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	Southern Baptist Pastor in California Charged with Sexually Abusing Two Girls By Hannah Elliott Associated Baptist Press September 17, 2007 http://www.abpnews.com/2750.article Fresno, Calif — Another Southern Baptist pastor has been charged with child molestation. Police arrested John Bonine, pastor of Sierra Heights Baptist Church in Fresno, Calif., at his home Aug. 10. The 43-year-old father of eight is accused of sexually abusing two girls under the age of 14, according to the Fresno Bee. Mansel Trimble, the church's youth pastor, told the local ABC television affiliate, KFSN, that the church has not fired Bonine and will wait until "knowing all the facts, and where this is going" before taking action. Glen Paden, a former president of the California Baptist Foundation, preached in Sunday services Aug. 16. The arrest adds to a growing list of Southern Baptist pastors charged in the last year with sex abuse. Scandals in Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kentucky have led advocate groups to pressure SBC officials to conduct a nationwide investigation into the abuse. Most recently, representatives from the Baptist chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests traveled to Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17 to hold a sidewalk news conference and deliver a letter the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. The letter asked SBC leaders to hold public hearings and invite expert testimony to study the feasibility of setting up a database of sexual abusers. SNAP also is holding a private hearing for victims' testimony on the same issue, and the group has requested the SBC set up an independent review board for determining credible accusations. Founded in 1957, Sierra Heights Baptist Church is affiliated with the SBC, California Southern Baptist Convention and Mid-Valley Southern Baptist Association. Bonine is being held at the Fresno County jail on bond. He is due in court Sept. 27th.
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