Faith’s Response to the 10/27/2021 Oconee Enterprise Article
Our church was featured in the October 27, 2021 issue of the Oconee Enterprise on the front page article "Church Excommunicates Former Leader Who Confessed to Sex Abuse of a Minor" and a shorter op-ed "Reforms Needed on Sex Crime Laws." [Please note: The article contains graphic details that are difficult to read. Discretion is advised. A subscription is required to access the full articles, although a truncated version of the cover story is available on the Oconee Enterprise website.]
The article centers around the allegations against former member Harvey Kirkpatrick, the report produced by the GRACE [Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment] investigation, and our church's response. While none of the information in the article is new to the elders, our hope is the article will be a part of the process of healing and justice for the victims, as well as safety for our community.
A young woman who formerly attended Faith brought serious allegations of sexual abuse against Harvey in November 2018. The session immediately hired an independent investigation firm called GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in a Christian Environment) to conduct what became a 15-month investigation. The conclusion of that investigation was summarized in a 37-page long report. The GRACE report summarizes Harvey’s offenses in this way, “Harvey Kirkpatrick used his positions at religious institutions, including FPC [Faith Presbyterian Church], to sexually, emotionally, and spiritually abuse multiple young women over a period that spans at least the past 40 years.”
Once we received the GRACE report, the session of Faith indicted Harvey on multiple charges, at which time he admitted to some of the allegations while denying others. For those allegations which he denied, we prepared a case against him and scheduled an ecclesiastical trial. Multiple witnesses were prepared to testify against him, but in the end, Harvey refused to appear. In response, he was excommunicated for the crimes to which he admitted and for his refusal to appear before the church court (contumacy).
We continue to grieve that this has happened, support the reported victims however we can, and work on the commitments we made in light of the GRACE report. If you have questions or to report abuse, please contact Pastor Nathan, Pastor Steven, or a member of the Women's Safety Board.
