The embattled Epic Church in Independence soon may have new ownership. The church announced on its social media channels that another church is interested in buying it, Fox 4 News reported.
Its former lead pastor, Bobby Hawk, is facing multiple accusations of sexual assault. Leaders at Summit Park Church in Lee’s Summit also confirmed that Epic Church is for sale. A church elder said Summit Park leaders were contacted by the Assemblies of God denominations earlier this month, gauging his church’s interest in buying Epic Church.
“We were approached by the Southern Missouri Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God about potentially purchasing the facility located on Whitney Avenue from the bank that holds the note,” said Jeremy Needham, director of operations for Summit Park Church. “We are currently exploring this option as a potential means of serving the community in that area. We are in prayer for God’s guidance as we consider our next steps in this matter.”
A police investigation involving Hawk continues, and a civil lawsuit is planned. Two of the women involved in that action say they’re hearing from other women who also accuse Hawk of similar illicit acts.
“There’s been an overarching theme of all these stories,” said Destiny Bounds, who is now a Kansas City attorney. Bounds and her sister, Danielle Bounds Hahn, are among the six women accusing Hawk of sexual assault when they were young girls. Another accuser said Hawk touched her inappropriately when she was 12 years old.
A group of six women, including these three, made their accusations public last week with a news conference on the steps of the Jackson County Courthouse. Hahn said she also is hearing from other accusers, some of whom may not be comfortable going public.
“We went through this 25 years ago with him denying everything,” Hahn said. “He was an adult and you have young girls telling stories that there’s no way a young girl would make that up. It seems like people aren’t taking this seriously and that people aren’t taking this seriously or they’re trying to just move on.”
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice