At first we really liked the sermons because they touched on real life things going on, but then it started turning to almost a little over the top, Larson said. Winners to be announced at later date. A downtown Eau Claire church is picking up the pieces after a scandal that tested the faith of the congregation and led to the resignations of the entire pastoral team amid allegations of "spiritual abuse." . Jaime came to know the Lord at 21 while studying music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. The company is headquart ered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Valleybrook Offices411 S Barstow StEau Claire, WI 54701. 189 (Granville Road) 860.844.0001. office@valleybrook.cc. It started at the top the very top for Christians as the charismatic Lebsack was known for citing God and Jesus as the sources of his inspiration and the justifications for doing the things he did. Some of that money for family members service appears to have been reimbursed, he reported. "This has been the most challenging thing I've ever been a part of," Haugen said. Volunteers are needed to supervise and interact with children ages 5-17. 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New procedures call for bank statements to be reconciled on a monthly basis, reimbursement requests to be accompanied by receipts, two nonpastoral signatures on all Valleybrook checks and payment of cellphone data overages and parking tickets to be the responsibility of staff members who incur them. Tales from the Cult is a website dedicated to preserving important artifacts from a church in Eau Claire where horrific spiritual abuse took place over several years. That claim to moral authority, combined with peoples natural herd mentality, apparently was enough to prevent anyone from effectively challenging Lebsacks methods until another former pastors revelatory resignation letter in February finally meant the jig was up. The nine-page letter by Grant Schultz identified multiple examples of Lebsacks alleged manipulative practices, including frequent attempts to push parishioners and staff to cut off ties with their biological families and instead form knitted-together relationships with other Valleybrook members of his choosing. Want updates when Valleybrook Church has new information, or want to find more organizations like Valleybrook Church? Transitional leaders understand recovery will take time, and they have been reaching out to former members who left in an attempt at reconciliation. The church also has contracted with an outside bookkeeper to process payroll and payables, Solberg said. The developments led to the resignations of Valleybrooks entire pastoral team as well as three of the churchs overseers. In addition, the regular mentions by Lebsack and Nate Hagedorn during their co-sermons of all the time they spent together outside of church made Larson uncomfortable. Seeking a fresh start after a spiritual abuse scandal that prompted the entire pastoral team at Valleybrook Church to resign earlier this year, transitional leaders pursued an audit that revealed questionable financial practices as well. I used to be a staff member of that church. Former Valleybrook staff member Matthew Mitchell said he believes tolerance of the abusive practices can be traced to how Lebsack coached parishioners and employees to believe criticism and questioning were bad. In February of 2015, an enormous exodus took place from a church in downtown Eau Claire. Let's pray together to end the cycle of human trafficking and exploitation: Valleybrook 410 Cafe, 410 S Barstow St, Eau Claire 6:30-7:45 pm. Bethesda Lutheran Church: 123 W. Hamilton Ave. Eau Claire, WI Tuesdays at 9:00 am Jan 17, 2023 - Apr 11, 2023 Saving Grace Lutheran Church: Saving Grace Lutheran Church (New Location) . Reader's Choice Awards - Voting has ended. Stay tuned for details, Northwood grad credits active shooter training preparing him for Michigan ordeal. Its immediately evident she has a passion to see people know how much God loves them and a desire to see that reality change their livesbecause it has changed hers. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. 412 S Barstow St. Eau Claire, WI 54701-3605. 6,802 were here. Indeed, the Hagedorns revealed that before Nate cut ties with them 18 months ago he told them he spent 12 hours a day with Lebsack after the former lead pastor indicated God wanted the two of them to be knitted together. Invalid password or account does not exist. Our data and tools help professionals prospect for nonprofits, research opportunities, benchmark their clients, and enrich existing information. Valleybrook guys hanging out at an Eau Claire Express. Humans can be so susceptible to peer pressure and group think, Burns said. Valleybrook Church is a Christian organization in Eau Claire, WI, which was founded in 1974 and has an unknown amount of revenue and number of employees. Subscribed to personalized events updates! Something just didnt feel right to us in our gut, so we left, Larson said, acknowledging that perhaps they too could have said something about their suspicions. Valleybrook Church is a Religious Organizations, Religious Institutions, and