Accusations of mishandling of abuse in Diocese of the Midwest, with Provincial response

Published by ☕,

(Adding as things come up, Archbishop's response at bottom)

https://www.midwestanglican.org/big-rock/

04 May Bishop Stewart’s Letter Regarding Devastating Situation in Diocese

Posted at 18:56h in Uncategorized by Dawn Jewell 0 Comments

June 29th, 2021: Update On Ongoing Investigation Of Abuse

May 4, 2021

Dear Upper Midwest Diocese Family:

I am writing to share with you about a devastating situation that has occurred in our diocese during the last two years. We have been working toward taking the appropriate next steps, and our diocese has now signed an agreement to begin a formal investigation. We should have done this earlier, but we signed the contract last Friday, April 30 and wanted you to know as soon as that process was officially underway.

Let me begin by saying there are those who have been horribly victimized in these events. I desire to own where we have not served them as well as we should have and to care for any potential victims who may still come forward.

Two years ago, on May 20, 2019, Mark Rivera, a volunteer lay leader (with the title of Catechist) at Christ Our Light in Big Rock, Illinois, was accused of a sexual offense against a minor. Christ Our Light was part of the Greenhouse Missionary Society, which is within our diocese. When Greenhouse leadership learned of this accusation, Mark was immediately removed from his position as Catechist. On June 10, 2019, Mark was arrested and jailed in Kane County.

The congregation, which consisted of half a dozen families and some individuals, all knew of Mark’s arrest immediately. Six months later, in late 2019, Mark’s bail was paid, and he was released and placed under the supervision of the court as he awaited trial. This trial is still pending.

In November 2020, I received an email from an adult woman who accused Mark of a sexual crime. That morning I met with diocesan leaders and attorneys. I then replied to her email and assured her that we took her accusation very seriously. I urged her to go to the proper authorities with this accusation.

The next day, I learned that a third young woman had disclosed to two pastoral leaders that very day that she and Mark had engaged in a sexual relationship for several months. Because we were not clear about her age and to exercise caution, I directed these two pastoral leaders to call DCFS and the prosecutor’s office. They did so immediately. As best as these leaders could ascertain, she was a young adult when their sexual relationship began. A couple months later, I learned of other possible minors at risk, and personally called DCFS to make an additional report.

The alleged crimes occurred in a private home or on private property not on church property or at a church event, but we still want to take an active role in learning how best to ensure that something like this never happens again .

Let me say at the start that I made regrettable errors in this process. When the original allegation came out against Mark in 2019, I mistakenly assumed that the necessary criminal investigation was a sufficient next step. I thought it best to let the county district attorney’s office lead a thorough investigation resulting in a clear ruling. I anticipated that after this process we would inform the diocese of the court’s ruling. I naively expected the trial to occur much sooner than it has.

I have since learned otherwise, in part through conversations with one of the victims. I now understand that when an accusation of this gravity occurs, and when an arrest is made, a safe opportunity for other possible victims to come forward must be created. I apologize for this, dear family of God. We would have cared better for the victims had we hired a firm earlier. My mistake accounts for the significant gap in time between Mark being accused of an offense and this communication to you.

I have always sought the counsel of diocesan leaders and attorneys, and yet I take responsibility for these decisions. Other oversights will likely surface as we go through this process, and we as a diocese will seek to be as transparent as possible.

I have been keeping my superior, Archbishop Foley Beach, apprised of the situation. I have done the same with the Bishop’s Council of the Upper Midwest Diocese and Church of the Resurrection’s Vestry. They are highly supportive of all the decisions described in this letter.

After intensive interviewing and research of seven firms, the diocesan Bishop’s Council and I are grateful to announce that we signed a contract with a highly reputable firm with experience in such investigations, Grand River Solutions, last Friday.

Our intent in hiring an investigator is not to protect our diocese but to help us accomplish three main goals:
1) to reach out to any other possible victims and make sure they are cared for,
2) to learn how we could have handled these allegations better, and
3) to build better systems for the future so that the diocese is as safe a place as possible.

As we work with this investigative firm, one of our first actions will be communicating how other possible victims or their parents can find help. We desire to help spur truth, justice and healing throughout our diocese. I can appreciate that this letter may raise many questions for you; please know that we will be communicating from the diocese as we work with the investigator. We anticipate there are details that we do not know or have as inaccurate and these adaptations will be a part of future communications.

Mark attended Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton from the mid-nineties until Christ Our Light was founded in 2013. The only information we have regarding Mark’s involvement with our children or youth was as a youth volunteer for one summer. He also served as a prayer minister. Mark has never held a paid position of any kind in our diocese. We look forward to working with the investigators to confirm or contradict these details.

If you or someone you know may have been harmed by Mark, we encourage you to contact the independent investigating firm at Reports@GrandRiverSolutions.com to make a confidential and safe inquiry. If you have general questions or concerns, please email office@midwestanglican.org.

Let me also say that I am heartbroken. Katherine and I have known all the families involved for years. Our diocese and churches have sought to provide care for the victims and their families, and moving forward, we will do our utmost to support them. We also continue to offer Mark and his family care if they desire to engage with our diocesan processes.

I ask for your prayers as we proceed. Please pray for the families involved. Please pray that justice will be done in the trial. Please pray for our independent investigation and the aforementioned goals.

May the Lord lead us in the days ahead as we seek his kingdom. Let us ask him to redeem this time to help us build a stronger Church together.

