A community and a congregation are in shock over the arrest of a minister on child sex charges. 67-year-old Dennis Hayes, a pastor at St. Martin's Lutheran Church in Watertown, South Dakota, is charged with 3 counts of sexual contact with a minor. Court records state that Hayes molested a boy in southwest Minnesota. That case led Watertown police to Hayes' home where investigators say they found child pornography on his computer.

Hayes has been placed on administrative leave by his church. While his parishioners hope and pray that the charges aren't true.

The arrest of a man of God on child sex charges has shaken a congregation to its core. Allen Steinmetz said, "It's very heartbreaking to our family."

Allen Steinmetz is a lifelong member of St. Martin's Lutheran Church in Watertown who says suspect, and pastor, Dennis Hayes would go out of his way to help families in need. Steinmetz and his wife MarKay raised two daughters under Hayes' ministerial care. "He baptized our children, we go to St. Martin' Church."

Hayes' wife babysat the two Steinmetz kids. Daughter Keanna speaks glowingly of the pastor she grew up with. "He's a good guy, he's a good counselor, and he's patient and understanding."

Police say their investigation into Hayes is "ongoing." But they aren't saying if other victims are involved. Troy Van Dusen, of the Watertown Police Department said, "It's a tough case, it's tough for everyone involved, but we have to treat it equally with every other case we work."

As the investigation moves along, church members like Steinmetz are placing their faith in their pastor and the judicial system. "And when this whole thing goes through, I hope he's proven innocent... it's just very hard."

I spoke by phone today with Pastor Hayes. He said his attorney told him not to discuss the case publicly.

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The Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colleyville church Friday saying that church members involved in a traumatic exorcism that ultimately injured a young woman is protected by the First Amendment.

In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God’s efforts to cast out demons from the Laura Schubert presents an ecclesiastical dispute over religious conduct that would unconstitutionally entangle the court in church doctrine.

In a 1996 lawsuit against the church, Schubert described a wild night involving the casting out of demons from the church and two separate attempts to exorcise demons from her.

"The First Amendment guards religious liberty; it does not sanction intentional abuse in religion’s name."
Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace JeffersonThe 2002 trial of the suit never touched on the religious aspects of the case, and a Tarrant County jury found the church and its members liable for abusing and falsely imprisoning Schubert, who was 17 at the time. The jury awarded Schubert $300,000 for mental anguish, but the 2nd Court of Appeals in Fort Worth shaved $122,000 from the verdict for loss of future income.

But the church raised the question of whether the Fort Worth appeals court erred when it said Pleasant Glades’ First Amendment rights regarding freedom of religion do not prevent the church from being held liable for mental distress triggered by a "hyper-spiritualistic environment."

A majority of the court agreed, with Justice David Medina writing that while Schubert’s secular injury claims might "theoretically be tried without mentioning religion, the imposition of tort liability for engaging in religious activity to which the church members adhere would have an unconstitutional 'chilling effect’ by compelling the church to abandon core principles of its religious beliefs."

Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson was among the justices that disagreed with the majorities' ruling, and in a dissenting opinion states that a church will simply have to claim a religious motive to deny a church member from bringing a claim against it.

"This sweeping immunity is inconsistent with United States Supreme Court precedent and extends far beyond the protections our Constitution affords religious conduct," Jefferson wrote. "The First Amendment guards religious liberty; it does not sanction intentional abuse in religion’s name."

Schubert testified in 2002 that she was cut and bruised and later experienced hallucinations as a result of the church members’ actions in 1996. She also said the incident led her to mutilate herself and attempt suicide. Schubert eventually sought psychiatric help.

But the church’s attorneys told a Tarrant County jury that Schubert’s psychological problems were caused by traumatic events she witnessed while with her parents who were serving as missionaries in Africa.

The church contended Schubert had "freaked out" about following her father’s life as a missionary and that she was acting out to gain attention.

After the 2002 verdict, Pleasant Glade merged with another congregation in Colleyville and now calls itself the Colleyville Assembly of God Church.

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DOVER-FOXCROFT - A Roman Catholic priest committed suicide after he was informed that he would be suspended pending an investigation of his alleged sexual abuse of a minor 29 years ago, the Diocese of Portland said Friday.

The body of the Rev. James Robichaud, 56, was found Friday morning in the rectory of Our Lady of the Snows in Dover-Foxcroft. He learned of the allegation the day before.

Robichaud died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, said Sgt. Gary West of the Dover-Foxcroft police. He said an employee at the rectory found the body in a second-floor bathroom, and it was believed that the shooting took place Thursday evening. No suicide note was found, West said.

The abuse allegation came to the diocese from the Oblates, a religious order of men with whom Robichaud was serving in Massachusetts prior to his return to Maine in 2000.

The abuse was alleged to have occurred around the time Robichaud, an Augusta native, was ordained in 1979 and assigned to St. Jean-Baptiste Parish in Lowell, Mass. He later served as chaplain of Lowell General Hospital and pastor of Notre Dame De Lourdes in Lowell.

