A Christian minister with ties to a Getzville megachurch and a popular Cattaraugus County youth camp stands accused of sexual misconduct with teen girls -- even though he denies the allegations. Time and again, even as the local news industry has been buffeted for a quarter-century by change, reporting by trained professionals continues tobe a catalyst for positive change in our communities. Carolyn McDonald, a former Circle C Ranch staffer, and Jerry Gillis, lead pastor at The Chapel, discuss the allegations against Wayne Aarum. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. That's a Christian camp for young people nearDelevan, New York, a village southeast of Buffalo and southwest of Rochester. Campbell declined to comment further when contacted by The News. Percy, as they wanted to call him, was considered by many to be the founder of the Christian Camp Ministry. A USA TODAY Network Investigation found thatAarum, 55,touchedat least 16teenage girls inappropriately, according to their firsthand accounts. A camp director and pastor with ties to a megachurch in western New York has been accused of inappropriately touching more than 20 women when they were teenage girls. The News reported in April on the allegations and Chapel investigation. The investigation yielded an extraordinary amount of corroborating evidence from third party sources, most of whom were former staff members. Women allege WNY Christian camp director has abused teens since 1990s. Wayne Aarum, a former senior high minister at The Chapel at Crosspoint in Getzville, New York, current pastor of First Baptist Church in Arcade, New York, and the operator of Circle C Ranch youth camp in Delevan, New York, stands accused of sexually assaulting at least twenty-one girls spanning decades. The membership was advised that the independent investigation credibly confirmed a pattern of inappropriate interaction with young women involved in The Chapel's student ministry in the late 90s and also uncovered ongoing inappropriate interaction with young women not associated with The Chapel who had been involved in the previously referenced local youth camp over the last two decades, The Chapel said in its statement. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) Three days after sexual misconduct allegations were raised about a Cattaraugus County youth camp director -- allegations the camp director denied -- additional women have come forward to say that they either witnessed or experienced as teenagers inappropriate sexual contact by Wayne Aarum. Mr. Petereson was willing to sell the land for the price of the mortgage - $14,800. Hed get uncomfortably close to my face, and I remember thinking as a teenager about the tension of him being so close to my face, like is he trying to kiss me? said Carnahan, who now lives near Tampa and works in a restaurant. Now there was a need for the total of $40,000 to get things moving. In late 2019, allegations of abuse began picking up momentum when Carolyn McDonald, a former Circle C Ranch staffer who worked there in 2006, shared her story with leadership at The Chapel. We all knew starting on Monday -- when the campers arrived -- we all could pick out which of our girls were going to receive the most attention, be the favorite and the ones we would keep an eye on, Heather Sticht, a former employee of the camp, said in an interview with 7 Eyewitness News. The conduct was at times private and at other times out in the open when other camp staffers would be able to witness it, according to Snells lawsuit. In a written response to the allegations posted on its website, Circle C leaders defended Aarum, saying he has been systematically denied the right of every person in the American systemto know and confront accusers, and alleged that The Chapels leadership turned to social media influencers and the pastors of other churches to help distribute its anonymous claims., The leaders said sponsoring anonymous claims is directly counter to the Bibles specific teachings., In another documentone of seven on the siteCircle C accused the Chapel, a megachurch with an enormous budget, well over $12 million annually, of trying to acquire the Ranchs property, a very choice 315 acres of rural land, by demanding a board restructuring to exclude members of the family that began the Ranch in 1968 and has run it ever since.. Marges love for the Lord led her, along with her other jobs, to be the teacher of a womens weekly Bible study. Officials at the Chapel said they were first made aware in 2019 of allegations about Aarum's inappropriate behavior at the camp and took that information to the Circle C Ranch board, according . According to information shared on its website, Circle C Ranch said state restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the sudden change in programming to include now the parents of children. I dont want any more children to come through his camp.. Fancher said the camp had documented instances in which other camp leaders had approached Aarum about his actions. Some Chapel members expressed anger and frustration over how leadership handled the investigation of Aarum, who was popular with many people connected