When I was ordained to the Ministry, my Senior Pastor and new boss, Reverend Zane Bolinger, delivered the sermon and, along with a cloud of witnesses, laid his hands on my head to ordain me. Fast-forward fifteen months. Bolinger again laid his hands on my head, this time grasping both sides and forcibly kissing me on the lips, despite my protests. Although I took steps to limit contact with him, in the end I had to quit my job to get away from his unwanted attention. I was in ministry for twenty years before I had the resources to initiate disciplinary action against Bolinger in the Presbyterian judicial process. Bolinger eventually pled guilty to abuse and was formally rebuked.

When I made the initial accusation, I was assisted by James Evinger, a Presbyterian elder and expert in the field of sexual boundary violation within faith communities. Evinger had worked with the Penfield Presbyterian congregation earlier, resulting in a criminal investigation of a youth advisor for child sexual molestation. That individual was found guilty and served jail time. The Session created a policy for handling sexual misconduct, which was soon tested with yet another case.

My project, written with Evinger's assistance, will present the Penfield case study as the compelling story it is, then will employ FaithTrust Institute’s seven-point justice-making model to apply ethical analysis to this actual church experience. The book will remain grounded in scripture as a call to justice-making, and will seek to lift up catalysts for right action.