Sexually Abused by Appellant Pastor Daniel Reeb - HiddenMysteries Spiritual Studies

Sexually Abused by Appellant Pastor Daniel Reeb - HiddenMysteries Spiritual Studies:

I suggest not reading this link, above, if you have a weak stomach, but it shows that Minnesota North, LCMS, has been covering up crimes against minors for a long time.

Ditto WELS and the rest.

'via Blog this'


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http://www.worldmag.com/articles/2181


Some 40 remaining members of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregation had to accept responsibility and hundreds of thousands of dollars of liability for the secret sins of a former pastor 30 years ago-someone the newer members had never met. Just hours before confiscation of its property and a scheduled vote by the congregation to disband, unexpected help arrived from anonymous benefactors and the regional unit of the LCMS, and a settlement was reached. On June 7, members rededicated the church and themselves to the Lord, then gathered in the fellowship hall for a potluck luncheon to celebrate their new lease on life.

The dark past started coming alive in 1990 when David Samarzia, an accountant and former Redeemer member who had been undergoing therapy for alcoholism and social phobia, told a counselor of sexual contacts he'd had as a boy with Pastor Daniel Reeb in the 1960s. The minister, who has never married, had served both Redeemer and a small church in neighboring Wrenshall from 1961 to 1979. Mr. Samarzia, now 44 and a divorced father of two, said the abuse started when he was 11 and worsened in 1967 when he was 13, lasting until he was 16. The pastor was in his 30s at the time. Records showed the youth's grades nose-dived; he dropped out of team sports; he had emotional problems; and he tried to commit suicide in the family garage.

In 1991, after leaders at the Wrenshall church dismissed his warnings about taking a youth group to visit Mr. Reeb at his newest church in the Bahamas, Mr. Samarzia decided to take the matter to court. He sued Pastor Reeb for sexual battery, clergy malpractice, and breach of fiduciary duty. He sued Redeemer for negligence, claiming leaders and members knew about Pastor Reeb's abusive conduct but did nothing about it. He also sued the LCMS and its Minnesota North District.

After Mr. Samarzia's 1991 suit hit the news, three former Redeemer men called him and said they also had been abused by Pastor Reeb when they were boys. The families of three suicide victims called: The three had been boys at the church when Mr. Reeb was pastor. Church Mutual of Merrill, Wis., Redeemer's insurance company, settled out of court for $20,000 to $30,000 with the three others who came forward. Church and insurance company spokesmen said an apparent mix-up resulted in no settlement offer being made to Mr. Samarzia, an explanation he told WORLD he doesn't buy. "They kept fighting me," he said.

The trial, held in 1994, reportedly cost Church Mutual $400,000. A jury found that Redeemer's members knew, or should have known, that Pastor Reeb was abusing children. (In retrospect, trustee Graeme Wick said later, "we did turn a blind eye" toward the rumors, but no one knew children were being abused-or Pastor Reeb would have gone swiftly to jail.)

The jury agreed Mr. Samarzia did not realize until 1990 that he had been abused, keeping the case within the statute of limitations. It awarded him $643,800 from Redeemer and Mr. Reeb. The minister, deposed in the Bahamas, confessed his sins in depositions and to LCMS leaders, and was defrocked prior to the trial. (The statute of limitations spared him from criminal charges.) The LCMS and its regional unit were absolved of any blame.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld the judgment. By the time the appeals were exhausted, the original award had grown to more than $800,000 with interest. Mr. Samarzia forgave the interest. Mr. Reeb, who had moved to Denver, had no money; it was up to Redeemer to pay. Church Mutual paid $215,000, the limit for Redeemer's liability policy. Most of it went to Mr. Samarzia's attorneys. Redeemer's members, whose numbers had thinned from about 150 to 40 during the litigation, said there was no way they could come up with the remaining $400,000. Attorneys for the LCMS advised the denomination to keep hands off lest a devastating precedent be set.

In January, Mr. Samarzia began the process of confiscating the church's assets. In February, he seized $12,138 from Redeemer's checking account. He served notice the church's property would be next. Eleventh-hour negotiations failed in May, though he did offer to settle for $200,000 and a public apology from the seven-member church council on behalf of all the church's members. They would have to acknowledge they had known of the abuse and did nothing about it. Church officers still considered the money beyond their reach, and some council members balked at the apology demand. They insisted they had not known what their minister was doing, and they didn't want to "lie" by saying they did. Several pointed out the abuse had occurred before they started attending Redeemer, or they were children at the time.

Mr. Samarzia went ahead with a sheriff's auction to sell the contents of the church. Some church members picketed, waving signs that implored people not to bid. Some signs criticized the LCMS. No bids were made for the religious contents. Following a few modest bids for small shop and maintenance items, Mr. Samarzia bid $25,000 for all the contents. He agreed to let the contents remain in place while Redeemer's members continued negotiations.

By the time of the auction, the church's plight had generated national publicity. An anonymous corporate donor pledged $100,000. Other pledges came in by telephone and mail. The LCMS regional office stepped in with an offer to lend Redeemer the $84,000 it still needed so the settlement could proceed promptly. Attorneys drew up a carefully worded apology to Mr. Samarzia and his family, along with an acceptance of responsibility, and the council signed.

Redeemer's leaders say they are eager to start rebuilding. A pastor who visits once a month to conduct communion services serves the church. A lay leader is in charge and preaches the other Sundays. A handful of potential new members were among a dozen visitors on rededication Sunday, signaling Redeemer may have a future after all.

The issue is far from settled at Overlake, though. Pastor Ken Hutcherson of 1,500-congregant Antioch Bible Church in Bellevue, Wash., a member of the Eastside Steering Committee, wants Overlake's elders to make an "honest report" or resign. "They need to get God's name off the city's list of laughingstocks."

As for preventive measures, professionals offer such steps as these: Churches should have a written policy on sexual abuse and harassment for staff members. Victims should be encouraged to report inappropriate conduct promptly; they should be treated respectfully and offered help if needed; their complaints should be investigated thoroughly. Abusers should be disciplined as set forth in the policy and according to biblical principles. And those who witness misconduct should speak up.

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Various Lutheran sects, but DP Ed Werner is not listed. This long list is not complete by any means.