MO - Abusive Baptist preacher goes on trial; SNAP responds

December 02, 2013

For immediate release: Monday, Dec. 2, 2013

David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])

At least four girls say Rev. Travis Smith of Stover (near Jefferson City) molested them. Smith goes on trial today. We hope his victims get justice and we hope Smith is convicted and imprisoned so that kids will be safer.

http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=978162#.UpyPe8RDuDp

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/fate-of-baptist-pastor-accused-of-abuse-is-in-the/article_f4f2f71c-b0cf-555f-94b1-76d79cc191c3.html

Shame on the misguided and reckless members of First Baptist Church of Stover who are choosing, despite four alleged victims and six felony charges, to keep Rev. Smith on the job. This is stunningly callous behavior. It’s also a severe misreading of the notion of forgiveness. We can forgive wrongdoers without putting others at risk.

Forgiveness is a private decision. Paying a credibly accused serial child molesting cleric is a public act, and one that is inexcusable. The two should never be confused.

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])

Spread the Word!
Sign in if you'd like new recruits to be credited to you.

Showing 1 comment

Rhonda Pitt commented 2013-12-05 01:52:55 -0600
On a happier note, we settled out of court on May 17, 2013 in our case against Rev. Bill Little, formerly of Christ Memorial Baptist Church in Cool Valley, MO. Mediation proved to be a helpful way to obtain apologies from the pastor and the Board of Trustees who with the exception of one of the four blatantly refused to administer the funds to help provide counseling for victims of this serial clergy sexual offender. In the end the church donated $15,000 to a Baptist organization, the Churchnet, who are developing, with the help of a task force on which I serve, a program of education for pastors and other ministers regarding clergy sexual misconduct. They a are also focusing on offering counseling to adult victims of this behavior. The pastor resigned soon after our confrontation with him in May, 2010 and the church disbanded months later during the summer. The majority of the members were very supportive, but a few chose to support Mr. Little. We are still in communication with many church members and have begun to give them information regarding the settlement as we have continued to recover from a three year litigation process. We are enormously thankful for all of the help we received from SNAP. David Clohessy and Barbara Dorris were our first helpers, and then we found an entire community while attending the SNAP conference in Chicago over a year ago. Thank you so very much all SNAP personnel, volunteers, and participants! And I never in my wildest dreams believed that in my lifetime a Baptist organization would step up to help adult victims as the Churchnet is beginning to do. Very thankfully, Rhonda and Darrell Pitt

Donate Report Abuse to your AG

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

Share Your Story Get Help Now Locations

Join our mailing list!

Protect the vulnerable. Heal the wounded. Prevent the abuse.

Survivor

Supporter

Country