Some members of an Episcopal congregation in Cincinnati, Ohio, are pleading to regain use of their church after Southern Ohio Bishop Kristin Uffelman White suspended operations in the building over “safe church” violations involving two minors.
White revealed the suspension of operations at Grace Episcopal Church on Nov. 7 in a written message to the diocese’s clergy and senior wardens that was also posted to the diocese’s website. The decision, which White said was supported by the diocese’s standing committee, stemmed from an alleged sexual assault at the church in April 2025.
The suspect and victim were both minors, and no church personnel were involved, the bishop said. Church leaders, however, did not report the incident to the diocese for several months. In September, while police were investigating, diocesan leaders first learned of the incident and determined there had been a “failure to follow Safe Church and standard diocesan policies in the operation of Grace Church,” White said. To read more, click here.
