The answer, according to people familiar with the situation, revolves around the masterful way former Valleybrook lead pastor Doug Lebsack asserted his moral authority to justify his behavior and manipulated any checks and balances that might have stopped the abuse. 412 South Barstow St A Wisconsin church is under fire for behaving like a GASP! Let's pray together to end the cycle of human trafficking and exploitation: Valleybrook 410 Cafe, 410 S Barstow St, Eau Claire 6:30-7:45 pm. Consider this, then, a history book of a time not long gone, and a warning to any organization that employs or affiliates with the former lead pastor of the church. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. Visit Website. Recognizing that families inside and outside Valleybrook were adversely affected by the spiritual abuse scandal, the church said in its statement that it has paid for professional counseling for individuals who requested it. Get Directions. Valleybrook Church // Eau Claire, Wisconsin Feb 2019 - May 2022 3 years 4 months. I would finally like to point out that this is not an anti-Valleybrook site, although at first glance it certainly looks like one. Mitchells Tales from the Cult blog series has exploded in popularity since the allegations emerged. Order 10 or more to qualify as a group! 07/15/2022 501(c)(3) Num. I went and checked, said Solberg, who immediately negotiated an 87 percent reduction in the bill, down to $136 a month, after joining the transitional team. If We Applied Anti-Vaxxer "Logic" to Other Areas, It Might Sound Like This, "The way republican politics are going these days, that means the winner is worse than ", "It would have been more convincing if he used then rather than than. The investigation results, presented recently to church members, contained details about seemingly irresponsible management of parishioners money, including that former Valleybrook leaders disbursed tens of thousands of dollars less than the pledged amount to mission organizations, spent thousands of dollars on credit card late fees and parking tickets, and failed to pay thousands of dollars in federal taxes. 412 S Barstow St Eau Claire, WI 54701 United States MAP IT Service Times (715) 834-9993 Pastor Doug Lebsack About Valleybrook Church Valleybrook Church is a Baptist church in Eau Claire Wisconsin. United States Wisconsin Eau Claire . Key symptoms he identified include manipulating people to promote their personal agenda, rejecting criticism, intimidating people with their biblical or persuasive arguments, twisting Scripture to support their claims, marginalizing critics and justifying their agenda by saying that God told them.. 2023 Nonprofit Metrics LLCTerms of Service and Privacy Policy. We are within walking distance from family housing, college housing, and apartment buildings. Valleybrook members also are attempting to give back to the community, most recently by raising more than $8,600 for local food pantries. Stories around the supper table are some of the best moments in life and are the times we best come to know these people we call family. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Transitional leaders reported that they have taken several steps to add checks and balances to the churchs finances. Winners to be announced at later date. Create a password that only you will remember. The congregation lost that route.. The financial revelations come in the wake of widespread claims that the churchs former leaders, led by charismatic ex-lead pastor Doug Lebsack, pushed members and staff to reject their families, matched unrelated pairs of parishioners intoknit-together relationships to replace biological families and abused their authority by demeaning and shaming others. pushing members and staff to reject their families. Some of that money for family members service appears to have been reimbursed, he reported. After a pastor blew the whistle by way of an open letter, a team of investigators (sent in by the churchs parent organization) spoke with current and former church members, eventually issuing a report that condemned the leadership for allowing these abusive practices to continue: Four Valleybrook Church pastors left after widespread claims surfaced about them pushing members and staff to reject their families, matching unrelated pairs of parishioners into knit-together relationships to replace biological family, sharing personal information gained in confidence, and abusing their authority by demeaning and shaming others. The Hollywood sign above the marquee will also be relit as part of the project to replace more than 1,100 bulbs at the outside entrance to Valleybrook Church in the 400 block of South Barstow Street in downtown Eau Claire. Staff photo by Dan Reiland Doug Lebsack Charlene Burns The goal of those posts was to tell my part of the story, but also to expose some corruption within the leadership. Office hours are Tuesday - Thursday from 10AM - 2PM. Website. Since the public announcements, I stopped hiding the name of The Cult / The Org: it was Valleybrook Church, and it absolutely was a cult. It is considered by many, inside and outside of its membership, to be a cult. Still, Diederich, who recently blogged about what he called toxic pastors, said he was shocked so many people could allow the tactics to go on for so long. Valleybrook Church, 412 S Barstow St,Eau Claire,WI,United States, Eau Claire, United States Event Location & Nearby Stays: Host or Publisher Valleybrook Church Tags: Kids in Eau Claire Art in Eau Claire It's more fun with friends. 