My Friend - Pete Reimer's Story ~ Part 1 (in his own words)

When I was first asked to share my experiences and tell my story I wasn't sure I wanted to rehash all that I have seen and experienced.

I have seen and heard many other people's stories and experiences and must say I'm not one bit surprised to see what is taking place.

I know many will not be able to truly and fully understand, or believe things which I will be sharing however, I feel that God did place me into many positions at PVBC for several reasons, and regardless of what others think, the time has come for me to start sharing what I have been through and experienced.

I would like to start off by saying that the things which I will be sharing are MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, and can only comment on those situations from which I have seen, heard, been involved in and experienced first hand.
Although I will refrain from many details which I am not at liberty to share at this time, I will try and share as much as possible as God gives me the liberty to do so.

I started off at PVBC looking to find a Bible preaching,teaching, and living church where my family and I could worship the Lord in freedom and honesty.
As many others I had lived a past that I wasn't proud of and now I was ready to clean-up my act and do what I could to serve the Lord.
Not long after we joined church membership and faithfully attended all services possible.
I was very familiar with the Sullivant family, seeing how they came to many of our family gatherings such as Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and family Birthdays.

Shortly after joining the church My wife and myself were asked to help out Gary and Lisa with the youth and we agreed to do so.
This is where we first had the opportunity to know the youth and many families in the church.
After some time, Mike asked me to take the youth Pastor position because he had noticed that the youth had taken a liking to my wife and myself over Gary and Lisa therefore he had asked them to take over the Pastor position in Trehern MB.

I told Mike that I felt inadequate for this position but he assured me that this was what I needed to do, so I agreed .

Here is where Mike began to try and mold me into one of his own although at first I had no idea what he was doing.

When we first took over the youth Pastor position we had approximately 15- 20 youth and they didn't always all show up so the numbers varied.
With God's help we worked hard to make youth a fun, exciting, and enjoyable place for youth to come to and we saw the number of youth attendance go up to over 125 youth in under 1 year.
We knew God had blessed us with a gift to work with the youth.
Within approximately a years time, the church started CBBC and I attended this school for a B/T.

I now was involved in church and Bible school all but 2 days a month which I got off.

Here is where I would like to share some important information with everyone.

Much has been said about Laura, Discrediting her, falsely accusing her, calling her a liar, and so on. I knew Laura from a young age.
My wife and I were her Sunday school teachers, her youth Pastor, and friends.
I have seen her weakness and strengths, her dreams, her failures and success,her good times and bad times. I've known most if not all her boy-friends, her girl-friends,her likes and dis-likes.
I know her church life, her home life, and have stayed in touch with her throughout all these years.
One thing that I can say is that she has never been good at telling a lie with out it bothering her so much that she wouldn't go make things right.
She has a thing for honesty even if it gets her or someone else into trouble.
She along side her brothers, always had a desire to serve the Lord and to the best of my knowledge they are all serving God to the best of their ability even today.
They may have different beliefs and convictions, but I believe they are doing the best they can with what they have been given, taught, and told.
I know that people have no idea what this young woman has all been through and has had to experience.

The day she ran away from home and asked for me to pick her up, I knew that Mike had finally drawn the final straw with her.

I'd like to say that I was surprised but I wasn't.

My experiences working with and beside Mike showed me a side to him that many people have never seen, and those that have wish they didn't know.

The question has often been asked if any one has ever gone to Mike to confront him about his side.
Well believe me, I have.

At first when I noticed questionable situations, I approached him as a Fellow Pastor and Friend, all to no avail.

I then Prayed and searched the Scriptures in order to find answers on how to confront him. I then went to see Mike with another member, then another Pastor, Then two other Pastors. I have had many meetings and discussions with Mike and asked Him on several occasions to make things right only for him to tell me to stop fellowship with these other men and Pastors,and ask me if I was still tithing, tell me I was in sin, and tell me I had no right to question him.

Well, according to Titus 1:6-16 I have God's authority to question even my Pastor if I believe he is in sin.

I have been lied to from Mike on many occasions,I have brought Him proof of all my concerns and he refuses to acknowledge the proof.

When I brought him papers to show the proof he has torn them up and thrown them in the trash without even reading them.
When I brought other Pastors as witnesses, he has told them to leave or told them they were not allowed to speak.

For meetings, he has told me to come alone while he has brought all his deacons to defend him and hide behind.

Through my experiences I have come to know that He is a habitual liar,abuser,control addict, deceiver, and manipulator.

