Houston revelation a Xmas 'surprise'

By Annette Blackwell
7 News
October 8, 2014

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/25205622/houston-revelation-a-xmas-surprise/

The head of the Hillsong Church will front the abuse inquiry to give testimony about his father.

The national executive of Australia's Pentecostal movement knew nothing of complaints against preacher Frank Houston until his son called a special meeting to say he had stood his father down, an inquiry has heard.

The meeting, which took place at the Qantas Club at Sydney Airport three days before Christmas 1999, was called by Hillsong pastor Brian Houston.

At the time he was national president of the Assemblies of God - a confederation of about 1000 evangelical churches.

It took place more than one year after Pastor Barbara Taylor had raised with state executives of the AoG the matter of Frank Houston's abuse of a seven-year-old boy in Sydney almost 30 years earlier.

Keith Ainge, former national secretary of AoG in Australia, has told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Brian Houston reported at the meeting his father had admitted to a sexual act with a minor.

Pastor Ainge said he and the others "knew nothing of the complaints against Frank Houston" until the December 1999 meeting.

The meeting upheld Brian Houston's decision, and agreed that Frank Houston be suspended from ministry for 12 months and be invited to enter a restorative program.

Pastor Ainge said there was not a great deal of information about the complaint except that there was "one incident" with a minor.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pastor Taylor, who is head of a small church in Mount Druitt, said she became concerned that AHA - the man abused as a child by Frank Houston - was still not getting the counselling he needed and wrote to Brian Houston in June 2000 that people were reporting to her Frank Houston was still preaching.

Brian Houston rang her and "was very angry", she said.

Pastor Taylor kept notes from the time and in those she recorded that Brian Houston told her his father was very depressed.

He also told her a meeting had taken place between AHA, his father, and an elder of his father's church.

AHA has told the commission Frank Houston asked for forgiveness and offered him $10,000 during a meeting at a McDonald's in Thornleigh.

He was given a "food-stained napkin" to sign, AHA said.

Pastor Taylor said she thought Brian Houston was angry because "he had dealt with it".

She also said as a "village pastor" she was not kept in the loop by the executive.

In reply to questions from Mark Higgins, counsel representing Hillsong Church Ltd, she said Brian Houston had asked her that any future contact be by phone, "because the staff opened his mail".

Outside the hearing Brian Houston said he welcomed the royal commission process.

He reiterated an earlier statement in which he said the pain to him of his father being engaged "in such horrific acts" was nothing compared with the pain of the victims.

He said Hillsong was resilient and there were no allegations against him or the church.

The hearing resumes on Thursday when Keith Ainge continues giving evidence.

Brian Houston is also expected to give evidence.