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A Way Forward
My scope of understanding is quite limited, but these three core facts appear to be true:

1) Jeriah Mast systematically sexually abused perhaps dozens of boys over a 20-year period in both the United States (as a member of a conservative Anabaptist church community) and Haiti (while a missionary for CAM & Life Literature). [Many victims have come forth, and Jeriah has allegedly confessed to these things].

2) While the bulk of the activity came out in May in a confession to a pastor in Haiti, some of Jeriah's previous pedophilic actions were known to those in leadership for years - including a few American and Haitian pastors, a some CAM & Life Literature leaders, and presumably leaders in his church community and some family members. [For example, Harold Herr's testimony says CAM & Life leadership knew for at least six years, and apparently even some leaders in both the Haitian and Mennonite church communities may have known longer].

3) Despite multiple episodes of "repentance" over the years (up until recently), Jeriah showed no ability to overcome his darkest impulses, and his action showed no meaningful understanding of the damage he was inflicting on the lives of his victims, their families, and the cause of Christ.

These tragic and far-reaching facts have rocked the Conservative Anabaptist and Mission worlds...including mine - we are part of this community and have served in Haiti in a conservative Anabaptist mission a total of five years, in part during the time while Jeriah was actively victimizing Haitian boys. We personally know many of those involved in this tragedy - both Haitians and Missionaries alike. Our hearts are broken and, with so many others, we are both angered and grieved! So - the question is, in the face of such a great wrong, "What should happen now? How do we, as a community of faith, move forward from here?" We know that evil must not triumph where the cause of Christ is concerned.

As Christians we look to the values of Justice and Grace for our answers - and while these values are sometimes found in tension with each other, we recognize that God is a God of both, and we must be a people of both. Where Justice and Grace find harmony is in the example of Christ, who calls us to a higher plane of justice. Instead of retributive justice (an eye for an eye) we are to strive for restorative justice (grace-filled justice that brings new life). In fact we rely on it for our salvation - "for while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." So, what does restorative justice demand in this situation?

First, and most importantly, for the victims and their families, justice demands that Jeriah face the international legal consequences for his crimes against children. Restoration demands that these boys and their families be cared for spiritually, psychologically, and materially by the community that Jeriah was a part of - family, churches and institutions must sacrificially join forces in this effort - in the hopes of restoring their dignity and helping them heal as dearly loved children of God.

Second, "of whom much is given much is required." Justice demands that those in church and mission leadership who previously (before May) knew of Jeriah's wrongs, especially those who could have hindered his access to the children of Haiti, admit their failure to adequately protect the "least of these," apologize for their negligence, and publicly recognize the severe harm to individuals and their institutions that their lapse in judgement has brought about. Trust has been broken, and those who could have stopped Jeriah's reappointment to Haiti (including board members) need to step aside in order to help their missions regain trust and rebuild the work for Christ they have been called to do. I don't say this lightly- many of these brothers have honorably given their lives to mission work, and many are my friends. Restoration requires that we in the Conservative Anabaptist Mission and Church community repent of the prideful and self-preserving culture that has allowed this evil to go unchecked in our midst in this situation and elsewhere, and together build a system of transparency, accountability, and procedural integrity to prevent this kind of thing from ever happening again! Restoration also demands that those leaders (and their families) who have been shamed and broken by this calamity find forgiveness, healing, and care in family of God, and also that those institutions that have been tainted be given the opportunity to meet their legal and moral obligations, and with whatever solvency remains, re-earn their constituents trust and with the community's oversight and God's help fully give themselves once again to the work of Jesus.

Third, justice requires that Jeriah, once broken and repentant, pay the price for his crimes of violence, vulgarity, and selfish power against these innocents, and never be given unsupervised access to children again as long as he lives (even his own children). This price will doubtless include confession, specific and personal apologies, a lengthy prison sentence, and restitution to victims. Restoration requires that Jeriah's life be spared, and ultimately that he too find forgiveness, treatment, and the opportunity for restoration into the community of faith as a redeemed child of God. Restoration also requires that his family, who are also his victims, be cared for and nurtured by the community. [I am not convinced that his life, as a pedophile-missionary who preyed on Haitian children, will be spared in the bedlam of a Haitian prison. Might he serve his Haitian time in an American prison?]

As shock has turned to anger in our community, I hear strong words of condemnation, with some folks calling for harsh and far-reaching punishment, and/or for withholding of funds from CAM or even for its dissolution. Bitterness and cynicism are on the rise within our ranks. I have children of my own, and I have served much of my life in ministry and mission leadership - I understand this anger. Others are silent, defensive, or advocate for "circling the wagons" to limit the damage. I understand this preservation instinct as well.

However, there comes a point, hopefully sooner rather than later, when with God's help this cascade of events turns from destructive to constructive. I don't believe we are there yet - and some important things have to be set in motion before this occurs. But we need to pray fervently together, that out of the ruins of the brokenness of this tragedy might emerge something true and God-breathed.

