The Catholic church is not the only church that covers up for child molesters. Pullman Christian Reformed Churchhas not reported child molesters who have abused children in the congregation to the police as is required by law. Rev. Richard Williams was told directly about a man who was molesting a boy in the church and did not report the abuse. This was a man who has also taken sexual pictures of small children and had told children he took pictures of he would pay them 80.00 to get other children for pictures.
Children who came forward were told not to go to police with these very specific following instructions: 'to go to police is revenge and revenge is only for God.' Therefore, not only were there child molesters who were never reported, but people engaged in child pornography. This happened in several Christian Reformed Churches and an attorney, Steven Denny, settled 11 cases out of court on behalf of children who were abused.
But Pullman may be one of the most dangerous churches for children. One of the women involved in the Sunday school at Pullman was accused of physically abusing one of her students. She had abused her son in the same way. The husband of this woman, also a member of Pullman, threatened to kill her estranged son if he testified that this woman had abused him in the same way as she did her student. Additionally, because the goddaughter of former Cook County Board President, John Stroger attends this church, the church was able to manipulate the court case. The Stroger family has been under investigation for corruption by the FBI.
When children in this church are being abused by parents, the parent is protected, not the child. Additionally, there were three teachers let go for molesting girls at a school affiliated with the church, Illiana Christian High School, and members of Pullman helped in making sure these teachers were not registered as sex offenders.
All of this is very sad because this church was founded in 1968 in the wake of the riots following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination as an inter-racial congregation that could cultivate racial harmony. I was also one of the first churches in the Developing Communities Project, the organization in which Barack Obama cut his teeth as a community organizer. Now this church is nothing more than an extension of the corrupt Chicago machine.
This church is supposed to be a refuge for children and youth in the neighborhood of Roseland. Obviously, it is not a refuge.
Since several members of this church teach in the Chicago Public School System, those concerned about their children should also inquire whether or not their children's teacher attends Pullman Christian Reformed Church or another Christian Reformed Church. If your child is abused sexually or physically within this network, the child will be threatened and you may never find out about it.
This church will tell you that at Christian Reformed Church headquarters, there is an abuse prevention committee, run by one Beth Swagman. This committee does nothing and also does not report instances of sexual abuse to police.
On top of this, there were instances where missionaries had sexually abused children in other countries. The head of the Christian Reformed Church, Jerry Dykstra, knows about these instances. If you are reading this from another country, encourage your government to ban missionaries from this church and any Christian Reformed Church and issue arrest warrants for Jerry Dykstra if you find out that a missionary has abused children in your country. He knows about it and should pay with jail time in your country.
Concerned Chruch Goer
United States of America#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, February 10, 2011
I have attended this church for many years and have seen hundreds of children grow and be nurtured in this church. As a child attending Pullman, I was never abused nor have any of my children been abused by anyone in the church. I know every member of the church and it is obvious this claim was not reported by anyone within the church.
My first concern is with allegations that the pastor and the church did not report abuse that was told to them. How do you know the information was told directly to the pastor? Where you present when he was told? Also, if you have such extensive knowledge of the abuse, why did you not report it yourself? I am deeply concerned that you give such detail of conversations that were had but did not go to the police yourself.
Second, do not group Pullman Christian Reformed Church into the same category as all other CRC churches that have lawsuits against. Not all Catholic churches have priest that abuse children, the same goes for CRC churches.
Thirdly, Pullman does not have a children Sunday school. As far as the teacher you claim was abusing her student and threatened her son. How you do you know this information? Once again, if you have knowledge of these conversations, why did you not report it?
Thirdly, Illiana Christian High School is a school affiliated with the CRC denomination. Just like Queen of Peace is affiliated with the Catholic church. Do not hold Pullman accountable for what happened in that school.
Lastly, who attends our church has nothing to do with outcome of the case at Illiana Christian High School. Pullman gains or loses nothing if the teachers at Illiana were convicted. John Stroger has been dead for several years now, how was his goddaughter able to manipulate the case, yet his own son is being investigated? It sounds more like you have issue with the CRC denomination as a whole and Pullman just seems to be your target.