Members of an Ohio church that has been shut down by its diocese amid an ongoing abuse investigation have called on their bishop to reopen the sanctuary.
Grace Episcopal Church, a congregation located in the College Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, was closed last week by order of Bishop Kristin Uffelman White of the Diocese of Southern Ohio.
Members of Grace Episcopal sent a letter to White days later, reported the Cincinnati-based WCPO 9 News, with them expressing “deep displeasure and astonishment toward your actions.”
“We are dismayed by your obvious lack of transparency, collaboration and care that has resulted in the abrupt closure of ministries that touch and support the many members of our broadly diverse faith community,” they wrote.
The congregation claims that their church was cooperating with the diocese in the investigation and that its closure has negatively impacted their community programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and food ministries.
“These actions show a reckless disregard for the vulnerability of the communities we serve, at this time of year and the immediacy of their needs,” they continued.
“The heavy-handed approach reflects a lack of cultural competency by the DSO team for the people who have led, guided and worked tirelessly over many, many years to connect Grace and the Oasis with the greater College Hill community.”
Church members went on to express their hope that diocesan leadership “will honor our requests and rewind the series of decisions that have led us to this unfortunate place.”
Last week, Bishop White released a letter to clergy and senior wardens of the diocese explaining that Grace Episcopal was being closed for the time being due to an investigation into potential sexual abuse at the church.
In September, the diocese learned of an alleged sexual assault that was said to have occurred inside the church building back in April. Both the alleged victim and the alleged assailant were minors.
According to White, a diocesan investigation found that church leadership “was aware of the alleged incident and had not reported it to the diocesan office for many months.” Additionally, the investigation reportedly found a “failure to follow Safe Church and standard diocesan policies in the operation of Grace Church.”
The church, which was identified as a “mission” of the diocese, had been labeled a “congregation at risk” by White’s predecessor and thus was “subject to additional intervention and oversight by me and the diocesan office at my direction.”
“This critical action was not an easy decision, nor a simple one, and my decision is not a reflection of the good faith and commitment of the Grace Episcopal congregation,” wrote White.
“Please know that I am holding Grace Episcopal in my prayers daily, and that my staff and I are committed to supporting the members and leadership of Grace Church in this difficult time.”
