Bates Family Support Fund

My sister Nancy and her husband Abraham have dedicated their lives to ministering the gospel.  Recently Abraham was wrongfully terminated from his position as Executive Pastor at Redemption Church in San Francisco, CA. Originally, they were promised 3 months of severance with continued benefits, but in order to secure their severance, they were asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement where they would agree to never tell their story.  At great cost, they made the decision to tell the truth about the abuse they suffered under the leadership of the church.  You can read Abraham's story here. Nancy's account of their experience can be found here. As a consequence, the church has rescinded the 3 months of severance that was originally offered.  Did I mention they live in the city of San Francisco?

Many have asked, 'How can we help?'  At this point, Abraham is without a job and direction for the future.  Of course, pray for their family, for healing, and for Redemption Church.  On a practical level, they are without income.  They need money.  Would you please consider contributing and standing against injustice and the voice that would hide sin in the church.   

“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.”
― William Faulkner   
 
EXCERPT FROM NANCY'S BLOG:

"Suddenly, all that we had sacrificed and given up was void of purpose and I sunk down in a pool of sorrow. We had sold half of what we owned in Portland, including the outdoor house Abraham had built for me for Mother’s day. We left our home, the kids’ school, dear friends, a place we had loved all for the sake of the call to help plant Redemption Church and bring a light to the city of San Francisco. Here we were one year later, with four kids crammed into one bedroom like sardines, and nothing." Read Nancy's full story here

...."I repeated daily...'Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion...Never be afraid...Never be afraid,' but I was afraid. Our story, our voice was being taken from us. According to this contract, we would not be allowed to share about our experience at Redemption, including the process of termination, ever. We were distraught and experienced oppression to a new level. A deep rooted conviction would not allow us to sign the letter, yet the repercussions of this decision were real. How could our family survive in one of the most expensive cities?"...