Letters to the Editor 01/04/2006

To the Editor:

(Re: Man faces sex abuse charges, The Nugget, December 28, page 7):

It is very scary to know that this type of man is living in our community, let alone preaching at Christ’s Church of New Beginnings on Sunday morning with children present after he gets released from jail, for sexual abuse of minors.

It is people like Mr. Hall who make religion look bad. For those of you who still attend this church I hope you stop and think for the safety of your children. Also I hope that the Sisters School District will no longer allow Mr. Hall to continue using their facilities for church services.

Talia Simpson

Editor’s note: Since the submission of Ms. Simpson’s letter, Mr. Hall has announced that he is taking a leave of absence from the pulpit. (See related story, page 1).

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To the Editor:

As a person who has been acquainted with Mr. Hall for a number of years and is in fact related to him by marriage, I feel it quite necessary to point out the fact that he is innocent until proven guilty. You people who are pre-judging him need to remember that in this country a person must be proven guilty.

This case has not been tried and no one has the right to judge him before the charges have been proved. This is still America isn’t it?

I know Mr. Hall to be an exceptional father and a loving, caring human being. For those of you who claim to be Christians you indeed need to read your Bibles also; it is up to God and the courts to decide this case. You may regret the harsh words you have spoken should he be found innocent.

Carla Hudgens

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To the Editor:

It is really not fair to blame the people of the church for Mr. Hall’s actions. He was pastor of a church here in our little town in Oklahoma and had some very good and honorable people fooled.

He shows some charismatic traits and our people were so happy to have a young pastor with some energy to serve them that they welcomed him in with open arms. Sad to say, some things have come to light that burst the bubble of those good folks.

No, I was not a member of that church. I did have some serious reservations about him and his wife when they arrived in our little town.

I could go on and on about his actions while he lived here but it seems as though he has finally been brought to his knees. I certainly hope so.

Sonia L. Caldwell,

Apache, Oklahoma

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To the Editor:

I was in a single-car accident early on the morning of December 31, 2005, on Camp Polk Road.

This is a thank-you to the one man who took the time to stop and make sure I was okay and stayed with me until a friend arrived.

I was too shaken to respond or even get his name at the time.

Thank you! You helped me more than you know. Stop by my work at Martolli’s Pizza and I’ll treat you to a slice and a proper thank you.

Mikaela Tawney

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To the Editor:

My mail box is filling up with garden catalogs, so it is time to work on creating a Community Garden in Sisters.

I think the next step is to get SOAR to create a commitee based on the model created for the Sisters Trails Commitee. Details at http://www.sisterscommunitygarden.org. Supporters of the Community Garden (I’ve found about 100 so far) should call Carrie Ward, the executive director of SOAR at 549-2091 or talk to a SOAR board member to show that the community wants to have a community garden.

Bruce Berryhill