Gainesville church kept Boy Scouts sex abuse secret for decades
The pastor of a Gainesville church rocked by revelations of a Boy Scout sex abuse scandal sought redemption Sunday, as Christians worldwide marked the beginning of Holy Week.
“Forgive us whenever we have, in any way, walked away from suffering because it’s an easier way to live,” Bill Coates, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Gainseville, said. “Help us to face facts, truth and reality.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday that First Baptist had for decades concealed the sexual abuse of members of a Boy Scout troop it sponsored. Church leaders in 1981 learned of the abuse but records show they chose not to tell law enforcement.
An examination by the AJC shows that former Scoutmaster Fleming Weaver confessed to authorities that he abused at least five boys in Troop 26. Yet prosecutors -constrained by the statute of limitations - never brought charges. Weaver remained a deacon at First Baptist, a prominent church that counts Gov. Nathan Deal among its congregants.
But a civil lawsuit filed last week in Fulton County by an ex-Scout who claims Weaver raped him is casting fresh light on the church, the Boy Scouts and a town's hidden secrets.
To read more about the lawsuit and the decades-old case go to myajc.com.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
