KY- Church should be "shunned," victims say
For immediate release: Thursday, July 10, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
A Kentucky pastor, who is also a registered violent sex offender, has been arrested again, this time for recent child sex crimes. We are grateful to the brave victim who came forward and we demand answers about how a registered sex offender was allowed to work as a pastor.
Roy Neal Yoakem, pastor at New Gospel Outreach Church in Scottsville, was recently arrested for abusing a young teenager. Yoakem is a convicted sex offender and is a registered violent sex offender in Tennessee. It is outrageous that such a dangerous man and proven criminal was given a position of trust and a chance to hurt more children.
New Gospel Outreach Church officials should immediately and publicly explain why they acted so recklessly. They should provide immediate and public outreach to all parishioners and members of the community, begging anyone who saw, suspects or suffered sexual abuse by Yoakem to come forward and report to police. Anyone who helped Yoakem get his position or helped cover-up his crimes should be investigated.
And we urge the broader Scottsville community to denounce and shun this church. Those who knowingly put innocent children in the path of a proven predator should be punished. We especially call on other ministers in and around Scottsville to use their pulpits and voices to harshly condemn New Gospel members and officials for behaving so irresponsibly.
Predators rarely abuse once and Yoakem already has a history of abusing children. We are concerned that others are suffering in silence and self-blame. We encourage them to be brave, report to police and start healing.
(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
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