To: The Christian Academy in Japan MKs and their Families,
We cannot begin to imagine the devastating and profound anguish the survivors of abuse experienced as vulnerable and isolated children at the Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ) and have carried with them for so many decades.
SEND International leadership has heard the survivors’ personal and painful testimonies of abuse and want to assure them that we believe every word they have courageously shared.
It is with deep remorse that we come forward with our hearts in hand to acknowledge the abuses that were perpetrated upon these innocent children and the lasting pain caused. Through God’s grace and mercy, we are acknowledging past wrongs, providing support to the survivors, and taking decisive action to prevent future abuse so that healing can begin.
From the time when we received correspondence about abuse that occurred at CAJ, our guiding principles have been to bring truth to light, maintain full transparency, and ensure the dignity and worth of each survivor.
We were entrusted to provide care, love, spiritual guidance and a healthy, family-like environment while the survivors’ parents faithfully served to advance the Gospel. SEND bears responsibility for failing to protect children from adults who violated them and used physical punishment, coercion, manipulation and shame to satisfy the evil in their hearts.
We now know when the survivors came forward as children and shared details of abuse with missionary leaders, those wrongdoings were ignored or dismissed with little regard for their painful experiences or the potential impact on other children at CAJ who remained vulnerable. We are so very sorry for the ways in which this must have multiplied and prolonged each survivor’s pain and made them feel unworthy, silenced and unseen.
In addition to acknowledging the unbearable pain and suffering the survivors experienced, we must solemnly confess our failures as individuals and as an organization.
We did not have the policies in place to safeguard and protect children.
We did not believe the words of children when they spoke up.
We did not take decisive, swift and appropriate action when allegations were brought to our attention.
We employed personnel who used their positions of authority to abuse the very children in our care.
We did not immediately remove the perpetrators from their roles at FEGC/SEND.
We betrayed the trust of our missionary kids and their families.
We destroyed the innocence of children.
We are heartbroken that the survivors’ experiences at CAJ were ones of hurt, fear, sorrow, embarrassment and shame, and express our deep regrets for the wounds they bear and have carried with them for all these years. We humbly ask for their forgiveness.
On this side of eternity, we know that we cannot undo the abuse that occurred or the generational pain that the survivors bravely carry. We offer our deepest, heartfelt apologies and weep with them for all that has been broken, lost, stolen and unfulfilled.
We thank the survivors for courageously sharing their testimonies and allowing us into the sacred spaces in which they have suffered for so many years. To the survivors, we say: You are worthy. You are loved. And today, you are seen, heard and believed by everyone at SEND who promises to uphold our individual and collective responsibilities to provide children under our protection with the compassion, love, support and care they undoubtedly deserve.
 |
 |
| Michelle Atwell | Warren Janzen |
| CEO | International Director |
| SEND US | SEND International |
June 27, 2021
*Updated June 29, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF INVESTIGATION
II. DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
III. HISTORICAL INFORMATION
IV. INDEPENDENT THIRD-PARTY INVESTIGATION
A. INVESTIGATION TEAM ROLES
B. SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION
C. PROCESS
D. CONFIDENTIALITY
V. INDEPENDENT REVIEW PANEL
A. REVIEW PANEL ROLES
B. REVIEW PANEL PROCESS
VI. STATEMENT OF FINDINGS
VII. *NAMING OF THE OFFENDERS AND CULPABLE LEADERS
VIII. RECOMMENDATIONS TO SEND US BOARD
IX. RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE
X. OPEN LETTER OF APOLOGY TO CHRISTIAN ACADEMY IN JAPAN MISSIONARY KIDS AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM SEND INTERNATIONAL
I. GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF INVESTIGATION
Prior to the investigation commencing, the following guiding principles were established for the independent, third-party, SEND International investigation:
II. DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
This report will use the following initials as identifiers: missionary kids and former students at Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ) will be referred to as MK and their assigned number. Non-gender-specific pronouns will be used to protect the identity of MKs. The alleged offenders are referred to as AO and their assigned number. CAJ faculty members will be referred to as FM and their assigned number. Any other person cited in this report will be identified by their title or position and organization.
