The Rusty Bucket: Why Did Disclosure Suddenly Become a Moral Obligation for Bryan Jones?

When Did Disclosure Become a Moral Obligation?

In September 2026, telling future Rusty Bucket participants that Jerry Sidell was a registered sex offender suddenly became a “moral obligation.”

That raises an obvious question: why wasn’t it a moral obligation before then?

For nearly 10 years, the Rusty Bucket operated with significant participation from people connected to Brookwood Church.

Bryan Jones Intervenes

Then, in September, Bryan Jones began intervening directly. On September 5, he told me:

“I’m stopping it on Wednesday.”

Five days later, after meeting with Rusty Bucket leadership, Bryan explained why he believed Jerry’s status would have to be disclosed going forward:

“Bc Brookwood people have attended their ministry.. I would be morally obligated to tell everyone who attends in future”

That is the part that matters.

The Rusty Bucket may not have been formally owned or funded by Brookwood. But Bryan’s own words show that Brookwood people attended it and that he believed Brookwood’s deep connection to it created a moral obligation to disclose Jerry’s status.

Why Not During the Previous Decade?

So the question is simple:

If that moral obligation existed in September 2026, why did it not exist during the near decade before?

Bryan had not just learned that Jerry was a registered sex offender.

He had known that for years.

What changed in July 2026 was that Bryan finally investigated the details of Jerry’s crimes after becoming fearful of how Brookwood would respond to Jerry being a RSO in light of the fallout at Pawleys Island Church.

We’ll get to that soon.