BishopAccountability.org
 
  Registered Sex Offender Now Ordained by Germantown Church

WHAS
September 13, 2009

http://www.whas11.com/topstories/stories/whas11-topstories-090913-offender-ordained.178011200.html

(WHAS11) - It's a controversial local story making national headlines. Sunday morning, during their 11 o'clock service, The City of Refuge Worship Center in Germantown ordained a registered sex offender as a minister.

On any other Sunday, protesters likely would not have been outside of The City of Refuge Worship Center. But this morning, was different because a man charged with sodomy, sexual abuse and intimidation of an 11 year old boy back in 1998, was ordained.

Call him Pastor Mark Hourigan.

Hence, the controversy – "One of the things that really concerns me, what if this man starts reaching out to other people, what's to keep him from reaching out to child molesters in this neighborhood? We have roughly 12 or 13 child molesters in this zip code,” said Richard Lauersdorf, who’s against Hourigan's ordination.

"It's wonderful that he's a member of this church, but he does not need to be ordained as a minister with that kind of position or authority... it's wrong,” said Rochelle Fournier, a member of the Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests.

We were not allowed inside the church for Hourigan's ordination ceremony or to ask him or head Pastor Randy Meadows any questions.

But the man convicted of two counts of sex abuse, who served four years and eight months in prison, spoke to CNN last week about why he's pursuing this path.

"I felt the acceptance and the love, that God can use me ... that need that hope and need that light,” said Hourigan.

And a friend of the church, Reverend Aletha Field, spoke on behalf of Hourigan and Pastor Meadows before the ceremony began.

"In all of it, this is about what God has called forward and I believe that's what the Pastor believes and what the church members believe who were made aware of this long before any media blitz,” said Field

But members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests say the pulpit is not the place for a man listed on the sex offender registry for life.

"I know from my abuse that we look up to ministers and priests and that status gives him more power and that's what sex abuse is all about, it's a power play,” said Colleen Powell, the local leader of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.

"It really hurts, it really hurts. I could not believe it. I said maybe they're naive. Something's wrong. So I let my conscience be my guide, that's why I'm here,” said John Scott, who’s against Hourigan's ordination.

"I know that Pastor Meadows holds his ministry team in very high accountability. Whether it's the folks that have been ordained today or people who have been previously ordained. The accountability is just really amazing," said Field.

"I want people to know that church will not put children, members of the church or brother mark in harm’s way in anyway,” said Pastor Randy Meadows.

In Kentucky, there's no law preventing sex offenders from being ordained -- as long as the applicant meets the criteria set forth by the church.

 
 

Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.