Pastor Speaks out on 11-year-old Sexual Abuse Case

By Amanda VanAllen
WFMZ
March 22, 2017

http://www.wfmz.com/news/berks/pastor-speaks-out-on-11-year-old-sexual-abuse-case/407285699

A church leader in Berks County spoke out Tuesday, one day after a man surrendered to detectives on child sexual assault charges.

Authorities said the man was doing technical work at a church function in 2006 when he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl.

"In the fall of this past year, a member of my congregation came to me with a phone call that she was confused and concerned over," said Pastor Richard Moore, St. John's Lutheran Evangelical Church in Sinking Spring

Moore said that phone call was from the mother of a young girl who said she had been sexually assaulted at a church function in 2006.

"We had to then contact the authorities and report the incident and let the family know that we would be doing that," said Moore.

The victim didn't come forward until recently.

Moore was not the church's pastor when the alleged assault occurred.


Authorities said Jonathan Buchanan, a subcontracted technical support worker for a youth group function, sexually abused the girl at the church. They said he did so again when he drove her home that night.

Moore said he's been transparent with his congregation during the entire investigation.

"We were imagining at the time that, by sharing this incident or sharing this investigation with our congregation, might indeed provoke who knows maybe one, two, three or a handful of other folks who may have had this on their conscience for awhile," he said. "We're aware of the statistics and the numbers of women who are affected by sexual assault in some sort of way is really a staggering high number."