Families Reunited in Ga. Church Abuse Case

Parents of 34 children seized during an investigation of alleged church-sponsored beatings were reunited with their children Friday after accepting a judge’s terms for their return, a state official said Friday.

The parents, members of the House of Prayer church, were driven in a school bus to a Department of Family and Children Services branch office Friday evening to be reunited with their children.

To maintain the families’ privacy, sheets covered the bus windows and church members carried cardboard to block television cameras from recording the event.

The bus backed to the office entrance to pick up the children about 5:30 p.m. before returning to the House of Prayer in northwest Atlanta.

Fulton County Juvenile Court Judge Sanford Jones told the parents that they must send the children to school, have them immunized and not inflict any punishment that leaves marks on the children.

Jones said parents still could spank their children, if necessary.

“With the help of some legislators, who explained the judge’s conditions, they have decided to accept those and come get their children,” DFACS spokeswoman Renee Huie said.

Agency officials have been trying to end a two-month impasse with the church’s pastor, the Rev. Arthur Allen Jr., and his followers. The 34 children were among 49 taken into state custody from church members. The others were expected to be turned over to their parents next week.

Church members, who insist their use of corporal punishment does not constitute abuse, said Wednesday they would defy the judge’s order until all the children are returned.

Of the 49 children, no more than five suffered physical harm, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday.

Evidence in two of those cases was inconclusive, and just two of the five children had welts or bruises, injuries serious enough to be considered child abuse under Georgia law, the newspaper said.

Huie said the department is “being extremely, extremely careful” in its approach to taking custody of children who may be at risk.