58 APRIL 2020 WOMANSDAYMAGAZINE
Inspire / KEEP THE FAITH
a teenage girl when he was her youth pastor.
The following month, Bill Hybels, the influential
founder of Willow Creek Community Church
near Chicago, stepped down over sexual
misconduct allegations. That May, Paige
Patterson, the prominent president
of a Southern Baptist seminary,
was fired over allegations that he
mishandled a report of rape.
By November 22, 2017, Katie had
worked up the courage to share her
story. She logged in to Tw itter and
typed out her own account: “Groomed
at 15 by church employee, sexually
abused for four years...lifelong
megachurch turned [its] back on me.”
FINDING A FUTURE
Sitting in her living room
in Raleigh last November,
Katie reflected on the ways
the abuse still affected her.
her post, support poured
in. But even today she
has trouble sleeping. She
her and struggles to trust
unraveling all of this.”
She’s still hurt by what she perceives as
a lack of sensitivity from Calvary Church. She
says one of the pastors was compassionate,
but on the whole, she felt a lack of care. “They’ve
never said, ‘We’re sorry,’” she says.
In response to this article, Calvary Church
sent a three-paragraph statement saying in part:
“The case in question occurred before the tenure
of our current leadership. However...Calvary is
fully committed to providing a safe and nurturing
spiritual home for members and attenders of all
ages and backgrounds.” The church, it notes,
requires background checks and added oversight
and interviews for all who work with children
and students. The statement concludes, “We’re
thankful that Katie has shared her experience as
it has allowed us to have a heightened sensitivity
to the needs of survivors of abuse.”
WORKING FOR OTHERS
In the past year, Katie began to channel her
negative feelings into helping other victims of
child sex abuse in North Carolina. The state has
no statute of limitations for filing felony
sexual abuse charges, but until recently
victims had to file civil charges,
which can result in their receiving
monetary damages, before age 21.
“By the time people realize what
happened to them wasn’t OK, the
statute is done,” says Diane Langberg,
Ph.D., a psychologist who specializes
in treating survivors of church sexual
abuse. “There’s nothing they can
do about it. That’s more
damage upon damage.”
To help change this,
Katie wrote state legislators,
and she shared her story
in emails with staff at theIt also created a two-year window for other
survivors to file lawsuits. This provision
covers Katie’s case, and as this article went
to print, she was still weighing her options
regarding civil action.
Katie insists that none of her advocacy is
about damaging the church. She believes in God
and considers herself religious, but hasn’t felt
comfortable going to church in about two years.
“In this period of my life, I don’t have to be in
a church building to find church,” she says.
“I find Jesus more through other survivors
than I do hearing a sermon preached.”If you or someone you know has experienced
sexual abuse, call the National Sexual Assault
Hotline at 800 -656-HOPE ( 46 73).These days,
I find Jesus more
through othersurvivors than
I do hearing a
sermon preached,”
says Katie.COURTESYOF^SUBJECT.Katie with Governor Roy
Cooper in 2019 after he signed
the SAFE Child Act.