magistrate’s Court on July 23.
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2021 - Brad Dahr, 53, accused of sexual interference, luring a child, possessing and distributing child porn. Dahr known as 'Pastor Brad' in Lower Mainland, parts of Alberta and Northwest Territories is accused of sexual interference, voyeurism, luring a child, possessing and distributing child pornography, and making sexually explicit material available to a child. According to a LinkedIn profile, Dahr left the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Alberta after 14 years there.
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2021 - A 56-year-old man has turned himself in to Toronto police in connection with two sexual assaults at an Etobicoke church. On Dec. 27, officers responded to a call about a sexual assault that happened on Christmas Eve at the Mount Olive Seventh-Day Adventist Church, near Albion Road and Islington Avenue. A woman said she had gone to church to volunteer and was approached by an elder who then sexually assaulted her twice, police said in a release Wednesday. She said she pushed him away and left the church, the release adds.
Police have charged Kenneth Gayle of Toronto with two counts of sexual assault.
Police have charged Kenneth Gayle of Toronto with two counts of sexual assault.
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2021 - The Seventh-day Adventist Church has removed a New York City pastor who said in a sermon earlier this month that husbands may rape their wives. Burnett Robinson, who served as senior pastor of Grand Concourse Seventh-day Adventist Church for nine years, is no longer a pastor in the denomination, said Kevin Lampe, a communications consultant for the SDA.
On Nov. 13, Robinson preached about wives submitting to their husband’s leadership, when he said, “Gentlemen, the best person to rape is your wife.”
On Nov. 13, Robinson preached about wives submitting to their husband’s leadership, when he said, “Gentlemen, the best person to rape is your wife.”
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2022 - A former youth minister, accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting two young boys at a Norwalk church, was charged Friday with sexually assaulting the two boys at various locations in Bridgeport.
Jean Bernard, of Shelton, who worked as the youth minister at Mont Des Oliviers Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norwalk, was charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault, two counts of risk of injury to a child and one count of fourth-degree sexual assault.
One has to wonder - is there any Christian denomination that has escaped the stain of sex crimes amongst it's church leadership? We see that the Baptists, Methodists, Churches of Christ, Presbyterians, Calvinists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Catholics have suffered this plague. How much googling do I have to do before I run out of denominations to report on? But really, what's the use?
Christian - why would you want me, or anyone, to join your denomination when your denomination's leadership is rife with sexual predators?
Christian - why is your God (seemingly) incapable of preventing his church leaders from vandalizing the soul of the children that they are trusted to lead and care for?
Christian - if you don't know about sex abuse amongst the leadership in your denomination's churches, shame on you.
Christian - If you do know, and you are still among the attending membership,
shame on you!!!
This post addresses just the leadership. It is much harder to find reporting on average members who have been charged with such crimes because normally they are not so closely associated with the church as a leader of the church is. And this post addresses ONLY those who have been caught and reported on. As with any crime, most get away with it. And I can assure you, there are far more in church leadership who are guilty of sexual assault on children than have been actually charged and reported on.
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Might I suggest, dear Seventh Day Adventist church goer, that going forward, you should refrain COMPLETELY and ENTIRELY from defending your beliefs when challenged by a non believer like me. Frankly, there is absolutely nothing that you could say to convince me that I should desire or need anything from your belief system - if - your belief system can't prevent what I have compiled in this post.
bob
r.u.reasonable@gmail.com
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