Yours in Christ,

+Stewart Upper Midwest


https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1408916453848346629.html

My #ChurchToo story thread:

This is a brief overview of how @MidwestAnglican / @ChurchRez has mishandled church leader sexual abuse and assault allegations for 2+ years and counting.

(I will write about my personal experience within the story in greater detail soon.)

#ACNAtoo
who's who:

@The_ACNA: Anglican Church in North America under @ArchbishopFoley

@MidwestAnglican: 35-church ACNA diocese under Bp. Stewart Ruch

@ChurchRez: largest church & diocesan headquarters, Wheaton, IL

Christ Our Light Anglican Church (COLA): small church, Big Rock, IL
My neighbor Mark Rivera raped me twice, pressured me to keep this secret, and repeatedly propositioned me to have an affair.

Mark was the catechist (lay pastor) at Christ Our Light Anglican. My godfather, Rand York, was the priest. COLA members were my neighbors and friends.
The consent lines weren’t blurry. I was blacked out drunk. It’s possible Mark drugged me. Witnesses saw me incoherent.

He walked me home each time and raped me there. Since I formed almost no memories, he spun a story that I’d seduced him.

I was in shock. I believed his lies.
Mark told his best friend, COLA's senior warden and worship pastor Chris Lapeyre, about the first rape almost immediately.

Chris kept Mark's secret indefinitely and would later (November 2020) try to shame me into continued silence when he realized I was coming forward.
The first rape was in 2018.

In 2019, a 9-year-old in Mark's church told her mother Mark had been sexually assaulting her. A teenage girl also alleged assaults. Stories surfaced of predatory behavior spanning decades.

Mark said this was just Satan attacking the church.
@mentions removed Mark from leadership in 2019 (one of few appropriate actions to date). But it was his victim's family that were forced out of the church. Church leaders and old friends at COLA and @ChurchRez rallied around Mark with financial, legal, and social cover.
A dozen+ allegations against Mark include unwanted touching, exposing teens to pornography, indecent exposure, sexual abuse, child sexual assault, attempted child sexual assault, and rape.

He's now awaiting trial for child sexual assault and under police investigation for rape.
Mark is out on bond in Winfield, IL, living with his wife and two minor children.

He’s under court order not to have contact with minors who aren’t his kids, an order he’s repeatedly violated.

His wife, who disbelieves the minor victims’ allegations, is his default supervisor.
Mark served in numerous roles in 2 @MidwestAnglican churches over a span of 20+ years.

Church and diocesan leaders knew of allegations against him 2 years ago and didn’t notify @ChurchRez members.

Another victim and I came forward last November. They still didn’t notify them.
Mark’s roles included youth leader, small group leader, communion minister, prayer minister, and most recently catechist (a lay pastor who serves communion, preaches sermons, and officiates the service in the priest’s absence).

He also mentored many church youth in his home.
Mark hid in plain sight for years, grooming girls, women, and the entire community to accept physical boundary violations no other male adult could have gotten away with. Every girl / young woman in the following photos is the daughter of a fellow church leader:
Mark had a longstanding habit of formally and informally adopting "godchildren." He bragged about being godfather to dozens of children in the community, some of whom are now among those alleging grooming and abuse.
After the November 2020 allegations, Bp. Stewart Ruch finally suspended COLA operations.

He offered various parties "pastoral care," including Mark.

To date, @MidwestAnglican will not pay for professional counseling for the 9-year-old child their catechist serially molested.
After the November allegations, Bishop Stewart also visited and prayed with Mark and his wife.

He also reportedly exorcised 10 demons from Mark, whose wife, we are told, then declared Mark much improved.

Then, nothing.
In January, a group of Mark’s victims and our advocates wrote Bp. Stewart begging him to enlist third-party help.

He assembled a committee from his staff and advisors to respond to us.

2 of the 6 members were himself and Canon Eirik Olsen, Fr. Rand's superior and close friend.
Fr. Eirik, Bp. Stewart, Fr. Rand, Mark, and other leaders directly implicated in this scandal (including Fr. Rand’s superior until late 2020, Fr. William Beasley) have all been professionally and/or socially intertwined for decades.

The conflicts of interest are staggering.
We asked the Bishop for an independent investigation to

1) find and help other victims
2) report in detail how the hierarchy failed victims and the community

We sought truth, accountability, and for the church body to learn to address and prevent grooming and abuse.
Investigations are inherently skewed when the entity being investigated is the one paying the investigator.

So we painstakingly explained to @MidwestAnglican what investigation parameters they needed to set to ensure actual third party independence.

They ultimately ignored us.
@mentions hired investigative firm @GrandRiverSols on April 30 and announced the investigation launch online May 4.

Here is that announcement, which contains multiple still-uncorrected factual inaccuracies and several as-yet-unfulfilled promises: midwestanglican.org/big-rock
The same victims whose advocacy led to this investigation have found ourselves forced to opt out of participating in it.