412 S Barstow St. Eau Claire, WI 54701-3605. LA CROSSE - At least 25 priests who served in the Diocese of La Crosse over the past several decades sexually assaulted children, the diocese disclosed Saturday. Unknown . GROUP Tickets available for groups of 10 or more. Transitional leaders understand recovery will take time, and they have been reaching out to former members who left in an attempt at reconciliation. Recognize the signs, myths, and factors that continue to perpetuate human trafficking. Lori Larson of Mondovi and her husband were among those who left Valleybrook. I really believe this place is going to be rebuilt., Contact: 715-833-9209, eric.lindquist@ecpc.com, @ealscoop on Twitter. Just look for the old movie theater marquee, and you will find us. Friendly Atheist. Support Local Journalism! From the moment we could sit still in our mothers arms, we have loved stories. The letter indicated Schultz resigned when it became clear to him that the abusive practices were inappropriate and pushing the church away from God. Again, more on Converge later. There is a clear and widespread pattern of spiritual abuse led by the former lead pastor, embraced by the former co-lead pastor, the former teaching pastor and the current executive pastor, the report says. Itll take a while to say the least. Maybe parishioners stepping away from church would go a long way toward fixing the problem. All the symptoms appear to have been present at Valleybrook, Diederich said, noting that he regularly reminds his congregation that his words represent his opinions and that he isnt claiming to be speaking for God. cult. Create a password that only you will remember. Thats the disgusting part to me.. Mitchell recalled feeling that way himself for a while, even moving to eliminate contact with his family on Lebsacks advice before eventually rejecting the idea. Hotels. Phone. This is hindsight to me, but it seemed like there was no separation in their lives. Directions. Attend, Share & Influence! Find Best Western Hotels & Resorts nearby Sponsored. This Converge Worldwide Baptist General Conference church serves Eau Claire County WI - Pastor Doug Lebsack. In the wake of startling allegations of spiritual abuse by former pastors at Valleybrook Church, one question keeps coming up over and over again: How could the conduct continue as long as it did? Not only did former Valleybrook staff members cite this practice, but Charlene Burns, chairwoman of UW-Eau Claires philosophy and religious studies department, said she heard multiple examples while listening to just one segment of a recording of one of Lebsacks old sermons. Volunteers are needed to supervise and interact with children ages 5-17. The Converge report indicated a number of those interviewed reported that Lebsack would rail against anyone who questioned him, outbursts usually followed by telling them how much he loved them and how nobody believed in them as much as him. Add to your calendar iCal Google See the real faces. Even Mitchell, whose blog was highly critical of what he called the truly terrible, abusive, manipulative, unethical and illegal acts that occurred under Lebsack and Clark, said he no longer has any qualms about Valleybrook under its new leadership, although he doesnt attend services there. Recognizing that families inside and outside Valleybrook were adversely affected by the spiritual abuse scandal, the church said in its statement that it has paid for professional counseling for individuals who requested it. Pastor Kendall Anderson of Valleybrook Church, Eau Claire, officiated with music provided by organist, Barbara Sandford and soloist, Peter Lea. We had previously served Triumph Lutheran Brethren Church in Moorhead, MN for 25 years. We are Valley Brook Community Church, a non-denominational fellowship in Columbia, Maryland (Howard County) with an emphasis on a genuine connection with God through Jesus Christ. North Granby, CT 06060. Tales from the Cult is a free effort to bring stories of abuse into the light so they may be prevented from happening again. 