OKLAHOMA
Altus Times
The former pastor of the Elm & Hudson Church of Christ, Tom Bailey of Altus, was arrested Tuesday, Dec. 16 on a complaint of Child Sexual Abuse. (see the full story on the Altus Times website, altustimes.com) He has since been released from the Jackson County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
The Interim Minister for the Elm & Hudson Church of Christ, Daniel Ingram, provided the following statement from the church Elders about the reports, Bailey, and their church:
“In the past few days, Elm & Hudson Church of Christ has been mentioned in several media reports, and we felt it would be helpful to provide some insight into how our congregation has been impacted. On November 30, Tom Bailey resigned as our minister, effective immediately. As you might expect, he gave us very little information about the circumstances or reasons for his resignation, but our church leadership acted swiftly in accepting the resignation and doing their best to minister to those involved. Since that time, the charges now being reported in the media have come to light, and we remain deeply saddened by this situation. While none of these allegations relate to our church or to Tom’s role at our church, we have members of our family that are hurting and struggling. We ask the community to pray for Tom, his family, and all who are affected during this difficult time, especially the female victim who has been mentioned in the articles.
Here at Elm & Hudson, we are a broken people reaching out to a Savior who makes us whole. We are earnestly seeking to pour out God’s love on those most affected by this situation, and our sincere hope is that we will draw even closer as a family during this process. Elm & Hudson has been a loving family and an important part of the Altus community for over 100 years. We have always done our best to accomplish God’s purpose here on earth, and through His power, His love, His grace, and His mercy, we will continue to do amazing things here in our community for many more years to come.
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