Pastor/ Sexual Perpetrator Honored by Alabama Committee on the Status and Role of Women and Denominational Leadership

Amidst allegations of ministerial sexual misconduct outlined by a formal
complaint to Bishop William Willimon of the North Alabama Conference, United Methodist church leadership reportedly allowed this award presentation to go on as planned, in spite of the Conference and District leaders' awareness of Rev. Greg Reynolds' alleged sexual misconduct perpetrated against the adult daughter of his Florence area UMC congregational worship leader, a full six months prior to their Annual Conference. The award presentation, was made as a part of that conference, which convened in June 2012.


The formal complaint filed in April 2012 by the female worship leader [unnamed at this time to protect possible minors involved in a separate incident]states that Rev. Mike Stonbraker, the NW Alabama District Superintendent had been officially notified of the allegations of sexual misconduct by Greg Reynolds as far back as December 2011, reportedly conducting an emergency meeting, at that time, with Reynolds and other congregational leaders.


The complaint,  further alleges not only sexual misconduct by Reynolds but additional incidents of inappropriate conduct by her boss and pastor, specifically including gender and workplace harassment, as well as financial and legal manipulations. She reports that she submitted her resignation in early March 2012 with the supportive involvement of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, a United Methodist Church appointed and funded adjunct national oversight body. GCSRW website link


  
The worship leader also officially submitted  a letter of protest on April 26 to the North Alabama Conference Bishop, informing Willimon that she was "forced to withdraw under duress", her formal complaint to him on April 17, 2012 when the NW Alabama District Superintendent, and UMC NW Alabama District legal counsel Terry McElheny, compelled the former church staff leader to sign documents they composed and provided in order for her to receive her SPRC committee approved severance pay, accompanied by verbal threats and bullying tactics from Stonbraker, preventing her from seeking legal counsel of her own. 

A late evening email excerpt from Stonbraker at 9:15 pm on April 16, only hours before the April 17 meeting at the NW Alabama District Office, appears to corroborate her report. In that message he wrote: 

"Sorry for the late night email but I am just now getting caught up on my work. I have read over the document and saw nothing on a gag order nature. I sent it to our Conference attorney Terry McElheny and he agrees. Therefore after looking through all the material we are asking you to sign the document and sign an agreement to drop the complaint you sent to the bishop. I will handle the issue with Greg out of this office. I assure you after i hear from you and your daughter we will take proper action to get Greg the assistance he needs."
Her protest to the Bishop states that rather than being "asked" she was threatened with the loss of her modest severance pay for two months salary unless she immediately signed two documents: a severance release executed by an attorney and family member of Reynolds, after her resignation was submitted and a hastily constructed document from McElheny, demanding she drop the formal complaint previously submitted to the Bishop, in order for disbursement of her severance to be tendered. She states that she was not aware of the after-hours email, above and arrived at Stonbraker's office to "pick up [her] severance check" per previous email instructions from the district's superintendent. Her salary for the worship position was reported to be less than $13,000 per year in past IRS documents.

Bishop Willimon's April 26 email response to her submission of a  "letter of no confidence" in Stonbraker's investigation into her multiple allegations follows:


Dear Mrs. ---------, 
I am in receipt of your email correspondence today regarding Reverend Mike Stonbraker, North West District Superintendent, and Reverend Greg Reynolds. Be assured that I am working thru the Cabinet and Board of Ordained Ministry to find a just resolution for all parties in these matters.  
Sincerely,
William H. Willimon
Bishop, Birmingham Area

She stated that this was the "last communication" she received from either Willimon's or Stonebraker's offices and expressed concern that her requested attempts to get victim assistance or counsel for herself and family members were never addressed. 

"Stonbraker referenced getting assistance for Greg Reynolds, but it seems clear to me that he and Bishop Willimon demonstrated no concern for my children, family or my own well being, even though as denominational leaders, they both had a mandated responsibility to care for us as parishioners, in addition to my role as a female pastoral staff employee," she said. 

When asked to comment on Reynolds' receiving the award she responded:

"My formal complaint was filed only 6-7 weeks prior to the award, but Stonbraker knew about Reynolds' admissions of sexual misconduct many months before that. I was stunned." 


"The irony of this award for excellence in 'standing up for the rights of women' being given to such a man, was just incredibly upsetting. It seems completely implausible that the Bishop or the DS didn't know, at some point, of this upcoming award, while they were apparently committed to protecting Reynolds and making me the fall-guy. 
Of course, the United Methodist Women likely had no way of knowing about his sexual misconduct and gender harassment against my daughter and me, since Stonbraker and Willimon have apparently succeeded in such overt attempts at cover-up activities."

She continued, "It seems clear that Reynolds indeed got the assistance promised by Stonbraker to help him. He helped him alright, to maintain his position while I have lost my means of support for my family and have been offered no counseling, fellowship or concerned involvement whatsoever, so that I can recover from this repeated cycle of being victimized by these leaders in our denomination." 


The North Alabama UMC Conference website published the following announcement about the award :


Louise Branscomb Barrier Breaker Award 


In 1990 the United Methodist Women of the North Alabama Conference established the Louise Branscomb Barrier Breaker Award as a way for the Conference to annually recognize a United Methodist willing to risk and stand up for the rights of women and ethnic minority persons. Each year the Conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW) continues to recognize these "barrier breakers" through this award. 


Rev. Greg Reynolds, pastor of New Vision UMC in Florence awarded the Louise Branscomb Barrier Breaker Award

original web link (until leaders remove it)



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