@MidwestAnglican's flagrant disregard for our most basic requests indicates we would end up like the victims @Boz_T refers to here:
Replying to @BozT
claim that the process was legitimate because survivors agreed to participate in it. In the past 30 years I have spoke to countless survivors who deeply regretted their decision to engage in a so called independent investigation only to be re-victimizes and re-marginalized while
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The investigation’s fatal flaws are too numerous to cover here, but they follow a predictable pattern; see @R_Denhollander’s recent critiques of the #SBC's initial investigation proposal:
Replying to @R_Denhollander
But the EC will only get the benefit of what they allow themselves to get. Ask for waiver, an extended scope and a fully public report. Only the EC can make those decisions, and they are critical pieces of this assessment and training.
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@mentions has drastically downplayed both their own 2+ years of mishandling this and Mark’s long history with the Diocese. They also won't

1) commit to publish @GrandRiverSols' final report
2) set an adequate investigation scope
3) waive client confidentiality privileges
@mentions has personally confirmed to us that the final report they compile will go to the Bishop, who will decide what to do with the information.

Mark’s victims and @MidwestAnglican’s congregations will only know what he chooses to tell us.

This is not accountability.
@mentions couldn't guarantee us they will keep the names of victims who reach out confidential from @MidwestAnglican.

GRS also does no outreach. The Bishop's online letter and a single vague in-church announcement are being relied on to find victims going back 20+ years.
Despite our pleas, @MidwestAnglican has still not enlisted qualified professionals to assist victims who may come forward.

Parents have been given no guidance on how best to speak with children to discover possible abuse.

Nothing about this process is trauma-informed.
Thankfully, due to voices like @reachjulieroys, @R_Denhollander, @netgrace_org, and @BozT, we survivors had excellent tools to identify a sham investigation. This is one. We’ve told @MidwestAnglican so. They continue to shut us out while professing publicly to care about victims.
This thread doesn't begin to address the institutional enabling, mandatory reporting failures, pressure not to contact authorities, severe pastoral care negligence, or absurd levels of spiritual bypassing we've experienced.

That information will come out in time.
@mentions leaders out there:

Your voice matters. Don’t let #ACNAtoo become the new #SBCtoo.

Educate yourselves. Listen to victims. Follow our lead. Ask @MidwestAnglican and @ArchbishopFoley why they are ignoring survivors while claiming to do their best to "be safe places":
DMs open to survivors, advocates, and media.

@DefendTheSheep & @writer_dee: tagging you as promised.

#SBCtoo survivors: Thank you for being such an inspiration these past few weeks. Much love also to #IStandWithSGMVictims and all #ChurchToo and #MeToo survivors ️
tagging people who may be interested, part 2: @wartwatch @wademullen @ChristaBrown777 @UT_Grad_Amy @JimmyHinton12 @juleswoodson11 @NotinOurChurch1 @pbjanci @ShannonDingle @rachelpeach15

@emilyjoypoetry: this is the denomination Ray Ortlund just moved to…

• • •


https://www.midwestanglican.org/update-on-ongoing-investigation-of-abuse/

29 Jun Update On Ongoing Investigation Of Abuse

Posted at 19:04h in Bishop's Posts by Dawn Jewell 0 Comments

Beloved Upper Midwest Diocese:

I am writing to give you an update on the ongoing independent investigation that I announced to you in this pastoral letter several weeks ago about a heartbreaking situation in one of our former congregations in Big Rock, Illinois.

As some of you may be aware, one of the survivors recently spoke about this on social media, identifying herself as a victim of sexual violence and raising important questions and concerns about the diocese’s investigative process related to Mark Rivera.

Let me first say that I and our diocesan leadership continue to be deeply grieved and disturbed that anyone within our diocesan community has been victimized. This is an extremely painful, traumatic experience. We long for our diocese to be a place of true safety for all.

Not only that, but we are committed to responding to any allegations of abuse within any of our churches in a forthright, godly manner that involves the proper authorities, holds leaders accountable, and protects and honors victims. To that end, we started a process of researching independent review firms in January.

My goal in this letter is transparency: about our decisions, our processes, and my commitment to learn from my mistakes as a leader.

Let me speak to the independent review. As you know, the diocese has contracted with an independent firm, Grand River Solutions (GRS), and asked them to carry out a thorough review. After researching and interviewing seven different firms, our diocesan leadership team appointed a leader to select one of these firms. This leader chose GRS for its responsiveness, past work with victims, and professional reputation. I was asked to step aside from this important decision to avoid any conflict of interest.

I want to speak to the concerns that have been raised about the firm’s process, concerns that I can imagine some of you may share.

First, the full report will be made public and will protect victim identities. Our intention in hiring GRS has always been transparency and we plan on a full public release of the report in keeping with that intent. We seek to walk in the light.

Second, our agreement with the investigative firm is that the diocese will not assert any privilege over the report nor make any edits to it.

Third, the scope of the investigation is diocesan-wide, and will include any shortcomings of the diocese.

Brothers and sisters, the primary goal is to provide a safe opportunity for any other victims to come forward. We also desire to understand how the church made mistakes and to take responsibility. Finally, GRS will evaluate all our safety practices and make recommendations as to how those practices can be improved.

I want to reiterate what I said several weeks ago, that I deeply apologize for not notifying the diocese earlier of the abuse that took place. I mistakenly assumed that the legal system would bring about justice much faster. I was ignorant of the additional steps we should have taken to create a safe haven for victims to come forward. I am very sorry for this.

That said, I am grateful for the immediate steps that were taken. Mark was removed from his lay leadership position at Christ Our Light Anglican in Big Rock, and the church was made aware of the accusations. Local authorities were immediately contacted on multiple occasions with new information and safety concerns. We have sought and continue to seek to care for victims.

Like many of you, I was very concerned by some of the claims made about our care. This is precisely why we think it is so important to submit ourselves to a third-party investigation.

