Update - Covenant Life Church Response to Nathaniel Morales

From: Covenant Life Church Blog

On Monday news reports were widely circulated about a Nevada man, Nathaniel Morales, who has been charged in Maryland with molesting boys during the 1980s. The reports contain allegations that this abuse occurred when Mr. Morales was a teacher, erroneously implying that he was a teacher at Covenant Life School. The reports fail to state that Mr. Morales, though a church member at the time, was never a pastor in Covenant Life Church nor a teacher in Covenant Life School. Rather Mr. Morales was a teacher employed by an independent private school in Montgomery County not affiliated with Covenant Life Church or School.

Contrary to the impression left by the news reports, Covenant Life Church had no knowledge of such abuse until many years after the abuse when an adult who had been victimized as a child came forward.

The criminal matter described in these news reports is distinct from the civil lawsuit filed last October against Sovereign Grace Ministries, that was amended in January of this year to add Covenant Life Church as a defendant. The church will respond appropriately to the allegations in that pending lawsuit through the legal system.

Our church places a high priority on protecting children, and has had robust child protection practices and policies in place for many years. Our hearts and prayers continue to be with anyone affected by the trauma of sexual abuse. We pray that they will receive the healing, comfort and peace of Christ. And we continue to invite your prayers for all those involved in these matters.

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Security at Church: I am glad that Covenant Life Church clarified this point. I spent many years as a student at Covenant Life School and Nate Morales was never a teacher or employed by the church or school...to the best of my knowledge. With that being said at the time Covenant Life School did not have a High School and many students transitioned from their lower school to Montgomery County Christian Academy (MCCA) where Nate Morales was employed. 

Las Vegas Man arrested in Church Sex Abuse Case in Maryland

From: Washington Post - Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A Las Vegas man has been charged in Maryland with molesting multiple boys in the 1980s while assisting with youth ministries at a church targeted in a child sex abuse lawsuit.

Nathaniel Morales, who had been working as a pastor in Nevada, is accused in an indictment of sexually abusing the boys when he worked with Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md. That church until December was associated with Sovereign Grace Ministries, a Kentucky-based evangelical church group accused in a lawsuit in Maryland last fall of covering up allegations of child sex abuse by its members. The lawsuit was amended last month to name Covenant Life Church as among the new defendants.

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{Updated 2/6/13} Security at Church: It is sad to say that Covenant Life Church was my local church of almost 30 years. I recently left this church due to relocating to another state. 

These charges date back to the 1980's. I can say from experience that Covenant Life Church has taken many positive steps over the last decade related to improving safety and security of their facilities and church congregants. With that being said we can all learn from the past and continue to improve. 

What saddens me most is that I remember Nate Morales and my involvement with him as a child. (To clarify: I was not involved with sexual abuse by Morales, but it scares me to think that I could have been) Nate attended a bible study group (home group/small group) with my parents. Nate visited my home on a regular bases and interacted with my siblings and my friends. 

I am sharing these thoughts as a warning to all readers that these things can happen to you... In the words of our friend Carl Chinn, "lighting can strike twice"!

When I started this website three years ago, I never thought I would be posting articles related to my own church. I hope this serves as a warning and reminder to be vigilant. 

Billy Graham's Grandson Comments on Sovereign Grace Ministries Sex Abuse Case

From: Christianity Today

In response to a civil lawsuit alleging that it covered up numerous cases of child sexual abuse, Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) has pledged to "carefully review" each accusation.

However, the lawsuit—which claims the association of Reformed church plants discouraged victims' parents from reporting abuse to authorities and had victims forgive their abusers in person—has also prompted the denomination to cite its First Amendment right to religious freedom...

Highlights from Article:

"SGM believes that allowing courts to second-guess pastoral guidance would represent a blow to the First Amendment that would hinder, not help, families seeking spiritual direction among other resources in dealing with the trauma related to any sin including child sexual abuse," Tommy Hill, SGM's Director of Administration
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Boz Tchividjian, founder and executive director of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE), which has investigated sex abuse allegations previously for New Tribes Mission and currently for Bob Jones University, readily acknowledges that he does not know all the facts. But the former Florida child abuse prosecutor takes issue with the SGM statement.

"Quite frankly, any time an institution—a Christian institution—responds or defends its behavior as it relates to sexual abuse allegations with quoting laws and hiding behind constitutions, it causes me concern," said Tchividjian, a law professor and grandson of Billy Graham. "I think an authentic, gospel-centered response to sexual abuse disclosures within an institution is to be transparent and to be vulnerable.

"God did his most powerful work when his son was transparent and vulnerable," Tchividjian added, referring to Jesus' crucifixion.

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In Maryland, where the lawsuit was filed and SGM was based until relocating to Kentucky last year, state law does not require the reporting of child abuse if such notification would disclose a communication protected by the clergy-penitent privilege.

However, Tchividjian said the focus of the law "is on perpetrators who may 'confess' and not victims or their family members who may disclose the abuse to their pastor."

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