She bangs on his door all hours of the night until he finally comes and gives her justice, LeCroy explained. In one instance, Chung assaulted a woman in the back seat of a car in 2001, the report alleges. The friend urged the victim to tell Chung she hadnt consented to his touch. The report doesnt offer explicit details of the incident, but states that the touching was in a way that could be constituted as sexual assault under Illinois law. Former church members expressed dismay over CFCs apparent about-face. But he said the church had recently decided to hire an outside group to investigate in order to work towards rebuilding trust and create a healthier culture that better reflects Jesus.. Chung began private counseling sessions with the victim, using that time to urge her to keep silent about the assault, the report states. In this case, Id say this is the logical result of Korean Cultures Confucian-infused hierarchy: father-son, king-subject, husband-wife, elder-younger, friend-friend (where one is above the other in rank). .jet-smart-listing__post-title:after { The timing of thisso close to the finish of the assessmenthas raised a lot of questions and suspicion among former members, said Pinyo. In light of this information, on August 15, 2020, the SOLA Council asked Min to resign his position and removed all of Mins content from the SOLA website. Web1215 W. Lambert Rd. background: #db4e88; Great! /* Progress and audio bars */ In addition, CFC vowed to be clear and transparent with members by providing regular updates on the probe on its website. Christian Rocker Posts Stunning Response to Recent Apostasy of Christian Leaders, Chicago Radio Host & a Former Bodyguard Say James MacDonald Asked Them to Arrange Murders, James MacDonald Took Millions from Harvest & Now Demands Broadcast Ministry, Mancow Airs Shocking Comments By James MacDonald: My Response. } Ive been very hesitant for some while about getting really committed and really involved and back to serving with a church, but I feel like my appetite is coming back, he said. According to The Roys Report(TRR), a group of whistleblowers submitted a report to the KCP in November 2020, accusing Chung with various incidents of sexual assaults. The church also hired The Center Consulting Group (CCG) to assess problems at CFC and offer solutions. Photo: Illustration by Andjela Padejski, Photo by Manuel Martinez/WBEZ News, Move over, Bruce Willis: NASA crashed into an asteroid to test planetary defense, Students protest University of Illinois investments related to fossil fuels. 217 Today: 217 Today host looks back on time at Illinois Public Media, Plans are back on the table for a carbon pipeline in Illinois, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson head to Chicago mayoral runoff. A new report appears to implicate Covenant Fellowship Church's former head pastor, Min Joshua Chung, in fostering and creating a misogynistic church environment. For many years, Chung had been a council member and a writer for their site. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Donate today >>, Wednesday, March 1, 2023 Todays headlines: Caterpillar and the United Auto Workers have reached a new tentative six-year agreement, averting a strike. Kim also alluded to the KCP investigation. by National Public Radio station WBEZ in Chicago, Covenant Fellowship Church and its former head pastor Min Joshua Chung for years fostered a misogynistic environment that included sexual mistreatment and oppression of women. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-controls .mejs-horizontal-volume-slider .mejs-horizontal-volume-current, 500K PCA and other conservative denominations. We grieve the fact that our churches have both knowingly and unknowingly created environments where abuse could happen and be kept in the dark. Amid rumors of sexual misconduct, Chung announced in the summer of 2019 that he would transition out of the head pastor role and that a team of associate pastors would take over. Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado. It was just like, Why, why did we do this all in vain? Park said. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. Because of the trust that had been damaged and the pain that had been caused, he said, the church board voted unanimously May 27 to separate from Chung. Fontijn, Park and others told WBEZ they are angry the victims of sexual and spiritual abuse who came forward to be interviewed by GRACE will not be heard. It is interesting the there were 5-6 million Presbyterians in the 1960s the number now is down to paltry 1.5 Presbyterians in the U.S. 1 Million Liberal (PSUSA) The lawsuit alleges that the property at 19150 Woodward Ave. is dilapidated and a public nuisance, and orders Pastor Marvin Bryan Chapell, the PCAs stated clerk, confirmed to WBEZ in a statement that the discipline matter has been concluded by the SJC. How Tragic. In October, the church board released a nine-page report from the CCG. However, nine elders objected to the decision and asked for Chung's suspension. Prominent Korean-American congregation Covenant Fellowship Church (CFC) in central Illinois has terminated its nearly complete independent investigation into alleged spiritual and emotional abuse at the church, according to Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE). It affects your identity, making you want to hide parts or even all of yourself. Regarding recovery, the pastor reconciled with his victim, and regarding his relationship with God, he recognized his sin before God and relies on the blood of Christ, Rev. Chung didnt respond when The Roys Report tried to reach him for comment. right: 0; What remains is for the regional body that originally adjudicated the case