Power of Living Ministries in Brentwood, California has landed itself in the center of a brewing controversy after hiring a convicted sex offender as one of its many deacons.

Andrew Julius Wright has reportedly been convicted of continuous child sexual abuse.

Child Predators Most Wanted spokesperson, Alex Zabel, who is a survivor of similar abuse, said it is frightening that a predator like Wright continues to have access to vulnerable children at the church.

Wright’s mugshot was uploaded to the group’s Facebook page after he lagged on updating his registration requirements on the Megan’s Law website, following which he personally reached out to California Child Predators Most Wanted, asking them to pull down his image.

“The first words he said to us was, ‘Could you please remove my picture because this is a private matter’,” said Gary Richards, who is also associated with Child Predators Most Wanted. “As a father, I can’t stand the thought of going to church and another man that touched another child is praying with my (children).”

Responding to its congregants’ concerns, the church did eventually issue a public statement.

“We remain resolved to the alignment of the scriptures. We have done our due diligence and find no fault in Deacon Andrew Wright based on our review. We would not Ordain someone if we believed he was a harm to our church, family and especially our children,” the statement read in part. 

Power of Living Ministries says it will continue to support Wright even though all pictures of the deacon were immediately removed from the church’s Facebook page. Since the post that started it all, Wright has updated his registration status on the Megan’s Law website.

Atheist Republic reached out to Power of Living Ministries several times but no spokesperson was available for comment.

Photo Credits: Wate.com