SEND International is a multicultural and interdenominational organization devoted to sharing Jesus’ message of hope. It was launched after World War II by American soldiers moved by the spiritual needs of those in the Philippines and Japan. At that time, the organization was established as the Far Eastern Gospel Crusade (FEGC), an international and interdenominational ministry.
SEND US sends missionaries from the United States to share the Gospel with unreached people groups nationwide and overseas. It is responsible for all SEND US personnel, including missionaries who were sent to Japan as part of FEGC.
Today, SEND International is comprised of sending offices and receiving fields around the globe that function as separate but affiliated entities.
III. HISTORICAL INFORMATION
CAJ was founded in 1950 by a group of missionaries to provide for the educational needs of their children and was originally called the Japan Evangelical Christian School. In 1951, the school moved to its current location in Higashikurume and by 1954 it had approximately 115 students and 8 teachers. Also in 1954, the name of the school changed to Christian Academy in Japan. From its inception until 1961, the school was owned and operated by an association of parents.
In 1961, leadership at CAJ was assumed by six mission agencies: FEGC (now SEND International), Christian Reformed World Mission (now Resonate Global Missions), The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM), Conservative Baptist Mission (now WorldVenture), Evangelical Covenant Church Mission (ECC), and Oriental Missionary Society (now OMS International). These six mission groups provided the school with leadership, teachers and funding.
In the early 1960’s, the school had grown to approximately 223 students and 18 teachers, including the headmaster. There were separate dormitories for male and female students, with a staff of five employees to manage them. During that timeframe, dormitory students were generally five or seven-day boarders.
IV. INDEPENDENT THIRD-PARTY INVESTIGATION
A. INVESTIGATION TEAM ROLES
The SEND International independent, third-party investigation was conducted by highly- experienced professionals who were selected for their professional training, understanding of child sexual abuse, experience in child safety and understanding of the mission world. To maintain the integrity of the investigation, the independent investigators were individuals who were impartial, without bias and had no affiliation with SEND or CAJ
The Lead Investigator is an independent investigative professional with more than 23 years of federal law enforcement experience. He successfully resolved and supervised internal and external criminal investigations, including threats, assaults, and violent crimes. He has extensive interview experience and was a member of a Special Response Team (SRT), which responded to major crimes and critical incidents. He also instructed training in Threat Management and Crime Scene Processing. In his work, he adheres to the investigative policies and procedures established by federal agencies and the investigative standards set forth by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Since retiring from government service, he has dedicated his time to investigating historical allegations of abuse.
The Lead Investigator drafted a Report of Investigation of FEGC/SEND International Personnel at CAJ based upon his case knowledge and investigation, and from information obtained by other investigators on the investigation team and from investigators of the CAJ-led investigation. This included personal interviews or attempted interviews, and the reports and analysis of other investigators. Some individuals, including survivors, witnesses and alleged offenders, were not available to investigators due to physical or mental capacity or being deceased.
Established practices were followed in accordance with processes utilized by any lead investigator or case agent, tasked with the completion of a final report of a complex investigation. Any investigation is comprised of many assets, and reduced to one final report by one individual, or occasionally a small group of individuals.
SEND International hired an independent, professional agency that was comprised of three individuals whose combined experience primarily focus on the investigation of allegations of abuse within the faith-based and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) communities and personnel security backgrounds for the federal government. Clients request the agency’s assistance in investigating allegations of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse as well as neglect.
One member of the Investigation Team has more than 25 years of experience in criminal and civil investigation, including expertise investigating sexual assault and child abuse. He began his career in the U.S. Air Force before working on an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. For the past decade, he has focused his work on assisting faith-based mission organizations and NGO’s in security and risk assessment and allegations of child abuse. He is a child safety response team member for an international missionary organization not affiliated with SEND International.
Another member of the Investigation Team serves as an independent investigative consultant who conducts inquiries into allegations of current and historic child abuse, primarily within the Christian missionary context. She is trained as a child forensic interviewer and spent years as a federal investigator in the United States Air Force OSI. She has a master's degree in Intercultural Studies.