7:00 PM SHOW6:30 PM GA DOORS OPEN6:00 PM VIP DOORS OPEN. No matter what, I think theres a certain amount of respect given to a pastor just for being a pastor, he said. To assist in bringing justice to the abusive, and healing by clarification to the abused. Get our FREE Newsletters and special offers! If youre on a laptop or desktop, the menu is likely floating around on the left side of the page, indicated also by three horizontal bars. The church also has contracted with an outside bookkeeper to process payroll and payables, Solberg said. Another factor, Mitchell said, is that people tend to trust pastors because of their position. Though they were sad to leave after thinking theyd found their church home, Larson said, they observed several things that sent up red flags, including constant drama and crying in sermons. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. A lack of oversight and former lead pastor Doug Lebsacks claims of receiving direct messages from God are among the reasons cited for a recent scandal at Valleybrook Church in downtown Eau Claire that prompted the entire pastoral team to resign amid allegations of spiritual abuse. As the Leader-Telegram first reported in April, the team, which interviewed 57 current and former Valleybrook members and attendees, alleged in its final report that Valleybrooks pastoral staff used their positions and authority to cultivate dysfunctional trust, manipulate people and violate the code of ministerial ethics. We are located in the historic Hollywood Movie Theater. Being told youre with the devil, thats powerful stuff, Burns said. Church of Christ Non-Denominational Churches Church of Christ Churches & Places of Worship 26 YEARS IN BUSINESS (715) 832-5525 1701 Goff Ave Eau Claire, WI 54701 3. IRS 501(c) type. The corruption has been exposed in a public report in a public meeting. Who wants to question Jesus?. The churchs standard monthly trash hauling bill totaled $1,053 under the former leaders. Get the Eau Claire scoop (in your inbox). Invalid password or account does not exist. Choose wisely! The church received several notices about unpaid taxes from the Internal Revenue Service, including a notice of intent to levy $12,977 for unpaid employment withholding taxes. Valleybrook Church 412 S Barstow Street, Eau Claire #HeIsRisen #JesusisAlive #ValleybrookChurch #EasterCelebration cult. We are committed to Jesus, and we are intent on discovering and living out what God has laid out for us in the Bible. New things, new revelations, new truths. Help us spread the word about Aspire. Likewise, the pastors inner circle typically is muted, and those on the outer circle notice questionable behavior but dont have enough evidence or proximity to the pastor to say anything. We won't share it with anyone else. Shopping. Some of the most troubling financial revelations, confirmed by current Valleybrook leaders: Over a 15-month period studied, disbursements to mission organizations were less than half of the $75,000 that was budgeted and presented to the congregation. If your pastor goes rogue, you turn to the denomination to intervene. Tales from the Cult is a website dedicated to preserving important artifacts from a church in Eau Claire where horrific spiritual abuse took place over several years. Eau Claire, WI 54701 Food. When you eventually accepted that, youd just think he must be right, Mitchell said, recalling that Lebsack used to tell him his life would become more peaceful once he stopped rebelling and questioning things. Stream Live - Valleybrook Church Connect Ministries Messages Give Stream Services - Sundays at 10am Give Online Connection Card Join us at home or on the road by streaming from your phone, tablet, or computer. Plenty of Halloween fun for both wizards and muggles alike. The nine-page letter by Grant Schultz identified multiple examples of Lebsacks alleged manipulative practices, including frequent attempts to push parishioners and staff to cut off ties with their biological families and instead form knitted-together relationships with other Valleybrook members of his choosing. Interment followed the service at Forest Hill. To create a public website for anyone in the world to have unlimited access to information about several dangerous individuals, namely the former lead pastor Doug Lebsack, and former executive pastor Mary Clark. Valleybrook's Easter Celebration Service (10:00AM) happening at Valleybrook Church, 412 S Barstow St, Eau Claire, United States on Sun Apr 17 2022 at 10:00 am. Sitting down to talk with worship artist Jaime Jamgochian you quickly realize she is a woman of faith who God is using in many different ways through her music and message. Previously on a personal blog, I ran a series of posts sharing stories from my time in this cult. Get directions on Google Maps. When trust is violated, it takes a really long time for trust to be built back up.. That claim to moral authority, combined with peoples natural herd mentality, apparently was enough to prevent anyone from effectively challenging Lebsacks methods until another former pastors revelatory resignation letter in February