Theophilos wrote:I think it will be better to send him back to Haiti to face justice there, it will be a good lesson for others. I do not think that their prisons are worse than American ones, anyway there are people of colour in the US and Haiti prisons.

appleman2006 wrote:
The fact that they used lawyers to help make the statement is not shocking to me. In fact it was quite obvious and I really do not have a problem with it.

.. What alarms me far more is that at least two men at the head of their organisation are still acting as spokesmen for the organisation before they themselves have given a statement that they were totally unaware of Jeriah's failings before he was sent to Haiti the first time. the second time or any other time.

Right now it is the board's duty to do at least two things before anymore steps are taken IMO.

.. Each of the board members must make a statement declaring that they were totally unaware of any of this. If they cannot do so they should step down immediately.

.. At that point the ones remaining should meet with each of the executive staff and ask the same question of them.

.. They must then determine that if any of them knew anything and would of had the power to either overrule or even question to authority and did not do so they must be asked to resign.

At that point I think they would then have the authority to take the next steps and I believe the majority of the public could be convinced that the really want to do the right thing for everyone including the organisation.

As I see it if they really cared about the organisation and all involved that is what must happen.

Ken wrote:

Theophilos wrote:I think it will be better to send him back to Haiti to face justice there, it will be a good lesson for others. I do not think that their prisons are worse than American ones, anyway there are people of colour in the US and Haiti prisons.

That decision will be up to the justice department--whether to charge him here under US law for crimes committed abroad or whether to extradite him back to Haiti. Most likely he will be charged here and face decades of prison time in US prisons based on what has happened in other similar cases. The church will have no role in this unless they wish to testify during sentencing.

As for financial restitution. That will also likely be determined in the courts. Here is a parallel case that someone else posted today where the Jesuits reached a $60 million settlement for similarly failings to stop abuse in Haiti. The parallels to CAM are extraordinarily close: https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/art ... -orphanage Mast's victims here in the US and in Haiti will be free to use the US courts to seek restitution from CAM if they are found to be in any way culpable. And their degree of culpability will be determined in court, not by the church or CAM or any other organization. It will be a slow process but the speed at which it is brought to resolution will depend a great deal on CAM and the extent to which they fight in court or seek settlement.

What is likely is that at some point the courts will be involved in essentially freezing CAMs assets to some extent to prevent the organization from simply dissolving and divesting its assets to avoid restitution. Or if they did anything of that sort, the courts could seek out and unwind any such transactions. Courts do this often when faced with organizations that seek to hide funds and have the power to go back years to unwind transactions. This happened in the Bernie Madoff case, for example.

My guess is that CAM is going to be in something of a holding pattern for some time. They can seek to change and improve their leadership structure and procedures. But they aren't likely to be able to do things like dissolve and reform under a different structure. Or move funds abroad or into other organizations to avoid restitution.

undershepherd wrote:

Ken wrote:

Theophilos wrote:I think it will be better to send him back to Haiti to face justice there, it will be a good lesson for others. I do not think that their prisons are worse than American ones, anyway there are people of colour in the US and Haiti prisons.

That decision will be up to the justice department--whether to charge him here under US law for crimes committed abroad or whether to extradite him back to Haiti. Most likely he will be charged here and face decades of prison time in US prisons based on what has happened in other similar cases. The church will have no role in this unless they wish to testify during sentencing.

As for financial restitution. That will also likely be determined in the courts. Here is a parallel case that someone else posted today where the Jesuits reached a $60 million settlement for similarly failings to stop abuse in Haiti. The parallels to CAM are extraordinarily close: https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/art ... -orphanage Mast's victims here in the US and in Haiti will be free to use the US courts to seek restitution from CAM if they are found to be in any way culpable. And their degree of culpability will be determined in court, not by the church or CAM or any other organization. It will be a slow process but the speed at which it is brought to resolution will depend a great deal on CAM and the extent to which they fight in court or seek settlement.

What is likely is that at some point the courts will be involved in essentially freezing CAMs assets to some extent to prevent the organization from simply dissolving and divesting its assets to avoid restitution. Or if they did anything of that sort, the courts could seek out and unwind any such transactions. Courts do this often when faced with organizations that seek to hide funds and have the power to go back years to unwind transactions. This happened in the Bernie Madoff case, for example.

My guess is that CAM is going to be in something of a holding pattern for some time. They can seek to change and improve their leadership structure and procedures. But they aren't likely to be able to do things like dissolve and reform under a different structure. Or move funds abroad or into other organizations to avoid restitution.

That case is eerily close and the timing of this settlement announcement today is quite timely. One thing I noted was that the abuse in that case was documented in 2008 and charges brought in 2010 and now in 2019 civil suits are being finalized. So this whole ordeal with CAM could potentially take 8-10 years to be resolved. The holding pattern that you speak of is likely to be the reality for a long time with CAM.