Convicted child sex offender listed as violent on VA state registry is “Care Director” pastor at Fairfax Community Church

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It’s come to this: as I told my husband a few days ago when I was alerted to this story, we now must caution parents and church members/attendees to search for church pastors and staff on sex offender registries.

Child sex offenders “hiding” in plain sight, elevated to positions of spiritual authority and trust? Alarmingly, yes.

How would the public react to news that a violent registered sex offender worked at a school with kids? Daycare? Coach? Counselor?

Church? Yes, a church: Fairfax Community Church in Fairfax, Virginia.

Eric Nickle is the Care Director at Fairfax Community Church. The senior pastor of FCC is Rod Stafford.

Eric Nickle is on the Virginia sex offender registry. He is listed as violent.

§ 18.2-370.1. Taking indecent liberties with child by person in custodial or supervisory relationship; penalties.

A. Any person 18 years of age or older who, except as provided in § 18.2-370, maintains a custodial or supervisory relationship over a child under the age of 18 and is not legally married to such child and such child is not emancipated who, with lascivious intent, knowingly and intentionally (i) proposes that any such child feel or fondle the sexual or genital parts of such person or that such person feel or handle the sexual or genital parts of the child; or (ii) proposes to such child the performance of an act of sexual intercourse, anal intercourse, cunnilingus, fellatio, or anilingus or any act constituting an offense under § 18.2-361; or (iii) exposes his or her sexual or genital parts to such child; or (iv) proposes that any such child expose his or her sexual or genital parts to such person; or (v) proposes to the child that the child engage in sexual intercourse, sodomy or fondling of sexual or genital parts with another person; or (vi) sexually abuses the child as defined in subdivision 6 of §18.2-67.10 is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

B. Any person who is convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this section is guilty of a Class 5 felony, provided that (i) the offenses were not part of a common act, transaction or scheme; (ii) the accused was at liberty as defined in § 53.1-151 between each conviction; and (iii) it is admitted, or found by the jury or judge before whom the person is tried, that the accused was previously convicted of a violation of this section.

1982, c. 521; 1986, c. 503; 1991, c. 517; 2001, c. 840; 2005, c. 185; 2014, c. 794

Is the senior pastor aware that Nickle is a registered child sex offender listed as violent? Are church members and attendees aware of this information?

Elevating a child sex offender to a position of trust and authority does not create a safe environment for kids and abuse survivors.

The light of truth and knowledge is our greatest tool to protect kids.

Can churches protect children & minister to sex offenders? New [guest] post tackles this difficult issue. http://t.co/e61lStTaiO @simonNBass

— Boz Tchividjian (@BozT) July 25, 2015

“An offender’s testimony may give the impression to kids & parents that the church considers the offender to be safe.”http://t.co/fEkzr38IpK

— GRACE (@netgrace_org) July 25, 2015

UPDATE: July 30, 2015

A grand deception: The successful response of sex offenders

When the Church prefers perpetrators

A careful grace: Accountability for sex offenders in the church

A church should not ask a sex offender to be part of the public platform.

Fairfax Community Church: Why you should check the sex offender registry before joining a church

Just mentions “personal history” & “life challenges.” Child sex crimes aren’t challenges. Church minimizes crimes. https://t.co/T7emmyFjJL

— Amy Smith (@watchkeep) July 30, 2015

Exactly. Try “violent criminal record” https://t.co/Wj8WLN4ZiD

— Fledgeling Feminist (@fledgelingfem) July 30, 2015

Repentance & forgiveness are private, personal matters. Protecting kids is public mandate. Why take the risk? http://t.co/yKPeHhACbn

— Amy Smith (@watchkeep) July 30, 2015

@FairfaxCC @watchkeep Wishing the leadership at FCC would mention concern of the victim of the sexual offender. http://t.co/n9CKU6Fnwe

— Dee Parsons (@wartwatch) July 30, 2015

UPDATE: 8/4/15
Last Saturday, I was in the DC area attending and speaking at our annual SNAP conference. A group of SNAP members and leaders held an awareness event outside Fairfax Community Church about convicted child sex offender and FCC pastor Eric Nickle.

We handed out leaflets to church congregants as they left the worship service.

SNAP believes that church officials are being reckless by employing Nickle and telling only some congregants about his past. 

Fairfax staff say they’re restricting Nickle’s activities at the church, but SNAP is skeptical.

“It’s dreadfully risky for church staff to claim or try to monitor shrewd sex offenders,” said Amy Smith of SNAP. “The outcome is often more child sex crimes surfacing years later.”

The group also challenges the church’s notion of “forgiveness.”

