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1 UPDATED: Alleged victim files suit against Baptist church, former pastor 1.1.1.1.1 By None 1.1.1.1.2 Edward Greene, 37, of North Carolina, a former youth pastor at Marquette Manor Baptist Church and Academy, was sentenced to four years in state prison for engaging in sexual activity with an underage girl. By Dan Petrella, dpetrella@mysuburbanlife.com Downers Grove Reporter Wed Apr 23, 2008, 02:39 PM CDT Story Tools: Email This | Print This Downers Grove, IL - A 27-year-old South Carolina woman has filed a lawsuit against a Baptist church in Downers Grove and a former youth pastor who admitted sexually abusing her for about four years, starting when she was 14 years old. Edward Greene pleaded guilty in DuPage County Circuit Court in February to sexual assault. He was sentenced March 27 to four years in state prison. Greene and his former employer, Marquette Manor Baptist Church and Academy, are named as defendants. The suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges that Rachel Griffith confided in Greene that her father, who was then a deacon at the church, was sexually abusing her. Greene promised to help her and went on to sexually abuse her about 50 times from 1994 to 1999 in the Chicago area and on church trips to Mexico, Canada, New York and Wisconsin, according to a press release issued Wednesday April 23 by her attorney. Griffith, a married stay-at-home mom of two children, held a press conference Wednesday morning at Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago. Greene’s sexual abuse was especially confusing for Griffith because the fundamentalist church taught her that dancing, drinking and sexual acts are sinful, according to the suit. Marc Pearlman, Griffith’s attorney, said the church was included in the suit because officials did not come forward immediately with information about the abuse. “The church allowed it to happen,” Pearlman said. “They’re complicit in it at the very least.” Pearlman compared the church to a dog owner who allows a dog that bites people to run loose in the neighborhood. “If you let the dog run loose ... and it bits 10 people, who’s really responsible?” Pearlman said. “The owner or the dog?” Marquette Manor has a history of employees who have been convicted or accused of sexual abuse. A case against former basketball coach John Puga, 36, of Aurora is still pending. He allegedly engaged in sexual activity with an underage female student from November 2001 until May 2002. Puga is charged with one count of criminal sexual assault and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. If convicted, he faces a prison sentence of three to seven years. State’s Attorney Joe Birkett announced the indictments against Greene and Puga in March 2006, about three weeks after church officials came forward with the allegations. Frank Stima, 64, a former deacon, pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse in 2006 and was sentenced to probation. He lives in Washington state, according to Illinois sex offender records. Howard Blattel, a 65-year-old former Bolingbrook resident and Marquette Manor deacon, has been charged in Alabama with sexually assaulting an 89-year-old woman in 2004. Marquette Manor officials declined to comment on the lawsuit. Related Stories Comments (2) Thank you for the abuse report. We will review the report and take appropriate action. Loading comments, please wait... Jeri Massi 1 day ago Top of Form Bottom of Form Report Abuse Sex abuse of adolescents and even small children goes entirely unchecked in Independent Baptist churches. There is absolutely no church polity, no uniform standard of conduct, no church court, and no church law established to expel a man from the Baptist denomination even if he uses his status as a pastor or deacon to rape, sodomize, or perform other acts of sexual cruelty upon children. To date, the Independent Baptists have strongly resisted all attempts from victims advocacy groups to institute even basic tools of accountability, such as a database of men expelled from local churches or a national standard of professional and ethical conduct of Baptist clergy.I write this because I deal with the victims of clergy abuse, and I am a Bible-believing Christian. These radically independent churches allow themselves far too much power without accountability. So let Christians beware. Before you trustingly send your child off to Sunday School or church, make sure that some rule of accountability for the clergy are in place. I would avoid this church.Jeri Massi Dale Ingraham 2 hours ago Top of Form Bottom of Form Report Abuse My wife and I have started a ministry to try to address the issue of sexual abuse in the church. We have found a great reluctance from many of the state and national leaders in the body of Chirst, to talk about this evil , much less to deal with it . The statistics we are looking at are showing that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be raped or molested by the time they are 18 years old. From the responses that we receive on our web site, this sin is across the board. I think that because of human depravity this evil is present in almost any organization. If we are going to make a difference we must join together at all levels to sound the alarm, report the crime and help pick up the peaces of the many shattered lives. http//:speakingtruthinlove.org Dale Ingraham. Eddie Thomas, pastor of St. Luke Baptist Church in Ringgold, LA., is arrested and charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile, aggravated incest and pornography involving a juvenile. (the Shreveport Times, July 17, 2003) Police seize videotape alleged to show sex with child _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NEWARK, N.J. A convicted sex offender who was named pastor of a city church several weeks ago has been removed from the post. Shiloh Baptist Church leaders had hired the Rev. Chavalis T. Williams in mid-March, even though they knew he had pleaded guilty in Florida to charges of child abuse and using children in a sexual performance. (Newsday, May 7, 2003) Convicted sex offender removed as pastor of Newark church _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tinley Park, IL. For the second time in two weeks, a Baptist pastor from New Lenox has been charged with molesting a child — and prosecutors said they are looking for more victims. Dennis Larry Shaw, 53, of the 2100 block of Sanford Drive, New Lenox, was charged Monday with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl, according to the Will County state's attorney's office. On Jan. 31, Shaw was arrested on similar charges after a parishioner's 12-year-old daughter alleged she was fondled by the pastor inside the church between October and December, prosecutors said. (Daily Southtown, February 11, 2003) Minister again charged with molestation _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lyons, NY. Former Lyons Minister Sentenced to 1 1/3 -3 years in State Prison. The retired minister of the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Lyons was sen-tenced to 1 1/3 to 3 years in state