We will be covering two scandals at C3 Marion in this article.

SCANDAL 1

This first article will be looking at an important conversation on our C3 SCANDALS page.

As you start browsing the C3 Scandals page, a few commentors have raise an issue about an alleged scandal down at C3 Church Marion. We have received fragments of this situation all over our site. (If anyone can provide a thorough explanation of the situation, please email us at c3churchwatch@hotmail.com.)

Before looking at the situation, we thought it would be smart to look at a C3 Marion “Church” defender upholding the integrity of C3 Marion and their “Pastor” Jude,

“We are a C3 church and we don’t judge our success by how many people we have coming. All those people that come and go don’t understand our vision and they are critical and jealous of Pastor Jude’s ministry. He is wise and has helped many be better Christians teaching them about being in church every week, bringing an offering and submitting to godly leadership. It doesn’t matter we only have 60-70 people but what’s in our hearts. Without Pastor Jude our church wouldn’t even be there.”

Source: Marty, C3 Scandals, C3 Church Watch, https://c3churchwatch.com/c3-scandals/#comment-10217, December 13, 2013 at 7:45 am. (Accessed 22/05/2014.)

In defending C3 and Jude, we asked the C3 member what the gospel is. Here are their comments:

I rebuke your comments and think you all need to repent and ask God to forgive you.C3 is not old fashioned at all. It does preach the true gospel and that includes Pastor Jude Blaney. Many people at our church are comitted to the gospel, are sticking at the church and that doesn’t mean we are a cult – just are committed to the gospel.

Source: Marty, C3 Scandals, C3 Church Watch, https://c3churchwatch.com/c3-scandals/#comment-11378, February 4, 2014 at 7:19 am. (Accessed 22/05/2014.)

The Gospel is living your best life now… not in heaven but here on earth. C3 Marion is an awesome church and Pastor Jude Blaney is an awesome pastor who is taking the church to higher and higher and higher levels. All my friends from the church who seen this site criticising us are more determined to stick with pastor Jude no matter what. We don’t care what you say. People who say we are finished because we are having to sell the church building don’t know Pastor Jude and don’t know us. Watch this space!

Source: Marty, C3 Scandals, C3 Church Watch, https://c3churchwatch.com/c3-scandals/#comment-11865, February 20, 2014 at 1:01 am. (Accessed 22/05/2014.)

Where did you think Pastor Jude and “Marty” got this eternally damning gospel from? We’ll give you a clue.

There is nothing more scandalous than getting involved in a place that presents itself as a Christian church but sends its members to hell. Another commentor offered their observations on “Pastor” Jude.

I was a member of C3 Marion for quite a while and am still in contact with many people I made friends with there. It hasn’t grown at all over the 13 years Jude Blaney has been in control despite lots of words from Blaney himself about how “switched on and relevant” he is. I left because his preaching was really weak and not relevant to me. Most of CCC seem to be in a time-warp – old fashioned teaching that’s got very little of the true gospel – its just a string of meaningless platitudes. Its not the gospel – its a hard program of religious works. Many people that attend are people like Marty – you’d have to describe them as simple and vulnerable to religious control and manipulation.

Source: Anon, C3 Scandals, C3 Church Watch, https://c3churchwatch.com/c3-scandals/#comment-10373, December 27, 2013 at 6:24 am. (Accessed 22/05/2014.)

It is true for “Anon” to say, has “old fashioned teaching that’s got very little of the true gospel”. This is the Christian gospel:

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.”
1 Corinthians 15:1-5

If you attend C3 Marion and think “the Gospel is living your best life now”, then you need to leave your church, cling to Christ and His cross and repent of your sins so you may be spared from God’s coming wrath.

SCANDAL 2

On topic of “your best life now”, Trevor Russell found his “best life now” by becoming a C3 pastor and living a life of immoral pleasure. This second scandal can also be followed on the same page:

“What about CcC Marion in Adelaide who are refusing to pay compensation for a number of young men abused by convicted paedophile Pastor Trevor Russell. Pastor Jude Blayney, the cults present leader is desperately fighting to keep control of a diminishing congregation with diminishing financial resources. Speculation surrounds when fight will turn to flight for Blaney.”

Source: Champ145, C3 Scandals, C3ChurchWatch, http://c3churchwatch.com/c3-scandals/#comment-7503, August 1, 2013 at 2:39 pm. (Accessed 22/05/2014.)