The third member of the Investigation Team is a licensed professional counselor with extensive experience in interviewing victims both during her time as an attorney and now as a counselor. She has taught continuing education classes addressing child abuse and neglect, developmental psychology, expert witnesses, and forensic mental health. She also lectured on topics, including child investigative interviewing, mandatory reporting, and emotional and cognitive development. Her education includes MS in Clinical Psychology, PhD in Developmental Psychology (in progress), and Juris Doctorate.
B. SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION
In October and November 2018, SEND International received two separate communications from former CAJ students alleging past physical, sexual and emotional abuse that took place approximately 50 or more years earlier. These incidents of alleged abuse involved one female dormitory supervisor and two male teachers at CAJ.
In February 2019, SEND US launched an independent, third-party investigation in accordance with SEND International’s comprehensive Child Safety and Protection Policies and Procedures and guiding principles used by the Child Safety and Protection Network to address the allegations related to SEND US.
The ensuing investigation determined two of the three alleged offenders were former FEGC members. One was a dormitory supervisor (Alleged Offender/AO1) and the other was an art teacher (Alleged Offender/AO2) at CAJ. According to initial reports, both AO1 and AO2 may have been responsible for abusing students while they were both on staff at CAJ. It was determined that the third alleged abuser was an independent teacher who was not associated with FEGC or SEND at any time.
The CAJ and four of its founding missions—ECC-Serve Globally, Resonate Global Mission, TEAM and WorldVenture—sponsored a separate independent investigation into all reported cases of alleged abuse at CAJ.
The information set forth in this report is for the limited purpose of determining whether the alleged abuse by FEGC/SEND personnel was more likely than not to have occurred. This report, therefore, will not include all of the information gathered during a separate investigation conducted on behalf of CAJ and its sponsoring ministries, which is expected to detail additional information developed during its broader investigation upon its conclusion.
If any additional allegations involving FEGC/SEND personnel are discovered or reported, they will be investigated to determine their merit and the findings submitted to SEND International in a supplemental report.
Investigators from both independent investigations collaborated on interviewing witnesses and/or sharing information, with the express written permission of the interviewee. This was intended to prevent inflicting further trauma on the survivors of abuse by limiting the number of interviews, while still helping to bring truth to light.
C. PROCESS
When conducting a criminal investigation, the burden of proof is the level of proof required to establish a criminal charge and is higher than the level of proof required in non-criminal/civil cases. In any type of criminal case the evidence must prove that the allegations are true beyond a reasonable doubt. On the other hand, the burden of proof in historical abuse investigations (non-criminal) is very different. Most non-criminal investigations determine whether the evidence proved it is more likely than not that the actions occurred. Using this rationale, one has to be almost 100 percent certain to convict a person of a criminal offense but only 51 percent certain in order to prove a non-criminal/civil case.
The determinations of this investigation do not mean some of the CAJ allegations may not have risen to a criminal level; however, they would be extremely difficult to prosecute due to the international location and historical timeline of the alleged abuse.
Numerous former CAJ students, faculty and administration were contacted for interviews during the investigation and many accounts of alleged abuse were obtained. Specifically related to FEGC/SEND personnel, nine interviews were conducted with former students and two interviews with former administrators. In lieu of being interviewed or for their own convenience, five former students also submitted letters regarding the alleged abuse at CAJ.
Anyone who wished to provide information and was willing to be interviewed was interviewed and recorded. All interviews were transcribed for review purposes, and all relevant transcripts were provided to Telios Law PLLC for its independent investigation. This information was only provided with the express written permission from each survivor.
In addition, numerous CAJ and FEGC/SEND records that were available were obtained for review. The records included personnel documents, internal CAJ documents, CAJ council and annual meeting minutes, CAJ year books, and other records obtained regarding FEGC.
D. CONFIDENTIALITY
In order to protect the identity of survivors, SEND International has maintained a position of confidentiality throughout this process. Survivors were only identified in the investigation as Missionary Kids (MK) and their assigned number. Non-gender-specific pronouns were used to protect the identity of MKs. Signed confidentiality statements have been obtained and transcripts of testimony were shared with the CAJ-led investigation only with the express written permission of survivors. Transcripts were provided upon request to survivors and solely included their personal testimony.
