I tell you this because I believe in transparency. I don’t want you to see that someone has disappeared from the board and wonder why. I want to be as up front as I can. But again, because I can’t report on this situation, I don’t want to publicly state an opinion on what’s transpired.
Eirik remains a dear brother to me. And I have the utmost respect for Eirik’s walk with the Lord and his love for the Bride of Christ.
Please pray for The Roys Report board as we seek to find a replacement for Eirik, and to expand our board to the desired five to seven members.
Thank you for your prayers and continued support of this ministry to report the truth and restore the church. We are so grateful for all of you.
For Christ and His glory,
Julie
Roys linked to an open letter, dated May 4, 2021, from Stewart Ruch III, who is Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest. In his letter, Ruch (who is Olsen’s bishop) offered an explanation of the accusations against a man named Mark Rivera. Until recently Rivera had been a volunteer lay leader at Christ Our Light Anglican (COLA) in Big Rock, Ill. Prior to joining COLA in 2013, Rivera attended Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Ill., where Ruch is still listed as a staff member.
Ruch said that in May 2019, Rivera was “accused of a sexual offense against a minor,” after which he was removed from leadership, arrested, and is currently out on bail pending trial. In November 2020, two adult women came forward. One accused Rivera of a sexual crime and the other said she had had a sexual relationship with Rivera for months. “A couple months later,” said Ruch, “I learned of other possible minors at risk, and personally called DCFS to make an additional report.”
The bishop offered apologies for mishandling the allegations against Rivera and for not communicating them publicly sooner:
Let me say at the start that I made regrettable errors in this process. When the original allegation came out against Mark in 2019, I mistakenly assumed that the necessary criminal investigation was a sufficient next step. I thought it best to let the county district attorney’s office lead a thorough investigation resulting in a clear ruling. I anticipated that after this process we would inform the diocese of the court’s ruling. I naively expected the trial to occur much sooner than it has.
I have since learned otherwise, in part through conversations with one of the victims. I now understand that when an accusation of this gravity occurs, and when an arrest is made, a safe opportunity for other possible victims to come forward must be created. I apologize for this, dear family of God. We would have cared better for the victims had we hired a firm earlier. My mistake accounts for the significant gap in time between Mark being accused of an offense and this communication to you.