I look forward to a broad investigation that will reveal how we can improve. We desire truth and submit ourselves to this process. We are open to the findings and their applications, striving to learn how to prevent such abuse in the future as well as the best way to provide a clear and safe process for victims to come forward.

We as a diocese will continue to provide updates on this process. Due to the current proceedings of both the criminal investigation and independent review, there may be some details that I am unable to comment upon until the final report is released, but I will strive to share as much as I am able.

If you or someone you know may have been harmed by Mark, or if you have any concerns or information connected to this investigation, we encourage you to contact the independent firm at Reports@GrandRiverSolutions.com to make a confidential and safe inquiry. If you have general questions or concerns, please email office@midwestanglican.org.

With much love,


+Stewart
Upper Midwest

response: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1410310510105530373.html
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1411360068583366663.html

Okay, concerned Anglicans have asked what they can do next.

This thread addresses that.

It's also long, dense, and repetitive.

There’s a reason for that. Please bear with me.

(Also, screenshots are just evidence; you can skip them and come back.)
My June 26 thread said "nothing about this process is trauma-informed."

That referred to the ongoing investigation but also the last 7 months of @MidwestAnglican ignoring us as we explained, over and over, exactly what "trauma-informed" means and why it is so crucial.
It may not be apparent to some readers why I’m providing so much documentation of the process that led to where we are now.

I will explain more at the end of the thread, but you knowing the backstory is 100% necessary to both my sanity and to getting this advocacy done right.
Note: This thread is specifically written for advocates within @The_ACNA who understand the basic psychological dynamics of grooming, abuse, and community enabling.

Others: please read, but know this thread assumes some familiarity with those things.
Basic premise:

Sexual predators accomplish serial abuse by coercing victims into silence. In order to break this silence, come forward, and receive care, victims need a community that *actively demonstrates that it protects victims and not predators.*
November 19, 2020: I disclose Mark Rivera’s rapes and abuse of me to his community.

November 21: @StewartRuch sends me a kind email with an open-ended offer of support.

I am overwhelmed and deputize my friend Eve Ahrens to communicate as my proxy with Bp. Stewart.
November 24: Eve, a professional counselor and former @ChurchRez member, writes Stewart and his wife on my behalf, citing among other things my serious concern that qualified professionals be brought in to educate church leadership and work with victims.
November 24: Eve has a Zoom meeting with Stewart and his wife. Eve explains grooming, abuse, and the Diocese’ responsibility to address systems and dynamics and not allow Mark to keep controlling the community narrative.

Stewart indicates that he understands all of this well.
January 19, 2021: I write Bp. Stewart detailing how COLA and a pocket of @ChurchRez became a blatantly victim-unsafe community starting May 2019, when the first of Mark Rivera’s victims came forward and leaders and others openly supported Mark and shunned the victim’s family.
The Bishop’s wife had told Eve that the church "can’t control what people think."

So I explain how the church has already strongly influenced how people think and must now actively change course, or victims who've observed predators being protected will never come forward.
I emphasize that @ChurchRez will need to bring in trauma-informed professionals in order to handle this situation properly, and I provide links to resources my team has discussed and endorsed, as a starting point. Here’s just one excerpt:
February 10: We Zoom with Stewart’s response team.

Eve reiterates how COLA has long silenced victims and explains in detail how easily child sexual abuse victims are also inadvertently silenced by parents who try to inquire about abuse but don’t have the tools to do so properly.
February 12: Eve emails Stewart’s team expressing concern about one of their proposed investigative firms and reiterates how crucial it is that an investigator know how to search properly for victims and also provide guidance for parents:
February 15: I reiterate to Stewart’s team that my top investigation priority is a comprehensive victim search and an equally comprehensive, trauma-informed plan in place to field any survivors the search brings forward (1st screenshot).

Eve does the same (2nd screenshot).
February 21: I email with concerns about another investigative firm, reiterating my focus on the delicate work of both finding survivors and then getting them excellent help immediately, while they are in the highly vulnerable place of just bringing forward their abuse:
February 21: A victim’s mother also writes Stewart’s team expressing distress concerning investigators the Diocese is considering and details numerous problems with them. She carefully explains how much additional pain and trauma a poorly done investigation can cause victims.
March 15: I email the Bishop’s team again about firms they are considering, echoing the victim's mother's concerns that they don't even approach the gold standard, @netgrace_org, and reiterating yet again some necessary care parameters for victims.

This email is never answered.
Total silence for 6 weeks.

April 19: I reach out to check on the investigator search.

They've hired one.

I ask basic questions.

They will not speak to us about the investigation, including the firm's name, as this is "contrary to the independence of the investigation."
April 30: A prominent man at @ChurchRez calls Stewart to advocate for us.

Stewart's team leader then asks us to chat "informally" via phone.

We decline.

She sends a friendly email that still answers few of our questions.

May 4: Stewart launches the investigation publicly.
Bp. Stewart’s May 4 launch announcement gives parents absolutely no guidance on how to talk with children and gives zero details indicating that @MidwestAnglican plans to provide professional trauma-informed care for victims who may come forward.

midwestanglican.org/big-rock
It also

--fails to define GRS' scope and thus what stories are relevant
--downplays Mark’s access to vulnerable people and his heavy 20+ year @ChurchRez involvement
--downplays the allegations' number and severity
--reduces 2+ years of a victim's abuse to "several months"

etc.
The announcement does promise that "one of [their] first actions will be communicating how other possible victims or their parents can find help."