I know all to well who this man is especially behind closed doors.
He is accountable to no one.
No, not the church,or the deacons.
He is the final authority in his so called church.

I have many other Pastors, Councilors, and fellow believers who would testify the same.

I think that working as close as I did with this man for the years that I did have a pretty good idea who he is. I had a much closer and intense relationship with Mike than most people ever will.
I have been and continue to be threatened and have myself and my business defamed continually.
I am sure this will continue because Mike, and some of his deacons and friends, wish to shut me up because they know I have seen, heard, and witnessed things that they don't want revealed.

My concerns aren't with the church, only those in leadership who know they have gone astray and sinned, but refuse to confess and make things right, and continue to falsely accuse others.
It has been to easy for you for too long to turn the tables on others and discipline any one who stands up against you.
Innocent people have been deceived and hurt and had their families and friends torn away from them.

And this is a non-Biblical practice.
It is bullying people in order to control them, it is abuse, and I along with Jason and Laura and MANY others will take a stand against what has and is continuing to go on at PVBC.
Peoples' lives have been destroyed from the results and effects of there experiences at PVBC.

Pete & Connie Reimer - A Couple Who Helped Me

This particular post is one I am glad to put up.

Pete Reimer and his wife Connie are a couple that I respect and consider blessed to be their friend.

They were first my adoptive 'aunt' and 'uncle'
It was actually difficult for me to start calling them 'Mr. Pete and Miss Connie'.

All through the years, I felt that I could talk to them about pretty-much anything.

When they were 'church disciplined', I was already 18 and therefore allowed to sit in on the members' meeting regarding their being 'disciplined'.

My father, Mike Sullivant D.D., came down from the platform and paced along the front of the auditorium.
He proceeded to apologize for the church 'having to follow thru with the rites of church discipline regarding Pete and Connie Reimer'

I didn't know what to say, or to think?!?!
They had been such a huge part of my childhood/teen life...this can't be right!

Mike Sullivant D.D. proceeded to tell the members, that they (Pete and Connie) and been spreading and telling numerous lies about various members of the congregation.
I just sat there,beside my mom in the pew.

Since leaving the church, I have now been able to get THEIR side of the story. It is far different than what the members were told that night.

If it weren't for Pete and Connie Reimer, I don't know what would have happened.

That last night of my being trapped and guarded, I called a friend of mine using the phone in the hall at the church.
I would quickly talk to her for about a minute or so, then hang up...Wait a few minutes as a deacon came and talked to me.
Called my friend again and she suggested calling Pete and Connie to come get me. I JUMPED at the chance!!
After several short little phone calls to my friend, it was decided.

I put my duster and hat on, grabbed a calendar that someone had given me, and looked over at my baby brother Jeremy in his adorable little suit and tie.

I slowly walked down the road to a car repair place less than a block from the church, and hid behind a tree and waited for Pete and Connie to pick me up.
They took me to the college in Altona, which is where I had been living up 'til that point, so that I could get my clothing and more of my belongings.
My father had had someone change the locks so I couldn't get my things and we left.

I thank the Lord for putting Pete and Connie in my life, not just because of how they helped me get away, but also because of their testimony, leadership, and friendship

I am allowing Pete to tell some of his story here on my blog.
He has some outside knowledge that even I was not aware of while attending the college, that directly pertains to my life's story.

He will be able to shed some more light and give another point of view as to what went on.

Why

I have been asked by several of you, as to why I have chosen to share my story now....12 years after the fact.

 My goal is NOT to spread 'slander' (I absolutely LOVE how some people like to use that word!) My hope and prayer, is that by writing this blog I can help another daughter,or mother,wife, man, and son, to see the Truth.

God has given EACH of us strength. No matter who you are, or who your parents might be...HE (God) has given you a brain and the ability to use it.

No, I'm not encouraging rebellion!

But when you are being told or encouraged to do things that go against the BIBLE, no matter how direct or indirect, we as Christians NEED to do something about it.

I have heard about another particular story that is similar to mine, where this girl called the police and had them wait outside her parents' home while she packed her bags to leave.
I applaud her for knowing that she had a right to leave!

I myself had no idea that I could even leave legally, let alone be able to call the authorities. I whole-heartedly believe that my life would have turned out MUCH different had I known what to do!

I KNOW I am not perfect! But I WILL however, strive to be like my Lord Who IS perfect!

I know what I believe, and I stand FIRM in that belief!