Dear Friends and workers,
It is necessary for us to step away from the fellowship. With the all the events that have come to light this past year, we can no longer be a part of a church who’s ministry is complicit in, or covering up for CSA (child sexual abuse), SA (sexual abuse), Sexual harassment, and criminal behavior.
As a teacher, Kevin is a mandated reporter and would be putting his teaching certificate in danger, and could face criminal prosecution, if he associates with a perpetrator. The FBI investigation is the result of over 700 alleged perpetrators within this fellowship.
The FBI’s involvement shows these reports are real and is on track to be worse than the Catholic church. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a typical child sex offender has an average of 117 victims.
We have been saddened by the lack of support for survivors. Reva is a survivor of child sexual abuse from a worker. It is hard to hear in meetings that we must obey the workers as they are how we get to heaven. The memories of my abuse comes back to me when this is mentioned in a meeting. If I understand the scripture, God ripped the veil from top to bottom so that man cannot put it back together. We do not need anyone to intercede for us, but Jesus.
We are not bitter, angry, or have lost our vision of heaven. God is calling us forward to have a closer relationship with Him and his Son Jesus. We are not part of the “great falling away.” How can you fall away if you are moving toward Jesus?
With great love and care,
Reva and Kevin Ewing
February 29, 2024
Oglrthorpe, Georgia, USA
Here are some resources and links for more information:
FBI Press Release: https://forms.fbi.gov/2×2?fbclid=IwAR220ZNTdTatfxD3c3G-RWCBMOB0eeVjuvVY9kIrypYWrjsidX7XN5qS1jw
BBC Article About Robert Corfield Abuse Case:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66449988
BBC Article About the FBI Investigation:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68361054?fbclid=IwAR27_ffsovSxvuoCAKmmgnjeLrgz1WQNlU0_d95tQdOXz8yHQloFNxLrhF8
Advocates for the Truth: https://www.advocatesforthetruth.com/
CSA Statistics: https://wingsfortruth.info/about-csa/statistics/
Here is the letter Reva sent to all of the staff in July of 2023:
“I need you to be aware of the pain I feel when this is treated lightly and issues are swept under the rug.”
July 13, 2023
Dear workers,
I am a survivor of sexual abuse from a worker. I am the only child of a divorced mother.
The grooming/abuse started when I was around 10 or 11. One day I was eating dinner with several people. In conversation, I was asked if I wanted Dan Hilton to spank me; because he could be the father I never had. This was upsetting because I was extremely shy and never wanted to cause any trouble for anyone.
Over a span of time, Dan Hilton would talk to me and tell me all about how a woman was to be a help-meet for her husband.
Since my mom had to work, I would go to my babysitter’s house after school; they were a professing couple. One day Dan Hilton happened to be visiting. He asked me to come upstairs with him because he wanted to show me something. When we get upstairs, he takes me in his arms and starts to caress me and kiss me on the forehead. He asked me to rub his back as his back was really painful that day.
Because I was shut down in fear, I complied. I did not want to be touched, nor did I want to go to his room. Nevertheless, he took advantage of me. He took me into his room, shut and locked the door. He asked me to start rubbing his back while lying on the bed. I reluctantly gave him a “back rub”. I was sickened by the whole experience. When he had his fill of a back rub, he started to hug me and kiss me on the forehead again. After he had enough, he told me I could leave.
My second encounter was a little while later. Dan Hilton was visiting my babysitter again. As in the past, he asked me to come upstairs, and I once again complied (feeling quite sick inside). After the door was shut and locked, he started to kiss me on the neck and forehead. Caressing me and whispering in my ear. He leads me to the bed. He took off his dress shirt and cuddled me. (To this day I detest wife-beater t-shirts). He asked me to take off my shoes and get on the bed with him. There was no back rub this time. He started kissing me and caressing me, and I refused to kiss him back. He had the blanket between us from the waist down. I felt very sick inside. When he was “finished”, I was asked to get up and leave the room. Remember, I’m only 10 or 11 years old during this time.
I went home and told my mother what had happened. How awful it was and that she needed to tell the elder of our meeting. She never said a word to me, no words of comfort. By the look she gave me, I knew she was not going to be my advocate. I got on my knees that night and BEGGED God to help me because I knew if it happened again; it would be a whole lot worse for me. (We are finding out now that this worker had already impregnated a little girl).
My last encounter with Dan Hilton was at gospel meeting. He called me to his side and started whispering in my ear. He put his arm around me and gave me hugs in front of the whole field. Something came over me—I shoved him away and said something to the effect of yuck!!! Then I ran away from him. I stood in the crowd staring at him. First, he had a look of hurt, then it turned to pure rage. I asked my mother if she had told the elder what happened to me. She just looked at me, and I knew my answer.
So how has this affected my life? I have built in mistrust of others. I’m anxious and I have had nightmares about this. I need Trauma Informed/CSA therapy. And unlike some of you who feel that survivors are mentally unstable, I am not. I just need to heal from an unjust shepherd who was allowed to prey on children.
So next time you preach, please be aware that there are victims in your midst. Also, please consider your messages carefully when speaking of blind obedience and submitting to authority. You don’t want those messages to get twisted to the point that it puts a child’s safety in jeopardy.
Sincerely,
Reva Ewing