Two months later, we have seen no such communication.
In the wake of Bp. Stewart’s May 4 announcement my team immediately sends crucial follow-up emails explaining to him / reminding him of multiple ways in which his process could do more harm than good to @ChurchRez abuse victims.
May 5: A victim’s mother emails Stewart’s team many @ChurchRez-and-adjacent roles Mark had in 20+ years that weren’t in the announcement (creating a false sense of security as parents assume their children didn't cross Mark's path, as he’s just "a former member of the diocese").
She also challenges Stewart’s claim that the alleged abuses did not take place on church property or at church events, an unsubstantiated assertion that again serves to improperly assuage parental fears---this time by suggesting that Mark didn’t abuse children at church.
She explains how Mark constantly groomed children during church services and at church functions, sometimes while in clerical robes, hugging, kissing and snuggling them on his lap, and used the churches to shop for "godchildren" and pursue teenage girls to "mentor."
She urges him to issue an update with this plus

-Mark living on shared property with a school @ChurchRez kids attend
-bond violations (interacting with minors)
-# of victims so far (10)
-allegation types (rape, assault, abuse...)
-criminal charges (9 counts child sexual assault)
Importantly, also, as the mother alludes to, I am the only one of Mark’s known victims that never attended @ChurchRez. Church was Mark’s primary social vehicle for accessing victims. Downplaying that reality in any way, as Stewart’s letter does here, is dishonest and dangerous:
May 6: Eve, the professional counselor, backs up what the victim’s mother said, then reminds Stewart’s team yet again that it’s crucial that parents get help speaking with children about abuse, or this whole investigation could actually silence victims further.
Eve also points out that the mother’s list of Mark’s roles not mentioned in the Bishop’s announcement includes Redeemed Lives group leader.

This means he also had access to vulnerable adults in an exceptionally intimate setting: a perfect storm of abuse opportunity.
To date, Bp. Stewart has not updated the congregation about any of this information, including Mark’s other Rez roles or Rez-adjacent roles, thus leaving in place his first announcement’s dangerous impression that Mark was not that involved with @ChurchRez (etc).
(Also, because @GrandRiverSols does absolutely no outreach, there is zero effort being made to find victims among former Rez-goers, even though Mark attended church there and occupied volunteer roles dating back to the mid-90s.)
May 7: I write Stewart asking that he please make an in-church announcement explaining crucial details his online announcement missed, including the scope and severity of the known allegations and Mark’s additional access points to vulnerable people.
May 7: Stewart replies that he’ll consider my suggestions for a future announcement. No such announcement ever happens.

(May 9: Fr. Steve Williamson delivers an in-church announcement with no details, directing congregants to the Bishop’s online letter.)
May 7: A victim’s mother calls @GrandRiverSols’ head investigator.

We learn that GRS

--has no anonymous reporting option
--offers no victim support
--can’t guarantee victims aren’t named to the client (the Diocese)
--does no outreach to find victims

(screenshots = call notes)
@mentions also

--does nothing to show victims they’re safe to reach out to
--doesn't know what will be included in the final report, as that's entirely up to the Diocese
--has no protocol in place to ensure they don't unintentionally compromise victims’ criminal cases
May 8: The victim’s mother and I each write emails to Stewart’s team informing them that we have interviewed @GrandRiverSols, are horrified by the way their process fails to center (or even marginally protect) victims, and will not be participating in the investigation.
No response from Stewart.

May 11: A member of Stewart’s team, who also sits on his Bishop’s council, emails the two of us, cc'ing Stewart, to express sadness over our opting out of the investigation.
May 12: I write an impassioned reply to this woman, lamenting among much else our mounting pile of ignored communications. In this excerpt I refer yet again to the many ways the investigation and announcement have failed victims:
May 18: Eve (the counselor) reaches out to Stewart to remind him yet again about parents needing guidance to talk with children, and offers him an exceptionally qualified professional colleague of hers whom he can enlist to help with this.
Stewart passes Eve off to @ChurchRez’ children’s pastor.

May 19: Eve writes back reminding him how time-sensitive this is, as lack of educational resources at the investigation outset will likely further harm victims.
May 25: Eve finally has a Zoom call with the children’s pastor and the Bishop’s council member.

She re-explains how abusers silence victims and the need for trauma-informed professional guidance for parents and care for victims. They thank her and say they learned a lot.
May 27: Stewart responds to a private email from the aforementioned mother in which she disclosed highly sensitive information about ways in which church leadership failed her in 2019.

He offers for his wife and himself to meet with the mother to discuss this.
May 28: The victim’s mother writes Stewart one final time, explaining why she does not feel emotionally safe to meet with Stewart in person, and lamenting just how much this investigation goes against everything we asked for, for months and months:
She cites specific examples of how Stewart’s vague announcement is causing confusion among @ChurchRez moms, who have investigation-relevant information that they don’t think is what GRS wants.

She begs him again to hire Eve’s professional colleague to come do damage control.
4 weeks later, he replies.

Stewart, June 24: "I am not sure what else I can say at this point."

And he will be out of the office for several weeks.

He writes back to reiterate how much he cares about the victim’s family but he "could understand how that may sound insincere."
This sort of response is what we have come to expect.

We are grieved, but not surprised.

June 26: I write a 30-tweet thread explaining our basic story.

