This blog is my story, a story that unfortunately is not uncommon within religious circles. It’s a story that includes isolation, verbal and emotional abuse, grooming, sexual abuse at the hands of Kevin Dodd who was the head pastor of Hope Baptist Church in Springfield, MO, being drugged, and then being blamed for it all in the end by the ones who should have protected me.
Then when I looked for counsel from other leaders like Ray Smith Pastor of First Baptist Battlefield where Kevin Dodd remains the Associate Pastor of Worship and even the Head of the Greene County Baptist Association at the time Mike Haines, I was informed that “this seems like a family matter.” I want my story to be one of warning of this vile church and the harm that it has and will cause. You are risking not only the safety of the women but your children too. As Brandon Dodd has preached, If your child isn’t obeying, hit harder (starting at min marker 15)- aka the best parenting advice he received or given. This is not a church you want to align yourself with, this is not a safe place. When my story came to light the other elders of the church who were family, instantly turned to me before asking what happened, before even confirming anything with me, and told me it was my fault. They instantly took my phone, car keys, threatened everyone in the church with severe church discipline if anyone was caught talking about it, and I was told I was only allowed to speak with the elders about it. When Stephen (Kevin’s youngest son) questioned Brandon about what he should do because Stephen had intentions to marry me. Brandon, the elder taking charge of handling everything including the church discipline for both Kevin Dodd and me, told Stephen “Everyone has dirt, you just have to ask yourself if she’s going to be too dirty to you now.”
Days after I was forced to make a public confession and apology to the church before they so much as asked me what happened. I was made to be the harlot of the church long before anyone even knew what had happened. I was finally given my car keys and my phone after about a week and an app was placed on my phone so the Elders could read all my messages for accountability but Kevin refused and his phones were left untouched.
Even if you don’t ever go to this church or even live in Missouri, I hope you stay and read. Stories like mine are not uncommon and show a complete lack of accountability within the church. Because we all know that Sexual abuse is much more likely to come from people we know, especially those who have authority over us. So I would ask that you read and share my story for your daughters, sons, nieces, nephews, and all those you love and cherish. Be aware, and use my story to teach others how to keep their families safe!
Click Here to Read My Response to Hope Baptist’s claims of True Repentance
Click Here For the Blog Purpose
Click Here to Contact Me or If you’d like to speak with ex-members of Hope Baptist that can verify my story
Click Here for Blog Post #1
Hope Baptist Church Exposed 
I’m so sorry this happened to you. This is unacceptable for any grown man to do to a child.
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We were well acquainted with the entire Dodd family through volleyball. We have two girls who were in their home on a few occasions and knowing what happened to you breaks my heart for you. You should have been loved and protected instead of emotionally groomed to be taken advantage of. I pray that you have been able to heal from this abuse. I know you will never forget it- but I pray you are not haunted by this horrific abuse any longer. You deserve peace and joy! May God richly bless you for having the courage to share your story and warn others who could potentially be in danger. Much respect. GLK
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Thank you so much!! Your words mean a lot to me and I greatly appreciate it!
If you know anyone that is still in the homeschool volleyball world, please spread the word! They still help run the national tournament. Their son in law, Zack Stargell runs it but Kevin and Brandon and the entire family are heavily involved in and present helping through the entire tournament. That’s actually how I met the family, was playing volleyball with their daughter, I’m sure just like your daughters!
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Knowing what I know about Hope Baptist Springfield, I’m disgusted but not particularly surprised by any of this. Even still, it’s outrageous that a wolf in sheep’s clothing, masquerading as a “Baptist pastor,” groomed you as his sexual plaything. Reminds me of Bill Cosby. Didn’t Cosby go to prison for some of the same things (boozing and drugging his victims)? Considering that Kevin is a foster parent (some of whom he later adopted) and still has them in his home, Kevin’s incarceration may be the only way to ensure their safety. As scummy as Cosby was he at least didn’t use the pretext of “pastoral counseling” to groom his victims. Kevin and his wife Teri also engaged in parental alienation by gaslighting you into believing your parents were abusive when it is self-evident that it’s Kevin (and to a somewhat lesser degree Teri) who are the abusers.
Tragically sexual predators are far too common, and that doesn’t exclude churches. Predators often gravitate to positions of trust and authority like Scout leaders, school teachers, youth leaders, Sunday school leaders, even pastors. Hope Baptist Church Springfield made and continues making itself especially vulnerable to sexual predators. They have zero oversight and accountability, including of their leaders. Hope Baptist had, and still has, no policy or plan in place to deal with any sexual predator in their midst.
It seems totally appropriate that you’ve labeled Hope Baptist a “cult.” Not so much a theological cult (they’re reasonably orthodox in their beliefs), but they’re very much a sociological cult. One example of this — Hope Baptist is commonly known around the Springfield area as “The Dodd family church.” Every leader in the church is a Dodd, married to a Dodd, or completely compromised by Dodd family connections. So when this sexual abuse scandal surfaced the Dodds and their relatives/inlaws circled the wagons and spun it as a tale of “adultery.” The spinmeisters include Brandon Dodd (Kevin Dodd’s son), Josh Jenkins (son-in-law of Kevin Dodd), Zach Stargell (son-in-law of Kevin Dodd), and Jonathan Betancourt. After asking Kevin to step down as head pastor, Brandon and Josh stepped in to take over Kevin’s role. The church experienced a major split at that time, but it wasn’t so much because of purported “adultery.” The church split because anyone who hadn’t already drunk the Dodd family Kool-Aid could see that Sydney had been groomed by Kevin, then thrown under the bus — coerced into agreeing it was “consensual.” In reality it was a sex crime that legally obligated the church leadership (according to Missouri law) to notify the police. By portraying it as “consensual” they evaded their legal reporting obligations.
Did the leadership of Hope Baptist learn anything from the debacle they created? It would seem not. Subsequent to the split Brandon Dodd took into his home Dale Lang. Brandon was aware that Lang had been criminally indicted for molesting his own son and daughter. Last year (2023) Lang was tried and convicted. In December 2023 Lang was sentenced to 999 years in prison for sodomy of his son and daughter, both under the age of 12 years old. Early on Brandon had been cautioned of the folly of housing a criminally indicted child molester. Instead of showing any regard for protecting his own family, Brandon defended Lang and even housed him in close proximity to his own young children. Rather than erecting safeguards and defending the most vulnerable, Hope Baptist Church Springfield leadership throws caution to the wind. Then when the worst happens they throw sexual abuse victims under the bus. Unless they come clean and repent it’s unlikely that Sydney will be the last of the carnage left by Hope Baptist Springfield.
Why hasn’t Hope Baptist Church stopped lying? Why won’t they accept responsibility? Why won’t they repent? They’re terrified of the prospect that doing so could risk Kevin Dodd winding up in the same prison as Dale Lang. If Hope Baptist were a God-fearing church they’d be far more concerned with the eternal consequences (i.e. God’s judgment) they face for having destroyed a young lady’s life, rather than the temporal consequences of coming clean about the sexual predator in their midst.
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