From Richard Rohr’s daily mailing 7.20.2018:
"We are beginning to understand, amidst the horror and suffering of our divisions, that we will be well to the extent that we move back into relationship with one another, whether as individuals and families or as nations and species.” —John Philip Newell
This quote points to the essential problem at Ashland United Church of Christ. The folks at that "Church" don't see the hypocrisy of all the division Rev. Kukuk and her supporters on the council have planted and insisted upon since Rev. Kukuk arrived in Ashland in January of 2016.
When the Kukuk's arrived in Ashland, all Christina had was self-interest and bad faith to offer and teach. So, lying, gossiping, scapegoating and enemy-making has been her schtick. I still can’t understand why anyone is still supporting her spewing from their pulpit or why people are still attending. Rev. Christina Kukuk is an obvious and documented pathological liar.
A few weeks ago I wrote to Traci Blackmon, Executive Minister of Justice & Local Church Ministries for the United Church of Christ, about the toxic influence of Rev. Kukuk on the Ashland community. Rev. Blackmon did not respond. I have posted my letter below as I promised her I would. (I am a little late with the post, I got busy.)
I have learned so much from the United Church of Christ that is important to note.
I learned that the church administration and officers do not give a single hoot about the people who attend their churches. Baptism is a farce, as is communion and the idea of the Body of Christ. "Church" is a series of rituals designed to inspire you to support the church financially.
There is apparently no way within the church system to question or object to a minister, that will actually be addressed.
The spiritual worth of a particular church is entirely dependent upon the integrity and grace of the minister. “The church” does not behave with basic common courtesy. There seems to be no actual observance of ethics.
The lessons on bad faith that I learned from Rev. Kukuk are plentiful. She has made quite an elaborate art form out of her deceitful scapegoating routine and simultaneous displays of, little girl, self-pity, complete with tears. Rev. Kukuk’s enthusiasm for “getting rid of people” seems like such a radical and ill-fated plan to pull off in what was our open, privileged, fragile, white community. But the people still attending Ashland UCC seem to enjoy her. They seem to really like the church of lying, gossip, amputation of volunteers and self-satisfaction. They are still touting their “core values of inclusivity and social justice.” I see now that a woman with the maturity level of a junior highschool, mean girl can pass as a minister in a UCC church.
For the record, core values are what a person (or institution) with integrity adheres to. Core values are principles. Integrity demands that we honor our principles, especially in times of distress. You don’t get to proclaim core values if they crumble and disintegrate at the slightest breeze or little bully. You don’t get to label yourselves “social justice” when you can’t even entertain a conversation with the people you have chosen to convict, before you amputate baptized members from your “community”.
As of this morning, our site has had 1046 visitors and 1707 visits; 771 of those visitors were in Oregon, 434 in Ashland. I’m grateful that I have this platform to warn people about this toxic church and Rev. Kukuk’s spiritual and ethical dysfunction. I have seen and experienced how deeply destructive a minister of bad faith and poor character is to a community. The most important thing any of us can do in the face of corruption and evil is; speak the truth and warn others away.
In Jesus' Third Way,
~ L Citizen
Below is my letter to Rev. Blackmon, to which she did not respond:
Dear Rev. Traci Blackmon,
On the United Church of Christ website, there is “A Pastoral Letter to a United Church in a Divided Country” dated November 9, 2016, just after the election. The letter opens with this bolded line:
"United in Spirit, and inspired by God's grace, we love all, welcome all, and seek justice for all."
Later in the letter:
“We rise up and respond to public derision of "the other" with a full embrace of and warm welcome for all God's beautiful children. We confront the injustices of the powerful with a steady drumbeat of justice.”
You and two other officers at the United Church of Christ signed this letter.
I recognize these lofty ideals from your advertising and from my years of church attendance with the United Church of Christ. And yet, my partner and I were amputated from Ashland United Church of Christ on October 8, 2016. Just a month prior to your declarative letter. Rev. Christina Kukuk decided my partner and myself both baptized, continually volunteering and contributing members, were no longer included in ALL. In fact, to avoid any discussion of her destructive and Christ-less decision, she insisted we be declared trespassers. Not only UNwelcome but banned from the property that I had spent 250 hours volunteering service to the previous year.
Rev. Kukuk, in Ashland, managed to amputate and excommunicate us with nothing but lies and her pervasive disregard for community, principles and Christ himself.
Daniel and I just don’t get to be welcome anymore. Why? Well, she didn’t give a reason that we ever heard. Her ministry is based on slander and gossip. She declared that we were “harmful” and dangerous and therefore, we could no longer be included in ALL.