Another witness followed up with this:

C3 Marion announced to its people in October 2013 that it has settled out of court for $500,000 for the paedophilia victims..History of C3: Jude Blaney kicked out Peter Vacca (the founder of Bethesda Movement when he was sick) and then turned the church in to C3. All the property built up by Peter Vacca and goodwilled members is now under Blaney’s control. C3 announced they are liquidating their property to pay the settlement and debts massed by Blaney over the years for African “mission trips” where the pastors stayed in luxuary hotels and went white-water rafting on their days off, leased cars, wages and long-service leave. Seriously days-off…. I bet David Livingston didn’t have “days-off” when in Africa. Blaney has turned a once mighty church into a big belly flop. with just 60-70 adults attending the biggest service.I’m not happy with the way this has all turned out.

Source: Nathan Digeaux, C3 Scandals, C3ChurchWatch, https://c3churchwatch.com/c3-scandals/#comment-9696, November 20, 2013 at 2:38 am. (Accessed 22/05/2014.)

Nathan later said,

What about C3 Marion scandal in the side part so more people know about the mess in Adelaide Jude Blaney has created? Its not just about Phil Pringel – its the incompetant “pastors” he has let become a part of the franchise. I wonder how much $ will go missing when the liquidation happens – some will go to Pringle probably.

Source: Nathan Digeaux, C3 Scandals, C3ChurchWatch, https://c3churchwatch.com/c3-scandals/#comment-9696, November 20, 2013 at 2:48 am. (Accessed 22/05/2014.)

A third witness piped in:

“I WILL NEVER NEVER BE ABLE TO FORGIVE TREVOR RUSSELL FOR THE IMPACT HE HAS HAD ON MY LIFE AND THE LIFE OF MY HUSBAND WHO SUFFERED AT HIS HANDS.”

Source: Maria Claire, C3 Scandals, C3ChurchWatch, https://c3churchwatch.com/c3-scandals/#comment-15442, April 29, 2014 at 1:50 pm. (Accessed 22/05/2014.)

So what happened?

Here are some news articles that have covered this issue. It frustrates us how C3 always denies any responsibility for their actions.

Paedophile confesses to molesting 5 more boys

A convicted paedophile has confessed in the South Australian Supreme Court to molesting five teenage boys up to 30 years ago.

Trevor John Russell, 57, of Stansbury has already pleaded guilty to sexually abusing four teenage boys at church camps in the early 1980s.

But the case took a new turn today, when Russell confessed to abusing five other boys in the 1970s and ’80s.

Prosecutor Karen Ingleton said one of those victims had agreed to let the judge take his case into account when sentencing Russell.

But Ms Ingleton asked the judge not to include the other four new victims in her sentence, to give the men the opportunity to have their day in court.

She said some of the victims could not be contacted, while others were still coming to terms with the sudden confession.

Source: ABC News, Paedophile confesses to molesting 5 more boys, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-01-17/paedophile-confesses-to-molesting-5-more-boys/2174270, 17/01/2007. (Accessed 22/05/2014.)

Here is another article on the issue,

CLAIMS CHURCH FAILED TO ACT ON ‘PERVERT’

CHURCH elders allowed a paedophile pastor and youth leader to ply his evil trade by failing to act on repeated warnings over his “inappropriate behaviour” with young boys, court documents claim.

Trevor John Russell is serving a nine-year sentence for molesting boys while a pastor at Christian City Church Marion – which has denied that it owes the victims any compensation.

Three men, now in their early 40s, have launched a civil claim against the church over the abuse they suffered at the hands of Russell at church-run youth camps in the Flinders Ranges in the late 1970s and early 1980s when they were aged 12 and 13.

In their District Court statement of claim, the men say three female church members had complained to senior church staff that Russell was “a pervert” who had behaved inappropriately towards young boys.

The victims all claim to have suffered ongoing psychological and psychiatric problems because of their childhood abuse, including post traumatic stress disorder.

The church denies it was responsible or liable for the actions of Russell.

The civil case has been adjourned for a further hearing in March next year.

Source: Andrew Dowell, Claims church failed to act on ‘pervert’, The Advertiser, http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21500921-2682,00.html, December 23, 2009 12:01am.  (Accessed 22/05/2014.)

You would think Phil Pringle and his leadership would have learnt the first time.

 

 

C3 Parramatta Scandal (Part 1)

C3 Parramatta Scandal (Part 2) Sex, Money, Power