Yesterday a member here at Bridge St. UC told me about the turmoil which has swept into the congregation in which she grew up. The minister of this Brantford Ontario congregation was arrested for sexual luring and exploitation of a 17-year-old girl on the internet. Searches of his home and church office computers discovered child pornography as well, but this was not a random contact. The young woman was the child of family friends and it was the mother who realized that he had made contact with her daughter. The minister is 64-years-old, has served his congregation for twenty years, and has been an active member of community. The Brantford Expositor describes this minister's involvements:
He has spoken out on numerous social justice issues over the years. He was a prominent contributor on the Brantford-Brant Roundtable on Poverty, the Brantford Anti-Racism Committee and the Brantford Living Wage Committee. As well, he has been involved in homelessness forums, is a longtime promoter of Black History Month, an advocate for greater sensitivity in gay rights issues and a national housing strategy. In 2012, he was nominated as a candidate for moderator of the United Church and previous to that he was the co-recipient of the Brantford YMCA Peace Medal.
He is married and has four grown children.
All of this is commendable, and so much of his ministry appears to be meaningful, but somehow he entered into a dark and troubling world of temptation where he thought he was shielded from the public eye. It is the shadow side of the internet and, sadly, increasingly common. We have friends in Colorado who are part of a Presbyterian congregation. They found an excellent interim minister after their long-time pastor left and he brought both stability and a willingness to challenge them in their time of transition. One day the police swooped in, arrested him, seized his computer and other office computers. He was charged with possession of child porn. Suddenly the congregation's offices became a crime scene and they were shaken to the core.
It's important to pray for everyone involved in these circumstances. This must be devastating for the family of the teen, and the family of the minister. It is a reminder of the need for vigilance on the part of parents. We know that the vast majority of religious leaders are trustworthy and understand moral and ethical boundaries. Still, this is a cautionary tale that while we must live with a degree of trust for those in positions of authority, no group in society is immune from these temptations.
It's all sad isn't it? Yet justice must be done. Thank God it didn't go any further, or so we hope.
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