The Story

By Rev. Joan Kessler

Psalm 139: 1-18

On Tuesday, one of you came to me to tell me of a story found in the pages of the current issue of Broadview. It details a painful time in the history of Winfield United and one woman’s traumatic story of abuse at the hands of her minister. I want to affirm my support of Deana and the courage she found to tell her story publicly and we extend our whole-hearted compassion to her and her family as she continues down the road to healing and restoration. There is support for all who wish to tell their story. Truth is life.

The Broadview story which details the events that took place here in 1985 is a difficult one for those of you who were here at that time and remember the confusion over your minister’s disappearance and the lack of closure you were provided. Now there are some answers. Perhaps there is now an opportunity to make some semblance of sense to what happened during the time Bruce Griffin served here. As I shared in my letter of Friday, the Church is here to support us. I want to share with you all a letter our Executive Minister, Treena Duncan (read Treena’s letter):

“May 13, 2022