Bp. Stewart quickly emerges under public pressure to address my allegations that he’s mishandled this all terribly.
June 29: Bp. Stewart writes a new announcement making concessions he frames as not actually being concessions and reiterates his deep concern for victims.

He still makes no mention of how the Diocese is helping find or care for victims.

midwestanglican.org/update-on-ongo…
Conclusion:

I have zero faith in this investigation. @GrandRiverSols is in no way up to the task of doing what needs to be done. That’s a whole other thread.

Most urgently, though, GRS has no resources to help parents or victims.

Nor does @MidwestAnglican.
@mentions needs to hire an expert, trauma-informed team with no connection to the Diocese to go in and:

1) help parents learn how to speak with children to discover abuse (without doing further harm)

2) provide professional counseling for victims and families who come forward
This is a bare minimum.

And it is not our job to make it happen.

But we don’t want more victims silenced.

We have done this work for months.

Bp. Stewart does not take us seriously.

He has proven he will only listen if you all put pressure on him.
.@The_ACNA advocates *who understand trauma-informed counseling and training*: please help Stewart get this lined up.

You can contact me to get info for the person Eve recommended; I also know there are many other good options.

Thank you.
Postscript: This thread is far from comprehensive. I included what I felt was the minimum needed to effectively represent what’s led to this moment, so when you all succeed you will know that it’s due to public pressure; it is NOT Bp. Stewart listening to victims.
I wrote this long thread because I’m tired of people not knowing how hard we tried. I’m tired of being gaslit by a Diocese that constantly pays lip service to caring, but whose actions contradict this entirely.

This is what abusers do. And I am done being abused.
It is also vitally important for me to provide evidence that Bp. Stewart is not properly motivated to do this work, because this means that it will take *ongoing* oversight by people who *are* motivated, to ensure this process is seen through.
I hope it is also clear that my team and I did everything we possibly could to address these urgent matters privately and in good faith, and that we were finally left with no feasible alternative but to take all of this public and beg for your help.

