UMC Settles Sex Abuse Case Involving Former New York Pastor, Foster Parent Who Ran a Clown Business

The First United Methodist Church, formerly the First Methodist Episcopal Church, located at 7 Elm Street at Bleecker Square in Gloversville, New York, was built from 1869 to 1870 and was designed in the Romanesque Revival style by Horatio Nelson White. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The building was sold to another religious organization in 2000, but has been vacant since then. Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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During a pretrial deposition, Richard Reynolds declined to answer more than 300 questions, citing “a privilege against self-incrimination.”

“Reynolds not only declined to answer routine questions which have no causal link to any criminal element of any crime, regarding his knowledge of people and places,” said attorneys for Warren County, “but claimed a privilege for the impossibility that the [state] Legislature may statutorily revive criminal liability by extending the statute of limitations.”

The county, according to attorney Nappo, left Smith “vulnerable to unthinkable acts of sexual abuse by the very adult charged with his protection.” He said the settlement alerts institutions that “there are consequences for failing to protect children and take responsibility.”

Attorney Cynthia LaFave, who filed the Fulton County case involving Reynolds, said, “The more the public knows, the more we can protect the children.” Based on all the allegations she heard—including by people who never filed suit—LaFave said, “Richard Reynolds should never be anywhere near children, ever.”

In a statement to ChurchLeaders, the Upper New York Conference of The United Methodist Church said:

Reynolds was discontinued as a United Methodist pastor in 1999. United Methodists of Upper New York are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of the people we serve, especially the most vulnerable among us. We will do all we can to bring justice and healing to survivors. The United Methodist Church is committed to reducing the risk of child sexual abuse in the church through the Safe Sanctuaries guidelines. United Methodist churches across the country, including those in New York State, have implemented these policies and procedures to provide a safe environment and prevent harm to all of God’s children.

This article has been updated with a reply from the UMC’s Upper New York Conference.

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Stephanie Martin
Stephanie Martin, a freelance writer and editor in Denver, has spent her entire 30-year journalism career in Christian publishing. She loves the Word and words, is a binge reader and grammar nut, and is fanatic (as her family can attest) about Jeopardy! and pro football.

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