On October 20, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) announced findings of “ministerial sexual misconduct” and “ministerial misconduct” against John D. Rempel, following an investigation by MCEC. Rempel is a former employee of the College who served as Chaplain, residence director, and Adjunct Professor at Grebel from 1973 until 1989.
More recently, Rempel worked on a part- time basis from 2012-2015 as the Director of the Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre (TMTC), a program administered by the College at the Toronto School of Theology. Rempel also held the title of Senior Fellow at TMTC, and I required him to withdraw from that role shortly after I became aware of this matter.
The MCEC investigation was initiated at my request. Earlier this year, I received disclosures from Grebel alumni of sexual misconduct by Rempel at the time they were undergraduate residence students at the College. With the consent and support of the alumni involved, I made a formal report to MCEC asking for an investigation. MCEC has jurisdiction over the conduct of its ministers, and I'm most grateful for their thorough work and diligence in addressing this situation. I am deeply moved and thankful that these alumni came forward to share their stories with me and brought these painful truths to light.
Words are inadequate, but on behalf of the College, and our Board of Governors, I want to express our heartbreak, our sadness, and our great regret that they were harmed.
I have privately expressed this to each of these alumni, and I am now able to share openly that we are profoundly sorry for what they experienced. Carrying these wounds for decades has been an unfair burden for these alumni, and I hope that bringing this to light brings some healing for them and their families. These Grebel alumni deserve our ongoing concern, support, and prayers.
I expect that coming to terms with this news will be a long road for our community. I'd like to share some of the steps that Grebel and MCEC have already taken to ensure that these survivors are supported:
- We will support the survivors involved with counselling from a professional of their choosing, and whatever other assistance they require
- Rempel no longer holds any affiliation with Grebel
- Rempel is restricted from the Grebel campus and from Grebel events.
I would also like to express our collective resolve that Grebel will learn from this experience. Grebel has policies, practices, and training programs that promote accountability, transparency, safety, and respect for healthy boundaries when working with students. Although I'm confident in these systems, we will take this opportunity to review them, have difficult conversations, look for gaps, and make improvements.
It is crucial as we move forward that anyone who wishes to disclose sexual misconduct can do so in a safe way. Carizon Counselling Services has been appointed as a third-party counselling service to receive confidential disclosures from College alumni and former employees related to historical incidents of sexual misconduct and sexual violence at Grebel. Counsellors Theresa Karn or Robert Wilson can be contacted by calling Carizon at 519-743-6333 ext. 1 or emailing intaketeam@carizon.ca and referencing the “MCEC Sponsored Program.”
Current faculty, staff, and students who wish to disclose sexual misconduct may contact the University of Waterloo's Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office at 519-888-4567 ext. 40025.
It is hard to come to terms with the fact a person who is a friend, colleague, and trusted pastor has committed sexual misconduct. I understand how painful this news will be for the family and friends of Rempel. My hope is that they will support him in the difficult process of accepting responsibility for his actions and the harm they caused.
I know that the coming days and weeks will be very difficult for everyone involved. We welcome and need your concern, support, and prayers.
Sincerely,
Marcus Shantz,
President, Conrad Grebel University College
GENERAL INQUIRIES
Jen Konkle
Marketing and Director of Communications Manager
grebel@uwaterloo.ca
226-339-6830
ALUMNI INQUIRIES
Fred W. Martin
Advancement
fwmartin@uwaterloo.ca
519-572-7704
Mennonite Church Eastern Canada announced findings of ‘ministerial sexual misconduct’ and ‘ministerial misconduct’ against John D. Rempel, pictured above.