• • •

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We’re publishing this guest thread from the mother of the 9yo victim of sexual assaults by Mark Rivera. We’ll be using her initials to protect her & her daughter’s identity. She wants to correct the record about public statements put out by @ChurchRez & @MidwestAnglican. #ACNAtoo
Who’s who:
@StewartRuch: Bishop of @MidwestAnglican
@ChurchRez: Diocesan headquarters in Wheaton, IL, where CM, the victim's mother, attended for 18 years
Christ Our Light Anglican Church (COLA): small church in Big Rock, IL that CM helped plant in 2013
Dean William Beasley: @MidwestAnglican Missioner General, Dean & former head of Greenhouse Movement
Greenhouse: @greenhousemove is a church planting organization that planted Christ Our Light Church (COLA) in 2013 & approved Mark Rivera to become a COLA Church Catechist in 2014
CM: I am the mother of Mark Rivera's 9 y/o victim. It was never my desire to speak publicly but I am left with no choice. I learned recently of deliberate deceptions that @StewartRuch has told the @ChurchRez congregation regarding the handling of my daughter's abuse allegations.
CM: I attended @ChurchRez for 18 years, starting when I was 8. I knew @StewartRuch before he was even ordained as a priest. I have also lost almost all my @ChurchRez friends due to how @StewartRuch and @ChurchRez handled this 2 years ago when my family came to them for help.
CM: The time has come for me to break silence on behalf of my daughter and my family. There are sadly more deceptions than I can address in this thread, but I would like to share portions of an email I sent to @StewartRuch on May 1, 2021 that speaks to some of them.
CM: This email has been redacted to protect the identity of victims and minors. I have added last names and church titles for clarity in places. This gives an outline of what my family went through when we came to @ChurchRez for help in May '19 but is far from the whole story.
CM: Among other things, this email names the @MidwestAnglican leaders who tried to cover up Mark's sexual abuse of my daughter. One of these leaders, Diocesan Chancellor (lawyer) Charlie Philbrick, is currently on the diocesan team that is "overseeing" the investigation process.
CM: On 1/19/21 @ladyjessicahaze, myself, and 2 advocates had emailed @StewartRuch and told him about how COLA leaders and members mistreated my family in the wake of my daughter's abuse disclosure. He never even acknowledged this story. So I emailed him on 5/1/21 to explain more.
CM: My family began attending @ChurchRez on 5/19/19 after we were pushed out of COLA. It took a whole month before we received any pastoral care at Rez. While we waited for someone to meet with us, @MidwestAnglican leaders were giving Mark legal, spiritual, and financial support.
CM: I personally told @ChurchRez leaders on 6/16/19 about 5 additional victims and 2 potential victims who may be in ongoing danger. No one took any action. No reports were made. No one listened. @StewartRuch was presumably told there were more victims and he did nothing.
CM: No pastoral care plans were ever made for my family when we left COLA and came to @ChurchRez for help, despite the promise that they would be. Deacon Val McIntyre forgot about multiple prayer appointments and failed to provide even basic pastoral care to my family.
CM: Mark had a group of church leaders supporting him at every court hearing, including Fr. Rand York, the priest at COLA. My husband and I went alone to almost every hearing. Deacon Val McIntyre failed to put hearing dates in her calendar so we had almost no clergy support.
CM: On 6/29/19 I talked to @StewartRuch & learned that he attended Mark’s first court hearing to support him & had given Mark’s family $500 of @MidwestAnglican funds - all while failing to reach out to my family. My family was offered $500 of support but it was never given to us.
CM: @StewartRuch told me that he was current on the situation with Mark because his wife, Katherine, was talking to all involved and keeping him informed. She never talked to me but was talking about my family with other @ChurchRez members without hearing my family's story.
CM: Not only was the Bishop's wife, Katherine Ruch, talking about my daughter and my family without ever speaking to us - her opinion was used by an @ChurchRez member to affirm narratives that my daughter, a 9 y/o sexual abuse victim, was not trustworthy or credible.
CM: On 6/29/19 @StewartRuch told Deacon Val to connect my family with @ChicagoAnglican priest Fr. Hartsell for support; she never did this. My family also received zero financial assistance from @ChurchRez or @MidwestAnglican. Financial support was offered twice but never given.
CM: 11/2019 I asked Deacon Val McIntyre at @ChurchRez if Rez could help pay for professional counseling for me. Deacon Val gave me a therapist referral and offered me counseling assistance, but later capped it at $500 & never reimbursed me even for the $250 intake session.
CM: @StewartRuch recently told @ChurchRez that COLA paid for counseling for my daughter; COLA paid for her first 4 sessions, said they would pay more, and then never responded, over 2 years ago. My family has paid out-of-pocket since then with no help. Rez has paid for nothing.
CM: My family was gossiped about and treated badly by some @ChurchRez members and finally left the church. We tried getting help from Deacon Val McIntyre but our story was dismissed. @ChurchRez protected Mark’s children more than a 9 y/o abuse victim and her family.
CM: On 5/18/19 @MidwestAnglican Chancellor/Lawyer, Charlie Philbrick, told COLA church leaders they did not have to report Mark's abuse. COLA leaders Fr. Rand York and Chris Lapeyre asked me to meet with them and Mark, and told me, in front of Mark, they would not be reporting.
CM: With Mark sitting right there, Chris Lapeyre said, "We have been advised by the Diocesan Chancellor [Charlie Philbrick] that we do not need to report this to the authorities - and it sounds like you don't need to either." I was pressured by many at COLA not to report Mark.
CM: Fr. Rand York, Chris Lapeyre, and @MidwestAnglican Dean William Beasley failed to report Mark's sexual abuse of my daughter. I reported Mark myself on 5/20/19. No one else reported it. @StewartRuch knew this happened, made excuses for it, and no one ever took ownership.
CM: The failure of Dean William Beasley and COLA leaders to report child sexual abuse led to @StewartRuch asking for an internal review of @greenhousemove, the church planting organization that planted Christ Our Light in 2013 and made Mark Rivera a catechist in 2014.
CM: I was asked by @StewartRuch to participate in this review, told by him that my story mattered, and then was forgotten about. @StewartRuch finally told me in late Jan '21 that the review had been completed back in Nov '20. I was never allowed to see the final report.
CM: On 11/21/20 @Stewart Ruch encouraged me to get pastoral care from a church I was no longer attending. I told Deacon Val McIntyre that my family had no pastoral care but she did nothing. We were left with no help while @ChurchRez surrounded Mark Rivera with prayer and support.
CM: Deacon Val McIntyre’s pastoral negligence deeply harmed my family. She failed to provide us with proper pastoral care, withheld promised financial assistance, and contributed to my family being pushed out of @ChurchRez when we desperately needed support and community.
CM: Others at @ChurchRez harmed us deeply. Some members gossiped about us, leaders failed to listen or take meaningful action, and my daughter was not believed or supported. I lost many friends and my reputation was destroyed. @ChurchRez is not a safe place for victims.
CM: I asked @StewartRuch many questions that he has never answered: Why did no one apologize that @MidwestAnglican and @greenhousemove leaders refused to report my daughter’s sexual abuse? Why did no one listen when I told @ChurchRez leaders there were more victims?
CM: 12/2020 I asked a friend to help arrange a meeting with Katherine Ruch so I could discuss, in-person, the painful things my family experienced at @ChurchRez - Katherine never responded.

I also told @StewartRuch that I am heartbroken over his and the church’s inaction.
CM: Advocates and supporters - I need your help! I am calling publicly for the immediate removal of Bishop Stewart Ruch and Diocesan Chancellor Charlie Philbrick from the committee that is overseeing the @MidwestAnglican investigation.
CM: Both @StewartRuch and Diocesan Chancellor Charlie Philbrick are implicated in the mishandling of my daughter's sexual abuse allegations and have a vested interest in keeping the truth covered up. Neither should be allowed to have any say in the investigative process.
CM: Others on the investigation committee, Lay Canon Brenda Dumper and Dean Eirik Olsen, are decades-long close friends with Mark Rivera and his family. Mark's victims and our advocates are not okay with this.
CM: The oversight of this investigation should be immediately turned over to a new team made up entirely of people that have no relationship with Mark Rivera and who are not under Bishop Stewart Ruch's authority in any way. Nothing about this committee is "independent".

• • •

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https://www.midwestanglican.org/bpstewart-importantletter/

08 Jul Bp. Stewart’s Important Letter to Diocese on Investigation

Posted at 20:12h in Uncategorized by Dawn Jewell 0 Comments

Dear Upper Midwest Diocese,

Throughout my ministry I have sought to live in full submission to the Lord, His Scriptures, and the Church. Significant concerns have been raised about my response to allegations of abuse in our former diocesan congregation, Christ Our Light of Big Rock, Illinois. I understand that my leadership and my handling of these allegations have been called into question.