to respond about procedural steps needing correction for the future.. Posted on: Feb 04, 2023 User login The motion failed to pass, allowing Chung to remain an ordained minister in good standing with the PCA. Another woman reported to Chung that she had been raped repeatedly. I talked to him about it. We acknowledge that this was wrong., Kim said the woman had forgiven Chung long ago.. Nov. 22, 2018. Im tired, said Tim Ma, who previously served on the CFC worship team. font-size: 10px Singer said any organizations that back out do so because they dont understand the nature of an independent assessment or investigation. They gave a couple of examples [of bias], which were tenuous at best, Singer said. tricked into sending Asian Texans drivers licenses to fraud scheme, Everything Everywhere All at Once nearly sweeps SAG Awards, Elon Musk uses Asians in defense of Dilbert creators remarks about Black people, Michelle Yeoh wins SAG Award for best actress. All rights reserved.Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. A total of 19 people signed on to the report or are cited as witnesses. WBEZ emailed CFC lead pastor KJ Kim and the churchs Oversight Board with questions about why the church terminated its contract with GRACE, as well as CFCs plan for any long-term changes in the wake of last years events. The churchs website says that as of July 2021, CFC is under the leadership of Reverend KJ Kim and a lay oversight board and is in the process of particularizing or becoming a fully organized church with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Hi. As James 3 warns us, teachers will be judged more strictly. Brea, CA 92821 | 562.694.2100 2022 Living Hope Community Church. Despite the procedural errors, the SJC also declared the case would effectively be terminated and not sent back to the KCP to be retried. We judge that his relationship with God is restored as we consider the grace of God. .mytheme-mejs-container .mejs-time-float-current, Over the years, Chung rebuked whistleblowers who tried to confront him for causing dissension in the church. They either left or were forced to leave by the leadership they loved, the report states. height: 90px; But now were not really given that chance.. I am probably going to get myself in trouble making this next statement but the context was always a sense of Hyper-Complimentarianism or some hybrid form of it because the Denomination that I refereed of believed in women Pastors but the culture was steeped with this type of theological thinking. In September 2019, two other whistleblowers met with Kim as a final step to urge leadership to take proper steps, the report states. top: 0; A Presbyterian oversight group refused to defrock a Korean American minister following allegations of sexual misconduct, reports Ministry Watch. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Another day, theres basketball. } The KCP which consists of several pastors who were close with Chung had determined that he had been restored to God, as well as the woman. The regional presbytery also determined no additional disciplinary steps were needed for Chung other than what the church had already instituted. Last summer, amid the outcry that resulted from the revelations by an Instagram account called @letters_from_rahab, CFC said it would cut financial ties to the pastor and hire a third-party group to do a full investigation. It contracted with an organization called Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) to assess the church and its response to allegations of abuse. Sexual misconduct and/or harassment in any form is a grievous sin that should never be tolerated. Were an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Even though many doubt that enough change has happened, some are finding healing beyond CFC. Pastor KJ Kim acknowledged that Chung has been accused of a pattern of abusing his authority. He also said that, for sexual harassment of a member of the congregation, the KCP should have dealt Chung a suspension of a period of years, and perhaps even defrocked him. Even the friend in whom the victim confided feared she would be cursed by God if she spoke against Chung. As a whistleblower, its traumatic as well, because there are so many places of pain and injustice along the way, Park said. At the time, the SOLA Council placed trust in the proper processes and authorities of his local church and denomination to conduct an investigation and hold Min Chung accountable. As WBEZ previously reported, those restorative steps had included meeting with the CFC pastoral staff regularly for mutual encouragement and care and preventing Chung from preaching at CFC for a limited time. But its especially disappointing because now theyve shown that they do have the tools and resources to make better decisions.. For the sake of the churchs purity and healing, we desire for there to be a thorough, fair, and independent investigation completed regarding the incident and the aftermath. The motion requires two-thirds vote. Since there is no room in the culture for open candor, exchange of perspectives, and helpful permissive dissension, there is only a cycle of abuse that continues at all levels of leadership.. into silence those who knew of the incident, the report states. We extend an invitation to worship with us if you are ever in the Champaign area.. WILL and the Illinois Newsroom are committed to bringing you in-depth, relevant coverage that keeps you informed and engages you with our community and state. This years conference theme is Witness, and we hope to equip the local church to be a compelling witness despite our divisive and divided society and culture. 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