“We can forgive a drunk driver but shouldn’t give him school bus keys. We can forgive someone who commits violence but shouldn’t give him a gun,” said Becky Ianni of Burke VA. “We can forgive someone who abuses kids but shouldn’t give him any role in a position of trust and authority.”

“Putting a child sex offender in a position of trust and authority endangers innocent kids and hurts abuse victims,” said Smith. “Why take this avoidable risk with the most vulnerable among us?”

Shortly after we arrived, Loretta Cooper, spokesperson for FCC, came out to meet us. She gave us copies of the 2nd Fairfax Community Church statement in a week on Eric Nickle.

We spoke for a few minutes with Loretta Cooper. When I expressed concern that a convicted pedophile would be given a position of trust and authority as a Care Director, Loretta informed me that I am inflating his job responsibilities as Eric “mostly just carries boxes.”

Y did L. Cooper lie about Nickle’s role “carries boxes?” He’s counseling staff. http://t.co/K7e6ATLUBU #AskFairfaxCC pic.twitter.com/kdLQJdoWLP

— Amy Smith (@watchkeep) August 4, 2015

I assumed since Loretta was sent to deliver the official church statement that she is on staff. She said she’s not on staff, does not speak on behalf of the church, and that she is just a member.

Loretta is married to Kyle Cooper, FCC youth pastor. I discovered that the senior pastor Rod Stafford has designated Loretta as the spokesperson on Eric Nickle.

@leritareid Your best contact at Fairfax Community Church is LorettaCooper@me.com. She would be happy to talk with you. Thanks!

— Rod Stafford (@rodstafford) August 2, 2015

Giving title Care Director sends wrong message! Hope church takes advice recognising perpetrators shouldn’t be given positions of trust. ~ Simon Bass, chief executive of the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service

We ended our conversation with me asking Loretta Cooper if she or the church had contacted Boz Tchividjian of  G.R.A.C.E http://www.netgrace.org/ to get his input. She said they had not done so, but she promised that she would.

We have heard that senior pastor Rod Stafford addressed the situation regarding Eric Nickle in his sermon in the worship services last weekend in detail, even going into the specifics of Nickle’s child sex crime conviction and discussing the identity of his victim. 

I went to the service yesterday at 5PM. It is not going to be streaming, nor put up on the internet. These are a few points, questions, and comments I got out of last night.

– There still seems to be a discussion surrounding the limitations and restrictions put on Mr. Nickle, yet those topics of discussion seem to have been addressed in the response Mr. Stafford sent out, or were they not addressed to the level that you feel is appropriate? (I ask that seriously and not in a sarcastic tone).

– Mr. Nickle’s dad was a swinger and his mom was sexually molested by a pastor before he was born. His parents thought having a child would keep their marriage together but, instead, they got divorced when Eric was 1 year old. As he was raised, he was exposed to pornography at a very young age.
– The victim was Mr. Nickle’s daughter. When she was 12 – 14 (I forget the exact age), upon her falling asleep he would come in and touch her (first through her clothing and then underneath it). The first time he touched her underneath her clothes she awoke and immediately told her mom (Eric’s wife).
– The sermon stated that, according to Virginia law, all crimes committed in such a way (even though no physical violence (in the traditional sense of striking, etc.) was caused, the term “violent” is still attached). @LawProf: This is your area of expertise so your words regarding whether this is true or not may help further elucidate the matter.
– Many years have passed and they have both gone through a tremendous amount of counseling (both on their own and together) to the point where they meet (in public) and Mr. Nickle gets to spend time with his daughter and grandson/granddaughter (I forget if it’s a boy or a girl but it was stated in the sermon).
– A second story was told about a woman who works at the church and is the supervisor of Mr. Nickle. She was a victim of molestation at the hands of a pastor when she was younger. I am refraining from using her name because of this. She has been Mr. Nickle’s supervisor for the entirety of his employment at FCC.
– Upon leaving the church, a few SNAP members were standing at the entrance to the church and offering pamphlets to drivers. Upon declining to receive the literature, the woman said, “That’s alright, thank you anyways”. I write this because I was “happy” to see that no animosity of any kind seemed to be outwardly demonstrated.

4/15/2013

 Not sure if people who are attending this church are aware that Eric Nickle is on the sexual registry list for taking liberties with a minor. Since I am a mother of four children who have interacted with Eric I have notified the church staff several times. They wrote me off. I think the church has a responsibility to let its members know that Eric Nickles is on the sexual registry list. Look up the zip code of the church 22030 on the fairfax sexual offenders list and you will see a picture of him.

I will no longer take my family to this church.