finally meant the jig was up. In addition, the shift to more extreme ideas was gradual enough that many people in the church didnt see it, Mitchell said. Shannon uses her divine knowledge of Scripture to put the story back together again. Born again: Valleybrook Church takes steps to right wrongs found in pastoral abuse scandal. I began as Lead Pastor at Bethesda in August of 2015. The majority of the congregation has no idea whats going on because they see the pastor only on Sundays. Whose morality rules at Valleybrook Church? Expect stories like this to increase. Following is the mission of this website: Names of abusive leaders will not be protected. Filipino-American Community Church / Church Religious, Harvest Community Church of Central Florida, Private Foundation Excise Taxes on Undistributed Income, Gifts from Private Foundations to Donor Advised Funds. Valleybrook is trying to rebuild itself in a healthy way, and they are doing a fine job of that. According to our database, there are approximately 88 churches in Eau Claire, with 9 Catholic churches, 8 Baptist churches, 1 Pentecostal churches, 4 Methodist churches, and 66 other denomination churches. Organization Information Organizations with the same name Location Information Organizations in the same zip code Similar Entities Mitchell noted that Lebsack promoted a feeling that Valleybrook, whose parishioners he sometimes referred to as Gods chosen people right here in the heart of Eau Claire, was different and somehow better than traditional churches. 715.834.9993 Maybe my belief is weak. It started at the top the very top for Christians as the charismatic Lebsack was known for citing God and Jesus as the sources of his inspiration and the justifications for doing the things he did. Attached here is the report that Converge1 wrote about Valleybrook Church, following two days of intensive interviews with anyone who had a story to share relevant to Valleybrook Church. Valleybrook Church Eau Claire, Wisconsin REGISTER Join us for two days of growing, learning, and building your ministry toolkit while being inspired and motivated to lead like never before. Valleybrook Church Sound Beauty Trunk-or-Treat at the Hive with Harry Potter Event Saturday, Oct. 31, 10am-5pm The Hive 1120 122nd St., Suite 3, Chippewa Falls A Harry Potter-themed Halloween event with special treats, themed menu, and more. Her quick wit and southern charm are infectious. Shes a regular at some of the best comedy clubs in the country and her versatile show has delighted crowds at fund raisers, corporate parties, and churches. He indicated certain characteristics often are present in such church leaders. A Wisconsin church is under fire for behaving like a GASP! Weve worked hard to put in place a high level of internal controls, said interim lead pastor Tim Haugen, adding that the church has no plans to pursue legal action related to the financial review. (With the bonus of a home run ball). As painful as this all has been, Haugen said,I think that in many ways the church structurally is so much better situated right now than it was before.. Why, then, does this site exist? Nonprofits; Nonprofits by category; Nonprofits by location . Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Doors Open for General AdmissionCome in early to shop and visit speaker and artist tables. Valleybrook Church, 412 S Barstow St, Eau Claire, United States. There is not now, and will never be, a fee to access this site. You have permission to edit this article. In fact, Burns said, interdenominational churches such as Valleybrook often follow a theology in which humans are viewed as weak and unable to do anything without God, making them more likely than other churches to put ministers on a pedestal. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Something just didnt feel right to us in our gut, so we left, Larson said, acknowledging that perhaps they too could have said something about their suspicions. No, this site is dedicated only to preserving information. Chic Sweets sales 10am-5pm Now hes claiming to have a direct channel to Jesus, so hes already set you up to be in real spiritual trouble if you question anything, Burns said. And visit speaker and artist tables he said valleybrook church eau claire scandal devil, thats powerful stuff, Burns said reported. Maybe parishioners stepping away from God, but it seemed like there was no separation their! Maybe parishioners stepping away from church would go a long way toward fixing the problem separation their! Allegations emerged for both wizards and muggles alike and visit speaker and tables! You forget it, Mitchell said to former members who left valleybrook under... Qualify as a group both wizards and muggles alike your pastor goes rogue you... Fixing the problem Claire scoop ( in your inbox ) to perpetuate human trafficking of valleybrook,... 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