You see? If you don’t have any accountability in your system then your churches’ stated values can fall completely away, without your noticing.
I served the UCC faithfully for 10 years (6 1/2 in Ashland, 4 in Bath, Maine). I believe that we are each called to attempt to love one another, I was devoted to that particular Body of Christ because I believed we were attempting to learn about Jesus and follow his teachings. I was on the council for three years just before Rev. Kukuk descended upon our town. I have read the Ashland UCC constitution (prior to 2016) and was impressed by its inclusive congregational values.
Reverend Kukuk has shown no integrity with the principles of the United Church of Christ, in her behavior toward Daniel or me. She made policy that amputated us from the community because she and Brad Roupp decided to “get rid of” us. She accused me of behavior that she made up and encouraged the congregation to disregard us. It was not a small thing throwing baptized members out, yet she and the church maintain their motto, Ashland UCC “holds an inclusive vision” and “All are welcome.”
These are potent community lies.
In 2016 I was in touch with the Central Pacific Office, Walter John Boris, Bunny Oliver, the Committee on Ministry and Elizabeth Dilley. We have been treated with total disregard. In response to the complete lack of accountability, from these officers, my partner and I created a website ashlanducckarma.info . First published in December 2017, we sent a link to all the emails I could hope might care from the national office. The only “leadership” response we have received was from Rev. Molly Carlson, a knee-jerk note, chastising us that we were inappropriate and to “please stop”. We have seen no sign of any ethical consideration for justice or any regard for the principles espoused by the United Church of Christ.
When I initially mailed the links to the national site I omitted your email. From the biographical information provided, it seemed to me that you are perhaps the person on the national staff with the highest likelihood of integrity. I decided to reach out to you later if the rest of your national staff had no response, which is why I am reaching out now.
My experience suggests that there is no functioning system of ethical review at the United Church of Christ. So there is no accountability for the ideals you preach, no actual convictions. I have enormous bitter regret for all the time, energy and money I contributed to the UCC over the years. This sort of betrayal and degradation of values is the main reason churches are dying Rev. Blackmon, but I am sure you already know this.
We have documented everything on our website. All the ugly truths, which Rev. Kukuk cannot disprove. Because she has no facts to back up her histrionic stories, all she has are lies and the cloud of gossip she created.
Still your welcoming, “drumbeat of justice” has been entirely silent to assist us in any way, in our many efforts to have a conversation about principles and what might be so deeply troubling for the Reverend that she began her ministry here by poisoning the community, creating lots of new rules and kicking people out. Why is that happening at Ashland UCC?
I am going to keep asking.
Please visit the site. Please learn about what is going on here in Ashland. Your church is corrupt, because Rev. Kukuk is unwell, unfit and simply does not subscribe to the UCC stated/published values. She admitted herself that the reason she came to the denomination is because, the UCC takes everybody… just not anymore. Not now that she is in charge.
Rev. Kukuk arrived in Ashland boasting she knew “how to get rid of people”. (When and where she said this is fully documented on our site.)
It is tragic that, at this time in history, with God’s world upside down and so much suffering that Ashland UCC is spinning in its own faithless stew spreading lies, baseless fear, toxic separation and enemy-making. It breaks my heart that my former friends are afraid of their minister. Afraid that they will not be able to have their funerals at their church if they don’t support Rev. Kukuk’s ‘mean girl’, ministry. That is what Ashland UCC has devolved into. Your unwell, power-hungry minister divides our community, and there is no effort toward accountability by the church.
Ashland UCC is corrupt, Rev. Blackmon. The current stance of denial and or apathy in your church, will not change that truth. I will not stop warning my community and everyone else who cares to read about the destructive and abusive behavior of Rev. Kukuk at Ashland UCC. Our site is spreading. We have had visitors to the site from 45 states in the US and we have a new following in Spain!
The way we see it, you Rev. Blackmon, could be the heroine of this story. You could take a sober look at Rev. Kukuk and her ministry and come to the undeniable conclusion that she is not functioning according to UCC principles. You could do something about that. How could Ashland UCC realign its self with the published values of the United Church of Christ? If you were to help us correct this misuse of power, we would be delighted to herald your righteous intervention on our site.
Thank you in advance for your aforementioned willingness “to seek justice for all.”
Please respond.
In Jesus’ third way,
~ L Citizen
P.s. I will wait two and a half weeks for a response from you Rev. Blackmon. If there is no response I will publish this letter on our site, July 1.
P.p.s. We are also in the process of making an executive summary video of our ugly church story to add to our site. We think the video will make the website far more shareable via all manner of social media.