1 /5 Brandi Sutton: This is going to be a long one. I just got home, I left about 5 min into the sermon. Josh (pastor) and Sky (youth pastor) their wives made me feel so uncomfortable. I have been attending that church for over a year, and neither of those women have ever had a conversation with me, spoken to me, got to know me. Today they both are mean mugging me on the same morning, what a coincidence? Nope there is a back story.
It starts with a breach of confidentiality. If the pastors hadnt shared their side of the story with their spouse, then they would have no reason to give dirty looks.
Clarify: When I say mean mug, it is exactly that. We make eye contact, and I am counting into the 20s and 30s (in my head) and we are still not breaking eye contact. They are squinting like its sunny, yet we are in the church building. They BOTH were cutting me dirty looks to the point of discomfort. People sitting next to me saying, "Why does she keep looking over here".....I knew why, in my head.
Will they admit to this probably not....but I dont care facts are facts. I felt uncomfortable from the excessive dirty looks from both their wives.
About now you may be asking....why would they BOTH be giving you dirty looks? Well, this is my first Sunday back since the incident. Oh, that makes sense.....what was the incident, here it goes:
My 15yr old daughter went missing for 3 days. Both Sky and Josh knew where she was and did not tell me. Prayers went out on the prayer chain, and neither pastor called to check in. Silence from the church, come to find out.....they knew where my daughter was and kept quiet about it. If that wasnt bad enough. She was being harbored by someone who wasnt even a member of the church, someone who doesnt even attend our church. Someone who may not even believe in Jesus....on what level is that ever okay?
Accusations were made, my daughter knows what to say to move mountains. "I feel unsafe. I feel uncomfortable. They make me sleep outside. The drinking has been getting out of hand lately." Yet CPS keeps coming back with zero parental deficiencies. Have I drank, yes. Twice in six months, and I had 2 beers each time. My partner doesnt drink. He doesnt smoke. He doesnt cuss. Has she slept outside, absolutely, last time she ran away and spent the night at the park, with a boy. NOT because I kicked her out of the house. She is a felon who has been to prison 3x in the last year. Had the church ever got to know us, perhaps they would see it for what it was, instead they kept hush hush and called an advocate center/contact. They never once reached out.
My daughter tells parole/probation she NEVER said the things above....the person hiding her made it up. (Imagine that)
Parole, probation, SUD x3, YSO x2, WISE, counseling, mental health.....ALL of these services are in our home every day of the week. Some days we have 2-3 appointments a day. All of these organizations are mandatory reporters. I am a mandatory reporter. CPS keeps closing unfounded cases because of the lies. We are so OVER SERVICED that if ANYTHING was going on one of the above entities would know about it.
Because the church is uninvolved in our lives, and because I have kept quiet about my childs charges to protect her privacy she took advantage of their lack of knowledge on the subject and lied to hide out for a few days and chill with her friend Gavin.
We sat with Josh and Sky and neither of them seemed apologetic. Neither of them seemed empathetic. I missed a few Sundays. Why would I want to follow teachings from people who knew where my daughter was. Against my better judgement my partner said we should go this Sunday. Against my gut I went. For Joshs wife and Skys wife to squint and make excessive eye contact with me, my first Sunday back.....and neither of them know me, or us, uncalled for. They claim to be a church of community and love Christ. Maybe you shouldnt share sensitive information with your spouse. Can I prove it, no but they have never looked at me that way, and it came from both of them, come on. Not ok.
