He assured them they wouldnt see this behavior again, she said. Aarums denials prompted Elle Campbell to post on Twitter that she was one of the 21+ victims and 27+ corroborators who were interviewed for Norris report. This Summer we are looking to hire Staff to help facilitate our Summer Camp, Day Camp, and Family Camp programs! Cattaraugus County Sheriff's officials confirmed that they are investigating the matter. There was a problem saving your notification. It was those subtle touches that made me scared and uncomfortable., Another woman who is now 29 said that when she and her friend were waiting for a ride home from the camp in 2007 or 2008, Aarum came up behind the girl and said [he] hugged me from behind. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Carolyn McDonald, a former Circle C Ranch staffer, and Jerry Gillis, lead pastor at The Chapel, discuss the allegations against Wayne Aarum. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Investigation: 16 women say this pastor and camp president abused them. She said she reported her complaints to Camardoafter Aarums denials were posted online at the camp website. Im not anonymous, she said. Wondering what your camper will need? 1.) 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.. One of America's most exciting Christian Camps. We have reporters standing by. Toll free: (866) 364-9980, Sex Abuse Survivors Call for System-Wide Audit of Southern Baptist Convention, Church Hires GRACE to Investigate Allegations of Sexual Abuse by Musician Chris Rice, Facing Trial, Brian Houston Steps Aside as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong, Mercy Corps Rocked by Sexual Abuse Claims Against Founder, Alabama Church Leader Charged with Sexually Abusing Member of Her Youth Group. 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. 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 C Ranch, a Christian camp he runs in Delevan. Mr. Petereson was willing to sell the land for the price of the mortgage - $14,800. Especially about potency and trying to defeat erectile dysfunction. Percy, as he wanted to be called, was considered by many as the founder of the Christian Camping Ministry. The owner of this property was George Peterson who was a board member of the Bible Conference Wes directed. But in 2020, something changed. Last week, Aarum filed a civil lawsuit against The Chapel alleging defamatory statements. It was decided that he should be contacted and asked for a loan of $30,000. Click here to read the full statement from The Chapel. The accounts of the women, describing incidents involving Wayne Aarum that took place when they were Circle C Ranch campers, are troubling and concerning. "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. Carnahan said she was not among the 21 unidentified women cited in the investigative report. Getzville in New York, from 1991 to 2000 before becoming director of Circle C Ranch. Some of the allegations date back to 1990s, when Aarum ran a ministry program for high school students at the Chapel. Aarum, who was a youth pastor at The Chapel, a large Buffalo-area church, and later the camp president at Circle C Ranch, a Christian camp in rural Cattaraugus County, was a well-known. Aarum served at The Chapel, located in the suburb of Getzville in New York, from 1991 to 2000 before becoming director of Circle C Ranch. Some former staff said Aarum typically targeted specific girls who were pretty, slim, emotionally fragile or those who had father issues and that girls complained to staff asking for help in avoiding [Aarum]., In a March statement, The Chapels board and pastoral leadership said both their leadership and MinistrySafe have found the allegations to be credible.. Aarum denied such behavior last week, saying, I can tell you right now I never did thatand I would love an opportunity to talk to them.. Other inappropriate behaviors allegedly occurred during his time as Circle C Ranch director since 2000, although none of the complaints related to behavior within the past five years. It was 50 miles south of Buffalo, NY on a 315 acre piece of land that had been a farm. DeKalb suggested that the allegations were part of a campaign by Chapel leaders to acquire the youth camp. Wayne Aarum, a former senior high minister atThe Chapel at Crosspointin Getzville, New York, current pastor ofFirst Baptist Churchin Arcade, New York, and the operator ofCircle C Ranchyouth camp in Delevan, New York, stands accused of sexually assaulting at least twenty-one girls spanning decades. Amherst Police officials did not respond to an inquiry by 7 Eyewitness News, but Daryl DeKalb, a board member at Circle C Ranch, said none of that is true and defended Aarum. Reach him at mkilian@gannett.com. When the camp went to pay Bob back he made it a gift to the ministry. Aarum, in recent sermons, has compared the accusations to Jesus being crucified by people he helped, as reported by The Roys Report. ContactSarahat STADDEO@Gannett.com or (585) 258-2774. The Chapel also hired MinistrySafe, an independent legal firm that looks into abuse allegations in Christian settings, to investigate allegations that abuse occurred at The Chapel in the 1990s. Attorney Steven Long of Williamsvillelaw firm Long & Paulo-Lee, PLLC, who represents Aarum, did not immediately return requests for comment. There is absolutely no credibility to any of these things, Dekalb said. My youth group never went back to Circle C.. Aarum has denied the allegations and continues to serve on staff at the camp. Wayne Aarum, pastor accused of abusing teens, sues Buffalo megachurch The Chapel for $2.5M. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The longtime director of a Christian youth camp in Delevan is refusing to step down despite complaints that he inappropriately touched young women and girls. INVESTIGATION: These women say a Western NY pastor, Christian camp president abused them as teenagers, 'He was my identity': How emotional, spiritual abuse creates lasting trauma, More: Woman says she reported possible abuse at Circle C Ranch to police years ago. The family camp experience includes activities likechapel services, all-you-can-eat meals, horseback riding, laser tag androck wall climbing, according to the website, andfamilies will stay overnight together in the camp's on-site lodging. 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As an evangelist eh spoke at many youth camps during the summer and that desire to starta a camp grew even stronger. At this age, he began to take care of his health. But the allegations are from a small percentage of the young people Aarum has worked with over the years. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Girls, now women, who participated in the investigation said that the behaviors became so normalized that they assumed others, including parents and ministry leaders, knew and approved, Norris wrote in her letter to the state office. A number of women former high school youth group members under Aarums leadership brought allegations of sexual and emotional abuse against Aarum from that time period earlier this year. Drew Silleman. Other alleged inappropriate behaviors are mentioned in the report. Less than a week after the USA TODAY Network New Yorkpublished its investigation into the allegations against Aarum in June, Circle C Ranch announced it would pivot its typical summer camp schedule for 2021 to family weekends, which would include parents as well as children. Aarum, 55,remains in his position as director of Circle C Ranch. My byline has run in the Ithaca Journal, USA Today, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and the New York Times. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, 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. 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 in the 1990s. Wes had been a youth pastor, pastor, evangelist, leader in Youth for Christ and director of a Bible Conference. Woman says she reported possible abuse at Circle C Ranch to police years ago. Some of the allegations date back to 1990s, when Aarum ran a ministry program for high school students at the Chapel. He said no one at the present and George said he would bring his crew up every weekend and do the job as a gift to the Lord. Chelsea Carnahan told The News that Aarum stroked her back, hair and legs during one-on-one counseling sessions when she was a Pioneer High School student from 2006 to 2010. Hannah Buehler reports. He wanted to give his last years to the Lord and became the head man of the construction of the town. Multiple women told the 7 Eyewitness News I-Team that Aarum would sometimes touch intimate areas and would grab their bra straps. In her lawsuit, filed last month in Cattaraugus County under the state Child Victims Act, Snell claims Aarum, 55, touched her inappropriately between 2008 and 2015, when she was a minor, including touching her genitals, breasts and buttocks; rubbing her inner and upper thighs and pressing his pelvis into her back. Daryl Dekalb, a Circle C board director, says that Aarum is a True Christian. 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. read more Filed Under: Church Email us at: info@circlecranch.org. 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.. The News reported in April on the allegations and Chapel investigation. 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 . 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. In October 2020, they hired MinistrySafe founder Kimberlee Norris, who completed her investigation in December 2020. The Circle C Homeowners Association is a non-profit corporation governed by a seven member Board of Directors. Dekalb appeared to place blame on the women who have come forward, even though leaders at The Chapel have described them as credible and courageous. It matters in cities. Click here to read the full statement from The Chapel. It would have all the mystique of the Old West and it would look like a town in the 1800s. 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. I dont want anyone else to have to go through what I went through. 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.. Circle C Ranch, the Christian children's camp in western New York facingallegations that its director has inappropriately touched teenage girls, announced drastic changes to its summer plans this week. I have zero recollection of that. Thank you for your support. You have permission to edit this article. 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. For the price of the Bible Conference women say this pastor and camp president abused them requests comment! Alleged inappropriate behaviors are mentioned in the 1800s return requests for comment allegations and investigation. The youth camp as director of a campaign by Chapel leaders to acquire the youth.! 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