MCF
MCF Communication
To the Church, the community of Mount Shasta, and surrounding neighbors in Siskiyou County.
From Mountain Christian Fellowship, our Pastors & Elders,
The past few months have been painful and challenging. Since May 1st, when one of our Elder’s, Kevin Hughes, sin of child sexual abuse was discovered, we have wrestled with sorrow, regret, and overwhelming sense of the devastating effects of sin. The trauma and hurt that his victims and their families are enduring is past our imagining and one that we cannot fathom how anything, outside of the powerful love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ, could possibly bring any sense of relief or restoration.
Our church’s decision to allow Kevin Hughes to be appointed, and further to remain as, an Elder at MCF, despite the fact that he had a previous count of child sexual abuse on his record from thirty-eight years ago, has proven to be a failure in vigilance to love and protect our community and has posed an obstacle for our witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although, we as Pastors and Elders at MCF, were unaware and misinformed about some of the important details of Kevin Hughes’s previous crime, and although we were also given to understand that his history had been addressed and accepted by previous leadership at MCF, our diligence to inquire further into this matter was shown to be inadequate in light of the severity and nature of that crime. Our vision at Mountain Christian Fellowship is that we would be “a place where restoration through Jesus Christ can be found”. We are fully convinced that when a person comes to faith in the saving power of knowing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, that we are completely forgiven of all our sins, that we become born again, a new creation, and that we are indwelled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life that is fully pleasing to God. However, our passing over of the significance and persistent peril of sexual sin against children, as in the instance of Kevin Hughes, presented a risk of pain, hurt, and broken trust that we should have been far more vigilant to guard against. A risk that, tragically, has resulted in so much grief and damaged trust within our community.
As we seek the Lord for how to heal, grow, and move forward from this tragedy, these are the steps we have taken, the polices and decisions we have established, and the direction in which we believe God is leading us.
First, after discovering his actions on May 1st, we immediately and permanently removed Kevin Hughes as an Elder at MCF. We also were open and transparent with all aspects of the ongoing investigation that were brought to our attention, and have continued to endeavor to be so, up to his recent pleading guilty of all the counts brought against him, and we are committed to be as open and transparent as possible if there is anything further that may come to light in the future.
Second, Pastor John Yount, Randy Robinson, and Pastor Jacob Bass, have made themselves available for personal conversations with anyone within our church, our community, and the families of the victims to hear any questions and concerns that they may have had over the past few months, and we will continue to be available for any similar conversations into the future. We have shared openly with our church about what has happened and as to what steps we were taking in response to Kevin’s actions.
Third, Pastor John Yount and Randy Robinson, as the remaining members of the MCF Elder Board, invited Pastor Bryan Blank of LCC Redding and Pastor Pete Lorenzen of LCC MacArthur, to step into the role of Elders at MCF to provide accountability, support, and guidance through this season of ministry, to which they both graciously accepted.
Fourth, we have adopted a policy that prohibits any individual who has been convicted of a felonious sexual offense from serving in a paid or volunteer leadership role.
(the full policy can be reviewed HERE).
Fifth, we implemented a planned training for child sexual abuse awareness and prevention, a training which will become mandatory for all employees and volunteers who minister to children at MCF in the future.
Sixth, we will be beginning a season of prayer and fasting as a church, seeking the Lord in repentance, humility and earnestness to know how to continue to improve our awareness and vigilance to help prevent something like this from happening in the future. We know that we still have a long way to go, but are dedicated to growing in this area of life and ministry within our community.
We are also developing other policies and measures that will provide greater safety, accountability, and vigilance in the future. These include adopting and implementing more comprehensive safety policies and procedures for our youth and children’s ministries, installing and managing improved video surveillance equipment on our campus, and providing ongoing ministry and training opportunities to help us be better at understanding how to love and protect those that God entrusts to our care.
We know that nothing we can do can atone for the devastating effects of sin, or the effects of our decisions in the past. However, we believe that it is “…God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”(2 Corinthians 4:6) We believe in Jesus, in His full and perfect work of atonement, and we believe in His gracious calling that He has placed upon us to be “…ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”(2 Corinthians 5:20-21) And further, we are committed to “…having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”(2 Corinthians 7:1)
Again, If you have further questions or concerns that you would like to share, please contact the church at john@mcfshasta.com or at 530 926 6755. Our prayers will continue to be for those most devastated by this terrible tragedy, the victims and their families, and we hope that our community will seek on their behalf “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
With sincerity and hope,
Mountain Christian Fellowship Pastors & Elders,
Pastor John Yount
Pastor Jacob Bass
Randy Robinson
Pastor Bryan Blank
Pastor Pete Lorenzen
From Mountain Christian Fellowship, our Pastors & Elders,
The past few months have been painful and challenging. Since May 1st, when one of our Elder’s, Kevin Hughes, sin of child sexual abuse was discovered, we have wrestled with sorrow, regret, and overwhelming sense of the devastating effects of sin. The trauma and hurt that his victims and their families are enduring is past our imagining and one that we cannot fathom how anything, outside of the powerful love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ, could possibly bring any sense of relief or restoration.