I want you to be able to trust me as your bishop and pastor. I feel like the best way to walk in integrity now is to step aside as this process moves forward and as efforts are made to serve any survivors of abuse. Therefore, I have requested permission from Archbishop Foley for a temporary leave of absence during the investigation, and he has granted that request, effective today. I am submitting myself to Archbishop Foley and the ACNA leadership. More details will be forthcoming from the Archbishop’s office and the Bishop’s Council (our diocesan board).

I realize this letter may be very difficult for you. I want to express my deep love and affection for this diocese, and my continued trust in the Lord to care for his people. Just like all of you, I’m trusting in Jesus in the days ahead. Katherine and I, and our family, value your prayers.

With much love,

+Stewart
Upper Midwest

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https://anglicanchurch.net/a-letter-from-archbishop-beach-on-the-diocese-of-upper-midwest/


A Letter from Archbishop Beach on the Diocese of Upper Midwest

  • Jul 10, 2021

July 10, 2021

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Anglican Church in North America,

This past Spring, the Diocese of the Upper Midwest engaged a third-party investigative firm to review its handling over the past two years of revelations and allegations of sexual abuse by a Lay Catechist in one of their congregations. Due to the Anglican Church in North America’s governance principle of subsidiarity, Canonical responsibility and authority in these matters rests with the local diocese. However, the bishop and the diocese have now formally requested that the Province become involved, and I want to apprise you of this matter.

This week, on July 8th, 2021, I received a request for a leave of absence from Bishop Stewart Ruch, III, Bishop of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. Bishop Ruch requested this with a desire "to create any needed space for the Province to take next steps regarding this serious matter and to assure the people in the diocese as well as the survivors involved that there will be a transparent and independent process." I have granted Bishop Ruch permission for this leave, effective immediately.

Later that day, I received a request from the Bishop’s Council (Standing Committee) of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest asking that the Province take up oversight of the investigation into mishandling of abuse charges in the diocese. The Bishop’s Council has also requested a review of their diocesan leadership structures. I have agreed to both requests.

A Provincial Response Team is being formed by Provincial leaders to take oversight of this process, committed to act with thorough professionalism and with deep care for the survivors. This team will include diverse representation of women and men with experience in these areas. We are prayerful and hopeful that this will help bring forth truth and confidence so healing and restoration can be facilitated.

The Provincial Response Team will be responsible to select all appropriate entities for this investigation and for the care of survivors. The Team will continue to engage with the survivors throughout the investigation and to conduct this investigation with transparency and integrity. The Province takes this seriously and desires to "walk in the light" (1 John 1:7) and to "conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Phil. 1:27).

Additionally, I will appoint a team in coordination with the Provincial Governance Task Force to review the diocesan leadership structures and cooperate with the Provincial Response Team to any extent necessary.

We will provide timely updates as this process moves forward. If you or anyone you know has questions or comments, you are welcome to email the Provincial Response Team at this email address: provresponseteam@anglicanchurch.net.

I ask for your regular prayers and intercessions for those who have been harmed and now suffer, the clergy and people of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest, Bishop Ruch and his family, and the Provincial Response Team who will now have oversight of this process.

In Christ Jesus,

The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach
Archbishop and Primate
The Anglican Church in North America


https://www.midwestanglican.org/selection-process-bishops-council/

15 Jul Selection Process of the Bishop’s Council

Posted at 16:00h in Uncategorized by Dawn Jewell 0 Comments

Dear Upper Midwest Diocese,

We would like to update you on changes in diocesan leadership and steps to be taken to select leaders to serve in an acting capacity.

Our last letter described how the Bishop’s Council functions during Bishop Stewart’s temporary leave of absence. As we announced, the Anglican Church in North America has undertaken oversight of the current third-party investigation, the pastoral care and response to survivors, and the further review and investigation of our diocesan process thus far.

In accordance with our Canons, the Bishop’s Council will exercise ecclesiastical leadership and authority of our diocese (organizational leadership, vision, budgets, etc.), and will appoint a chairperson to lead it. Archbishop Foley will appoint an Acting bishop or bishops to serve the diocese and fulfill the bishop’s liturgical and ministry functions.

In order to create space for a thorough independent investigation to proceed, the Revs. Eirik Olsen, William Beasley, and Christian Ruch (all the seated Deans of the Bishop’s Council) have taken a voluntary leave of absence from the Bishop’s Council at this time. Chancellor Charlie Philbrick has also stepped aside and an acting Chancellor will soon be appointed. Molly Stawarz, a Council lay member, has resigned for personal reasons.

We are calling for the selection by the Deaneries of Upper Midwest of Acting Deans (customarily a priest) to serve on the Bishop’s Council for the duration of the investigation. Each deanery should call and convene an online meeting via Zoom. Last night, the Minnesota/South Dakota Deanery met and chose the Rev. Paul Calvin to be its Acting Dean. Dean Steve Williamson has asked the Revs. Kyle Oesch (Greenhouse), Eric Snyder (Wisconsin) and himself (Chicago) to act as the host for the other deaneries and facilitate the meeting to select their Acting Deans. This selection should be completed by midnight on July 23, 2021.

The Minnesota/South Dakota Deanery is in process of selecting a member to fill Molly Stawarz’s vacancy on the Bishop’s Council.

Selection of the other Acting Deans and the Bishop’s Council member to fill the open seat will be announced when they have been chosen.

The Bishop’s Council
Diocese of the Upper Midwest