Jim Engleman who worked in Harvest Bible Chapel Elgin’s security team wrote an open letter to the Bartholomew family. Its about the Paxton Singer situation and encouraging them to speak to James MacDonald about it.
“Part of being a man is learning to take responsibility for your successes and for your failures. You can’t go blaming others or being jealous. Seeing somebody else’s success as your failure is a cancerous way to live.”
Kevin Bacon
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
Ephesians 5:10-14 NLT
This morning Jim Engleman approached me and asked if he could publish an open letter to the Bartholomew family in Naples, Florida. Jim wanted to go out on record of calling out James MacDonald’s lack of leadership amidst the Paxton Singer situation. Another former member of Harvest recently also wrote about Paxton in, “Guest Post: An Open Letter from a Concerned Mother Disheartened About how Harvest Bible Chapel Mishandled Paxton Singer’s Arrest.” This blog has deep respect for Jim Engleman for going out on a limb. Not only that but this blog would like to pose a question for Harvest Bible Chapel. What does it mean to “Act Like Men?” It means you leave Harvest Bible Chapel and you put your neck out for the sake of a young child so that individual will not be hurt. If James MacDonald or Luke or Landon MacDonald want to learn what it means to “Act Like Men” maybe they can meet with Jim Engleman and have a coffee and Jim can teach them.
Bartholomew Family
I’m a former member of the security team at HBC Elgin. I was tasked with watching the Children’s areas on many Sundays. I came to Harvest without affiliations. I had no friends there. I had no Family there. I had no business there. I was there for Church! To encounter Christ and learn and grow. I left with a better understanding of scripture. I left with a group of lifelong friends. I left amid the HBF controversy sighting irreconcilable differences. This letter has nothing to do with that season.
As your Christian Brother and as Member of the The Elgin Community the rest of this letter pains me to write and I pray you will read to the end.
A youth pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel is charged with Sexually Exploiting multiple young boys in his care. His name is Paxton Singer. Why should you care?
The Leadership at HBC failed to inform the members of Harvest. That leadership includes Landon and Luke Macdonald who reported back to James directly.
When leadership became aware of the first victim they called DCFS secretly. I say secretly, because the Church was not informed. A small percentage of members were sent a vague letter that:
- Failed to mention the sexual nature of the allegations.
- Failed to mention DCFS was called.
- Failed to mention the law was broken.
- Failed to mention the man fired was targeting underage boys.
- Allowed the accused pedophile to continue worshiping alongside victims.
I know this to be fact. Why? Because Harvest posted the letter to parents online. Because they only posted it after the offender’s arrest. Because once the story was public Harvest finally decided to mention DCFS. We now know that there were at least 3 victims. All were boys. They were spread across multiple campuses. We also know that the arrest was made based on a tip to the DCFS Hotline in June. That tip did not come from Harvest but an outsider with knowledge of the seriousness of the crimes alleged.
10 months passed from JAN to OCT with 1000s of members left in the dark! Why?
Here’s where you need to think impartially.
The lawsuit to silence Julie and TED was launched the day after the youth Pastor was formally charge and the same day he turned himself in. At that time, TED had not posted in almost a year and Julie had yet to publish. It is noteworthy that Julie had approached Harvest for comment and one of the items on the table was Paxton Singer.
As soon as the lawsuit was filed the first move James attempted was to file a temporary restraining order to STOP Julie Roys from reporting. It failed. But it sent the papers into a frenzy and forced everyone to take a step back and rethink things. Eventually part of the story was told but the Paxton Singer cover up remains out of the public’s eye. The lawsuit was dropped after James became aware that subpoenaed documents included the details, text communications, and emails surrounding the handling of the child sex crime. It was dropped following a judge ruling that these documents would not be sealed, and ALL subpoenaed documents would be public record.
We have been approached by multiple parents whose children spent overnights with Paxton. These parents have not been contacted by HBC to this day.
What happened in the time that James was able to “buy” with the lawsuit? First fruits of a Capital Campaign. A deal with the Bartholomew Family that paved James way to Naples?
