By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning! I joined reporters Anna Kaminski and Tim Carpenter recently in meeting with former employees of Church of the Resurrection who are unhappy with Adam Hamilton’s leadership of the church and his candidacy for U.S. Senate.
Some of the people we met with couldn’t be part of the story because they were afraid of retaliation by Hamilton or the church’s 25,000 members. But two longtime employees were brave enough to speak on the record, and they offered new insight into how Hamilton ran the church — and his handling of reported child sex abuse at a church camp two decades ago. His personal assistant, Sue Thompson, told us Hamilton had met with the family of one of the victims before deciding the boy’s story couldn’t be substantiated.
We also learned about staff surveys that showed declining faith in leadership at the church as it grew in size.
Anna tracked Hamilton down at a campaign event, and later presented additional questions to his campaign staff. She also talked to a couple of former church employees who offered a more favorable view of Hamilton.
Anna took on most of the work of writing the in-depth story below, which tries to makes sense of everything we gathered.
Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector
At nation’s largest Methodist church, ex-employees split on Kansas pastor running for U.S. Senate
LEAWOOD — Former employees of megachurch pastor and U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton say he was a caring but demanding boss, and some scrutinize his response to the first report of child sex abuse at a church camp 21 years ago.
But even his critics describe him as a “brilliant” theological mind, “smart” and “charismatic.”
And they would rather vote for him than Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall.
“Not voting is not an option for me, and voting for Roger Marshall is definitely not an option for me,” said Sue Thompson, a longtime Hamilton assistant who left the church at the end of 2019.
Before facing Marshall, Hamilton would need to win the Democratic nomination in the Aug. 4 primary. He is considered the frontrunner among 11 Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate based on fundraising, polling and his status as the leader of the largest United Methodist church in the United States.
Kansas Reflector contacted more than a dozen former church employees and members, and interviewed four who agreed to be identified. Several people declined to comment for fear of retaliation by Hamilton or the church.
For the four who spoke on the record, Hamilton was inaccessible to some but transparent to others. They shared conflicting views on his leadership.
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Kansas to pay more than $1.1 million for wrongful conviction in baby’s death
TOPEKA — A Kansas man wrongfully convicted of murdering his infant nephew will receive $614,205 from the state of Kansas after spending more than nine years in prison.
Christopher Dale Lyman was convicted of first-degree murder and child abuse in the 2013 death of the baby, deputy attorney general Robert Hutchison told the State Finance Council on Tuesday. Lyman was accused of shaking the baby, causing his death, and in February, a Kansas court overturned the conviction. The council, composed of Gov. Laura Kelly and legislators, makes financial decisions for the state when the Legislature isn’t in session
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Feds have a new teen pregnancy prevention plan: Fertility and ‘reproductive goals’
The Trump administration has a new plan for teenagers learning about pregnancy: Beginning this summer, it will steer millions of dollars toward organizations that focus on anatomy, fertility tracking, hormonal production and “reproductive goals counseling.”
The plan will also emphasize abstinence from sex and the importance of marriage.
To strengthen Kansas schools and their students, we can start with civics in the home
OPINION
By Lindsey Cormack
When I return home for the Kansas Book Festival in Topeka, I will do what I have done at talks across the country: brag on Kansas. I will be there to talk about “How to Raise a Citizen (and Why It’s Up to You to Do It)” alongside state Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Rosen and Mr. Beat, the Kansas educator and YouTuber who has taught millions of people history online.
Food assistance advocates ask Congress to delay GOP megabill shift of SNAP costs to states
WASHINGTON — Advocates and public health experts urged Republicans in Congress on Wednesday to implement a two-year delay on requiring states to begin sharing the costs for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
5:30 p.m. July 23, Emporia Arts Center. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will lead a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Kansas Appleseed. Register here.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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