Saturday, January 5, 2008

Will you stand with me?

If any of you are afraid of being known, it can be anonymous. You can contact me privately at my personal e-mail. thefamilycircus8@gmail.com You can also call the sex crimes hotline and remain anonymous (the detective said they will only take your personal info. if you are willing and no one will come to your home, etc.)
(904) 630-2168
JSOSexcrimes@jaxsheriff.org
You can call with just tips or leads - if that is all you have, it is still worthwhile.
I know it can be intimidating, there is no need to expose you as a victim, we just need your testimony. No one outside the investigative team has to know.
Thank you.

13 comments:

Tiffany Thigpen Croft said...

There are a lot of people sharing information and talking. However, they are scared to come out publicly. What are you afraid of? I know these people are evil and corrupt. I know you have been threatened and intimidated - some of you have shared your charachter and credibility were attacked. Please trust me, with all of us together, we make a huge standing! They cannot attack us all - one by one we are vulnerable, I agree. But as I've spoken with some of you, we have to stop him from victimizing again. Don't you want that justice to outweigh your fear? God is your "rear guard" and we will pray that "no weapon formed against you shall prosper". As I have told many of you, you can remain anonymous. They just need your stories to build the case and most importantly, to make sure he does not move on to another church to victimize! You know how smooth and convincing he is, let's stand up! I'm praying for your strength.

Tiffany Thigpen Croft said...

Also, to those of you who have been paid a settlement to remain quiet, you can still speak out. You were tricked. You still have credibility. Nothing can happen to you. They will still have lost their money - the insurance paid for it anyway. Don't beat yourselves up.

SecureOne said...

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!
There is soo much that I'd like to say but I don't want to be selfish here so I'll be brief.

I am the husband of an intelligent, selfless, strong, but very sweet woman whom was a victim of DG. I've seen her pain, tears and frustration since the latest news of DG and I fully stand by her side! Did I say FULLY? I am personally asking for you guys (including you Dr. Vines and I know that you are getting this) to come forward and stop DG. I do not wish wrong or harm to Shiloh or even DG but I do want him removed from the church and to truly seek help.

Soo please try to understand that it if were you, your wife, daughter or sister what would you really do? This applies to everyone.

I'll go a step futher and ask why haven't you already?

Tiffany has become the face and voice for now but she needs more of you guys to come forward and I know that she will do whatever it takes to help you.

I thank ALL of you guys for reading and responding,

Ben Croft (the husband)

Mr6 said...

I've been blogging about the Bob Gray scandal since his arrest. It's amazing the silent wall in churches regarding issues like this. You're not the only ones!

The thing is, why isn't there outrage from the pulpits? It almost appears as if preachers are sticking together to avoid talking about each other. If they speak, maybe they'll be accused of trying to ruin another man's ministry?

It's time for victims of ministerial abuse to stick together. To come together so they can stop being victims and become empowered.

I don't live in Jax, so this is a mantle someone else will have to take up. However, I will be in town to screen two movies inspired by the Gray scandal. Before the screening, at 6PM, I'll address this subject. Others are joining me, but I'm not releasing names since I don't want to give anyone an opportunity to stop someone from speaking.

You, and anyone affected by the Gilyard scandal, are certainly welcome. If you wish to say a few words, you can. This is a rare moment. When was the last time a church addressed matters of this sort?

There's more info on my blog.

Tiffany Thigpen Croft said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tiffany Thigpen Croft said...

Dwayne Walker's blog address:
christianschoolconfidential.com

Anonymous said...

Has anyone heard that the young lady Pastor Gilyard was texting is pregnant? That's the word on the street.

