Allegations not specific enough to warrant investigation, denomination official says
The United Church of Christ denomination doesn’t intend to investigate or take action on recent allegations made by Cathedral of Hope members that led to them being expelled by the world’s largest gay church.
The Rev. Douglas Anders, minister for UCC’s South Central Conference, told Dallas Voice last week that information he received from one of the expelled members, Blake Ashlock, wasn’t’ specific enough to warrant a formal complaint against the church or any of its clergy.
Anders said he believes the information UCC received was similar to an e-mail Ashlock distributed to hundreds of people in February. The e-mail listed more than 30 grievances and accused senior church leaders of financial improprieties, immoral conduct, and unethical business and employment practices.
Senior Pastor Jo Hudson and the Rev. Mike Piazza, dean of the Cathedral, have categorically denied the allegations in the e-mail, and a law firm retained by the church has threatened to sue for defamation.
Distribution of the e-mail also led to Ashlock, along with fellow Cathedral members Harris “Gene” Yarbrough III and Bob Politano, being expelled from the church for “disloyalty or unbecoming conduct.” It marked the first time since at least the 1980s that the church has expelled members.
Anders, minister over the UCC region that includes Texas and Louisiana, noted that unlike other denominations, UCC isn’t hierarchical. He said UCC grants vast
autonomy to individual congregations and doesn’t typically get involved in their day-to-day affairs.
“The official response of the UCC is, unless there are allegations of specific clergy misconduct, that it is not our policy to intervene in a denominational response to internal conflicts in the life of the congregation, other than offering support and offering to work with the local congregation if requested,” Anders said. “If Blake’s complaint to me was that, ‘On this specific date, I saw Jo Hudson steal $10,000 from the Cathedral of Hope,’ that’s more specific than saying to me, ‘I have concerns of financial mismanagement by the clergy leadership of the Cathedral of Hope.’ … If there are allegations, they have to be very specific and there has to be substantial evidence. Blake thinks there are things going on at the Cathedral that are not right, but they’re more general than they are specific, and that’s one of the difficulties.”
Anders said a separate complaint alleging clergy misconduct was filed against Hudson last year by a Cathedral member who wasn’t among those recently expelled by the church.
Anders said in response to that complaint, a UCC committee of lay and clergy members initially voted to conduct a Situational Support Consultation with Hudson, which is a nondisciplinary proceeding. However, the committee later reversed its decision and chose not to take any action at all.
Anders added that Hudson is in good standing with the denomination, and that he’s not aware of any other pending complaints related to her or the Cathedral, which is UCC’s fourth-largest congregation.
David Plunkett, a spokesman for the Cathedral, declined this week to arrange an interview with Hudson or provide a statement from her.
UCC’s decision not to investigate or take action on the allegations means the current controversy at the Cathedral won’t follow the same course as one from 2003. That’s when the United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, the denomination to which the Cathedral belonged at the time, conducted an investigation in response to complaints brought by members against then-Senior Pastor Piazza. A few days before the investigation was to be released, Piazza surrendered his MCC ministerial credentials, and the congregation later voted to leave MCC. The Cathedral joined UCC in 2006.
Ashlock said this week he finds UCC’s decision disturbing. “I just believe that they’re protecting their own and they don’t want to cause any scandal,” he said.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 10, 2009.
Most unfortunate and sad! If it came down to taking depositions under oath, it is highly probably that these allegations as well as others brought to light by Blake would prove true. Last time I checked, usually the “truth” sets people free! Looks like a major lawfirm has also been misguided by Mr. Piazza. They need to check all of the allegations and ex amine the facts. What the misguided members of COH don’t realize is that at their current spending rate, which includes large staff salaries and a $7K a week TV broadcast, they may not have a church at the end of the day. PS: Another Peace Chapel fund raiser — what a scam. They still owe on the exisitng facility. All over this city you see churches raising funds [designated] and acutally [can you believe this] building. This is just tragic! The UCC just does not want bad press…SORRY! When the truth is exposed what will be their response then. Let’s all rise above this and seek the truth because a lot of good men and women at COH will finally wake up and realize that they have been led down a path of deception and misguided theology.
I just go there to worship the Lord, I cannot not help that there might be the slightest possibility of corruption. I don’t believe there is but I will let God judge.
*I also have a very close friend that audits the COH, and they do a over the top job staying in the parameters of the Accounting Rules & Laws.
Hopefully people will realize that your time on earth is faced with destruction and terror, it’s how you overcome those obstacles and learn that the Lord will guide you to what matters.
I think time will tell of the financial mis-management. There’s no other way it can turn out.
One must be truly out-of-touch with reality to insist on this Peace Chapel now, of all times.
Preachers spend so much time contemplating lofty ideals that they often lose touch with reality.
Reforming this church is a futile effort and often, would-be reformers have heads full of vicious intentions with no other outlet.
As for me, I am very happy these days. Now that I am not tithing 10% and volunteering in 4 ministries, I have more time, money and energy for my partner, working out, my job, hobbies, travel, parties etc.
I encourage these 3 gentlemen to accept that their vendetta is fruitless and to move on to another congregation or perhaps even a different paradigmal path.
Christianity continues to crumble as a dogmatic and hierarchic machine, alienating many with its hypocritical pundits, sex/drug scandals, avarice, corruption and attempts to blur the line between church and state.
Sad. Once again,these same few people feel the need to throw stones at an organization that does so much good in our community. The truth is right there in the article: there is no evidence of any wrong doing or immoral conduct. Clearly Mr. Ashlock and his henchmen are getting frustrated and desperate. Get a clue! You are wrong and your 15 minutes are over! Make good on your own promise: “I will heed that advice and stay away from CoH leaders.”
If I have to keep copying and pasting every one- of my blogs on here that is deleted, then I WILL DO IT!!!!!!!!
This very small group should be tagged
“The Lonely 3” and I assure you that
if a vote was taken today by the congregation on whether to support
COH leaders or the group that the vote would end up overwhelmingly supporting Dr Hudson and other leaders. Hopefully these 3 can find a new church home elsewhere and let our clergy leaders spend their time in church ministry and not defending themselves from such verbal abuse.
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Of all the things the Rev Jo and Piazza have done why does everyone continue to focus on the financial improprieties? Throughout their tenure at CoH they have done nothing but walk in the footsteps of the Lord. Just because they take a few missteps doesn’t mean they should be crucified. You can’t fault them for being human, after all that’s what they are. And, they’re not accountants either! They’re preachers. And they are the beacon of hope who will bring CoH the attention it deserves for all its activities. They don’t want to be the center of attention but you keep making them the center of attention which overshadows all the things they have done and continue to do.
So keep fighting the good fight Jo and Micheal! We know your hearts are in the right place! We love you for everything you’ve done for this church.