MO--Complicit pastor is back on the job; Victims respond
For immediate release: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003, [email protected])
A vengeful, selfish pastor is back on the job while the brave whistleblowers he sued and hurt are still suffering, as are the families whose kids were abused by a now-imprisoned child molester who worked at the church.
Six months ago, the board of First Christian Church of Florissant put Rev. Steve Wingfield on leave, after he had “banned former FCCF members, (and) his own brother, pastor Paul Wingfield of White Flag Church, pressured a Christian college to fire an outspoken professor-turned-critic,” according to the Riverfront Times.
The controversy erupted after several courageous and concerned congregants began challenging church officials over how they dealt with Brandon Milburn, who sexually assaulted several youngsters.
These individuals, including Doug Lay, Dawn Varvil and Titus and Kari Benton, are heroes. They were ostracized and wounded because they dared to question an egomaniac minister and support abuse victims. And even now, virtually no official at FCCF has taken a single step to ameliorate their suffering. It’s utterly tragic.
Shame on FCCF's Stan Dubose, vice chairman of the board of elders, and on every person who brought Wingfield back to the church and sat passively by while he ducked and dodged in his sermon last Sunday, expressing no real contrition whatsoever for his selfish, mean-spirited attacks on his own church members.
Ministers should not sue church members, period. They should welcome, not attack, those who expose wrongdoing, prevent abuse and help victims.
Wingfield brings shame onhis occupation. And First Christian Church of Florissant’s tolerance of Wingfield brings shame to their church.
We hope every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes or cover ups at FCCF will find the strength to speak up. We hope they’ll call the independent professionals in law enforcement, not biased and often self-serving church officials.
And we hope that St. Louis’ religious community will shun Wingfield and his FCCF colleagues. That’s one easy way to discourage such hurtful actions by pastors in future child sex abuse and cover up cases.
(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])
After Six Months Away, Pastor at Center of Church Cover-up Scandal Returns
Posted By Danny Wicentowski on Tue, Feb 9, 2016 at 6:00 am
Who does Steve Wingfield think he's fooling? The question seemed to twist through the pastor's sermon on Sunday, which he delivered before an audience of roughly 200 in the main chapel of First Christian Church of Florissant, or FCCF.
It was Wingfield's first trip to the pulpit of the evangelical church since his unceremonious banishment to a six-month sabbatical in August, and his return was met . . .
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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