The allegations of misconduct at Zion Lutheran first reached officials of the Northeast Ohio Synod last fall, prompting the Bishop herself to conduct an investigation. After a two month review, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton says, "I became increasingly convinced that these were not false accusations."The allegations of misconduct at Zion Lutheran first reached officials of the Northeast Ohio Synod last fall, prompting the Bishop herself to conduct an investigation. After a two month review, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton says, "I became increasingly convinced that these were not false accusations."
After hearing from alleged victims, the Bishop tells us she confronted then Pastor Dale Giffin who had been with Zion Lutheran nearly 30 years. She says Giffin denied the charges, even claiming his accusers held some sort of vendetta against him. She then offered Giffin the chance to take his case with a church disciplinary hearing, where he could have obtained legal counsel, face his accusers and mount a defense. The Bishop says, "he chose not to do that."
Instead Giffin, who's married and lives in Canfield, resigned last November and now faces criminal charges. Bishop Eaton says the Lutheran Church maintains a zero tolerance policy on sexual misconduct, and doesn't apologize for the way she handled this case.
The Bishop's now working to find a full-time replacement for Giffins, one the entire congregation can accept, saying church members are "still in shock," adding, "There's a lot of grief going on. I think some people just don't believe this could be true."
She admits the healing process could take a long time.
