BishopAccountability.org
	Whistleblower Sues Church after Being Fired By Danny Brown Easy Reader June 12, 2008 http://www.easyreadernews.com/story.php?StoryID=20033632 A former longstanding employee of a church-owned preschool is suing the church after its new pastor allegedly fired her last year in retaliation for exposing his criminal history. Michelle Voeller worked at Trinity Lutheran Church Preschool for approximately 23 years and was the director of the preschool for 17 years until, she claims, she was wrongfully terminated by the church in June 2007. As part of her administrative duties, Voeller was responsible for registering new school and church employees, who would be on campus with school children, with the Department of Social Services (DSS) for a background check. In June 2006 a church-organized committee selected Reverend Luther Martell as its new pastor. Several months later, after learning that the church committee did not submit a record of Pastor Martell's fingerprints to the state, Voeller "insisted that he comply with the law." Voeller received a letter from the DSS informing her that Pastor Martell had a criminal history. His record included a conviction of third degree arson of a family-owned newspaper business in Minnesota, which Voeller alleges he failed to disclose to the church prior to his hire. The DSS informed Voeller it was unable to grant Pastor Martell an exemption to work or be present at the preschool facility and mandated that he be removed from the premises. When Voeller informed the pastor and the Church Council of the DSS letter, she alleges they told her not to discuss the matter with anyone and asked her not to contact the DSS. A month later the Church Council met to sign a letter regarding the pastor's past conviction that was to be sent to approximately 500 members of the congregation and preschool parents. Voeller claims that she did not sign the letter because she felt it was misleading. The letter said the DSS had "temporarily" suspended the pastor from participating in preschool activities when in fact it requested his removal. Voeller said she was intimidated into signing the letter, with Church Council members questioning her loyalty to the pastor and church. For the next several months, Voeller alleges she continued to protest Pastor Martell's presence in the vicinity of children, until the pastor and a newly-formed church committee rewrote preschool bylaws, giving the church more control over the preschool's hiring and finances, and eventually firing Voeller. In an e-mail correspondence with Easy Reader last year, Pastor Martell wrote that he was working to clear his past record in Minnesota but was delayed due to confusion surrounding the state law. The church and pastor did not return phone calls inquiring about the suit or if California currently allows him to frequent child daycare facilities. ER
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