blog re-planting funding checks Don't on your . Given all of this, I knew we would be hearing from Steve Gaines and Bellevue Baptist again in the area of sexual abuse. Since 1983, he has pastored churches in Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama before coming to Bellevue Baptist Church in 2005 as Senior Pastor. Bellevue Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch in the Cordova area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Bellevue continues to broadcast services locally. ellevue Baptist Church sued after paid volunteer coordinator sexually abuses teenager, Family suing Bellevue Baptist Church over a former employee who admitted to sexually abusing teen girl by, Bellevue Baptist Church responds to lawsuit over staff members abuse of teen. Grant Gaines: Pastor, Belle Aire Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. "Bellevue Continues To try to 'Impact' Needy Community'. [31] Bellevue Frayser operates a weekly food pantry, with Bellevue volunteers distributing food each Saturday morning to approximately 175 families. Oh, its not subtle at all. Members are conditioned to praise tales of turning away from the fast women. The following may be how Hook was arrested. Under Rogers, Bellevue was a key supporter of the conservative faction within the Southern Baptist Convention during the "conservative/moderate" controversy of the 1970s and 1980s (Rogers served as SBC President for three terms). 27 talking about this. He also served on the building committee for Baptist Memorial Hospital and as commissioner for the Memphis Housing Authority. The last thing the penitent should do is seek an approving audience. We cannot take chances with other peoples children, said Spradlin, who also is interim pastor of nearby Germantown Baptist Church. Dr. Steve Gaines, Bellevue's Senior Pastor, is known as a man of prayer and a preacher of God's Word. The report stated that the election of Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis, to the SBC presidency in 2016 "conveyed the message that a clergy sex abuse cover-up was considered 'no big deal' in the SBC." In 2006 Gaines went months before reporting a staff minister's prior sexual assault of a child, the report says. I have paid for some tech support and Im glad my husband supports any expenses I have on the blog. Three children. Of course, predators are going to do what predators do. Thirty-two founding members signed the official charter on August 9, 1903. John Steven Gaines (born December 31, 1957) is an American Southern Baptist pastor, and the 61st President of the Southern Baptist Convention. If he [Gaines] knew about this and kept quiet, then hes put Bellevue in a very dangerous position and possibly put children and the emotionally vulnerable at risk.. On September 28, 2009, the State of Tennessee House of Representatives issued a proclamation recognizing Bellevue as an institution that has demonstrated unflagging capacity for love, dedication of spirit, and faith in God and for enriching the lives of people in their community. Married to Gentry Hill, a Southern Baptist Preacher. 0:00 - Introduction of our text 6:11 - A Christian man is watchful 8:06 - Discipline your eyes 9:30 - Live in God's . As the clock ticked down the final moments of the millennium, the Bellevue family worshipped at the foot of the cross. "Women of Prayer" is the theme for next year's Abide, Feb. 23-24, with plenary speakers Donna Gaines, Bible teacher and wife of Steve Gaines, senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tennessee; Andrea Lennon, Women's Ministry Specialist for the Arkansas Baptist Convention; Heather Johnson, Bible teacher and wife of Dr. Mark . They always go to the sentencing to defend a predator. Since 1983, he has pastored churches in Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama before coming to Bellevue Baptist Church in 2005 as Senior Pastor. We believe Worship is vital for the life of a Christian. Sat with a evangelist preacher on an airline flight, and they talked shop. It was long pastored by 3-term Southern Baptist president Adrian Rogers, and more recently, by Steve Gaines. Bellevue, based in Cordova and a prominent Southern Baptist church pastored by Steve Gaines, a former Southern Baptist Convention president, has faced criticism in lawsuits and a recent . Hook even gave the girl a ring because daddys give their daughters rings until they get married, the police report said. Bethany Gaines Golding: stay-at-home mom. Paul Williams engaged in egregious, perverse, sexual activity with his adolescent son over a period of 12 to 18 months, the report said. Subscribe Share More Info. TWW recognizes the power of truth. Bellevues director of communications, Jim Barnwell, told the Commercial Appeal, I think the important thing to remember is that Steve Gaines realized he made a mistake, hes taking ownership of that and trying his best to fix it. Barnwell added, I dont believe there was a deliberate attempt to hide anything., Describing the investigation, the Commercial Appeal said it will include Bellevue members and independent sources during which Williams will not perform any ministerial duties or be on the Bellevue campus.. Ezekiel 34:26 NLT. This situation was truly shocking. He matters, a lot. Property debts were paid off in 2001. Five children. Site by Mere. Thank you, Tim. Also, Im going to apply what I learned about Steve Gaines and Belleview Baptist from way back when I started blogging. My heart goes out to Janet Doe. Mega-pastors? On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Make Disciples. [4] Facility construction and campus improvements are financed through the offering, along with local and foreign mission endeavors. What a crazy story? Paul Williams engaged in egregious, perverse, sexual activity with his adolescent son over a period of 12 to 18 months, the report said. We take no donations. According to the site, deacons from the church met on November 5 and reviewed Gaines' credit card charges, unanimously finding no inappropriate expenditures. Bellevue's goals are to "Love God, Love People, Share Jesus, and Make Disciples." A graduate of Union University with a master's and doctorate degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he served on the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message revision committee for the Southern Baptist Convention along with the committee chairman, Adrian Rogers. thou shalt not confront. He kept quiet. The members of the group wishing to follow