IL--Ex-Springfield minister faces child sex charges
For immediate release: Monday, Feb. 22, 2016
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell,[email protected])
A hearing is set for next month for a former Springfield minister who faces child sex charges in Chicago but was also investigated for similar crimes in 1990. We urge Baptist officials in Springfield and Chicago to
Rev. George W. Waddles Sr. worked in the 1980s at Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield (601 E, Laurel St, 217-528-6113), which is apparently the city’s first African American congregation. We fear he may have sexually assaulted girls there too.
Rev. Waddles was also president of the Springfield-based Baptist General State Convention of Illinois and the education arm of the Nashville-based National Baptist Convention (615-228-6292) and is the co-founder of the WHW Ministries (888-949-2378). Officials at those organizations have a moral and civic duty to try to find others with information or suspicions about Rev. Waddles and beg them to call police.
Last year, Rev. Waddles was charged with repeatedly molesting a 15 year old Chicago girl. “Two other church members said that Waddles attacked them, prosecutors said, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
In an act of stunning recklessness, Rev. Waddles' congregation is letting him stay on the job, despite these serious and credible charges. And his Baptist colleagues are keeping silent. Shame on all of them.
For the safety of kids, we believe he should resign, at least temporarily, until this case is resolved. Or his flock should force him to resign.
Rev. Waddles allegedly tried to hug and kiss a then-13 year old girl several times during counseling sessions and meetings at his church. The pastor has worked at the church for two decades.
Rev. Samuel W. Hale took over the Springfield church after Waddles left. We urge him to do what Jesus told us to do in the parable of the good shepherd – to leave the 99, go out into the dark, the cold, and the rain to find and help that one lost sheep – the one current or former church member who was hurt by Rev. Waddles in Springfield.
We urge other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to come forward, call police, expose wrongdoing and protect kids.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 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]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]
Family recounts interactions with South Side pastor charged with assault
Matt McCall - Chicago Tribune
For more than a decade the modest Gresham neighborhood church was the center of the family's life.
The mother was a church council member, praise leader and Sunday school teacher. Her daughter was in the youth ministry.
They said they felt the Rev. George Waddles Sr., the charismatic pastor and leader of Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church, was . . .
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
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