V. INDEPENDENT REVIEW PANEL
A. REVIEW PANEL ROLES
The independent Review Panel was comprised of individuals with relevant knowledge and subject matter expertise. Importantly, each panel participant was impartial, without bias, and had no affiliation with SEND or CAJ to maintain the integrity of the investigation. The Review Panel was tasked with reviewing the findings of the Report of Investigation of FEGC/SEND International Personnel at CAJ to make a Statement of Findings and recommendations to present to the SEND US Board.
Review Panel Coordinator: Pat Hendrix is the founder and original leader of IHART (Independent Historical Abuse Team) and an originating member of the Child Safety and Protection Network. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Alabama-Huntsville and a Master of Divinity degree from the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
As Review Panel Coordinator, Hendrix selected the review panel members based upon their relevant expertise and background, and with no affiliation to FEGC/SEND; distributed the Report of Investigation of FEGC/SEND International Personnel at CAJ drafted by the Lead Investigator for the panel’s review; and coordinated the entire review process with the Review Panel. She also reviewed the SEND US Child Protection Manual (2013), the Child Protection Policy and Procedures Manual that was implemented in 2005 and later revised in 2010 and 2012.
One Review Panel member is an MK from Pennsylvania. Her parents went into missionary training with New Tribes Mission (NTM, aka Ethnos360). She grew up in South America after her family moved to the jungles of Bolivia, and recalls the happiest accounts of Bolivia are the times away from the boarding school. As an adult, she and her husband went back into NTM training, and were sent to Panama, recalled, and later sent to Senegal.
Another Review Panel member has more than 30 years in federal law enforcement. He has experience in criminal trials, affidavit preparation and review, evidence handling, conducting interviews, and writing reports. He has served in a lead investigative role into historical allegations of child abuse in a mission setting.
Another Review Panel member is a Limited License Psychologist for a Christian organization where she works as a mental health therapist. She is passionate about helping people move toward a relationship with Christ, grow in their faith, and invite Christ into their struggles. She worked as a volunteer in youth and young adult ministries for 12 years.
The fourth Review Panel member is a retired law enforcement officer who for more than 10 years has specialized in child abuse investigations regarding MKs in missionary environments in foreign countries. As an investigator, she has obtained supporting documentation, recorded statements from witnesses, victims, and offenders. She is knowledgeable of the International Child Abuse definitions and standards and has attended numerous classes to support her work.
B. REVIEW PANEL PROCESS
The Review Panel met over the course of four months, during which time it closely examined the Report of Investigation drafted by the lead investigator and all corresponding exhibits.
The Review Panel also reviewed a three-page report drafted by Panel Coordinator Pat Hendrix, detailing her analysis of the Child Protection Manuals and Hiring Procedures for SEND US. In Hendrix’s report, she specifically focused on the SEND US Child Protection Manual (2013), the Child Protection Policy and Procedures Manual (2012) and the Hiring Procedures.
The lead investigator participated in all meetings with the Review Panel and Pat Hendrix by Zoom (due to COVID-19 restrictions) to answer any questions the Review Panel had regarding the report.
After review of the Report of Investigation drafted by the Lead Investigator, the corresponding exhibits and the three-page report drafted by Pat Hendrix, the Review Panel produced a Statement of Findings and recommended actions to the boards of SEND US and SEND International.
VI. STATEMENT OF FINDINGS
Click here to see the Review Panel’s Statement of Findings.
VII. NAMING OF THE OFFENDERS AND CULPABLE LEADERS
As noted in the Statement of Findings from the Review Panel, it was determined that the physical and emotional abuse allegations against AO1, and the sexual and physical abuse allegations against AO2, respectively, were corroborated by the documented and testimonial preponderance of evidence as more likely than not to have occurred.
The Review Panel also determined that there were culpable leaders who failed to take appropriate action to acknowledge the abuse allegation and take the necessary steps to safeguard children in the future.