"Out of pastoral care for Father Robichaud's family and parishes during this time of shock and grief, further details about the case will be released at a later date," the diocese said in its statement.

The diocese said there is not enough information at this point to substantiate or dismiss the allegation. Bishop Richard Malone asked that prayers be said for all involved.

"This is a tragic end to a story that we may never completely understand. It is simply our mission to bring the healing presence of Jesus to this agonizing situation. May His love work through each of us to find compassion for the woman who made the complaint, Father Robichaud's soul, his family, friends and parish community," Malone said.

Robichaud attended the Oblate College and Seminary in Natick, Mass., Framingham State College in Massachusetts and the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., where he received a masters of divinity.

On his return to Maine, he was named administrator of St. Thomas Aquinas in Dover-Foxcroft and St. Francis in Brownville Junction. St. Anne Parish in Dexter was added to his responsibilities in 2005. The three parishes joined in 2007 to become Our Lady of the Snows.

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By webmdave.

William Vanderbloemen, Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Houston, Texas, is well known for leading churches to experience phenomenal growth through innovative change. His evangelical “ancient future” approach in a mainline denomination has built him a reputation as one who has a deep respect for the past and desires to apply it to the future in a dynamic way.

Raised in North Carolina, William received his Bachelor of Arts degrees in Religion and Philosophy from Wake Forest University. It was during this time that William returned to a renewed walk with Christ. Hearing a call to ministry, he attended Princeton Theological Seminary where he received his Masters of Divinity degree in 1995.

That’s a quote from a First Century Voyages brochure published last June inviting the faithful to a 10-day luxury cruise along the Elbe River “from Prague to Potsdam and Berlin.”

Prior to landing the pastorate of the Texas mega-church in January, 2002, VanderBloemen pastored a Memorial Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was a board member of the Presbyterian Coalition against ordaining gays and lesbians. From the Presbyterian Coalition website:

“We grieve the continuing decline of our denomination on multiple levels. Something is deeply flawed at the core. We yearn and pray for a new day for the PCUSA. While longing to retain our unity, we are ready for a redefinition of that unity and the structural realities that hold us together. God help us.”

An article on the Presbyterian Outlook website reported:

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Presbyterian Coalition is plowing at least $300,000 into its campaign to defeat Amendment A, a controversial proposal that would open the door to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s ordaining sexually active gays and lesbians....

...In 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks against the sins of immorality, idolatry, adultery and homosexual practice, Bailey says. "He pretty much covers the bases -- he covers swingers who are unmarried, he covers people who have got religion and sex all mixed up, he covers people who violate their marriage vows" and those involved in homosexual relations.

This prompted William Vanderbloemen, a Coalition board member and pastor from Montgomery, Ala., to say that "it sounds like a blanket policy" for sexual ethics.

Vanderbloemen is currently listed as a prominent supporter of the campaign to have Republican candidate Ed Emmet re-elected to Harris County Judge.

Vanderbloemen resigned from his well paid position with the Presbyterians in February, retaining the ministry status of “member at large.” That means he’s eligible and available to pastor another church.

Here’s an interesting story from the Houston Press regarding Vanderbloemen’s resignation:

There was a brief notice in the Houston Chronicle in February (2007) when William Vanderbloemen, the young, energetic senior minister of Houston's First Presbyterian Church (FBC), announced his resignation.

FPC is the dignified, classy church in the Museum District. Vanderbloemen preached at Senator Lloyd Bentsen's funeral, to a crowd that included both Clintons.

The resignation was said to be so he could spend more time with his family. That hasn't worked out so well — he and his wife are getting divorced.

But with the divorce case, word is getting out that Vanderbloemen — who to some was trying to be a Presbyterian Joel Osteen — was pissing off a large chunk of his congregation.

Documents from Presbyterian higher-ups show performance reviews criticizing him: "We know that you consider yourself to be ethical and honest. The fact that you are not perceived as such must be corrected immediately." And "Your e-mails to your congregation are losing their effectiveness due to your bragging about how great the church is and how others are watching us because we are so great. This is also a problem with sermons."

Vanderbloemen was also urged to cut back on radio spots selling him and the church, and traveling so much.

Geez, Presbyterians: You will never get to be a bestseller-hawking mega-church with that attitude.

So, within the past year and a half, Vanderbloemen has been publicly praised for his innovative church building performance, invited to speak at major events, and asked to support political candidates, but all that time the Presbyterian hierarchy was dissatisfied his performance?

Vanderbloemen publicly announced that he resigned in order to spend more time with his family, but the reality seems to have been that his marriage was falling apart. Along with his resignation, a private, internal report card is leaked to the press revealing that Vanderbloemen's superiors and congregation consider his performance under par. He wasn’t fired, though, and he is still officially in good standing with his denomination. According to Auxano, a church consulting group, great things were happening during Vanderbloemen's tenure. Further, an anonymous source has provided documentation indicating Vanderbloemen was given a $130,000 a year severance package from the PCUSA. I wish I could resign with bad performance reports and receive a tremendous severance package like that!

