I moved out of the St. Louis area a few months after the return of the celebrity minister to the FCCF pulpit, but I took the upset, pain and anger over the treatment of the victims with me. It weighed heavy on me for over six years, until I began my effort to put the pieces together for my own sanity and healing. I used the Celebrate Recovery method of creating an inventory of events and persons, then writing them into a testimony format. That is why I went back to the beginnings of the church and brought my story forward out of that to the present. The process showed me how the victims were pushed down the hole of disregard and cemented a need for me to speak out on their behalf.
From the book:
“The timing of the body blows to the church all seemed to fall within the strange annual pattern of January to February from the time Dawn Varvil had her meeting with Steve and the executive minister in 2012. Brandon was arrested in February 2014 and pleaded guilty in February 2015. Steve, who sued members of his church family, potentially using money from the church family’s donations to do so, returned to the pulpit to move on in February 2016. After Steve’s reinsertion behind the pulpit at FCCF, the Truth and Reform FCCF members ceased their efforts toward the church and focused on the victims. They continued to meet weekly to worship. They hired Doug Lay for a small stipend to be the shepherd of their little flock. It helped him and his wife weather the loss of his job at SLCC. We also encouraged him in his fight on behalf of the victims.” (Taylor, Joy S., A View from the Pews – The Inside Story of a Broken Church, 2022, Lily of the Valley Publishing, Santa Claus IN, p. 134.)
#aviewfromthepews #forthevictims
A View from the Pews is available on Amazon in print and ebook format, along with being available to read through the Kindle Unlimited program. Choose your preferred method and read the rest of the story. This project is for the victims. The first payment to Safe Connections has gone out. Every book sold and every page read helps support this worthy organization. Please join me in the cause for victims of abuse.