Sex Offender in CA church - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Angel · #1 05-07-2007, 07:48 AM

I am a UCC member, and I'm not sure where to go with this....

However, I am not a survivor of abuse, (and my son is 1yr old, always near me) so it is relatively easy for me to say "All are welcome here"

NY times article

Quote:

CARLSBAD, Calif. — On a marquee outside and on a banner inside, Pilgrim United Church of Christ proclaims, “All are welcome.” Sustained by the belief that embracing all comers is a living example of Christ’s love, Pilgrim now faces a profound test of faith.
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Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times

The Rev. Madison Shockley is leading his church through a discussion about whether it should admit a convicted child molester.

In late January, Mark Pliska, 53, told the congregation here that he had been in prison for molesting children but that he sought a place to worship and liked the atmosphere at Pilgrim.

Mr. Pliska’s request has plunged the close-knit congregation into a painful discussion about applying faith in a difficult real-world situation. Congregants now wonder, are all truly welcome? If they are, how do you ensure the safety of children and the healing of adult survivors of sexual abuse? Can an offender who accepts Christ truly change?

“I think what we have been through is a loss of innocence,” said the Rev. Madison Shockley, Pilgrim’s minister. “People think of church as an idyllic paradise, and I think that is a great part of that loss.”

Pilgrim’s struggle mirrors those of other congregations, of various faiths, across the country.

Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said that over the last five years pastors had called him to seek advice about how to deal with sex offenders who had returned from prison and wanted to return to church.

The Rev. Debra W. Haffner, director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing in Norwalk, Conn., said she received one or two calls a month from congregations facing a crisis similar to Pilgrim’s.

Having a policy to deal with sex offenders before a crisis occurs is the best way to avoid turmoil, Ms. Haffner said. But such a policy still may force a congregation to decide under what circumstances an offender can attend, a discussion that can shake many churches to their core.

“They are conflicting ministries,” the Rev. Patricia Tummino said about reaching out to sex offenders, to children and to adult survivors of abuse. Since the late 1990s, Ms. Tummino’s congregation, the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Middleboro, Mass., has dealt with two known sex offenders. “You can’t be all things to all people,” she said.

(more on NY times site)

"They will know we are Christians by our love" ???

-John

G-Benz · #2 05-07-2007, 09:39 AM

My pastor always says, "we should be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium"

A pastor at a previous church where I used to live also said "church should be a refuge for sinners, not a haven for saints"

Keep that in mind when contemplating the acceptance of others into the fold.

I believe that basic common sense should rule here. Our church has strict guideline with church volunteers. We all check in electronically and wear ID badges. All volunteers went through a background check before being accepted into the volunteer program. Building managers monitor movement of individuals in the facility and gently coax whenever someone is roaming where they shouldn't be.

Sounds a bit intrusive? It's for safety. It's a large church, and the youth program is a big part of the core. Several classrooms of children of varying age groups. The parents can rest easy and worship in the main sanctuary without fear of harm being done to their child in another room.

If the molester were to join our church and had a desire to be a volunteer, that person would not be allowed to be involved in any church duty that would put him in contact with children....it's that simple.

Kuan · #3 05-07-2007, 03:54 PM

From the GF's perspective: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

Matt SD300 · #4 05-09-2007, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G-Benz

My pastor always says, "we should be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium"

If the molester were to join our church and had a desire to be a volunteer, that person would not be allowed to be involved in any church duty that would put him in contact with children....it's that simple.

I just caught a volunteer (10years) at our church with a kid in the bathroom with the door closed!...I was TICTED..

...long story short....he's no longer serving in the kids ministry...

I believe Christs example of the 12 apostles....reflects very much so today ...1 out of 12 is a JUDUS!!...No wonder why there is so much evil/chaos in the church today???....

LaRondo · #5 05-09-2007, 01:24 AM

I knew I was going to find you here, in this thread...