to the church. To honor, Glorify and exalt the Lord Jesus Christ. The church hired Norris last October to investigate. I found each of the women to be credible, one attorney who investigated the reports of abusetold our two reporters. Investigation: 16 women say this pastor and camp president abused them. As you've read, Taddeo and Silvarole spent months speaking to 16 women who described inappropriate and uncomfortable encounters with the man who hasbeen camp director or president for many years at Circle C Ranch. He also currently serves as pastor of theFirst Baptist Church of Arcade, New York. But she said that it is important that parents be aware of the allegations when making decisions about their kids. Both of the local jurisdictions that were contacted in this investigation had determined that, given the passage of time (in some cases) or the nature of non-criminal allegations (in others), the allegations are not believed to be subject to criminal prosecution, they stated on The Chapel website. I remember a lot of hugs lasting a little too long.. Aarum, in recent sermons, has compared the accusations to Jesus being crucified by people he helped, as reported by The Roys Report. The camp was going to be a western town called Circle C Ranch (Circle C standing for Christ centered) and it would be legally owned by the Lord. Women allege WNY Christian camp director has abused teens since 1990s. Read the full story from News Staff Reporter Jay Tokasz. Bob asked when he would pay it back? information shared on its website on Monday. Camardo also told the congregation there was no truth to the rumor that the Chapel was attempting to take over operation of the camp. I don't know, but one thing I am sure of is that Taddeo and Silvarole will be ready to write about it. Circle C Ranch opened in the late 1960s on a 315-acre wooded parcel in rural Cattaraugus County. One of America's most exciting Christian Camps. While holding a crusade in Erie, PA Wes met a man named George Mckinley who asked him who was doing the plumbing for the camp? Some members defended Camardos handling of the situation, including an unidentified board member in the meeting who pointed to the Catholic Diocese of Buffalos troubles in recent years for sweeping all of this stuff under the rug.. Camps are also required to collect information about the vaccination status of each camper and staff member, and perform health screenings upon arrival. The camps parent corporation, Living Waters Ministries, said in response: At the outset, a flat statement: Wayne Aarum, the Operations Director of the Circle C Ranch, never engaged in any of the conduct described in Ms. Norriss report.. Editor's note: There are descriptions of alleged sexual abuse and opinions about survivors of alleged abuse that may be triggering to abuse survivors. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Does public speaking or speaking in a group make you nervous? Tight hugging. Aarum, 54, denied the allegations and has refused to step down as camp president. Anne Stych is a writer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wayne Aarum and his wife, Julie, in an interview with WKBW-TV about allegations that Wayne Aarum inappropriately touched girls and young women while a youth minister at The Chapel and at Circle. Many of these people say he could not have possibly done what he is accused. He assured them they wouldnt see this behavior again, she said. That investigation found more than 20 women who said Wayne Aarum touched them inappropriately or fostered inappropriate and abusive relationships with them, both at The Chapel in the 1990s and later at Circle C Ranch, according to a report prepared by MinistrySafe investigator Kimberlee Norris. At one point in the meeting, Randy Fancher, a former trustee of the Circle C Ranch, said the camps board hired an attorney more than a year ago to investigate an allegation against Wayne Aarum. Wondering what your camper will need? I, myself, personally 20 years ago sat down with Mr. Wes (Wayne Aarums father) and said, I love Wayne with all my heart, but I saw him interact in a way that was just inappropriate. , Fancher said he also has heard firsthand accounts from women who are truly victims.. They initiated the whole process because she wanted [him] not to be able to work with kids anymore. The leadership of New York Christian camp Circle C Ranch defended operations director Wayne Aarum against claims that he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with multiple girls beginning decades ago, saying an internal investigation showed there was no substantial credible evidence of misconduct. People brought this to his attention. A Christian minister with ties to a Getzville megachurch and a popular Cattaraugus County youth camp stands accused of sexual misconduct with teen girls -- but he denies the allegations. A former camper and staff member at Circle C Ranch,a Christian camp in Cattaraugus County, has filed a lawsuit against the camp and its president, Wayne Aarum, accusing Aarum of grooming and sexually victimizing her between the ages of 9 and 16. A youth pastor and Christian camp director who was accused of inappropriately touching 21 girls is suing the Amherst megachurch that hired a lawyer to investigate the allegations. 