By Jason Van Rassel and Stephane Massinon
Montreal Gazette
November 20, 2011
www.montrealgazette.com/news/canada/tough+time+Alta+community+dealing+with+bible+school+abuse+claims/5741704/story.html
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| RCMP are investigating allegations of abuse dating back several decades at a Central Alberta Bible college. This file photo was taken in Victoria, B.C. on August 23, 2011. |
THREE HILLS, Alta. — Residents of a small Alberta community expressed sympathy Sunday for anyone who may have been victimized by abuse at Prairie Bible Institute in light of accusations involving at least one former staff member of the college.
There was sympathy, also, for the school at the centre of the allegations, which many see as an integral part of this central Alberta town of about 3,000 people.
"It's a tough time to be in this community," said Rev. James Enns of St. Barnabas Anglican Church.
"I can't speak for the wider community, but I think it's a solemn time."
The RCMP is investigating a complaint by Linda Fossen, 53, a former PBI student who claimed she suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of her father, a former student and part-time employee of the school beginning in the 1960s.
The school has acknowledged the accusation made by Fossen, who now lives in Florida, and has vowed to co-operate with the RCMP. The school president says he has also been approached by a second victim.
The college and Fossen are vowing to get to the bottom of the allegations, but so far are differing on how to proceed.
Fossen and her group of alleged victims want PBI to bring in an independent third party, while the school has offered to have one of its board members be the point of first contact for complaints.
Fossen wants PBI to hire the Virginia-based non-profit G.R.A.C.E., Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, which is led by its founder Baslye (Boz) Tchividjian. G.R.A.C.E. brings together experts from the legal, counselling and faith communities to help churches work through such allegations, and develop training and policies to prevent and deal with sexual assault allegations.
In addition, the organization is also equipped to do investigations of historical sexual assault and is now undertaking its second such investigation.
Once their investigations are complete, they provide a full report for both the church and victims.
Tchividjian is a former prosecutor who formed the Crimes Against Children division for Florida's state attorney and prosecuted hundreds of cases of child sex abuse. He is also famed Rev. Billy Graham's grandson.
From his experience leading this organization, which has been around since 2004, independence is important.
"Transparency is critical. A lot of times, and I don't know about the Prairie situation, in these types of institutions one of the failures has been keeping everything quiet, secret and under the radar," said Tchividjian in an interview with the Calgary Herald.
"All those types of things add to the damage."
"We're very adamant that objectivity, transparency, those things are critical for any type of investigation to have any type of credibility."
He said he has not been contacted by PBI and only knows what he has seen on a Facebook group page about the accusations.
Fossen has given the college until the end of the year to hire G.R.A.C.E. or face their second option: civil litigation
"I think it's time for Prairie to step up to the plate and put themselves under a microscope and let them look at what's happened, let them articulate it and put it on paper," said Fossen.
PBI originally balked at the idea of bringing in an outside group, with its president Mark Maxwell saying the school did not want to bring in an American organization that did not know Canadian law.
It's an excuse Fossen doesn't buy because they aren't being brought into to help apply the law, but rather to guide a process of understanding sexual abuse and how to prevent it.
"G.R.A.C.E. is not a law-enforcement agency. Canadian companies and schools can hire whoever they want. They can hire someone in Singapore. It makes no difference," said Fossen.
Maxwell is expected to address the allegations Monday, and many people will be watching to see how the college reacts.
With PBI students and alumni among the congregation at the St. Barnabas Anglican Church — and Enns himself a faculty member at the non-denominational Protestant college — the abuse allegations were a topic of concern Sunday.
"It hits pretty close to home," Enns said.
It's important the allegations are thoroughly investigated and that PBI and the community are there to support anyone who may have been victimized, said Enns.
"It's an opportunity, we hope, to see God's name honoured and to bring about healing and justice, where needed," he said.
That justice, Enns added, should be extended to anyone who may be falsely implicated.
Maxwell was right to publicly acknowledge the allegations and vow openness, said Enns.
The current president is the grandson of PBI's founder, L.E. Maxwell, who cultivated an atmosphere of insularity around the school, writing in 1931: "We need militancy in our faith before we shall get anywhere fighting the foes arrayed against us."
In contrast, many see Mark Maxwell as someone who has brought PBI closer to the surrounding community since taking over last year.
"The last few years, with Mark's leadership, there has been much more of a sense of pulling together," Enns said.
"The divide between town and gown used to be much more significant."
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