biblical guidelines and convinced that they would be forced to pursue their request through the secular court system, decided to no longer pursue their quest. Ive seen multiple comments on BBCs Facebook page, trying to argue that the parents are the ones to blame in all this. They were warned by this teens father yet they continued to dole out his paycheck. Pastor Robert G. Lee preached in Japan and Korea in 1955. None of them have the guts, gall or backbone to stand up to him. Then felt a call and became a Deacon at their church. In 2007, Gaines initiated a church-wide, ongoing volunteer ministry to Memphis and the community. June 20, 2022. Some days, it isnt easy. At the time, my brother was a graduate student at the University of Florida. [22], On September 24, 2006, Gaines addressed the criticism during the evening church service. With a small $1,000 gift from member Fannie Jobe, Pastor Thomas Potts led the congregation to build a one-room stone chapel at the corner of Bellevue and Erskine Avenues. Why? The Benefits of Gospel Partnership Dysfunctional Leadership Revealed by Former Intern Pastor of Sovereign Grace Churches. Jeff Anderson taught me about the legalities surrounding blogging and offered his assistance if ever needed. Thx again, Dee, for the post and your research with experts. After being located in the heart of Midtown, Memphis for over 80 years, Bellevue relocated to its current campus in Cordova. Pastor Steve Gaines knew that one of his staff ministers had sexually abused a kid years earlier. Pastor Steve Gaines focuses on how to deflect the attacks of Satan and the benefits of denying ourselves. what matters is the bonus God points theyll probably get for showing grace and supporting the perpetrator. The newspaper identified the Bellevue staff member accused of sexual abuse 17 years ago as Paul Williams, a 34-year staffer. The evangelism faculty also presented him with the W. Fred Swank Evangelism Award. Bellevue Baptist Church is one of the largest churches in the Memphis area, with an average Sunday attendance of about 8,000. while others saw it as a growing issue of white flight. However, Mid-America operates independently from Bellevue. James A. Hook was a paid volunteer coordinator at the church when he sexually abused his victim, who is identified by the pseudonym Janet Doe. Became a prof of epidemiology which Vets learn a lot about anyway. I am now an independent Baptist. [38] The document also recognized the church for hosting the Tennessee Technology Center's 2008-2009 graduation. According to the lawsuit, Hook used his position to encourage Janet Doe the pseudonym used to identify his 15-year-old victim to volunteer in the childrens Sunday School program, where he had access to her alone. [13] Local television station WPTY and Daystar Christian Television network broadcast the service live. [31] Iglesia Bella Vista is a Hispanic church plant near Summer and Highland. Bellevue: Clergy sex-abuse and cover-up scandal-hit Southern Baptist flagship. My Comment was Deleted [39] From 2008 to 2013, the church opened its doors to city and county schools for holding their commencement exercises. I think the problem here is that they never consider women (even teenagers) to be victims. Question: @netgrace was involved with Vineyard Duluth and did a great job. The survey was tabulated through more than 2,000 emails being sent to non-Catholic church leaders. One of the first questions the Evangelist preacher asked was Whats your take of the collection? which my friend Priest didnt even understand. [7] In 1979, Rogers was elected on the first ballot as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the world's largest Protestant denomination. Born: December 31, 1957, in Corinth, Mississippi, to Edgar and Dorothy Gaines. Among other concerns, a principal concern was that the traditionally conservative leadership had been replaced with a more progressive regime which resulted in the donation of $20,000 to a church of another denomination, which openly supported homosexual relationships and abortion. "[38] The document mentioned the church's sponsor of a Christian Mobile Dental Clinic that provides free dental care to the underprivileged, and the church's funding of The Vue, a ministry for college students located near the University of Memphis and accessible to students of other local colleges and universities. Good friend was a DVM with horses, suffered a back injury and could work with big livestock any more. Here is where it gets complicated. [38] In 2009, Pastor Gaines was awarded the Open Door Award for his leadership with Bellevue Loves Memphis. The idea is that they should have known everything that their daughter was doing, and if they didnt, then thats purely on them and the churchs hands are clean. We'd love to answer any questions or concerns you might have. Ava Aaronson: TWW recognizes the power of truth. The Friendly Atheist addressed this in Baptist Church Sued for Not Stopping Staffer from Sexually Assaulting Girl. This situation was covered over at Reddit. Association of Related Churches Bellevue is a place where families can grow closer to each other and where they can make lasting friendships. [20] The new campus would be closer to 60 percent of the members' residences. Davis-Bushey, Connie(June 24, 2009). Until Steve Gaines and his cohorts begin to truly understand the depths of the pain of abuse victims, they will not be able to truly offer a spiritually rich and safe youth program. Missions Week 2023. Share Jesus. Related. The church's head pastor has been Steve Gaines since 2005. I believe that if churches cannot keep a close watch on the people in their building who are caring for underage children, then they should not run a program in which they reassure parents that their children are safe. [4] When his health improved, he later served as pastor of Union Avenue Baptist Church in Memphis. [4] In 1948, Bellevue called Thomas P. Lane to build a comprehensive music program for children through adults. lawyers for Bellevue Baptist Church say the church had no knowledge of the abuse and denies that Bellevue Baptist Church is liable for any actions of James Hook which were outside the course and scope of his employment., According to Katherine Burgess of the Commerical Appeal in Bellevue Baptist Church responds to lawsuit over staff members abuse of teen, In its response filed in court, Bellevue deniedany suggestion or insinuation that Bellevue permitted, condoned or was aware that Hook was grooming his victim.