![]() DeVries.’ ”Įagan said that he used similar language but that his message must have been misunderstood. Eagan with the phrase, ‘People, it is time to push the reset button on Mr. Church “staff members consistently report that questions about Mr. Eagan’s personal handling of these and related matters were at times highly offensive and inappropriate,” according to a report that in recent days went to the church’s leadership. “It was a concerted effort to protect him and the church.”Ī church committee found that “Mr. ![]() “Dick really was protecting Eric,” said the mother of one of the victims, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her daughter’s identity. It was all horrible.”Įagan, according to some of the young women interviewed by the Post and others within the church, appeared to suppress reports of abuse and, at times, appeared to be blaming the girls for what happened. “I was lied to, I was manipulated, just like everyone else. “We were all in the same boat together,” Eagan said. We knew what we knew when we knew it, and we did the best we could do.”Įagan said that he came to terms just last year with the breadth of the problem and that he is angered and frustrated by what DeVries’s alleged actions have done to the church. “I knew nothing about the dynamics or how complex the problem was,” Eagan said. He said he believes the church needs to find someone who can offer pastoral care as well as run an organization with a $5 million annual budget.Ī career organizational developer who was asked to take the job on an interim basis, Eagan said he was shocked to learn of the abuse then and did not know how to handle it. We’re pedaling as fast as we can.”Įagan, 63 and a member of the church for 25 years, said in an interview that he agrees that the church needs new leadership. “We have the chance now to be a safe place, not just physically but spiritually and emotionally. “We’re working really, really hard, but it’s not without some blood on the floor,” James said. The church has instituted training, security and awareness programs, and church leaders have been trying to identify those who were abused so they can offer healing and support. In an interview with the Post, DeVries acknowledged that he had inappropriate relationships with several girls and said he regretted any harm he caused.Įagan’s departure is one part of a series of changes underway at Vienna Presbyterian as it strives to become a “model safe church” that works to prevent abuse and embrace those who have suffered as a result of it, James said. James has said he and others failed to adequately address the abuse and allowed the issue to fester for years, even as more victims came forward.Ī Washington Post investigation published in April found at least five victims of abuse, and church officials have estimated there are as many as a dozen linked to DeVries. The resignation came two months after Pastor Peter James gave a public sermon about the effects of DeVries’s actions and apologized to the young women who were lured into sexual contact between 20. Eagan was hired just months before former youth director Eric DeVries was dismissed amid allegations of abuse, but church leaders said Eagan appeared to mask the extent of the problem and was later insensitive to additional reports of sexual, emotional and spiritual abuse. Childcare will be provided and Children’s Ministry will provide activities and ice cream sundaes on the third floor during the Town Hall meeting.Vienna Presbyterian Church leaders have forced the resignation of their executive director following recent revelations about a former youth director who allegedly abused teenage girls there.ĭick Eagan, who had run the large and affluent church’s day-to-day operations since June 2005, was asked to leave effective May 31. After the meeting we invite you to the Great Hall for an ice cream social to celebrate kids going back to school. Please join us on Sunday, August 21 at 10:15 am in the Sanctuary, for a Town Hall meeting where you will be able to hear directly from the Transformation Teams and learn more about our new mission and associated staffing model. We know that the details around the new mission as well as the associated staffing changes are of profound interest to everyone, and we’d like the opportunity to speak with the entire congregation at the same time. As you can imagine, staffing changes are not easy, even when they are necessary. ![]() Moving forward, we are called to be: “A caring fellowship bringing Christ into our diverse community through discipleship and service.” As our mission has evolved so must the staffing model at VPC to align with our new mission. After almost a year of non-stop work and through the efforts of countless members of our church family, the Session (our church governing body) officially approved a new mission statement for our church.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |