It is very difficult to do this kind of work successfully from across the room. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages to be determined at trial, according to the court filing. The longtime director of a Christian youth camp in Delevan is refusing to step down despite complaints that he inappropriately touched young women and girls at the camp and when he was a youth pastor in the 1990s at one of the areas largest churches. 1.) Carolyn McDonald, a former Circle C Ranch staffer, and Jerry Gillis, lead pastor at The Chapel, discuss the allegations against Wayne Aarum. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The state's rules allow for the camps to operate with different restrictions for the vaccinated and unvaccinated, with campers over the age of five required to wear masks and maintain social distancing in most situations. "I wish I had a more accurate way to respond to some of these things people are saying.". Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Finally, the notion that the allegations were planted or suggested by counselors or social workers is patently absurd.". If you are not a subscriber, or if you want a friend or loved one to enjoy the D&C like you do, please share this link with them featuring special subscription offers:https://bit.ly/3zlqulC. No, he said when asked whether he ever touched anyone inappropriately. OPTION 1: Bring your Youth Group. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Access to MinistryWatch content is free. In a March 26 interview with Buffalo TV station WKBWs 7 Eyewitness News Aarum said he had not been given the opportunity to defend himself by MinistrySafe and that witnesses who supported him had not been interviewed. When told it was for a youth camp, Bob wrote out a check for the amount needed. In late 2019, allegations of abuse against Aarum began picking up momentum when Carolyn McDonald, a former Circle C Ranch staffer who worked there in 2006, shared her story with leadership at The Chapel. Time and again, even as the local news industry has been buffeted for a quarter-century by change, reporting by trained professionals continues tobe a catalyst for positive change in our communities. Georgie Silvarole/USA TODAY Network New York People reported his alleged behavior to camp officials and church leaders over 20 times since 1997. You have permission to edit this article. For months, The Chapel facilitated conversations between women like McDonald, who say they were abused by Aarum,and the Circle C Ranch board of directors. Last week, Aarum filed a civil lawsuit against The Chapel alleging defamatory statements. The details, the word choices and the extra effort to confirm facts and reach difficult-to-reach people all matter greatly. Daryl Dekalb, a Circle C board director, says that Aarum is a True Christian. If I have offended you, I will apologize, he said during a church service in April. The Chapel has thousands of members on its rolls and helped launched several other congregations in Western New York. They initiated the whole process because she wanted [him] not to be able to work with kids anymore. While holding a crusade in Erie, PA Wes met a man named George Mckinley who asked him who was doing the plumbing for the camp? Multiple women told the 7 Eyewitness News I-Team that Aarum would sometimes touch intimate areas and would grab their bra straps. It made me mad watching the interview., Aarum, reached by phone denies that and all the allegations, saying again he wants the opportunity to talk with "anyone who has a problem with him. Cattaraugus County Sheriff's officials confirmed that they are investigating the matter. Norris runs MinistrySafe, which provides training and screening to prevent child sex abuse in churches, camps, youth sports and other settings. Aarum, who was a youth pastor at The Chapel, a large Buffalo-area church, and later the camp president at Circle C Ranch, a Christian camp in rural Cattaraugus County, was a well-known. Especially about potency and trying to defeat erectile dysfunction. An alleged victim who is now 25 and who said she was heavily involved at Circle C said, He would sit next to me and put his hand on my leg and rub my inner thigh and outer thigh. Leaders at The Chapel said they, through MinistrySafe, also reported the allegations to law enforcement. I pledge to you this:TheD&Cteam will do its best to serve Greater Rochester and each of our readers every single day. But Dekalb defended Aarum as a "true Christian" and said he had done nothing wrong. But the 7 Eyewitness News I-Team heard from multiple women who said they were not included in the MinistrySafe investigation, which examined claims stretching as far back as the 1990s, and who said their allegations stem from a time at Circle C Ranch between 2000 and 2016. Wayne Aarum and his wife, Julie, in an interview with WKBW-TV about allegations that Wayne Aarum inappropriately touched girls and young women while a youth minister at The Chapel and at Circle. Read their stories. It takes courage to stand up to The Chapels leadership and demand that they stop spending large amounts of the members money pursuing a broad attack on Wayne Aarum that they believe is factually unsupportable, the statement said. Aarum denies the allegations against him and continues to operate the Circle C Ranch. I worked in the ministry, my wife and I have worked in this ministry, all of those same years that theyre talking about. Circle "C" Ranch is a christian youth camp about an hour south of Buffalo New York, the setting is very unique in the fact that it is themed in the 18 See more Its a thrill to see what God has done over the years. Attorney Kimberlee Norris said she interviewed 21 women who alleged inappropriate touch by Aarum. "Circle C Ranch is aware of allegations raised against our President. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. In addition to his duties at Circle C Ranch, Aarum also currently serves as a pastor at First Baptist Church of Arcade in Wyoming County. That investigation found more than 20 women who said Wayne Aarum touched them inappropriately or fostered inappropriate and abusive relationships with them, both at The Chapel in the 1990s and later at Circle C Ranch, according to a report prepared by MinistrySafe investigator Kimberlee Norris. Report stated 21 women have made allegations. The lawsuit alleges The Chapel's executive pastor, John Camardo, used the abuse allegations against Aarum as a way to damage Aarum'sreputation and ability to conduct business, according to the filings. Reporters also tried to contactRonald Snell,a longtime friend of Wes Aarum Sr. andCircle C board member for a short period, whowas also present at the meeting. It would have board-walks, hitching rails, a Sheriffs office with two cells, an old country store, a dining hall, a chapel, cabins that could accommodate 192 campers plus 32 counselors, a swimming hole (pond) and a corral that contained a herd of horses. It was 50 miles south of Buffalo, NY on a 315 acre piece of land that had been a farm. Woman says she reported possible abuse at Circle C Ranch to police years ago. An email to Wayne Aurum, and a call to attorney's in Williamsville who are representing Aurum in the defamation lawsuit were not returned Monday. Circle C Ranch released its own investigation of the allegations at The Chapel on the ranch's website in March 2021. Nothing happened. Aarum left his role at The Chapel in 2000. Aarum and the Circle C board members did not respond when asked how thisinvestigation was conducted and who conducted it. We all knew starting on Monday -- when the campers arrived -- we all could pick out which of our girls were going to receive the most attention, be the favorite and the ones we would keep an eye on, Heather Sticht, a former employee of the camp, said in an interview with 7 Eyewitness News. Wes Aarum recently resigned from the Chapel after declining to step down from the Circle C Ranch board, according to a transcript of a meeting Camardo had with church members in January. I remember looking at my friend in pure terror., This woman said that at times Aarum would corner her in the camp and that one time, when she was 15 years old, he told her, youre just so beautiful and guys are going to want to be with you and have sex with you because youre so beautiful., She said, the staff all knew about it. In school, our teachers told us to "show our math," or how we worked out a problem. There was documentation of people going to Wayne and saying, Hey listen, like, we love you, but you need to be careful of this.' Shortly after her graduation they were married. A copy of the report, which was obtained by 7 Eyewitness News, stated: In the course of the MinistrySafe investigation, these behaviors were communicated: -stroking legs (outside clothing and on bare skin), -touching vaginal area- outside clothing (in shorts or jeans), -touching, rubbing and stroking breasts, outside clothing, -stroking from hips to breasts, clothed, on the side of the body, -pressing penis into back of girl (hugging from behind), -rubbing penis repeatedly in a girls presence, -extended hug of a partially dressed girl", The report stated that 27 people came forward to corroborate some of the alleged behaviors, including hand rubbing inside of thighfailing to honor preference NOT to be touched and meeting 1/1 with girls late into the night.. Wayne Aarum, a former senior high minister atThe Chapel at Crosspointin Getzville, New York, current pastor ofFirst Baptist Churchin Arcade, New York, and the operator ofCircle C Ranchyouth camp in Delevan, New York, stands accused of sexually assaulting at least twenty-one girls spanning decades. Whether you are a loyal D&C reader or a new one, please know that stories like this are possible because of subscribers like you. Click here to read the statement from Circle C Ranch. Anne Stych is a writer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Now there was a need for the total of $40,000 to get things moving. It isan investigative journalist's role to examine possible abuses of power or allegations of misfeasance or malfeasancethoroughly,keeping fairness and accuracy front and center in their work. Snell could not be reachedafterrepeated attempts, including a letter to his home, phone calls and an email to his wife.". Some church members objected to what they considered a lack of disclosure earlier about the allegations against Aarum, while others suggested the investigation was tilted against Aarum. No, he said when asked whether he ever touched anyone inappropriately. He also currently serves as pastor of theFirst Baptist Church of Arcade, New York. But now that she is an adult, she said she would describe the interactions with girls as intimate and a form of grooming.. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Youth pastor, Christian camp director accused of inappropriately touching teen girls, 21 women who alleged Aarum touched them inappropriately, Sabres place Alex Tuch on injured reserve; top-line winger's status is uncertain, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone. The Chapel first hired MinistrySafe in 2019 to improve its policies after unrelated sexual abuse allegations at its Lockport worship site were reported by The Buffalo News in 2019. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. And this started 20 years ago, said Fancher. The membership was advised that the independent investigation credibly confirmed a pattern of inappropriate interaction with young women involved in The Chapel's student ministry in the late 90s and also uncovered ongoing inappropriate interaction with young women not associated with The Chapel who had been involved in the previously referenced local youth camp over the last two decades, The Chapel said in its statement. Its all lightweight stuff theyre bringing up anyway, Dekalb said. If you are experiencing difficulties logging in or are a subscriber getting a paywall, please try one or more of the following steps. I have been a staff reporter at The Buffalo News since 2002 and currently am part of the watchdog team. Email:[emailprotected] Sticht, who said she worked at the summer camp from 2000 to 2003, said she witnessed Aarum hug a girl in a way that his fingers would be touching the underwire of her bra., Id see Wayne touching these girls, exactly the ones we knew he would, at the rock climbing wall, Stitch said. I remember a lot of hugs lasting a little too long.. Aarum denied such behavior last week, saying, I can tell you right now I never did thatand I would love an opportunity to talk to them.. Delaware North scores with billboard with Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka, well, you know Pastor accused of touching girls sues Amherst church over allegations, Watch now: Youth pastor, Christian camp director accused of inappropriately touching teen girls, More than 300 words have been added to the English dictionary, Citizens travel to Peru's capitol Lima to protest against Boluarte, Senators react to the end of emergency SNAP benefits, Russia accuses U.S. of intent to use chemical weapons in Ukraine. Campbell declined to comment further when contacted by The News. Some Chapel members expressed anger and frustration over how leadership handled the investigation of Aarum, who was popular with many people connected to the church. Two men face multiple charges following a chase and search Saturday night in the Town of Collins, Erie County Sheriff John C. Garcia reported Tuesday. It is important for you to know that both The Chapel leadership and MinistrySafe have found the allegations to be credible, and we continue to stand with those who have courageously come forward, Chapel leadership said Friday in a statement posted to the churchs website. For many years, The Chapel, a popular nondenominational megachurch with several offshoot congregations, encouraged families to send their children to Circle C Ranch. They travelled over 100 miles one way every weekend until the job as done and then they donated all the fixtures as well. I have never had any sexual interaction with anyone other than my wife. If you are new to the Web site, be sure to complete the Sign Up information to receive a password to the private and secured portions of the site. That was of the Lord. Women allege WNY Christian camp director has abused teens since 1990s. The Circle C Homeowners Association is a non-profit corporation governed by a seven member Board of Directors. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. The board also claims that the Chapel is attempting to use the womens claims to generate controversy and take over the 315-acre rural camp that has been in the Aarum family since 1968. In a letter to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Norris outlined dozens of alleged incidents connected with the youth group and the camp, including Aarum touching girls intimately, saying intimate things to them, and entering cabins while girls were changing clothes. Last week's investigation by USA TODAY Network New York State Team reporters Sarah Taddeo and Georgie Silvarole is just such an example. Another alleged victim wrote to the I-Team that the inappropriate contact such as the unsolicited long hugs and hands near or on the breasts and hips were so disturbing that the youth group she was a part of confronted Aarum and his father. The work poses many challenges. 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