Organizations company located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with $1.00 Million in revenue and 6 employees. Founding pastor Valleybrook Church Oct 1993 - Jan 200511 years 4 months Eau Claire, Wisconsin Area Youth Pastor Salem Baptist Church Jun 1986 - Oct 19937 years 5 months Eau Claire,. Cause IQ is a website that helps companies grow, maintain, and serve their nonprofit clients, and helps nonprofits find additional foundation funding. Recognizing that families inside and outside Valleybrook were adversely affected by the spiritual abuse scandal, the church said in its statement that it has paid for professional counseling for individuals who requested it. Key symptoms he identified include manipulating people to promote their personal agenda, rejecting criticism, intimidating people with their biblical or persuasive arguments, twisting Scripture to support their claims, marginalizing critics and justifying their agenda by saying that God told them.. Valleybrook Church is a tax-exempt organization filed with Internal Revenue Service (IRS). But that was easier said than done at a place where several former members stressed that Lebsack cultivated a climate that discouraged dissent. The teams final report alleges that Valleybrooks pastoral staff used their positions and authority to cultivate dysfunctional trust, manipulate people and violate the code of ministerial ethics. See the real faces. Just look for the old movie theater marquee, and you will find us. cult. Order 10 or more to qualify as a group! Now available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Reader's Choice Awards - Voting has ended. Itll take a while to say the least. The Bridge Church, Eau Claire 1210 E. Clairemont Ave. Salem Baptist Eau Claire 2514 Golf Road . Mitchell recalled feeling that way himself for a while, even moving to eliminate contact with his family on Lebsacks advice before eventually rejecting the idea. The goal of those posts was to tell my part of the story, but also to expose some corruption within the leadership. Staff photo by Dan Reiland Doug Lebsack Charlene Burns This can last for years, allowing all kinds of toxicity to develop and people to be hurt.. Valleybrook Church 412 S Barstow St Eau Claire, WI 54701 Valleybrook is located in the heart of downtown Eau Claire. That goal has been met. With just enough truth, and just enough fruit, to make us focus on the good, and distract us from the growing darkness, wrote Schultz, a pastor at Valleybrook for seven years who expressed regret he did not act on his misgivings sooner. Burns, who said the behavior displayed elements of cultlike activity, pointed out that some reports suggest the pressure to conform sometimes got even stronger, with the pastors accusing critics or doubters of being under the influence of Satan. If you prefer not to share links and just want to read, thank you very much for reading, and I hope it brings some clarity to a very confusing and wounding situation. Lindquist can be reached at 715-833-9209, 800-236-7077 or eric.lindquist@ecpc.com. This report will also be made available under Media in the site menu2. Church Online Platform Facebook Live YouTube Live View Past Services Get our FREE Newsletters and special offers! For instance, Valleybrook is linking with B-Side Community on a joint youth ministry program. The letter indicated Schultz resigned when it became clear to him that the abusive practices were inappropriate and pushing the church away from God. 2 recommendations for Valleybrook Church from neighbors in Eau Claire, WI. Michelle was born in a small town in North Carolina where she made others laugh as soon as she could talk. Valley Brook Community Church design by ChurchDev.com. Doors Open for General AdmissionCome in early to shop and visit speaker and artist tables. There is a substantial core of people who have remained who are committed to rebuilding. Invalid password or account does not exist. Some of the pastors, including head of the church Rev. So far as I know, this is the first public report of what is happening at Valleybrook done by an independent source. Select a subscription and get started today. As painful as this all has been, Haugen said,I think that in many ways the church structurally is so much better situated right now than it was before.. If youre on a mobile device, the site menu is at the very top of the page, indicated by three horizontal bars. Not only did former Valleybrook staff members cite this practice, but Charlene Burns, chairwoman of UW-Eau Claires philosophy and religious studies department, said she heard multiple examples while listening to just one segment of a recording of one of Lebsacks old sermons. #WELOVe - We are a Worshipping, Equipping, Loving, Outreach and Visionary. This is where you will meet with a pastor, go to Imitate Middle School & High School, find The Living Room, find The Loft, and pick up Imitate Kids after the Sunday service. Converges crisis intervention team spent more than 28 hours interviewing 57 current and former Valleybrook members and attendees and issued a report highly critical of practices at the church. 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