CALIFORNIA
San Diego Reader
By Dorian Hargrove, Aug. 8, 2017
A former associate pastor at the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church is suing the church and it’s new pastor Bryan Stamper for sexual harassment and for terminating her after she complained to church administrators.
Dawn Neldon was hired in 2008 to serve as a youth minister. After a number of years working for the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church, Neldon was promoted to a “minister of missions and serving” position inside the church.
In March 2017, the church named Bryan Stamper, a pastor from Texas, as its new head pastor. That same month Neldon and Stamper, along with other church staffers, took a bus to a conference in Irvine, California. During the ride, Stamper sat next to Neldon. He told Neldon about a former parishioner, an older lady, who, according to the complaint, liked to grab “his butt every time he saw her.” He said he was happy to give her that little thrill.
The story, in addition to his flirtatious behavior, made Neldon uncomfortable. Later at the conference, Stamper addressed Neldon as “honey, baby, and sweetheart.” During the ride home Stamper approached Neldon and compared his body to a “Lamborghini” that “couldn’t be kept in the garage.”
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