That can be the case in the busiest of news years (ahem, 2020) or on the slowest of news days. A number of women former high school youth group members under Aarums leadership brought allegations of sexual and emotional abuse against Aarum from that time period earlier this year. On week ends there would be scores of men donating their time to help build the camp and Wes wife Marge was kept very busy feeding all these volunteers. It takes courage to stand up to The Chapels leadership and demand that they stop spending large amounts of the members money pursuing a broad attack on Wayne Aarum that they believe is factually unsupportable, the statement said. Last week's investigation by USA TODAY Network New York State Team reporters Sarah Taddeo and Georgie Silvarole is just such an example. He has consistently denied all of the allegations against him. You can also join via video conferencing (Zoom), the Zoom link can be found under the " Resource " tab and meetings are open to the community. 1.) Being a 15 year old girl, newly diagnosed with leukemia, your entire world is crazy. On each occasion, Wayne Aarum, as spokesperson for the board of directors, refused to sell or lease any portion of the land used by the Circle C Ranch for such purposes recognizing that the corporation was giving up hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next decade, the lawsuit says. Anne Stych is a writer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although he considered this womans accusation to be criminal in nature, Mr. Camardo did not make a report to any law enforcement authority or encourage the woman to do so. Theyspoke to 19 other individuals including persons who worked at the camp, relatives and local pastors. The accounts of the women, describing incidents involving Wayne Aarum that took place when they were Circle C Ranch campers, are troubling and concerning. Those allegations outlined in a report from The Chapel and Ministry Safes Kimberlee Norris say the abuse happened during the 90s, during a time Aarum was involved with The Chapel and when the Chapel says it had partnered with Circle C Ranch. A former camper and staff member at Circle C Ranch,a Christian camp in Cattaraugus County, has filed a lawsuit against the camp and its president, Wayne Aarum, accusing Aarum of grooming and sexually victimizing her between the ages of 9 and 16. In May, New York set COVID-19 rules and restrictions for summer camps to operate after sleep-away camps were forced to close last year. The Child Development Center of Circle C Ranch | Photos by JR Flores | Site by Sommers Marketing + Public Relations. For over one and a half years The Chapel has been leading an aggressive campaign against Circle C Ranch, our family, and the ministry legacy of Mr. Wes. Camps are also required to collect information about the vaccination status of each camper and staff member, and perform health screenings upon arrival. Kimberlee Norris, the co-founder of Ministry Safe, a Christian sexual misconduct investigative and prevention service, , said 21 women told her in interviews Aarum had touched them inappropriately, with incidents dating back to when he was a youth minister at. Follow heronTwitter @Sjtaddeo. Main Office: 518-696-5676 Development Office: 518-696-5921. Email:[emailprotected] Throughout this entire time we have done our best in trying to resolve the issues they have put forth. Bill wanted to make sure that every building was winterized so the camp could operate year round. In school, our teachers told us to "show our math," or how we worked out a problem. Bob asked how much interest? The Ranch owed (Snell) a heightened, fiduciary duty of care because they held themselves out as being able to provide a safe and secure environment for children, the lawsuit read. Circle C also takes aim at Ministry Safes Kimberlee Norris and her work claiming the accusers were led down a garden path.. He later died in March 2020. If you are new to the Web site, be sure to complete the Sign Up information to receive a password to the private and secured portions of the site, as well as be added to our email list. Aarum also said in a video posted to the Circle C Ranch website this summer that he never received complaints at the time the alleged abuse occurred about his behavior in either positions he's held at The Chapel or at Circle C Ranch. This helps build confidence among readers inthe validity of the work. Jerry Gillis was appointed as lead pastor of the church in 2002 and Camardo joined the staff as executive pastor in 2010. Aarum has repeatedly denied any allegations of inappropriate conduct. Please consider becoming a digital subscriber. A MinistrySafe investigation cited by WKBW alleged that Aarums inappropriate touching of the girls included: "stroking legs (outside clothing and on bare skin); stroking genital area outside clothing; touching vaginal area outside clothing (in shorts or jeans); touching, rubbing and stroking breasts, outside clothing; stroking labia, outside clothing; stroking from hips to breasts, clothed, on the side of the body; touching legs and knees; hand placed on upper thigh; pressing penis into back of girl (hugging from behind); rubbing penis repeatedly in a girls presence and the extended hug of a partially dressed girl.". I pledge to you this:TheD&Cteam will do its best to serve Greater Rochester and each of our readers every single day. Member will be given 3 minutes to address the board. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages to be determined at trial, according to the court filing. All rights reserved. In a letter to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Norris outlined dozens of alleged incidents connected with the youth group and the camp, including Aarum touching girls intimately, saying intimate things to them, and entering cabins while girls were changing clothes. Like much of the world, they've been closely watching what's been unfolding in Afghanistan. It all started in the heart of an evangelist named Wes Aarum. How easy is it to make anonymous declarations?. Water exercise is for everyone! as part of a USA TODAY Network New York investigation, These women say a Western NY pastor, Christian camp president abused them as teenagers, Pastor accused of abusing teens sues Buffalo megachurch The Chapel for $2.5M, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Weeks after a Delevan minister and local camp director Wayne Aarum was accused of sexual misconduct by 21 former campers and staffers, the Circle C camp director has not stepped down. If you're on the Circle C website, the camp has seven new documents that outline why they say Aarum is innocent. One of America's most exciting Christian Camps. Teenagers have also historically made up the majority of employees at the camp, working as counselors, in the kitchen or in maintenance roles throughout the summers. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). In addition to his duties at Circle C Ranch, Aarum also currently serves as a pastor at First Baptist Church of Arcade in Wyoming County. At least 21 women reportedly told lawyers hired by The Chapel that they were inappropriately touched by Aarum who worked with the church as one of the directors of student youth groups from 1990 to 2000. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. You can also join via video conferencing (Zoom), the Zoom link can be found under the Resource tab and meetings are open to the community. hb```, x ` 0rBJCYXCZZ})4 kaH@s@#@fg,@,c%C}Ip*6pkZGWGh94Hv `BPa6 2ut@2:2> B;X &s&6faffyLffIW'6 ``g`[pq!wMm|7Bu5fd``47%'X?BT1z ]_] Website Terms & Conditions | CCHOA Privacy Policy| Social Media Policy | Feedback, Copyright 2015 2022 Circle C Ranch HOA | Design by Austin Web Design.com, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_C_Ranch. A social worker can get anyone to say anything, Dekalb said. Ross had been a board member of Canadian Youth for Christ when Wes had been the President and was such a blessing to that ministry. What else might develop? Nothing happened. investigation by USA TODAY Network New York State Team reporters Sarah Taddeo and Georgie Silvarole, These women say a Western NY pastor, Christian camp president abused them as teenagers, How emotional, spiritual abuse creates lasting trauma, Woman says she reported possible abuse at Circle C Ranch to police years ago, the camp announced a change for how it will operate this summer, Christian camp Circle C announces changes to summer program after abuse allegations surface, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Whether you are a loyal D&C reader or a new one, please know that stories like this are possible because of subscribers like you. It would have all the mystique of the Old West and it would look like a town in the 1800s. Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. A spokesperson for The Chapel says it has absolutely no interest in acquiring Circle C Ranch., But the Circle C board says thats simply not true, and claims The Chapel has put forth a campaign to destroy Wayne Aarums reputation., Everything thats been presented to us is anonymous, said Dekalb about the accusations. The state's rules allow for the camps to operate with different restrictions for the vaccinated and unvaccinated, with campers over the age of five required to wear masks and maintain social distancing in most situations. When Andrew died in 1999, however, the new management at The Chapel became more expansionist and financially oriented, the suit argues. The board of Circle Cs parent corporation, The Living Waters Ministries and people who are close to Aarum say he is innocent of the sexual harassment claims against him. After meeting Wes and both of them realizing that someday they would be a team she went to Bible School to be better prepared to be the wife of a preacher. It's particularly true, though, when enterprising reporters receivea good story tip and stay with it until they get to the heart of an important story that otherwise would never have been told. The camps parent corporation, Living Waters Ministries, said in response: At the outset, a flat statement: Wayne Aarum, the Operations Director of the Circle C Ranch, never engaged in any of the conduct described in Ms. Norriss report.. Read the original investigation:These women say a Western NY pastor, Christian camp president abused them as teenagers, Aarum sues The Chapel:Pastor accused of abusing teens sues Buffalo megachurch The Chapel for $2.5M. He said no one at the present and George said he would bring his crew up every weekend and do the job as a gift to the Lord. The camp is veering from its traditional model this summer, insteadfocusing on "Family Camp Weekends" in July and August, according to information shared on its website on Monday. During his tenure at The Chapel, pastors spoke to Aarum multiple times about his conduct with girls in the youth group, according to excerpts from Aarums employee personnel file at The Chapel. Ministry Watch 2022 All rights reserved. I don't know, but one thing I am sure of is that Taddeo and Silvarole will be ready to write about it. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. INVESTIGATION:These women say a Western NY pastor, Christian camp president abused them as teenagers, 'He was my identity':How emotional, spiritual abuse creates lasting trauma, More:Woman says she reported possible abuse at Circle C Ranch to police years ago.
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