Dana Cummings returned from vacation last month and found a series of cryptic emails from Eternal Church, the Fort Mill church that her family attended.
The church was writing about a meeting to discuss the past of lead minister Don Logan.
“I realized something must be very wrong,” she said. “My husband jokingly made the comment, ‘Is he a sex offender?’”
One Google search gave her the answer. Mrs. Cummings found her lead pastor on the list of registered sex offenders in York County, with the website listing his offense as a 1997 conviction in Indiana for sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old girl.
Now, Cory and Dana Cummings and their four children are searching for a new church and warning the public that Eternal Church has not been transparent enough about Pastor Don’s past.
For their part, the church elders indicated that they are aware of his past. They declined to speak on the record in the past five days or make the pastor available, asking for additional time to provide an interview. But in emails to members, they addressed the rumors that have circulated online and among the congregation.
A church email said Pastor Don recently shared a message “about how the Lord interrupted his life during a season of sinfulness many years ago and how God used that time to capture his heart and transform him.”
A family meeting was held June 9 at the church to recap, and members were warned the content was for a mature audience. In a follow-up email on June 21, members were told the revelations about Pastor Don’s past had resulted in real challenges.
“Since we entered this season, our church has undergone a discernment period which has involved prayer, quiet reflection, consulting Scripture, open dialogue as a church family, processing as individuals and in groups, and discussion among elders, pastors, and staff,” a church email said. “This discernment is ongoing.”
Last Sunday, Pastor Don remained at the pulpit.
Meanwhile, it appears the sexual history of Pastor Don may have come to light in May through a post on thewartburgwatch.com website. The site made a lengthy post about the Fort Mill church and spelled out how Pastor Don was a youth pastor at Grace Community Church in Noblesville, Indiana, at the time of his sexual misconduct.
“It is also of note that he was a missionary to Guatemala (Mission Frontier) before being a youth pastor,” the site says.
The website also quotes a letter from Eternal Church Elder Mark Sivak, which says, “Since this event 27 years ago, Don has taken careful steps to safeguard himself including disclosure with elders and pastors on staff and never meeting privately with a female. Others, including his wife, have confirmed all of this as well.”
Still, it’s been too much for the Cummings. The Lancaster County family had only been members of the church for less than a year, but Pastor Don has led the church for 10 years. Mrs. Cummings said she had heard the pastor mention how he found God when he was in a jail cell. She had assumed it was a DUI or college antics.
“But it certainly wasn’t sexual misconduct with a minor of 14,” Mrs. Cummings said.
She said she was told her pastor served three years of a six-year sentence.
“Apparently the elders of the church knew about this – some to more of an extent than others and have various responses such as he is above reproach now, he talked about his past in sermons, … we need to forgive him like God wants us to, what he did wasn’t that bad, etc etc. It’s clear that they have no intention on removing him as lead pastor.”
Eternal Church has grown from meeting at the YMCA at Baxter Village to opening their own new building on O’Henry Road a few years ago. The church began in 2003 as a fourth service of Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Rock Hill, according to the church website. In 2004, Eternal moved into the Fort Mill area meeting in the Tega Cay YMCA.
A little over a year later in November 2005, the church moved into the Fort Mill-Baxter YMCA upon its opening. Then, in 2009, Eternal left the PCA denomination and became a nondenominational church. They are led by elected elders and function as an independent, reformed church. In 2015, Pastor Don Logan was called to lead Eternal Church.
Mrs. Cummings said the church has expanded its youth program, even offering an overnight camp for teens in the summer.
“I wonder if Don is invited to that? I think of the movie night at the church where he invited all the kids to come sit on stage with him,” she said. “This information has been concealed by the church.”
The Cummings had just gone through a membership class to join the church. Four weeks into the class, and nothing was mentioned about the pastor being a registered sex offender, they said.
After the sex crime came to light and began circulating within the church, Mrs. Cummings emailed the staff and told them her feelings. She questioned whether Pastor Don would be allowed to continue peaching while the church discussed it. She said they didn’t answer her.
“And he was back up preaching the next Sunday,” she said. “He’s just preaching like nothing has happened and he is not going to address it.”
“I feel like people who walk in that door and make the decision to be a member and give your time and money and effort need to know who is preaching to them. He is wonderful preacher,” she said. “But it really takes away all the credibility when I feel like this past is being hidden with the understanding that only the right people know.”
Mr. Cummings said he was preparing to take over and be a youth group leader for 8-12th graders when the revelation came out. Things have now changed for him.
“For me, I don’t feel like it’s the best environment for my family,” Mr. Cummings said. “I just like transparency.”
Instead of hearing the pastor detail what happened in sermons and how he overcame it, the church is declining to talk about it and hoping no one else does either, Mr. Cummings said.
“I have met plenty of people who had a past, but you knew about it, they preached about it, very openly, and therefore not ashamed of it,” he said. “Because we are all human.