Our church’s decision to allow Kevin Hughes to be appointed, and further to remain as, an Elder at MCF, despite the fact that he had a previous count of child sexual abuse on his record from thirty-eight years ago, has proven to be a failure in vigilance to love and protect our community and has posed an obstacle for our witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although, we as Pastors and Elders at MCF, were unaware and misinformed about some of the important details of Kevin Hughes’s previous crime, and although we were also given to understand that his history had been addressed and accepted by previous leadership at MCF, our diligence to inquire further into this matter was shown to be inadequate in light of the severity and nature of that crime. Our vision at Mountain Christian Fellowship is that we would be “a place where restoration through Jesus Christ can be found”. We are fully convinced that when a person comes to faith in the saving power of knowing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, that we are completely forgiven of all our sins, that we become born again, a new creation, and that we are indwelled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life that is fully pleasing to God. However, our passing over of the significance and persistent peril of sexual sin against children, as in the instance of Kevin Hughes, presented a risk of pain, hurt, and broken trust that we should have been far more vigilant to guard against. A risk that, tragically, has resulted in so much grief and damaged trust within our community.
As we seek the Lord for how to heal, grow, and move forward from this tragedy, these are the steps we have taken, the polices and decisions we have established, and the direction in which we believe God is leading us.
First, after discovering his actions on May 1st, we immediately and permanently removed Kevin Hughes as an Elder at MCF. We also were open and transparent with all aspects of the ongoing investigation that were brought to our attention, and have continued to endeavor to be so, up to his recent pleading guilty of all the counts brought against him, and we are committed to be as open and transparent as possible if there is anything further that may come to light in the future.
Second, Pastor John Yount, Randy Robinson, and Pastor Jacob Bass, have made themselves available for personal conversations with anyone within our church, our community, and the families of the victims to hear any questions and concerns that they may have had over the past few months, and we will continue to be available for any similar conversations into the future. We have shared openly with our church about what has happened and as to what steps we were taking in response to Kevin’s actions.
Third, Pastor John Yount and Randy Robinson, as the remaining members of the MCF Elder Board, invited Pastor Bryan Blank of LCC Redding and Pastor Pete Lorenzen of LCC MacArthur, to step into the role of Elders at MCF to provide accountability, support, and guidance through this season of ministry, to which they both graciously accepted.
Fourth, we have adopted a policy that prohibits any individual who has been convicted of a felonious sexual offense from serving in a paid or volunteer leadership role.
(the full policy can be reviewed HERE).
Fifth, we implemented a planned training for child sexual abuse awareness and prevention, a training which will become mandatory for all employees and volunteers who minister to children at MCF in the future.
Sixth, we will be beginning a season of prayer and fasting as a church, seeking the Lord in repentance, humility and earnestness to know how to continue to improve our awareness and vigilance to help prevent something like this from happening in the future. We know that we still have a long way to go, but are dedicated to growing in this area of life and ministry within our community.
We are also developing other policies and measures that will provide greater safety, accountability, and vigilance in the future. These include adopting and implementing more comprehensive safety policies and procedures for our youth and children’s ministries, installing and managing improved video surveillance equipment on our campus, and providing ongoing ministry and training opportunities to help us be better at understanding how to love and protect those that God entrusts to our care.
We know that nothing we can do can atone for the devastating effects of sin, or the effects of our decisions in the past. However, we believe that it is “…God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”(2 Corinthians 4:6) We believe in Jesus, in His full and perfect work of atonement, and we believe in His gracious calling that He has placed upon us to be “…ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”(2 Corinthians 5:20-21) And further, we are committed to “…having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”(2 Corinthians 7:1)
Again, If you have further questions or concerns that you would like to share, please contact the church at john@mcfshasta.com or at 530 926 6755. Our prayers will continue to be for those most devastated by this terrible tragedy, the victims and their families, and we hope that our community will seek on their behalf “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
With sincerity and hope,
Mountain Christian Fellowship Pastors & Elders,
Pastor John Yount
Pastor Jacob Bass
Randy Robinson
Pastor Bryan Blank
Pastor Pete Lorenzen