Tiffany Thigpen Croft said...

anonymous: this is pure rumor. It has been said by many that there is a 16 year old from 7 years ago that was pregnant by him and the church insurance paid a settlement to the family. Many have told this story to me and I feel very sad for that family. I hope they might speak out and tell the truth and be able to heal from this themselves. I know the scare tactics and power involved here - trust me- but you are not alone and there is nothing to fear anymore but your own silence. It is cleansing and helpful to expose the truth (as ugly as it is) and you will find a lot of support and also peace for yourselves. Don't be afraid, the Lord is in control and He seems to be opening the blinds and exposing the darkness. You are in HIS hands, not the enemies, and what a wonderful place to be.
Psalm 17:8-13 says, "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance.vs.13 Rise up or Lord, confront them, bring them down;rescue me from the wicked with your sword."
Psalm 18:1-3 says, "I love you, O Lord my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies."
Take hold of your rock, your stronghold, your deliverer. He wants to deliver us from this.

Anonymous said...

test one two

Anonymous said...

Hi:

A friend of mine invited me to Shilo Baptist Church. I visited a few times and liked the messages. As I was leaving one evening, Darrell had spoken to me. As I continued to come to the church, one of the ministers got my number and he called me. He invited me over to his house. I went to his home (at the time, he was living in a conservative house in North Jacksonville). He tried to get me to have sex with him. I would not do it. I stopped visiting the church abruptly. I did not want to hear his messages. I was not surprised that these allegations were made because of my experience at that time.

I was afraid to say anything because I didn’t know what people would think and I felt like maybe I should not have gone to his house. The reason that I went was
because I thought that he was trying to find a wife and didn't want alot of people at the church to know about it.

Tiffany Thigpen Croft said...

Anonymous, I am sorry for your experience, it must have been very confusing. you are not the first with this same story. He preys on women.
Do not be ashamed, a lot of women and girls thought that he was interested in them personally and met with him under false pretenses. Even counseling. He had people convinced he was in love with them even after he was married, just so he could keep them available for his needs.
Your story counts, they need to know all stories of his predatory nature (even adult behavior)you will not be known, your name will not be public. You can either email me or call the numbers provided.
Thank you for your bravery and help! I am glad you didn't fall for his trick, he has left many scarred and wounded.

Anonymous said...

Tiffany,

Did you seek God, prior to forming this BLOG? Did God tell you that what you're doing is OK? Based on the BLOG and your news story, it appears that it not about Darrell Gilyard, it's about Tiffany.

Where did you come from all of a sudden? If he asked you to come to the hotel, why did you go? You were 18 years old and you knew exactly what you were doing. I'm not saying that Darrell Gilyard is guilty or innocent because it's not my place. We need solid evidence, not the word or words of women with no solid proof. It is your/their word against his.

I think that you are enjoying the attention. You should let the law and God provide the necessary punishment, if there be any.

Thanks for your time-Rebecca

Tiffany Thigpen Croft said...

Rebecca: Yes, I sought God. Where did I come from all of a sudden? Well,years ago, ma parents and I trusted the pastors to handle the situation, they told me they would and I just blindly trusted. There were others involved who trusted as well.
I thought about coming out years ago when I found out he was here, I sought the Lord then and I did not have a peace about it, so I did not act. That is called obedience which is what you are questioning. When I prayed about it this time I did receive peace (and Godly counsel as well) again I obeyed. If I feel He tells me to stop, I will. I do not desire to walk anywhere that would cause Him to not be beside, before and behind me. I have done things that were not His will and have learned from my mistakes.
I am getting no glory from this - it is not fun at all! I actually suffer for it more than benefit, but that is what sacrifice is. And it is worth it if it brings enough attention to make him less able to move on and hurt again.
Funny that you say these are all just allegations, how would you know what credible proof there is? You have no idea and are just speculating yourself, which is the same as judging. It also seems that you are classically attacking the victims vs. standing against the sin. Do you feel that is what God would have you do?
We are supposed to love each other and build each other up. If we have an issue with someone, we are called to confront it in love, not attacks.
This blog was created with the intent of having a place for the victims to gain courage and have a place for people to encourage standing up against this sin. I cannot control all of the comments here, people feel differently and respond differently.
You do not know my whole story. I have not and will not share it here, it is not about my story. But being that you do not know any of our stories, you really should think before you judge. I hope nothing like this ever happens to you or someone you love, you will regret every harsh word you have spoken. You may want to seriously consider this.
I hope you will have a different perspective and a softer heart.