In SEND’s commitment to transparency and bringing truth to light, below are the names of those individuals.
Offenders:
Mary Fowler, a dorm supervisor at CAJ from approximately 1959 – 1964
Clarence “Bud” Young, an art teacher at CAJ from approximately 1958 – 1970
*Updated June 29, 2021:
Clarence “Bud” Young passed away on June 19, 2021
Culpable Leaders:
Howard Blair, Teacher/Acting Headmaster at CAJ from approximately 1954 – 1981
Martin Essenburg, headmaster at CAJ from approximately 1959 –1973 and 1998 – 2000
Virgil Newbrander, years and titles held at FEGC/SEND unknown
VIII. RECOMMENDATIONS TO SEND US BOARD
Click here to see the Review Panel’s Recommendations.
IX. RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE
The SEND US Board accepted all recommendations from the independent Review Panel, which included:
The SEND US CEO and SEND International’s Director of Corporate Security were tasked with implementing those recommendations and adopting additional measures as needed.
Further actions taken by SEND US include:
Members of the SEND US Board include:
X. APOLOGY
OPEN LETTER OF APOLOGY TO CHRISTIAN ACADEMY IN JAPAN MISSIONARY KIDS AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM SEND INTERNATIONAL
To: The Christian Academy in Japan MKs and their Families,
We cannot begin to imagine the devastating and profound anguish the survivors of abuse experienced as vulnerable and isolated children at the Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ) and have carried with them for so many decades.
SEND International leadership has heard the survivors’ personal and painful testimonies of abuse and want to assure them that we believe every word they have courageously shared.
It is with deep remorse that we come forward with our hearts in hand to acknowledge the abuses that were perpetrated upon these innocent children and the lasting pain caused. Through God’s grace and mercy, we are acknowledging past wrongs, providing support to the survivors, and taking decisive action to prevent future abuse so that healing can begin.
From the time when we received correspondence about abuse that occurred at CAJ, our guiding principles have been to bring truth to light, maintain full transparency, and ensure the dignity and worth of each survivor.
We were entrusted to provide care, love, spiritual guidance and a healthy, family-like environment while the survivors’ parents faithfully served to advance the Gospel. SEND bears responsibility for failing to protect children from adults who violated them and used physical punishment, coercion, manipulation and shame to satisfy the evil in their hearts.
We now know when the survivors came forward as children and shared details of abuse with missionary leaders, those wrongdoings were ignored or dismissed with little regard for their painful experiences or the potential impact on other children at CAJ who remained vulnerable. We are so very sorry for the ways in which this must have multiplied and prolonged each survivor’s pain and made them feel unworthy, silenced and unseen.
In addition to acknowledging the unbearable pain and suffering the survivors experienced, we must solemnly confess our failures as individuals and as an organization.
We did not have the policies in place to safeguard and protect children.
We did not believe the words of children when they spoke up.
We did not take decisive, swift and appropriate action when allegations were brought to our attention.
We employed personnel who used their positions of authority to abuse the very children in our care.
We did not immediately remove the perpetrators from their roles at FEGC/SEND.
We betrayed the trust of our missionary kids and their families.
We destroyed the innocence of children.
We are heartbroken that the survivors’ experiences at CAJ were ones of hurt, fear, sorrow, embarrassment and shame, and express our deep regrets for the wounds they bear and have carried with them for all these years. We humbly ask for their forgiveness.
On this side of eternity, we know that we cannot undo the abuse that occurred or the generational pain that the survivors bravely carry. We offer our deepest, heartfelt apologies and weep with them for all that has been broken, lost, stolen and unfulfilled.
We thank the survivors for courageously sharing their testimonies and allowing us into the sacred spaces in which they have suffered for so many years. To the survivors, we say: You are worthy. You are loved. And today, you are seen, heard and believed by everyone at SEND who promises to uphold our individual and collective responsibilities to provide children under our protection with the compassion, love, support and care they undoubtedly deserve.
|
|
| Michelle Atwell | Warren Janzen |
| CEO | International Director |
| SEND US | SEND International |
