Update 3 rd January 2006

We will simply put one of many email exchanges with Rev Berg, Executive Director of Nortn American Baptist Conference. The only comment is that many have gone to Rev Berg in the past either in his current posiition or as the Alberta Area Minister to register claims of abuse by pastors and elders at South Calgary Community Church. He was aware that two reconciliation services were held in 1999 and 2000 to deal with prior leadership abuse yet what did NABC do to monitor the church to ensure the NABC code of conduct was followed by SCCC pastors?

He seems to place the blame on the abused rather than take responsibility for holding the abusers responsible. Would he have said the same had it been a case of sexual abuse? Does he disagree with many respected Christian leaders in equating sexual abuse to emotional and spiritual abuse? These pages have a number of exchanges between Ron Berg and others who contacted him yet in many cases he failed to respond. He claims to have insisted Kevin Phillips and Pastor Wallace go to mediation soon after he met Barry on 2nd October 2003 in Chicago, yet Kevin Phillips in September 2004 could not remember this request.

Ron Berg continues to refuse to meet the Pendergasts face to face to discuss the many questions they wish to pose on his and NABC's role in abuse at South Calgary Community Church. What will it take to precipitate a meeting? Does he have no accountability partners?

From: Ron Berg <rberg@nabconf.org>
Date: Mon Dec 1, 2003 10:38:08 AM Canada/Mountain
To: Barry Pendergast <barrypendergast@shaw.ca>
Subject: RE: Hello

Barry,
I am very sorry to hear that matters have deteriorated betweens you
and SCCC. I can't know "the whole story" from here, but I do know that you
feel you have been wronged and the leadership at SCCC feel that you
have
wronged the church. I don't despair when this happens. We are human,
and often we are not sensitive to what is happening in another person's
life. It is at times like this that everyone involved needs to take a
good look at their attitudes and motives.

I have spoken briefly with Jim and with Kevin Philips. I have urged
both of them to seek mediation with you through a third party. I am not in
a position of being able to give advice on "who" did "what" wrong. I can
simply point you to Scripture. And my conclusion is that there is
something very wrong with our hearts when we are prepared to take
another believer to court. I Corinthians 6:1 asks incredulously, "If
any
of you have a dispute with another, DARE he take it before the ungodly
for judgment?" The Apostle is astounded that a believer would dare
defy God's instructions on how to deal with disputes. He concludes this
passage with, "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means
you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why
not rather be cheated?" (vs. 7) His basis for this is in what Jesus
said, "You have heard it said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But

I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue
you
and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone
forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." (Matt. 5:38-41) Jesus is
talking about being abused, an abuse just as serious as you feel has
been toward you by Jim Wallace and the elders. I am not minimizing the
hurt you have experienced. I am not justifying the actions of the
elders. But Barry, how would you act differently if you were to follow
Jesus directions?

I know that you are saying that this abuse has gone on for some time
against others from Jim, and that your responsibility is to speak up
on their behalf and to save others from future abuse. Let me suggest what
you might do to help those who feel they have been abused.

First of all, teach them how to do what Jesus said. Teach them how to
so submit to the Spirit of God, that their response in these situations
convinces people of the reality of the power of God at work in their
lives. Fighting, as you and the church leaders are now, will not
convince anyone that we have a different Spirit within us. I think it
says that what Jesus said His Spirit would do in us in these
circumstances is untrue. Teach them and show them that the Spirit
within
us is greater than "he that is in the world". We can survive and grow
in the midst of abuse. Jesus said that the religious leaders abused him,
so why do we think that the same wouldn't happen to us. "Is the servant
greater than his Master?" he asked.

Secondly, teach them how to confront these kinds of issues with
gentleness and grace. I know that you feel you have been open to
meeting
with the Jim and the elders. As I hear it, you and the leaders both
feel that the other party has been unwilling to meet, or at least stalling.

I have to think that if ego would be left out of this, something could
have been done by now to get together.

The Bible says that our purpose for confronting on these matters is to
bring about reconciliation. The only way to bring about reconciliation
is when these issues are dealt with in gentleness and a teachable
heart.
Barry, I have never seen reconciliation happen by going to court. I
think that going to court has always been to prove I am right, not to
make things right, to be reconciled. Can you imagine two people coming
together in court and embracing after the decision? Martin Luther once
said to his followers, "We must never seek to defeat or humiliate our
opponent, but to win his or her friendship and understanding. Such an
attitude flows not from ourselves, but from God as his unconditional
love works through us."

I ask you to examine your heart. Have you tried to humiliate Jim? I
remind you of the conversation we had here in the hotel. You said you
could go to court and destroy Jim. You said that since that this would
also destroy the church, and you had no interest in doing that. Is
your motive clear? Are you trying to change Jim by humiliating him? If you
are you won't have reconciliation. Nor will you have satisfaction. The
people that you have solicited to support you, is it their
understanding
that you are approaching this in a spirit of grace, helping them to be
reconciled with Jim? Or do they have the feeling that you are asking
them to "get" Jim?

I know that you tried to follow the process of Scripture, to meet with
the one who offended you, and failing there, go to the elders etc. In
this case, I believe it means bringing in some outside spiritual
leaders, and I know that you tried to do this. Again, I can't
understand
why this hasn't happened. But I am asking you to examine your heart. I
ask the same of the leaders of the church. Has there been the Spirit
of Christ in all of the actions that have been taken so far?

My plea with you is to be reconciled. I know Rolly Lang and have a
great
deal of respect for him. I hope that he isn't going to do this alone.
There needs to be one or two other people there with him. But
whatever, don't delay. Do whatever you must for this to be done in a Spirit of
Christ. And if you can't go there with that kind of spirit, ask some
to help you.

If something needs to be changed in Jim and the elders, let God do
that. His Spirit alone has the power to change what must be changed. Only,
begin with your own heart.