7 Eyewitness News has also heard from more than a dozen people who have reached out to defend Aarum. Chapel leaders learned a few months later about additional allegations of inappropriate behavior by Aarum during his time as a church staff member from 1991 to 2000. Just after the story published, the camp announced a change for how it will operate this summer, emphasizing the presence of families there and not individual teens. I dont want any more children to be affected. God knew that Wes would need a man that would be a confidant, a prayer partner, on who could give wise counsel and one who had the same soul-winning burden and vision for the camp that he had. Circle C Ranch released its own investigation of the allegations at The Chapel on the ranch's website in March 2021. I am who I am. I still dont know, although they have accused me and pretty much condemned me, I dont know what Im accused of, Aarum said. We have TWO options for bringing campers to Snow Camp. During his tenure at The Chapel, pastors spoke to Aarum multiple times about his conduct with girls in the youth group, according to excerpts from Aarums employee personnel file at The Chapel. Keep reading with unlimited digital access. We believe in the Divine Inspiration of the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, the creation of man by the diret act of God, the Incarnation and virgin birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, His vicarious atonement for the sin of mankind, His death, burial, resurection, and His coming again bodily to take His saints to be with Him forever. In the interests of fairness, the two reporters pursued interviews with supporters of Aarum. He was not available Wednesday to speak to The News, said Dekalb. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Youth pastor, Christian camp director accused of inappropriately touching teen girls, 21 women who alleged Aarum touched them inappropriately, Sabres place Alex Tuch on injured reserve; top-line winger's status is uncertain, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone. Another alleged victim wrote to the I-Team that the inappropriate contact such as the unsolicited long hugs and hands near or on the breasts and hips were so disturbing that the youth group she was a part of confronted Aarum and his father. Circle C Ranch'sboard of trustees said they did their own investigation. In its response to Norris' report, the Circle C Ranch board suggests that the volume of complaints against Aarum was related to the work he did, often with troubled teenagers. Carnahan said she was not among the 21 unidentified women cited in the investigative report. Theyspoke to 19 other individuals including persons who worked at the camp, relatives and local pastors. She said she reported her complaints to Camardoafter Aarums denials were posted online at the camp website. The Circle C Homeowners Association is a non-profit corporation governed by a seven member Board of Directors. After meeting Wes and both of them realizing that someday they would be a team she went to Bible School to be better prepared to be the wife of a preacher. Circle C stands for "Christ Centered" which is the purpose and continues to be the. Michael Kilian is executive editor of the Democrat and Chronicle. Attorney Steven Long of Williamsvillelaw firm Long & Paulo-Lee, PLLC, who represents Aarum, did not immediately return requests for comment. 1.) Former Circle C Ranch staffer discusses effects of abuse. Keep reading with unlimited digital access. In one letter, the board accused the Chapels executive pastor, John Camardo, of defamation. "Waynes work prevents teenage suicides, avoids teen pregnancies, postpones too-young marriages, helps confront bullying at school, teaches how to respond appropriately to parents and authority figures, how to survive peer pressure, and how to defend their faith in a kind, positive way, the board said. Besides doing the cooking, she became the office manager, the accountant, head of the medical dept, and a mother to their 2 sons, Wes & Wayne. Aarum has denied the allegations and continues to serve on staff at the camp. Aarum and the Circle C board members did not respond when asked how this . A former camper and staff member at Circle C Ranch, a Christian camp in Cattaraugus County, has filed a lawsuit against the camp and its president, Wayne Aarum, accusing Aarum of grooming and. They spoke to Aarum, who denied any wrongdoing, according to the Chapel's statement. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). However, this effort on behalf of Afghan refugees is an initiative launched and overseen by Circle C Ranch's. The owner of this property was George Peterson who was a board member of the Bible Conference Wes directed. Instead, Chapel leaders offered to share information gathered in the course of the investigation IF Circle C undertook an independent investigation in good faith. Could not have possibly done what he is accused one of America & # x27 ; s most exciting Camps! 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