My first blog on Colorado sexual abuse cases prompted an email from another survivor of sexual abuse, with the assaults having both occurred in Texas. One of the two cases is yet another instance where a man is currently licensed by the United Pentecostal Church. As with Debbie McNulty’s Wisconsin case, these happened in the 1980s. This is Part 19 of an ongoing series. (Statements in this article are what have been alleged by a survivor. There have been no convictions as the cases mentioned here were not reported to the police and to my knowledge, the alleged perpetrators have not admitted guilt.)
Between the two sets of asterisks below is what one woman remembers from two separate cases of sexual abuse during her time in the United Pentecostal Church. She was a minor, with one happening while she was a student at a UPCI church operated school that was founded by a now deceased UPCI minister. At the church school, students from grades 1 through 12 worked separately in small spaces on self-instructive material and would wave a small American flag when they had a question. To use the rest room, students would wave a white flag with a blue cross in the corner. The children wore red, white and blue uniforms, with the girls wearing plaid skirts, white blouses and blue vests and the boys wearing red shirts, blue pants and a tie. There were no real teachers, only monitors called supervisors. Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) material was the standard and it was considered a “model parochial school” by some. The school was mentioned in old articles by Newsweek and Time magazines.
Going by the description below, adults either knew or suspected wrongdoing by the supervisor/monitor mentioned, but it is unknown if the pastor was ever made aware of what happened. No one at the school ever spoke to or questioned the survivor about it. This man married a woman who had attended the Academy and his parents were members of the church that operated the school. He has three adult daughters, with the first being born after the alleged assaults. It would have been less than a year, to no more than two years, after he was married that the alleged assaults took place. The survivor was eight or nine years old when the abuse started, with the perpetrator being in his mid twenties. It appears he remained with the church after this happened.
After reading her account, I followed up with some questions and the answers are incorporated into what she wrote below. Additional research I did on the pastor she alleges that assaulted her will follow her story.
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The article struck home with me as I was a victim of abuse by a teacher of a United Pentecostal private school that was an extension of a UPCI church. The school is no longer in existence and was named Irvington Christian Academy. I was also a victim of sexual, mental and verbal abuse of a UPC minister of a UPCI church named Pentecostal Lighthouse Church.
First, let me say that I was of elementary age in the 80’s when these events took place. The teacher would sneak me out, luring me with gum into his vehicle. He would show me pornography and sexually assault me. The only thing that saved me was a parent who saw him trying to put me in his vehicle and stopped him. I never saw him again after that day. The terrifying part was the female teacher I was left with mistreated me as though I had done something wrong. I was a child and did not understand that what had happened was wrong. Both people were members of the church associated with this school and could very well be there still. His dismissal was his only punishment and my suffering lasted for years. He started sexually abusing me when I was about 8 or 9 years old. The time frame seemed like forever, so I cannot tell how long it was. There was no explanation that I know of as to his dismissal. The only thing that I knew was that the woman who took his place DID NOT like me. She treated me as though I was something awful. These are the impressions of a little girl. I knew she hated me, but at the time could not figure out why.
This happened in the 80’s as well – I was about 13 or 14 yrs old. I was a victim of sexual, mental and verbal abuse of a UPC minister of a now closed UPCI sanctioned church named Pentecostal Lighthouse Church. This minister had been part of the church that hosted the Academy. He ministered over the Spanish speaking church. Afterward he broke away and created the Pentecostal Lighthouse Church.
No one spoke of it or did anything regarding this. My family claimed they knew nothing of the actions of the minister even when more victims were discovered. The UPC minister had a hold over the congregation that was so strong that they, including my family, were blinded by what was happening. I would later describe it as cult like behavior. He abused many of us even though he was married. The details are horrifying as I would later find out. The elders kept it under wraps and the church was closed. He was not punished for any of this. As a matter of fact, he is still with the UPCI in another city in the US as a UPCI minister. I met other victims years later that would like him to answer for what he did to all of us. However, the shame keeps most silent not wanting to raise old demons. I myself suffered depression and much more. So, I understand the hardships of life after these types of abuses. At the time other victims contacted me, I was afraid and not ready to open that door. I know first hand there were two other girls involved and one married woman that got pregnant. This is from a credible source close to me. This woman had an abortion and then a divorce.
That pastor started sexually abusing me in my mid teens. He did rape me – he sodomized me. I did not tell anyone at the church as I was too afraid. I do not know how the elders found out or when the church closed. When I was 16 years old, I went to live with my father and that was the last time I saw the pastor. The odd part was my family made me go and tell him I was leaving. I could not understand why until I realized it was a cult mindset analyzing this later in life. It was claimed that the pastor left for another state with a girl that was a close friend of his wife. I can attest that they were close friends and she spent a lot of time at their home. Whether she went with him or not I cannot vouch for that. I did see this girl years later and she would not speak to me.
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The minister in question does not appear in the 1975-76 edition of the United Pentecostal Church Directory. The next edition I have is from 1981, where he appears holding a local license and does not show him being a pastor. The next is 1986 where he is seen as ordained and the Pentecostal Lighthouse Church is listed. It has been shared this was a medium size church. It was non-affiliated (meaning he didn’t take the extra optional step of legally affiliating with the org). The same is seen in the 1987 and 1988 editions. I do not have 1989. By the 1990 edition, he and the church were no longer listed. That would be more reflective of no longer holding license in 1989. (The directories were issued in January of each year and compiled in the fall of the prior year.) So without having all the directories from this time period, he could have no longer held license anywhere from 1987 to 1989.
Disappearing from the directories for more than a decade, he next appears in 2005 as an ordained minister in a different state in the south. This means that his license was reinstated in 2004. There was no church listed with him being a pastor and this holds true through the 2017 edition. In 2018 he shows as pastor of a church and the address is the same as an already established UPCI church. My thought is that perhaps he helped this other pastor in the years prior. In 2018 it wasn’t shown as affiliated, but the 2019 UPCI Directory lists it as such, which means he took the extra step to become legally affiliated. This church filed for non-profit status in 2017. According to the United Pentecostal Church, he resigned his license back in the 1980s and “he spent many years in renewing his life in ministry” before being re-licensed in this southern state. According to the UPCI rules on licensing, he never should have been reinstated because if these allegations are true, he disqualified himself in the 1980s.
Article VII, Section 9 Immoral Conduct states, “1. For the purpose of ministerial membership in the United Pentecostal Church International or for ministering in a United Pentecostal Church International church, immoral conduct shall be defined as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, incest, and/or any other sexual acts determined by the District Board to be perverted or immoral (Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:9; I Corinthians 6:9; Romans 1:24-28). 2. Any minister affiliated with our organization proven guilty of adultery or fornication, or committing any other immoral offense, shall forfeit his or her papers immediately. Immoral offense shall include sexual molestation of minors. 3. In the event a minister confesses in writing to immoral conduct and surrenders his or her fellowship card, no trial shall be granted. In either case, such minister shall never be qualified for reinstatement into the ministry of the United Pentecostal Church International.”
He is not listed as holding any District positions in either state where he has held license. He would have been in his mid 30s at the time of the alleged assaults.
You will find a complete list of articles in this series by clicking here.
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