BishopAccountability.org
	Pastor Hopes Church Can Heal after Sex Allegations By Mark Bell Tennessean April 8, 2009 http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20090408/NEWS01/90408058 Pastor Dusty Ray of Heartland Baptist Church is confident God will get his congregation through one of the roughest patches in the church's history, he told a Daily News Journal reporter Wednesday. Members of the small, tight-nit congregation were shocked to learn 24-year-old Matthew M. Jernigan, a member of the church for approximately four years and youth ministry volunteer, had been arrested on sex charges earlier this month. Ray said it was even more shocking to learn Jernigan found his alleged pre-teen victims through his volunteer status at the church, which is located on East Jefferson Pike in northern Rutherford County. "We are doing our best to go on and are hoping that people will be decent and proper in their response to this, and come to a realization that real people are involved in this situation," Ray said. Jernigan, who didn't have a prior criminal history on file at the Rutherford County Judicial Building, faces two counts of child rape, two counts of aggravated sexual battery and two counts of aggravated sexual battery by an authority figure following his arrest on April 3. Detectives at the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office have stated they have audio recordings of Jernigan talking to his alleged victims that will confirm the child molestation charges against him. While Ray said he would not comment on the charges against Jernigan or the criminal case against him, he did say "we heard about it (the abuse) and reported it on the same day we heard about it. As soon as it was found out here, it was taken care of. Nothing was covered up or avoided. It was all handled in an up front fashion." For now, the pastor said he just hopes everyone involved in the situation can heal. He tried to put worshipers at ease during his Sunday service, where the charges against Jernigan were openly discussed. "Certainly my hope and prayer is that the press and others realize our hearts are broken and we just want justice to be served," he said. "Right now we just have to put all of our faith in God." "If we put our faith in man, who is a sinner by nature, we are certain to fail, but if we put our faith in God, though we don't understand why and how he does everything he does, we will get through this." Finally, Ray said he hopes people don't take Jernigan's alleged crimes as an opportunity to poke fun at the church or the faith of its members, reiterating "real people" are involved. "I hope people will understand that something like this could have happened anywhere," he said. "You can't avoid what you don't see." —Mark Bell, 615-278-5153
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