Pastor hired sex offender to work at church with preschool
The Rev. Todd Thomas knew that Travis Buffington had been convicted in 2006 of possession of child porn, but said he didn’t think the man was a threat. The pastor hired Buffington, 33, as a maintenance man last year for his Maryland church, which also houses a large nursery school. He also said that the hire was cleared by Buffington’s probation officer.
But last week, parents got wind of Buffington’s history. Several pulled their kids out of the Bethesda Cooperative Nursery School. Hell probably has less fury than angry parents, as the pastor found out.
On Sunday, the Church in Bethesda, Md., announced that Buffington had resigned, the Associated Press reported. He is no longer allowed to live in a church-owned house next to the church. He’s still a member of the congregation but is banned from church grounds during school days.
This pastor shows complete lack of common sense. I’d be looking for a new chuch.
I believe in the churches helping people overcome sin in their lives and trying to give them second chances. However, I completely agree that the pastor should have considered more than just the man, here. It was really, REALLY, not a wise idea… Deciding to put a man with that kind of past around small children, even if the man was never alone with them nor working with them directly… it was very unfair to the parents who counted on the pastor and the church to maintain standards for the care of their children.
I hope people can forgive the pastor of his breech and that he could sincerely learn from this blunder. Pastors are human, too, and he deserves to be allowed to make mistakes. However this is serious, and I hope he doesn’t ever repeat this mistake.
First - im not sure the guy should have been placed near kids again.Foolish and not necessary imho
Second - there are 20 ways to lift the guy up and help him as Pastor
and help him see God first in his life , besides employing him near kids
Third - all Pastors should be doing complete Backgrounds on all staff and volunteers. Here is a site that does it cheap for
churches http:/www.backgroundBackground.com
Last - parents shouold know when an offender moves in near them. Responsible parents should be aware where these ex offenders live, even if they seem like nice guys that “go to church”. For that
i suggest http://www.calleridscan.com/, they have a cheap alert subscription or check the county websites (which is much more work)
Serving the King of Kings,
Best to you