“I think you should have access to the lead pastor of your church. But he preaches on Sunday and then disappears into the mist.”
Don Logan has disqualified himself from being a pastor by what he did to that 14 year old girl. The Elders of Eternal Church have risked the church’s and the community’s safety by hiring a convicted felon of sexual misconduct with a minor.
Don and the Elders should step down immediately.
Oh yeah everyone listen to Joshua Sale on his qualifications on being a pastor. Hahah hey Joshua put your Facebook link up let everyone dig into your past.
Also this is all coming from an author that is anti church and anti conservative. Any chance to blow up a church pastor Greg is the first liberal to take it. Putting others at risk telling them to get a vaccine that is killing thousands. He didn’t even have a conversation with the actual pastor to get his side.. that’s some one sides liberal reporting right there Greg. He is a false in his basement reporter that is trying to find his way to fame. As for your source the cummings haha they sound like disgruntled members that have skeletons in their closet. Too bad you didn’t do a little digging on the Cummings before you posted their opinion.
“And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.””
John 8:7 ESV
“Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]”
John 8:10-11 ESV
This is why no one believes the media liberals trying to cause division at it’s finest
Twisting verses won’t save you from hell scumbag.
Dear Anonymous,
I am not sure whether you have me confused with someone else. But I am a God-fearing Christian, life-long conservative Republican and long-time member of a local Baptist church.
Far from a liberal.
I requested an interview with Pastor Don and/or elders of Eternal on June 28 and was asked to wait. I waited five days when the church asked me again to wait another week as they declined any interviews on the record. I told them I was not willing to sit on the article.
But I did everything I could to represent their side and quote directly from their emails and correspondence they had given another non-local website.
– Greg Rickabaugh
No amount of years of good deeds and preaching can forgive what he did. Nobody’s perfect but what if it was your daughter? Josh is right.
And how is that your prerogative to decide if he can be absolved or not, that’s up to god, not you.
“And how is that your prerogative to decide if he can be absolved or not, that’s up to god, not you.”
So, really, you’re fine with having your children molested at church. What am I missing?
Does that make Logan any less of a pedophile?
SPOILER ALERT: It doesn’t. Go look up the 9th commandment and apologize.
I heard somewhere else that part of his plea deal was to give up his minister license. 🤔 If he is back in ministry how has he not been arrested for breaking his plea deal requirements?
Well, thats why he’s preaching at a Non-Denominational church. No organizational oversight, no license or ordination required, and no accountability to the congregants. What a perfect situation for a pedophile in ministry to remain undetected.
Nothing but issues with that church. They didn’t care about anyone in the area when they decided to build it and this just makes it worse. No one can do anything about Don or the church our council representative is garbage and Fort Mill city can care less to worried about budget meetings. When you’re a grown man making actions against a 14 year old girl people can’t just talk about forgiveness and forget that he was grown. Honestly not shocked all things considered.
I’m shocked by this whole situation. We have been attending and were considering joining. This is not a person who was unaware of God, went to jail and then became a Christian. He used his position to take sexual advantage of a minor. This should permanently disqualify him from having access to children or anyone vulnerable. Yes the Bible and God calls us to forgive and not judge. So let him attend church and find a career where he can’t use his position to take advantage of someone again. They hid this from the voting members when he was hired, they minimized it today in the message to the church and they are not even considering the victim in all of this. His crime is not victimless, the same as if a teacher did this they would no longer be teaching. This type of abuse is done in the dark so the church elders cannot be certain of anything regarding his ongoing actions. Thank God there are brave people coming forward sharing this information.
I truly cannot fathom the people defending him in the comments. Anyone defending him shouldn’t be trusted around children. He sexually assaulted a 14 year minor at the old age of 30. He was well aware that what he did was wrong and ILLEGAL. He is a predator and could offend again, like many do… he should not be around children.
What’s fun is these people hire pedophiles and excuse their behavior because the Lord touched them and they’re cured. According to the stats, they rarely are. They pretty consistently re-offend. Just to drive the point home, since most republicans believe democrats are pedophiles, they should really hire democrats as their pastors.
Go read the commandments again. Pay particularly close attention to the 9th one. It’s ok if you had to look it up. It’s just a commandment from God and they don’t hold equal weight. Still, have a talk with God on the 9th.
Summing up: Franklin Graham converted millions of people to the Lord during his stadium events. The vast majority didn’t even understand English. He *knew* is his heart they had accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. And yet, even though he regularly attended Christian services, Franklin still just couldn’t be sure that Obama wasn’t a Muslim.
This is your church. This is why your numbers are falling. You welcome charlatans and pedophiles in with open arms consistently break the 9th commandment.
Here’s a quick suggestion to fix a few things:
You: Are on on a sex offender registry?
Them: Yes. But I’ve repented.
You: I’m glad to hear that. You are welcome to attend our church, of course, but we cannot allow you in any position of power at our church…because you’re on a sex offender registry.