The same documentation reports that Vanderbloemen has already taken a nice $100,000 a year position with Lakewood Church, the Joel Osteen monstrosity..., er, ministry.

Although no one has been talking, according to public court records, Vanderbloemen has, or will soon have, a new wife.

Office of Beverly B. Kaufman, County Clerk, Harris County, Texas
Marriage License Inquiry System
________________________________________
LICENSE . NAME / ADDRESS .S.R. NAME / ADDRESS .S.R.M .F . DATE OF . DATE OF . FILM . MISC .
NUMBER . PERSON 1 .X.C. PERSON 2 .X.C.AG.AG. ISSUE . MARRIAGE . CODE . DATES .
========.===========================.=.=.===========================.=.=.==.==.==========.==========.=========.======.======.
0922687 VANDERBLOEMEN BRUCE WILLIAM M GORDON ADRIENNE EMMETT F 05-23-2008
6424 BUFFALO HOUSTON TX 2816 RICE BLVD HO TX

Vanderbloemen's new wife (or wife to be), just happens to share the same family name as the afore-mentioned Republican candidate for re-election to Harris County Judge, Ed Emmet -- she's his daughter. As stated, Emmet proudly lists Vanderbloemen as an important supporter.

So which is it, PCUSA? Was this guy a dynamic Spirit-filled leader among men, a poor excuse of a pastor that needed to be let go, or was there some other reason (like the divorce?) that he was paid off to quietly step down? There are too many mixed messages all over this one.

I can't help but wonder if the public relations arm of the PCUSA wasn't in full swing to keep something quiet. Maybe the men at the top of the PCUSA just didn’t want a repeat of what happened in New York with Tom Tewell, another PCUSA mega-church pastor that was embroiled in a public scandal that just won’t go away.

He taught creationism and burned crosses into students' arms

A Mount Vernon, Ohio, teacher undermined science instruction in the public school district by discrediting evolution in his classroom and focusing on creationism and intelligent design, an investigation has found.

Eighth-graders who were taught by John Freshwater frequently had to be re-taught in high school what they were supposed to have learned in Freshwater's class, according to outside investigators hired by the district.

For 11 years, other teachers in the school district and people in the community complained about Freshwater preaching his Christian beliefs in class and slamming scientific theories, a school administrator told investigators.

"There is a significant amount of evidence that Mr. Freshwater's teachings regarding subjects related to evolution were not consistent with the curriculum of the Mount Vernon City Schools and state standards," the consultants reported.

Freshwater was told to stop teaching intelligent design and creationism, but he continued, the report found.

HR on Call Inc., the consultants who investigated allegations against Freshwater, released their findings yesterday. Mount Vernon school board members will meet today to discuss the report and decide what, if any, action they will take.

The report confirmed that Freshwater burned crosses onto students' arms, using an electrostatic device, in December.

Freshwater told investigators the marks were X's, not crosses. But all of the students interviewed in the investigation reported being branded with crosses. The investigation report includes a photo of one student's arm with a long vertical line and a short horizontal line running through it.

The family of one student who was burned filed a federal lawsuit last week against Freshwater and the district, saying the student's civil rights were violated.

Yesterday, the family's attorney, Jessica Philemond, said it was "unfortunate" that the school district didn't do anything sooner to stop Freshwater.

"These concerns had been going on for at least 11 years, and the school had not done anything," she said.

A teacher who worked in Freshwater's classroom last year also reported to investigators that Freshwater told his class that homosexuality is a sin.

Neither Freshwater nor his attorney, Roger Weaver, could be reached for comment last night. Freshwater's friend Dave Daubenmire defended him.

"With the exception of the cross-burning episode, I believe John Freshwater is teaching the values of the parents in the Mount Vernon school district," he said.

Daubenmire is a former London High School football coach whose district was sued in 1999 by the American Civil Liberties Union because he led his players in prayer at games, practices and meetings.

"Do you think there are other teachers in the public classroom that are trying to drive their opinions in the classroom?" Daubenmire asked. "I don't care who you are. You cannot separate your value system from your teaching."

The debate about Freshwater's actions became public in April after he refused to remove a Bible from his desk, as the district had ordered.

The report says he was insubordinate for failing to remove the Bible and other religious materials from his classroom but also found other issues about his teaching and behavior.

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A former Bibb County minister has been arrested for allegedly raping a child.

Timothy Fulgham, 40, is charged with second-degree rape, second-degree sodomy, second-degree sexual abuse and enticing a child for immoral purposes.

Investigators say Fulgham used his power as a minister at River Life Church of God to win the young girl’s trust, and take advantage of her.

According to court documents, Fulgham assaulted the girl in both Bibb and Tuscaloosa counties. He has currently bonded out of the Tuscaloosa Metro Jail.

“Just believing that the truth will be revealed, and we believe in the system; we just don’t talk about it here. It’s not really relevant to us. The former pastor resigned. I just want to let everyone know in our community that our church is a great place to be. It’s a safe place to be,” said Brandon Morrison, current pastor of the River Life Church of God.

At the time of the attack, the girl was between 12 and 16 years old.

This case will go before a grand jury in the coming months.

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