In a 2021 phone interview recorded by a reporter, Kanakuk COO. [Letter From Joe White]. He was a camp director at Kanakuk Kamps, one of the largest Christian camps in the world. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. This lawsuit is being filed to hold Kanakuk accountable, and to give Logan and potentially other victims and survivors their voices back.. OnApril 15, more than a month after Newmans confession, a caseworkercontactedthe Sheriffs department. Kanakuk Kamps has responded to only one investigation report, and they didnt even recognize their role in allowing the abuse to continue. "We believe under Missouri law that, although Logan is not suing to rescind the settlement agreement that he entered into in 2010, we do believe that Missouri law affords him an alternative recovery that would allow him to seek and recover potentially the full value of the damages that he was deprived of. (Neugebauer confirmed the dates by combing through archived emails; Neugebauers wife, Melissa, corroborated the timing of these events by consulting her journals from that period.). A new lawsuit has been filed against Kanakuk Kamps. The abuse from 2 men was horrific and Im grateful they are serving time. But I was shocked at the amount of money Joe wanted the nonprofit to pay him for the camp, Neugebauer said. For this, we are deeply regretful and apologetic. With the release of the new articles, former Kanakuk campers, staff and sexual abuse survivors have come forward from cities that include Dallas and Amarillo, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Nashville, Tenn.; and Fayetteville, Ark. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. After Newmans confession, Neugebauer contacted Kanakuk leadership. We told Pete he could no longer work at Kamp and that he needed to leave Branson that day, Cooper said. Neugebauerbelieving the retreat would be beneficial for the boyallowed him to use his frequent flier miles to make the trip more affordable. More:Survivors, ex-employees say unreported abuse at Kanakuk camps in Branson spans decades. The settlements inhibit victims and their families from sharing their stories and as a result, hinder their recovery process. They continue to twist the truth under the banner of sharing facts. "He's one of the most prolific serial abusers that I've ever heard of," French said during Wednesday's St. Louis on the Air. Further, we will not be surprised and are also fully prepared if future publicity stunts by these groups should include protests, lawsuits, podcasts or other efforts to gain media attention or disrupt our ministry operations. "We think its going to become pretty apparent from the petition that that wasnt true," Martens said. No More Victims LLC. Kanakuk issued the following statement on Friday after the lawsuit was filed: "Kanakuk received this lawsuit only this morning, apparently after others had received copies of it. I was in advanced discussions with them. The devil will try to kill & destroy. This article was originally published at Ministry Watch. Jody Jones, who flew from Utah to testify, was a camper at Kanakuk in 1985, when she was 8. No More Victims LLC, the group behind the Facts About Kanakuk website, said in a statement it has received reports of eight Kanakuk victims whose deaths are suspected to be related to their abuse., The News-Leader reported, One Newman victim, Trey Carlock, died by suicide in 2019 shortly after settling his case with Kanakuk. If you cant trust Kanakuk, who the hell can you trust?. Our hearts grieve for all victims and their families (some of whom are current or former employees) and the pain they have endured. "We know there are several hurdles that we will inevitably meet and were just trying to take it one step at a time to see if we can get him back on the path toward full justice.". Their lengthy investigation determined that no other Kanakuk employee or leadership member was aware of Mr. Newmans illegal activities. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics. Red flag. DEIJ Policy | Ethics Policy | Privacy Policy. We believe that abuse of a child is deplorable and stands counter to our mission and Christian calling. According to Neugebauer, White said, Toby, get on board. John Hobbs, who testified in support of the bill, and said he was abused by a former Boy Scout leader, asked: Is it really worth todays world trying to suppress someones life such as mine simply to save your extremely wealthy company and/or clients money?, This bill, Hobbs later continued, starts the path of holding institutions accountable., by Clara Bates, Missouri Independent February 14, 2023. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia), along with other lawmakers, disagreed with those opposed. Neugebauer, the co-founder ofQuantum Energy PartnersandBanzai Capital Group, sent his kids to Kanakuk Kamps for years and sponsored dozens of other children, especially children of people in ministry. Nobody has resigned as a result of the failure to stop a decade of abuse. The bill also includes a retroactive piece, called a window or revival law, which allows cases that were barred or dismissed due to a statute of limitation to be revived during a window of two years. This camp helped grown their relationship with the Lord & supported their faith walk. Pete Newman is serving two life sentences plus 30 years. The current system is one we know and that were working with. Following the events of 2009, Kanakuk has continued to work tirelessly to help ensure that this deeply deceptive and abusive behavior does not happen again. Known as a charismatic director and ambassador for the camp prior to his 2009 arrest, Newman was charged with crimes involving six underage victims and admitted during sentencing to having inappropriate activity with as many as 13 more campers, according to past News-Leader reporting. For more than a decade, the camp has been under scrutiny for reports of sexual abuse. Neugebauer noted that White did not have what he perceived to be the normal reactions of a person learning of the abuse for the first time, because White did not want to involve law enforcement. In 2003, Kanakuk had used this accountability strategy with Newman after the camp discovered hed been swimming and four-wheeling nude with campers and had received parental complaints. Branson-based Kanakuk Kamps and its associated ministries area multi-million-dollar global enterprise that includes the largest evangelical sports camp in the world. Vicki Morgan, who was Joe Whites secretary from 2005 until 2012, remembered Neugebauer as a Kanakuk parent. 2015 A federal case filed in Texas by John Doe III, originally filed in 2013, is settled because "all matters in controversy between the parties have been resolved." 