Controversy: Was it ever really True Repentance?
As some might have seen, Hope Baptist has posted a statement letter called Controversy regarding the contents of our blog! To show how full of lies that statement letter is, I need to explain what happened when Kevin got caught!
In January of 2016, Stephen saw my phone in the bathroom and he had had suspensions about his dad (he will explain more about that later), so he looked at my messages to Kevin. Well Kevin had been texting me earlier that day to set up a secret meeting behind a gas station in town. Which was a very regular thing he would do but he always reminded me to delete the messages and he had forgotten this time. So he brought it to his mom and then dad, Kevin tried to deny it and proceeded to show that he didn’t have any messages on his phone! But they had mine and could obviously prove they existed. They called Brandon and I very quickly went down to the basement to my room sobbing, I was so scared of what was about to happen. Teri was always so mean and horrible to me before so now what was she going to do to me! What was the church going to do to me? I could hear some yelling upstairs off and on for a long time. In the morning I was asked to come upstairs and talk with Brandon and Jonathan, the other two elders of the church at that time. As I walked upstairs Kevin was in the dining room which I had to pass to go into the study. He smiled at me and said “Good Morning Sydney” I was confused, why was he talking to me? Why was he smiling? What was about to happen?
I went into the study with Brandon Dodd, Jonathan Betancourt, and Brittanie Dodd, they wanted Brittanie present for accountability they said. They informed me that they had spoken with Kevin and wanted to ask me three yes or no questions as they knew this would be hard to talk about. Brandon asked if there was inappropriate texting and talking, to which I said yes. He asked if there was inappropriate touching, I said yes. Then he asked if we had intercourse, meaning penis in vagina, which I said no. Brandon said well good, it looks like your stories line up. I was crying and Jonathan immediately told me that it was okay, everyone has their own personal sin struggles and they would help me through mine. I was devastated! They are blaming me. I was terrified knowing that people found out about what was going on but also relieved knowing it was over. But now so confused, why are they blaming me? Why aren’t they asking me what happened?
They had my phone and they told me for my safety they were going to keep my keys. I was also going to be staying with Zack and Savannah Stargell. A little later that day I was taken over to their house. Savannah sat with me and we talked some and she sobbed with me, holding me. She told me how angry she was at her dad saying, “I don’t understand how he could do this to you! He knows how much you’ve struggled with trusting men and he destroyed that! I am so angry at him and angry for you!” It’s like somehow she knew the truth. I didn’t feel like I deserved her kindness. We sobbed a lot that afternoon together. Brandon came over though that evening and talked to Zack and Savannah alone for a while and then all of us and they explained how we were not to talk about any of this stuff at all together. Jonathan would be handling my counseling and Christie, his wife would be present but that I should only talk to them about this stuff.
I was then told that the next day in church I had to confess before the church and give an apology to everyone. Brandon explained that he knew it would likely be almost impossible for me to stand up at the pulpit and do it. So they would write and read both and I would just have to say that I agreed into a mic at church.
The next day at church before service Kevin went before the church and read his confession of adultery and apology to the church, his family, and wife and he stepped down as head Elder. Then my confession and apology was read and I had to agree to it. I just so desperately wanted to hurry up and get it over with. I just wanted it all to end. Then the church was told from the pulpit that Brandon would be handling (his father) Kevin’s church discipline and counseling and Jonathan Betancourt would be handling mine. Then all the members were told no one was to be talking to one another about this matter. If anyone was caught talking about it they would be under even more severe church discipline than what kevin and I were under.
After service I was told by the elders that they were keeping my keys for my safety and they were keeping my phone until they could figure out a way to put something on it to read all my messages, for accountability. After a week they finally gave me my phone and keys back, they had put something on my phone that let them read all my text messages.
Later that week I met with Jonathan and Christie. I poured out my heart recounting what happened, I was finally able to talk to someone about what actually happened to me. Finally someone will know the truth and not blame me for everything. Or so I thought, right after our sessions Jonathan would meet with Brandon to talk through everything. I was continually told and counseled for this “specific sin struggle”. I also wrote out things that happened because they wanted to know everytime a new boundary was crossed and who initiated it. I was told that Brandon and Jonathan would be looking over it and making sure Kevin and I’s stories matched up.
After several weeks of being counseled for my sins. I was told that I had to write a very detailed apology to Kevin and one to Teri. And that they would do the same for me. Jonathan then gave me several key things that I needed to include in this said apology. He really emphasized that it needed to be very detailed and not at all vague because that wouldn’t show true repentance. I was honestly so ready for this to all be over, I just wanted to get this part over with. So I took his notes and things he said I had to include and wrote one for each of them. I had to then give it to Jonathan so he and Brandon could look it over to make sure they were adequate. I did write both of them on paper so I don’t have copies of them. But I received my apology letter from Kevin and was honestly so confused, it was so vague and didn’t really admit or say much of anything. I also never got one from Teri.
So I guess I’d ask, is this a true letter of repentance? Was my situation handled correctly? We also have other ex members that are willing to also testify to the fact that they lied too about what all actually happened between Kevin and I. That the Elders did not seek out counsel and when members brought their concerns to the elders about how things were being handled they were basically told to not question it.
Also in regards to the abuse and how the church is stating it happened multiple times, I will explain this point more in another post but this abuse was constant! I did not go a day without this man putting his hands on me in some way! I was also left alone with him in the house at least a couple times a week. (Which is very much unacceptable by the rules they and their church believe in.) On Sunday’s, the rest of the family would leave church and it was just Kevin and I and a young child pretty much every single week. There were too many of us in our home that we couldn’t all fit in one car so I would drive mine. So after church I would have to take them home in my small car. And yes, Kevin would assault me while the child was in the back seat.