IL- High profile Protestant minister acted "inappropriately"
For immediate release: Thursday, June 19, 2014
Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, Founder and President of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747, <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected])
A controversial Chicago-based religious group is admitting that a high profile Protestant pastor acted “inappropriately” with teenaged girls.
Our hearts ache for the dozens of women who as teens and young adults were sexually harassed by Rev. Bill Gothard. We share the hurt they must feel because Gothard's church superiors who acted so tardily and so inadequately.
Gothard should never be around kids, not now, not ever. The Institute in Basic Life Principles should fire him and do everything possible to prevent him from hurting more innocent youngsters. And they should aggressively and publicly beg others who saw, suspected or suffered Gothard's hurtful acts to come forward, get help and call police.
We strongly suspect that Gothard or his church supervisors have broken the law, either by molesting kids, destroying evidence, stonewalling police, deceiving prosecutors, endangering others or similar offenses. We beg those with any knowledge or suspicions of wrongdoing by Gothard or IBLP officials to contact law enforcement agencies promptly.
We are also very troubled by Gothard's wish to “work with and encourage young people . . . on a personal basis.” No parent should trust him. His church colleagues and supervisors should aggressively warn families about him and do all in their power to make sure he stays way from youngsters.
Finally, we applaud the courage and compassion of Kari Underwood and others who have exposed this dangerous preacher and given hope to his victims.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 18,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris ( 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director