Bartholomews, WE ARE PRAYING FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. Please make sure you have interviewed James on this issue. Please make sure you are certain about this man that you have decided to support publicly.
Above everything else..
Please do everything in your power to ensure that HBC finally and fully communicates the available details to ALL parents of children that attended Harvest or Harvest affiliated events in the time frame of the alleged sexual exploitation of children! This is more important than anything else. KIDS!
The question must be asked! Did James, Luke, Landon and others lead HBC in covering up child sex crimes? We see evidence that says they did. We want answers for our community and those kids!
We are not against your family. We were your family..less influence..less cash but Christians seeking to glorify God none the less who believed in James approach and got behind his vertical brand.
I came to Harvest looking for Jesus.. I found more of him. And I left following him. ALL GLORY TO GOD.
Be watchful.
Sincerely,
Jim Engleman
Wondering Eagle 
Ummm I don’t want to mention the name of the blog the Bartholomews wrote. But I’ll just put it this way. They are right in line with the type of people to be friends with James Macdonald. They are dross no different than James himself. Everyone needs to get your eyes off them if you think they are people of any type of integrity common sense or compassion.
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i.e. One of JMac’s Loyal Officers/ENFORCERS.
Need I say more?
If JMac is Elron, Engleman is Sea Org.
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Headless – Re: “Need I say more?”: Sorry, on this you need to say less when you have no knowledge on the topic. Engleman is trying to do a very noble thing. HBC Security is a volunteer team of men and women who’s primary job was protecting the children’s ministry (entry/exit) and the general public safety for a few thousand people during each of the church services (think health emergencies, evac, or occasional person with mental health issues causing a disturbance). “JMac’s Loyal Officers” is a different topic altogether, don’t mix the two.
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Good comment Deer. Jim Englemen is doing a good thing in what he posted. I agree with you.
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Speaking of Harvest Security, I was personally stalked and cornered and nearly handcuffed at the end of a sermon on a Sunday at Rolling Meadows a few years back. Little did I know but apparently I looked like a guy who caused trouble and 4 security officers actually placed themselves around me and in-between me and JMac during the sermon. Right as I was leaving they surrounded me and called out a name in which I did not respond (I wasn’t they guy so why would I respond?). They forced me to show my drivers license before they would release me. The whole event was unacceptable, there was no follow up and no pastor to come apologize. I actually had trouble sleeping for a few weeks thereafter. At that moment I realized this was a machine and it was all about keeping the machine running. They didn’t care who I was even though I wasn’t a trouble maker. I left the church shortly after this incident. The Holy Spirit was clearly working on me prior to leave this toxic environment. I could no longer sit there giving offerings to the church while JMac vacationed every summer, promotes his kids to roles which they did not deserve or qualified, took his entire family mob on expensive vacations and lived in a huge house. If you can’t see what this guy is about, maybe you should wait until security comes and corners you too. JMac is nothing less than a scam artist and a bully to anyone and everyone he sees as a threat. The good news? I found a new church and got into a small group where I have grown much closer to Christ. My new church home (no more mega churches for me) does not have a fancy band but I can tell you they preach the word, focus on the Gospel and care about each and every individual who walks through the door. There is life after Harvest and it actually may be a blessing for you to move on.
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This is inline with how Harvest would handled a “banned” individual.
I remember the first time I was shown a picture and told an individual was banned.
I asked why!? If you havent noticed, Im not shy. They hate that.
The answer was, thats confidential.
My response was, “well..that’s a problem for me.” I was pulled aside and told that the man in the picture was a former youth pastor from Crystal Lake. Not the one currently in the news. I was told he cheated on his wife with another “member” of the church.
I asked. ” was it a student? ”
The response was not a “current” student and not someone underage.
There were off duty cops on the security team.. I reluctantly trusted the head of security and went on with my day.
Now…I trust No one in Harvest Leadership. Not 1.
The place needs to be investigated. Its the proper consequence given the deception, gaslighting, and fear mongering that has plagued Harvest for years.
The truth will set the penalty.
It Is Finished.
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I feel awful for you for having had that experience at “church.” Praise the Lord you have found a church that sounds like they’re doing it right.
.
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