2012 decade of Newmans nudity and parental complaints, NDAs prevented most of the plaintiffs from sharing their stories, history of turning a blind eye to predation, On March 10th, at 11 a.m., I met with Doug Goodwin and Joe White, guidelines posted by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, former gymnast who blew the whistle on Larry Nassar. It also implied Newman left voluntarily instead of being terminated. We want victims to know that their voices are heard and that we will never stop being sorry for the pain inflicted upon them by these perpetrators. Any victim can reach out to Kanakuk by emailing us at victimsupport@kanakuk.com or access several independent victim advocacy organizations such as ChildHelp.org or Rainn.org who can provide access to local support services, reporting assistance, and educational resources. While we could never keep up with all of our alumni family, we know the vast majority of them have left Kanakuk and gone on to raise amazing families and serve their communities through careers in full-time ministry, law, medicine, science, civil service, teaching, military service, and professional sports. He believed other predators could be at the camp, as well as other victims. Keith Dygert, who said he was abused as a child at Kanakuk Kamps near Branson, testified in support of a bill to extend the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse survivors in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 13, 2023 (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent). conservative online news outlet The Dispatch, Survivors, ex-employees say unreported abuse at Kanakuk camps in Branson spans decades, It was just a thing at Kanakuk: Campers and staff say nudity was part of camp culture, Kanakuk camper says she was told to apologize, denied call home after reporting abuse, Kanakuk's statement provided in response to the News-Leader's questions, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Many of the men I served with were fathers of kids in our classroom who were happy to be with them and their age group. From protocols regarding slippery surfaces, inclement weather, and facilities safety to the prevention of abuse through Kanakuks 3 Rules and 6 Boundaries, the safety conversation with our staff begins in the interview process and is built into the fabric of who we are as an organization. Yes, we had background checks and other precautions in place. We also documented Kanakuks lack of action, even after several parental complaints. Additionally, Kanakuk set out to elevate our safety practices, which resulted in the Kanakuk Child Protection Plan (the CPP) The CPP, which contains over 340 identifiable and measurable protective elements, is integrated throughout the Kanakuk organization and has been shared with more than 600 youth-serving organizations across the country. Many prayers for the victims & their families. Where we have failed in this effort, we are sincerely sorry. Patriarchal Christianity provides the perfect environment for committing and covering up sexual abuse. Our desire is to support victims and help them in their healing journey. The true fact is that this group is not interested in anything more than furthering their agenda. Our Kanakuk Child Protection Plan, which contains over 340 identifiable and measurable protective elements, is integrated throughout our organization and has been shared with more than 600 youth-serving organizations across the country. Instead, White encouraged Neugebauer to forgive Newman and to protect the camp without calling the authorities, according to Neugebauer. Many of the allegations in these and previous articles involve incidents from the 1990s, 2000s and early 2010s. As soon as Kanakuk became aware of abuse, we took action, including immediate termination and subsequently reported him to authorities. In late May, a full two months after Newman confessed, summer counselors were told Newman was still associated with the camp. Vice News speaks with survivors, who say the camp has used confidentiality clauses to keep them quiet. The boys allegedly recorded were ages 13 to 16. It too enjoys a "50 year lease with a 50-year option." According to John Jensen, the Chief Business Officer for Kanakuk Ministries, "All the land tied to this lease [with Kukorp] will revert to Kanakuk upon the death of Joe and Debbie-Jo White." Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. After serving more than 30 years in the K-1 ministry at two different churches I saw tremendous value in males serving our children. In 2010, Newman pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexually abusing boys. This termination . Power, a platform, money, reputation, money, a wholesome image to protect because that image is the cash cowall these factors combine to make silencing victims very attractive to predators and their minions. Kanakuk Kamps, headquartered in Branson, Mo., begins camp terms next week and plans to host 20,000 children this summer. We were wrong in our understanding of the language of many of these agreements, and we failed to recognize the restrictions both real and perceived that many victims are under. The fact is that neither Joe nor Petes immediate supervisors would have ever allowed him to remain on staff if they suspected him of abusing kids. Start your search below to view summer availability. She added, A few days before my brother died, he told a therapist, They are always going to control me and Ill never be free, she said. As soon as Kanakuk became aware of abuse, we took action, including immediate termination and reporting him to authorities. The child she named was the same child Neugebauer helped send on the ill-fated retreat. Neugebauer says White refused to support an independent investigation and evaluation of the camp by an outside source. On Monday night, when he and other survivors of childhood sexual abuse testified at a public hearing of the Missouri House Judiciary Committee, Hoffpauir said hes come to believe there was someone else responsible: Camp leadership, including Kanakuk CEO Joe White, who remains in charge. Warren Cole Smith is president of MinistryWatch.com, a donor watchdog group. There also seems to be a problem with recruitment screening. Its a critical necessity for their healing and restoration. Kanakuk is a great place, a special place. I remember hearing about Pete doing something inappropriate toward [name redacted], she told me in a phone interview. A petition asking Kanakuk to release dozens of sexual abuse victims and families from non-disclosure agreements has reached more than 26,000 signatures. Neugebauer proposed forming a nonprofit to buy the camp. 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