The Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church announced that an ordained clergy member has been suspended after it was revealed that they had a working relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“The Bishop or district superintendent were not contacted about the individual’s interest in or acceptance of the Epstein-related position,” the church’s statement read, noting that the relationship occurred from 2018 to 2019. “Concerns of this nature are taken seriously and require careful review. We recognize the deep harm connected to Mr. Epstein’s crimes and remain in prayer for survivors who deserve healing and justice,” the statement added. “Because this is an active matter, the Missouri Conference will not comment further while the supervisory response process is underway.”
A report from UM News says the suspended elder is Rev. Stephanie Remington, who served as Epstein’s administration assistant and then a temporary property manager. The service occurred before his arrest on sex trafficking charges.
“I never saw anything,” Remington told UM News. “I knew him for the last nine months of his life, well after he served time for the things that he was accused of doing.”
Several high-profile resignations have taken place amid the ongoing fallout from the Epstein files. A leading lawyer for Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel during the Obama administration, Kathryn Ruemmler, is resigning from her position after emails exposed her connection to Jeffrey Epstein. Similarly, the executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation and the cousin of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Thomas Pritzker, stepped down from his position due to his affiliation with Epstein.
