An old photo of Riselaw Road Gospel Hall. PHOTO: SUPPLIED The Brethren movement had ‘‘a philosophical aversion to committing anything to paper’’ making the history of some churches difficult to trace. Records at the Hocken Library show the Riselaw Road Gospel Hall was a Brethren church established in 1959 on initiatives from the South Dunedin Assembly. ‘He’ll only stop when he stops breathing’, abuse victim fears It included members from the Central Assembly which had met in the Anzac Avenue Gospel Hall before it closed in 1955. The brick hall at Riselaw Rd was built in the 1950s but after the church closed its doors in the 1990s it became a home. Records show the building last sold in 2006 for $400,000. From the mid-1950s the Sunday School began ‘‘losing impact as an evangelistic tool’’ according to J. E. Horner’s 1983 book An Open Door (An outline of the first hundred years of the Caversham Open Brethren Assembly). This was because of the ‘‘changing social climate’’ and the introduction of rallies. The objective of the boys and girls rallies were to help children develop a personal knowledge of Jesus and encourage their understanding and following of him in a similar way to a Sunday school. But also ‘‘because spiritual teaching cannot be carried on in a vacuum, to provide an all round educational, mental and physical programme for the wellbeing of the young people’’ Horner wrote. Some rallies were quite structured, with boys wearing uniforms, earning badges, going on camps and participating in activities. For boys involved in Todman’s rally, their experience was far from this expected standard. A Christian Brethren Church of New Zealand spokesman explained Open Brethren churches were independent local places of worship with no centralised hierarchical structures. Local leadership and autonomy was treasured, sometimes to a fault. The Otago Daily Times understands one member of the church attended Riselaw Rd Gospel Hall as a medical school student in the 1970s and had recently learned of Todman’s offending. They were ‘‘shocked and deeply saddened’’ to hear about it. One local member understood a significant reason why the church dwindled was ‘‘due to the heartbreak and tragedy of the terrible abuse’’ Todman had perpetrated. Open Brethren Stewards’ Trust of New Zealand board chairman Stephen Munn said they had no formal connection to the Riselaw Rd Church. ‘‘What has come to light is deeply saddening, and our hearts go out to all those who have suffered. We acknowledge the courage of those who have come forward,’’ he said. One member of the church said Todman’s behaviour was ‘‘antithetical to the Gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ’’. ‘‘Churches by their very nature (welcoming, forgiving, communal, informal, volunteer-based and trusting) are wide open for those with predatory behaviours to hide, exploit, and manipulate,’’ they said. A spokesperson for Christian Community Churches of New Zealand Service Trust said while the organisation never had any formal association with Riselaw Road Gospel Hall, they were saddened to hear of the abuse and utterly condemned Todman’s behaviour. ‘‘From a Christian and biblical perspective all such abuse is completely evil and goes against core Christian values: goodness, kindness, respect, compassion, integrity and self-control,’’ they said. ‘‘It is a profound betrayal of the gospel of Jesus Christ.’’ ‘‘We recognise that it takes great courage to bring abuse to light and we welcome anyone who has experienced abuse to report this to the relevant authorities.’’
