I am so beside myself right now I don't know what to do. I don't even have someone to talk to, because the only person I could (IRL) is out of state for a week and a half.

Our church youth group lost its full-time youth minister due to budget cuts and a lack of give-a-shit, and since there are few people willing to volunteer enough time, I stepped up. I have more experience and more recent experience than either of the other 2 people who volunteered, so I figured that between that, the need, and our "safe church" policies (2 adults in the room at all times, open doors etc.) would mean that everything would be fine. Oh how wrong we can be.

As expected, our priest-in-charge (something like a temp., but he's in the pool for being chosen as permanent rector) asked for what I thought was an interview. You know, ask questions, dispel rumors, get to know the person/people helping to minister to you younger members of the church, that kind of thing. Instead I was simply told that I was not allowed to minister to our youth, based solely on the rumors started by my asshole father and the culture of paranoia. I was asked nothing, given no opportunity to even explain the source of these rumors, my logical arguments were met with iron-clad "I'm sorry to inform you..."'s.

I was expecting an interrogation, but what I got was worse. What I got was "I choose to believe unsubstantiated rumors without even hearing your side of the stories. I've only been here for less than a year, have never had a conversation with you longer than coffee hour chit chat, and I choose to value rumor over you."

Can I ever get rid of this rumor?!?!?

~CSL