MennoNet.com

The Justice Commission conducted an investigation into alleged misconduct at Aquila Villa, now called Stories Made New, a residential ministry for young women founded by Melvin and Barbara Esh in Ronks, Pennsylvania. Former residents and matrons described serious concerns about the culture and leadership inside the home.

As of September 2025, Stories Made New is operating under administrators Ernest and Yvonne Witmer. The board has implemented new policies and safeguards to ensure safety for residents and staff. Most importantly, Stories Made New has partnered with Door of Hope to provide independent third-party counseling to residents. Stories Made New has also moved into a new facility in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, that is not owned by or affiliated with Melvin and Barbara Esh.

It is unhelpful (at the least) to label anyone as a counselor unless they have undertaken the training and education deserving of that role.

cooper wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 7:17 am I don’t know the full context of the situation, and the report itself appears to be carefully prepared. "The Justice Commission" clearly put in many, many hours of work, and I appreciate that. That said, calling yourself "The Justice Commission" does give me pause, though. It sounds very official and authoritative, and I’m not sure that framing is necessary or helpful here. The report includes this line:

A quote from the report:

It is unhelpful (at the least) to label anyone as a counselor unless they have undertaken the training and education deserving of that role.

What are the credentials of Rebekah Cooper and David Cooper, the individuals identified as part of “The Justice Commission”? Do they themselves have structures of oversight and accountability? Just as untrained or unqualified counselors can cause harm, the same can be true of victim advocates. Everyone should raise concerns about abuse. But if you are going to present yourself in this official and professional way, in my opinion, you should have credentials and oversight. Without those, it seems more ethical to present this as an open letter or a personal report, rather than "The Justice Commission."

Soloist wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 8:35 am I skimmed the report, while, it’s creepy, majority of it seems to be hearsay

cooper wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 7:17 am I don’t know the full context of the situation, and the report itself appears to be carefully prepared. "The Justice Commission" clearly put in many, many hours of work, and I appreciate that. That said, calling yourself "The Justice Commission" does give me pause, though. It sounds very official and authoritative, and I’m not sure that framing is necessary or helpful here. The report includes this line:

A quote from the report:

It is unhelpful (at the least) to label anyone as a counselor unless they have undertaken the training and education deserving of that role.

What are the credentials of Rebekah Cooper and David Cooper, the individuals identified as part of “The Justice Commission”? Do they themselves have structures of oversight and accountability? Just as untrained or unqualified counselors can cause harm, the same can be true of victim advocates. Everyone should raise concerns about abuse. But if you are going to present yourself in this official and professional way, in my opinion, you should have credentials and oversight. Without those, it seems more ethical to present this as an open letter or a personal report, rather than "The Justice Commission."

PeterG wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 3:17 pm

Soloist wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 8:35 am I skimmed the report, while, it’s creepy, majority of it seems to be hearsay

The information is presented as coming entirely (or nearly entirely, there may be exceptions that I didn't notice) from people directly involved with the organization and situation in question. There are many direct quotations from these people. I wouldn't call that hearsay.

mike wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 8:29 am For sure. I'm not sure which is more strange, the allegations made in this report or the idea of a personal investigation calling itself "The Justice Commission." It appears to be a WordPress website made for the purpose of publishing a collection of allegations and complaints against this particular ministry.

My assumption from skimming the report and reading the board's response is that the allegations likely have validity and that there were some real problems. There is no crime alleged, and this was not an investigation by any legal authority. The Esh's resigned from the ministry that they founded and their board continued the ministry under a different name and location. So it appears the ministry served a needed purpose and has a certain amount of support, and will continue without the founders' involvement.

JohnH wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 3:56 pm

mike wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 8:29 am For sure. I'm not sure which is more strange, the allegations made in this report or the idea of a personal investigation calling itself "The Justice Commission." It appears to be a WordPress website made for the purpose of publishing a collection of allegations and complaints against this particular ministry.

My assumption from skimming the report and reading the board's response is that the allegations likely have validity and that there were some real problems. There is no crime alleged, and this was not an investigation by any legal authority. The Esh's resigned from the ministry that they founded and their board continued the ministry under a different name and location. So it appears the ministry served a needed purpose and has a certain amount of support, and will continue without the founders' involvement.

Moderate-conservative Mennonites seem to love these kind of parachurch agencies, but an obvious question is exactly what oversight (if any) Aquila Villa had or has. Many of these types of problems can be avoided by:

- Yielding control and oversight to an impartial board or church denomination (we certainly have plenty of those to choose from in Anabaptist circles)
- Constituting a rotating board of people who are otherwise qualified
- Having a grievance process, including an accessible board
- Not allowing an institution or agency to be driven by one particularly dominant person/couple or family

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that moderate-conservatives have any plans to do this, and to the contrary, they are busy trying to convince Old Orders, ultra-conservatives, and others who are capable of operating their own institutions to instead give lots and lots of money to these kind of unaccountable agencies (the most notorious example of which would be CAM).

JohnH wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 3:51 pm One indeed wonders what institution, exactly, "The Justice Commission" is; does it have a board? Does it have relationships that provide oversight? Are any of its employees or agents professionally trained to conduct investigations? Is it anything other than a VoIP phone number, a PO box, and a married couple who have a particular agenda in mind (whether good or bad)?

JohnH wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 3:56 pm Moderate-conservative Mennonites seem to love these kind of parachurch agencies, but an obvious question is exactly what oversight (if any) Aquila Villa had or has. Many of these types of problems can be avoided by:

- Yielding control and oversight to an impartial board or church denomination (we certainly have plenty of those to choose from in Anabaptist circles)
- Constituting a rotating board of people who are otherwise qualified
- Having a grievance process, including an accessible board
- Not allowing an institution or agency to be driven by one particularly dominant person/couple or family

JohnH wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 12:50 pm The early Anabaptists consistently did not follow this principle, and indeed that was the Catholic Church's (or the Reformed churches') chiefest complaint.

They had no interest in apostolic succession or needing the "blessing" of an existing church. They just got together, had a meeting, and then had the absolute audacity to baptise one another.

PeterG wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 3:17 pm

Soloist wrote: ↑Thu Nov 20, 2025 8:35 am I skimmed the report, while, it’s creepy, majority of it seems to be hearsay

The information is presented as coming entirely (or nearly entirely, there may be exceptions that I didn't notice) from people directly involved with the organization and situation in question. There are many direct quotations from these people. I wouldn't call that hearsay.