Brookwood Whistleblower David Walsh and the Rusty Bucket
Remember that WutBJU reported back in the Before Times (March 2020) about BJU’s cozy relationship with convicted sexual offender, Jerry Sidell.
WutBJU got that information from a reader. And we covered all that we knew:
- His net-nanny-like businesses
- His arrest and guilty plea for the aggravated sexual molestation of two young boys
- His decade-long sentence
- And then all of BJU Grass’s pandemic-flaunting at Sidell’s Rusty Bucket.
But the recent media attention on Jerry Sidell and the Brookwood church all started with one brave whistle-blower, David Walsh. And he states plainly that it all started with the Rusty Bucket. He begins:
The Rusty Bucket is an important part of the Brookwood/Jerry Sidell story that has received very little attention. I’m beginning with the Rusty Bucket because the Brookwood story does not end at the church doors. The Rusty Bucket was a Christian music and worship venue in Gray Court SC, owned and operated by Jerry Sidell since he founded it in 2016 or 2017. For years, it hosted worship performances and ministry fundraisers. Families attended. Children performed. Brookwood staff, musicians and small groups participated. Its very first performance was led by a Brookwood pastor/worship leader, as was its last. Throughout its nearly decade-long existence, almost all performers, preachers and volunteers came from Brookwood Church. I became involved through people I knew and trusted at Brookwood. Through that involvement, I worked closely with Jerry for nearly a year, completely unaware that he was a RSO. Jerry personally funded the venue. That does not make Brookwood’s involvement irrelevant. Through their participation, promotion and support, Brookwood staff, leaders and members gave the Rusty Bucket credibility in my eyes. That credibility was part of why I trusted Jerry and became involved.
Originally published by WutBJU / What in the World! on Tumblr. View the original Jerry Sidell tag archive. Historical assertions and commentary are attributed to the original author; links may reflect the time of original publication.
