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Sametable U


They made space for convicted sex offenders


nfamiliar faces in the pews are common on Easter Sunday. Tis past Easter was no differ- ent at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Binghamton,


N.Y., although one of its worship services was far from ordinary. Aſter months of preparation and prayer, Redeemer


held its first adults-only worship service at 4 p.m. Easter Sunday, welcoming 20 visitors, all registered sex offenders. Paul (last name withheld upon request) was one


of them. He hadn’t been to church for eight years and didn’t expect to go for another eight, when his parole would end. But a friend who attended Redeemer handed him a flier for the adults-only service. “I didn’t think I’d be able to go back again until I got


done with probation,” Paul said. “Tis church doesn’t judge. Tey accepted the fact that some of us had gotten into trouble and were learning from our bad decisions. A young man told his story and it struck home with me. … We had communion, which was awesome. I actually felt a sense of peace come over me. Tis makes me feel much better about life.” It began almost a year earlier with a knock on the


church door. In this impoverished community, requests for help are common. Barbara Hayden, Redeemer’s pas- tor, wasn’t surprised when a man (name withheld) came asking for help. Nor was she surprised to not see him again for a year.


What Hayden didn’t expect was his


For more: Visit www.elca.org/ resources/legal, click on the sexual misconduct tab and download “Respond- ing to Sex Offenders in a Congregation” to find links to articles and resources on involving sex offenders in your congregation.


return—and the story he shared. As a registered sex offender, he was required to provide his address to law enforcement authorities. Failing to do so had cost him his freedom. “I wanted to let you know I was in jail,” he told her. “I didn’t just disappear.” Over the coming months, the


visitor became part of Redeemer’s community. Hayden oſten found him cleaning the kitchen and other rooms for little to no pay. As an ex-offender, he had a difficult time finding a job and an apartment. Hayden oſten drove him to interviews.


30 www.thelutheran.org


By Ryan P. Cumming But with no job and little money, he soon ended up


back in jail, where he asked a chaplain to contact the only person he could: Hayden.


‘Scarlet letter’ Most modern registries of people convicted of sexual crimes trace their origin to the federal Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994. As of 2012, nearly 750,000 Americans were listed on offender registries, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Originally intended to protect children from sexual


crimes, registration is now mandated for a variety of crimes, as Hayden discovered.“If some guy [urinated] behind a bush,” she said, “he could be a Level 1 sex offender.” Te collateral punishments that follow registration


can be severe in some cases. Registered offenders can be prohibited from using computers, evicted from public and private housing, and prevented from attending school-related events—even with their own children. As Hayden describes it, being a registered offender is like having “a scarlet letter for the rest of your life,” regard- less of the circumstances of the crime. Ministry among registered offenders is particularly


difficult. Many offenders can’t be in places where chil- dren gather. In addition, the stigma following them can be turned against congregations that would welcome all—including offenders. A primary concern for Hayden is that Redeemer could “be targeted” for backlash from its community. Rightfully so, say many. Churches are supposed to be


welcoming but also safe places where members can trust one another and where adults and children are pro- tected from harm. In a 2010 survey, Christianity Today found that nearly half of respondents would oppose allowing a registered offender to serve in a ministry in their congregation. For many in the church, the risk of re-offending is too high. But researchers have found public perception of the


risk of repeat sexual offenses to be much higher than it is, especially when the specific characteristics of a crime are taken into account. In a 2010 study for the Justice Department, researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, found that offender


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