prisonon Tuesday (1/14). Grady O. KempSr., age 65, ofWadley, Georgia, pled guilty to a reduced crime of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the 2nd Degree-a Class D Felony on December 12, 2002, sparing the step-daughter from testifying. Kemp, when completing his prison term, must regis-ter as a sexual predator. He had been indicted by a Wayne County Grand Jury in July of last year, for one count of Sexual Mischief in the 1st Degree, 4 counts of Rape in the 2nd Degree, 2 counts of Rape in the 3rd Degree, 4 counts of Sex Abuse in the 2nd Degree, 2 counts of Sex Abuse in the 3rd Degree and one count of Sodomy in the 2nd Degree, involving a step daughter. Grady had been arrested on July 31, 2002. It is alleged that the sexual activity with a step daughter began when the girl was 9 years old and continued until she was 14. "He had sexual contact with the girl hundreds of times," said Wayne County District Attorney, Rick Healy. The incidents came to light when the girl, now 16 years old, began fidgeting and praying. The next day the girlbegan crying and screaming at a family gathering and said she could not hold it back any longer. The girl's mother and Kemp's former wife, Lynda Kemp, said she and her daughter now live in Panama City, Florida. According to Healy, Grady had served as pastor of the church for almost 20 years. "He just retired last year and moved to Georgia," said Healy. Grady still owned a house at 122 Ford Street in Newark, where the alleged crimes took place. (Times of Wayne County, Jan. 27, 2003) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fort Pierce, FL. Pastor Kenneth Johnson, recently convicted of having sex with a minor, and Friendship Missionary Baptist Church -- where he reportedly continues to minister -- were named in a sex-abuse lawsuit filed Tuesday. Johnson, 39, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday on one count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. He faces up to 15 years on the second-degree felony. (The Tribune, January 22, 2003) . Johnson to be sentenced Friday on 1 count of unlawful sexual activity with minor _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bryan, TX. A pastor was arrested and released from jail Monday night after he was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. Ford was indicted earlier this month based on an allegation he had sexually assaulted a teenage boy who went on a trip with the pastor to the Texas Panhandle more than two years ago. Ford was pastor from the New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Bryan where he had served for 17 years. (Bryan-College Station Eagle, Dec. 24, 2002) pastor accused of assaulting Bryan boy arrested _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TEMECULA, CA. Six years ago, Becky J.'s life revolved around Temecula Valley Baptist Church. She worshipped there, went to school there, and even worked after hours two days a week at the school to earn pocket money. That's where she met 40-year-old Pastor Kerry Clyde Martin. But at 14, Becky didn't understand the concept of street smarts, she said. She didn't know when the man befriended her what the future held. "He listened to my problems and would tell me how right I was if I had a fight with my parents," she said. "I always thought he meant it in a pastor way, or like a father." Little did Becky know that as a cleric at two previous churches -- one in Maryland and one in Orange County -- Martin had already been accused of sexually molesting at least three other girls, all 14. Little did she know the friendly, charismatic minister was taking the first steps that would culminate in his repeatedly raping the girl over the next two years. (The Californian, Dec. 8, 2002) Child sex abuse reaches far beyond Catholic Church, experts say. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ANDERSON, S.C. Youth Minister William Bell of Mount Tabor Baptist Church pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor 2nd degree, four counts of lewd acts upon a child under sixteen and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. An investigation revealed two male victims, the youngest was 10 years old. (WASV TC, Nov. 14, 2002) Youth Minister Pleads Guilty To Sexual Conduct With Minors Man Had Illegal Contact With Boys At Anderson Church _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DETROIT, MI. A minister at an east side Detroit church admitted Friday that he had sex with a 15-year-old girl, leading to her pregnancy. Prosecutors accused Delton Benson of having sex with the unnamed girl in August 2000. A warrant was issued for his arrest last March charging the 32-year-old minister at Straight Street Baptist Church with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. (sexcriminals.com, Nov. 1, 2002) Minister arrested Detroit Pastor Has Dropped Out Of Sight _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ First Baptist is a congregation that reveres its pastor. And so a dozen church elders decided unanimously that pastor Rev. Lawrence French, who says he is innocent, should remain as pastor. Convinced that the 72-year-old pastor could not have committed the alleged offenses, they also concluded that it would be unfair to French to notify other members of the church about the allegations. (The Boston Globe, November 1, 2002)Paster Convicted by Synod, but Congregation doesn't believe Pastor is guiltyCongration wants Paster to Remain _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ OLNEY, Ill. If things had gone as planned, 35-year-old Leslie Mason would have preached the keynote sermon at this year's annual meeting of the Illinois Baptist State Association Nov. 7. Instead the former pastor of Olney Southern Baptist Church faces 10 counts of criminal sexual assault involving two teenage girls who attended his southeastern Illinois congregation. (October 24, 2002, ABP)Baptist Pastor charged with criminal sexual assault of two teenagershttp://www.baptiststoday.org/btns11_8b.html _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lawrenceville, GA. A Brookwood High School junior says her youth minister touched her sexually two years ago when she was 14. He insists he didn't. Now a Gwinnett County jury must decide whether Shannon Rhodes, 33, is guilty of child molestation while he worked as youth minister at Sunrise Baptist Church in Lawrenceville. The girl detailed her relationship with Rhodes during more than two hours on the witness stand Tuesday. She said there were three separate incidents during which he exposed himself to her, tried to French kiss her and placed her hand to fondle him. (The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 10-23-2002) Grand jury hears molestation case against ex-youth minister _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Austin, TX. A former youth minister faces up to 20 years in prison after he was convicted of nine counts of child sexual abuse. Charles Richard Willits, Jr., 44, a former youth minister at Great Hills Baptist Church, was convicted Saturday. Sentencing was scheduled for Monday. (October 18, 2002; Abilene Reporter-News)Youth Paster Convicted in Criminal Court