Thread by @abipurcell830

This article made me weep. I wept for the victims (both known and unknown), wept at the way the case was handled by the GA Foothills Presbytery, wept because it was all too familiar, wept because it shows a pattern. #PCAtoo
1/14

https://twitter.com/vhobbs5/status/1484746804990300161

I came forward when I learned that a man, who had groomed me and come onto me as a teen, had received a call in the presbytery. I told my story with a shaking voice because I wanted people to know what happened. I wanted to protect other women.
2/14

I was thanked for coming forward. They gathered my story, spoke to others and my abuser. In the end, I was told that they believed me, but there wasn’t enough evidence to move forward. I get it. It was 17 years ago. I just wanted them to bring it before the presbytery meeting.
3/

I believed (and still believe) that the men serving as elders in the presbytery need to know there has been an accusation about this guy. He is not known by men in the presbytery. He rarely, if ever, attends the presbytery meetings, and his call is not in a church.
4/14

All of that is a recipe for disaster, in my opinion. All of this to say, brothers and sisters, be careful. Don’t assume that because someone has a call or is ordained that they have been thoroughly vetted. If something seems off, say something.
5/14

This culture will only change if and when we can speak openly about it. I pray everyday for a reform in the PCA, specifically in the GA Foothills Presbytery. Even though I left, I want the best environment for those that are still members.
6/14

To be clear, I have received an apology from one member of the presbytery for how my case was handled. I want actions that show there will be change. Every church in the presbytery should have a team that knows how to respond to abuse allegations.
7/14

The fact that having such a committee would seem amazing should tell us all how far we still have to go in fighting abuse. Abuse has no place amongst the shepherds.
8/14

If I could say one thing to the teaching elders in the PCA it would be this:
Thoroughly vet the candidates before you vote to accept the call. If you have never spoken with them, don’t know their background, don’t vote for them to be accepted.
9/14

You have a voice that not all of us get. You are the front lines. Take that seriously. Don’t assume that because they went to “right” seminary or know people that you respect means that they are qualified. My abuser slides under the radar everywhere he goes.
10/14

Read this Psalm 94 this morning:

“O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage.”
11/14

“For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
12/14

“If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, "My foot slips," your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”
13/14

“But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.”
14/14