Restorative Justice | Catalina Island

Update – 4.1.25

 

We continue our work with GRACE, Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, to conduct a thorough independent investigation of the past abuses at ACC.  We have completed the first phase of document submission and await next steps from them.  We will provide updates as well as how to participate once GRACE shares that information.  We encourage all who have relevant experience to participate in this investigation as it will greatly strengthen the report.

 

For the sake of transparency and accountability, we will commit to sharing that final report publicly and in its entirety.  We anticipate this investigation to take several months to complete.

 

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and we are grateful to share a FREE training for all parents and guardians available in English and Spanish.  This hour long training helps parents and guardians:

 

•  Recognize the grooming behaviors of an abuser
•  Understand how abuse occurs and how to prevent it
•  Talk with children about boundaries and physical safety

 

Please visit ministrysafe.com/april to access this free training.

If you have any questions, you can reach us at support@somethingnewcatalina.com.  We’ll post another update soon!

Update – 2.26.25

 

We remain committed to the Restorative Justice process and to the recommendations outlined in the latest letter from Ampersands.  As a result, we have contracted with GRACE, Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, to conduct a thorough independent investigation of the past abuses at ACC.  We look forward to that effort materializing and will share updates as well as how to participate with them directly once they make that available.

 

For the sake of transparency and accountability, we will commit to sharing that final report publicly and in its entirety.  We anticipate this investigation to take several months to complete.

 

While that investigation is underway, we’ll continue to pursue the remaining recommendations including establishing an independently operated fund for survivors, establishing victim advocates, and pursuing listening and educational opportunities.

Update – 1.9.25

 

Update – 12.20.24

 

Our sincere apologies for the delay in providing this update!  We remain committed to the process of restorative justice with Ampersands and have been working diligently over the past several weeks.

 

We have completed the first phase of this effort but will be celebrating this Christmas season with family and friends as we hope you are too!  We will be providing a more thorough update on next steps in the new year.

 

Tentative timeline:

 

July – August: Preliminary conversations with Avalon leaders and select survivors – Complete

August – September: Conversations with survivors and advocates to assess needs and goals – Complete

September: Small scale initial facilitated conversation between Avalon leaders and survivors – Complete

October: Debrief and recommendations for next steps – Complete

Please reach out to support@somethingnewcatalina.com for any additional questions.

Update – 11.4.24

 

We would like to express our humble and sincere gratitude to those who have taken the bold step of reaching out to Ampersands and participating in conversations with our leaders.  If you are a survivor and you have not already done so, it’s not too late!  We encourage all to reach out to Ampersands directly to share your story here.

 

We are entering a new phase of listening and learning as we begin to compile our next steps and determine what’s possible within the realm of restorative justice.

 

If you’d like to join us in our educational journey, please take a listen to this resource on spiritual abuse.

 

Tentative timeline:

Update – 9.19.24

While the church building has been closed to group gatherings, it will reopen temporarily for two events:  the Catalina Film Festival (which was previously committed to) and the memorial service for Kathy Thompson.

Additionally the church will unfortunately be unable to continue the Christmas Tree sale this year.  If you or your organization have an interest in taking on this valuable community service next year, please reach out!  We have pursued transferring to other local organizations with no success.

We continue our process of learning and listening in partnership with Ampersands.  If you are a survivor and you have not already done so, we encourage all to reach out to them directly to share your story here.

 

Tentative timeline:

Update – 8.23.24

As many of you are aware, Avalon Community Church has remained closed to group gatherings since July 7th.  The Food Bank and Tarzana Treatment Center remain open and unaffected by this closure.

In an effort to effectively address the history of sexual, spiritual, and emotional abuse and its mishandling at Avalon Community Church, we’ve partnered with Ampersands Restorative Justice.  They have issued an introductory letter which includes an opportunity for survivors to reach out to them directly.

While this initial listening phase will only include a handful of survivors, future phases will be expanded and include all survivors to assess everyone’s needs and goals.  We encourage all survivors to reach out to Ampersands and share your story.

Tentative timeline:

Additionally, we were made aware of a formerly terminated church leader in leadership at another church out of state.  We were able to make contact with that church’s leadership and informed them of the circumstances regarding their leader’s termination from ACC.