#6 05-09-2007, 03:24 AM

"Congregates now wonder, are all truly welcome?"

Hypocrites.

aklim · #7 05-09-2007, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt SD300

I just caught a volunteer (10years) at our church with a kid in the bathroom with the door closed!...I was TICTED..

...long story short....he's no longer serving in the kids ministry...

I believe Christs example of the 12 apostles....reflects very much so today ...1 out of 12 is a JUDUS!!...No wonder why there is so much evil/chaos in the church today???....

Who is Judas?

According to the canonical Gospels of the New Testament, (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), Judas betrayed Jesus to Jerusalem's Great Sanhedrin, which officiated over the crucifixion of Jesus with the endorsement of representatives of the occupying power, the Roman Empire. The Gospel of Judas, on the other hand, portrays Judas in a very different perspective than do the Gospels of the New Testament, according to a preliminary translation made in early 2006 by the National Geographic Society: the Gospel of Judas appears to interpret Judas's act not as betrayal, but rather as an act of obedience to the instructions of Jesus. This portrayal seems to conform to a notion, current in some forms of Gnosticism, that the human form is a spiritual prison, and that Judas thus served Christ by helping to release Christ's spirit from its physical constraints.

Carleton Hughes · #8 05-09-2007, 08:25 AM

Isn't it the Jesuits who say"Give me the child until he is 8,I shall cherish his privy member and he shall be mine for life"

Matt SD300 · #9 05-09-2007, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

Who is Judas?

According to the canonical Gospels of the New Testament, (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), Judas betrayed Jesus to Jerusalem's Great Sanhedrin, which officiated over the crucifixion of Jesus with the endorsement of representatives of the occupying power, the Roman Empire. The Gospel of Judas, on the other hand, portrays Judas in a very different perspective than do the Gospels of the New Testament, according to a preliminary translation made in early 2006 by the National Geographic Society: the Gospel of Judas appears to interpret Judas's act not as betrayal, but rather as an act of obedience to the instructions of Jesus. This portrayal seems to conform to a notion, current in some forms of Gnosticism, that the human form is a spiritual prison, and that Judas thus served Christ by helping to release Christ's spirit from its physical constraints.

What load of Craaaaaaaaappp.................................

Matt SD300 · #10 05-09-2007, 10:14 PM

[QUOTE=Carleton Hughes;1502014]Isn't it the Jesuits who say"Give me the child until he is 8,I shall cherish his privy member and he shall be mine for life"[/QUOTE

aklim · #11 05-09-2007, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt SD300

Please translate to english...........

You said:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt SD300

I believe Christs example of the 12 apostles....reflects very much so today ...1 out of 12 is a JUDUS!!...No wonder why there is so much evil/chaos in the church today???....

So, was Judas, assuming we are speaking about the same guy (you called him JUDUS) is he really bad if he was doing what he was asked to do?

Matt SD300 · #12 05-09-2007, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

"Congregates now wonder, are all truly welcome?"

Hypocrites.

Always room for one more!!..

...Fact is... "salvation has nothing to do with it!!"...we are all sinner's.....

aklim · #13 05-09-2007, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt SD300

What load of Craaaaaaaaappp.................................

Why? Because of your factual answer or because you don't believe National Geographic or what? http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lostgospel/?fs=www9.nationalgeographic.com

Matt L · #14 05-09-2007, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt SD300

What load of Craaaaaaaaappp.................................

Without "Judas," there would be no "trial" and no "Crucifixion" of a "person" known as "Jesus." Thus, there would be no "Salvation."

Matt SD300 · #15 05-09-2007, 10:32 PM

[QUOTE=aklim;1502605]You said: So, was Judas, assuming we are speaking about the same guy (you called him JUDUS) is he really bad if he was doing what he was asked to do?[/QUOTE

.. Damn....It's a no brainer...back stabber/trader/betrayal................Yep now I'm sure...............your

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