KANSAS CITY (MO)
SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [Chicago IL]
February 5, 2025
According to a new report, at least 17 former or current staff members at the Kansas City-based International House of Prayer (IHOP) including founder Mike Bickle, are accused of sexual crimes and misdeeds. For the safety of the public, we hope that the additional 16 names are soon made public as well.
We also hope that a similar investigation into accusations at an orphanage run by a Union MO-based non-profit, Ninos de Mexico, due out later this year, will be even more thorough and detailed than the IHOP probe.
The scathing report on IHOP describes “a longstanding culture of systemic abuse and cover-up” within the community that apparently goes much deeper than just the wrongdoing of a few officials at the top.
We hope that law enforcement officials, in Missouri and elsewhere, will digest and circulate the information in this report. We hope they will use every means possible to beg others with knowledge or suspicions of similar crimes and cover-ups to come forward, so that at least a few of these accused abusers may face justice in court.
We also applaud the courage of Deborah Perkins, Tammy Woods, Terry Hartley, the Jane and John Does, and each person who found the strength and courage to report the horrors they endured. Society owes them a debt of gratitude and they deserve to be praised and thanked for their bravery and compassion.
Niños de México, a Christian mission supported by the Restoration Movement churches, and operates eight children’s homes in the Mexico City area.
In January of 2023, public allegations from multiple sources — Eric Miller, Olivia Paula Cuevas, and Douglas Lay — reported sexual and physical abuse of children by staff members and older children, as well as a cover-up by key officials. Eric Miller has documented these allegations on his blog, “What’s Wrong with Niños de México?”
A year later, after growing pressure from advocates, victims, and supporters, the board of directors Niños de México hired the organization G.R.A.C.E. to conduct an independent investigation. The probe began in March of 2024. It was expected to take at least a year.
Again, we hope the results of the investigation are revealed soon and that wrongdoers are publicly named.
For info on Ninos de Mexico, contact Doug Lay at 314 646 9316 or isitenough15@gmail.com
In conclusion, our hearts ache for every single person who saw, suspected or suffered crimes or cover-ups at IHOP or Ninos de Mexico. We hope each and every one will contact our support group and other independent, trustworthy sources of help, so that those who are wounded can find healing and so that those who are vulnerable will be made safer.
CONTACT: David Clohessy, SNAP Missouri (davidgclohessy@gmail.com, 314-566-9790), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Director (msakoda@snapnetwork.org, 925-708-6175), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Interim Executive Director (sdougherty@snapnetwork.org, 814-341-8386)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)