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Sadly, because of misinformation and false allegations I am sharing this letter more publicly than originally intended.  Jesus said:  “The truth will set you free”  (John 8:32).

Dear Grace Place Family,

I’m writing this letter to provide further communication regarding our former Grace Place employee and worship leader, (Michael) Brett Wilson. This situation has been a very difficult one for many of us due to our long term relationships with Brett and the impact of such circumstances on our church family.  Please allow me to first clarify some information and then make a pastoral appeal.

On December 10 and 13, at our four Grace Place worship gatherings, I read the following statement:

“The Trustees of Grace Place Church regret to announce that allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor have been raised about someone formerly in our ministry, Brett Wilson.  Brett served as the Worship Director at Grace Place up until his resignation in January of 2009. Although the allegations claim the incident occurred over 5 years ago, as soon as the Board of Trustees was informed of this allegation, the appropriate authorities were notified, as required by law.

We are in full and complete cooperation with the investigating authorities.

Grace Place performs background checks and checks references for all who work at the church, as well as for volunteers who work with our youth.    Our church also has clear policies in its employee handbook regarding appropriate conduct with members of the opposite sex.

Our love, concern, and prayers are extended to those involved.”

That statement was prepared on September 18, the same day that a report was filed with the Larimer County Sherriff’s department, after our Board of Trustees first consulted with an attorney regarding our legal obligations in this matter.  The investigator in this case said to the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper later that the report was made on September 29.  But the first call was made on September 18, which resulted in a number of calls and in-person interviews with three of our pastors and the alleged victim. Therefore, the investigator must have documented the report on September 29 as officially reported after he done his first round of interviews.

At that point the officials began an investigation that resulted in charges being filed against Brett on December 8.  The charges were brought by the state of Colorado, not by Grace Place, nor the alleged victim.  Grace Place leaders prayerfully decided to wait to make a public statement until such time as charges might be filed.  Therefore, we immediately made the statement that weekend.

Last week, someone identifying himself as “David Smith” called The Colordoan and also Denver Channel 31 TV (asking to be anonymous) making false charges against the leadership of Grace Place.  Unfortunately this individual did not call any church leaders to seek clarification, but instead either maliciously made up allegations or irresponsibly passed on misinformed gossip.  He accused the church of hiding this situation, stating that:

1. Church leaders knew about this situation when Brett resigned in January of 2009.
2. That we continued to allow Brett to help with the music program after we learned of these allegations.
3. That we just “prayed about the issue and decided to let God handle it,” adopting a “wait and see attitude.”

These accusations are blatantly false.  Here is the truth:

1. Church leaders had no knowledge of any allegations regarding Brett Wilson when he resigned in January of 2009.
2. We never invited or allowed Brett to participate in anyway at Grace Place after learning of the allegations.
3. We never “prayed about the issue and decided to let God handle it.”  Instead we reported the allegation to the Larimer County Sherriff’s department in a timely manner and fully cooperated with the investigation.  Waiting to make the public statement until after charges were filed seemed prudent since the allegations were from 2002 and Brett was no longer on staff or involved at the church.  If the allegation had been recent or if Brett had still been on staff, helping out, or even attending, there would have been a different response.

Last Friday, after the church office was closed, I was called to come meet reporters at the Berthoud office.  Their van said Channel 2, but their report aired on Channel 31 that evening.  I want to clarify one statement they made in the report which was inaccurate. They stated: “Peck says on that day, the victim -who is a church member- told a pastor that Michael Brett Wilson had sex with her outside the church.”  I did NOT say that.  The reporter asked me how it felt to know something like this happened under the “roof of your church.”  I replied that I understood the alleged incident was reported to have happened elsewhere, but it was still a tragedy.  I did not say anything about “sex.”  That is not part of the allegations, as I understand, and that is why we used the terminology: “inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor” in our official statement.  Neither did I say that the victim told me anything.

Some will agree with the way this was handled by church leaders, some will not. There have been a few who have questioned the fact that we reported this issue to authorities, though we would have been in violation of the law if we had not.  There are a few who have questioned us for making any public statement, feeling that this should be kept a private matter.  There are a few who have questioned why we waited to make a public statement until charges were filed, or why we haven’t said more since.   Please know that your pastors, staff leaders, and trustees have prayed long and hard over this, listened to counsel, arrived at consensus, and acted with integrity.  We have sought the best plan of action taking into consideration the congregation, as well as the alleged victim, and the Wilson family.  We have offered and paid for counseling for both the alleged victim and the members of Brett’s family (those who have chosen to receive it)—not out of a sense of obligation, but out of a desire to minister to all who hurt.  If there is anyone else in our congregation who is in need of counseling as a result of this incident, please let us know.

Now for an earnest pastoral appeal:

We understand that different people in our church family are responding to this situation in different ways.  We do not want to minimize the pain that any in our midst may be feeling.  The pastors are available to talk and pray with you, as we have been doing one-on-one since this announcement was made.  While many of us grieve over this situation, some reactions may also be driven by personal pain from past issues that is now being triggered.  It is the perfect time right now, as our church is humbly and prayerfully in a season of earnestly seeking revival and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and while we have begun an eight week spiritual journey called “Life’s Healing Choices,” to acknowledge whatever hurts there are in your past or present that need to be healed.  Now is the time!  God is working in our congregation. Remember, some things only get healed in the light.

Please realize that God is in control. He is a God of both grace and truth; he is both just and merciful.  He will work in this situation to bring truth, justice, healing, and recovery.  Don’t be the judge.  This week in our congregational Bible reading we read Matthew 7:1-2 where Jesus tells us: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” That is pretty heavy.  You will be judged by God in the same way, with the same measure, that you are judging others.  So be careful how you judge the church leaders, the alleged victim, or Brett.  Do not take sides. You do not have all the facts, no matter what you think you know or what you have heard.  Trust God to work in this situation and cooperate with him, rather than working against him.  GOSSIP IS SIN.  Gossip is listed with the most blatant of sins in Romans 1:29.  Please do not be found among those the Scriptures condemn who are “gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to” (1 Timothy 5:13).

Finally, I want to tell you how proud I am of the way the vast majority of this congregation is handling this situation—with concern, thoughtful prayer, support of leadership, trusting God for appropriate justice, and desiring love and grace to be extended to all.  Let us continue to pray and “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

In Christ’s love,

Clay Peck

Lead Pastor, Grace Place