Archbishop of the ACNA Accused of Sexual Harrasment, Being a Simp
The Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Stephen Wood, is facing allegations from his former children’s ministry director of sexual impropriety, according to a report in The Washington Post, which obtained a copy of a church presentation against him.
Wood, 62, is the denomination’s senior-most official and the rector of St. Andrew’s Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where he oversees more than 40 churches. He is also a married father of four.
Claire Buxton, 42, his former children’s ministry director at St. Andrew’s Church, says that in April 2024, Wood placed his hand on the back of her hand and tried to kiss her, at a time when numerous church employees were remarking on his “excessive praise and fondness.”
Prior to this incident, she recounts that as far back as fall 2021, he would occasionally give her lingering hugs, which she says felt “sensual” and which she did not appreciate. She bemoaned his unrequited attention, lamenting that he would call her “Claire Bear” in front of her peers, and her affidavit says she voiced her concerns to at least four employees, who are named. Then there was the money issue.
“Two months later, by the church’s front desk, Wood handed her a folded check for $1,500 made out to her, she said. The check, reviewed by The Post, came from a church account, labeled “St. Andrews Church Rector’s Mercy Fund.” She said in her affidavit that it was signed by him.
Wood told her it was from someone who thought she “was doing an amazing job,” she wrote in her affidavit. “I looked up shocked, and he was smiling back at me as he walked away.” The payment felt unusual, Buxton said — bonuses typically came with formal notices and were deposited into bank accounts. But she needed the money and accepted the check.”
He would later give her another $2,000 and offered to send her off to a nearby luxury resort, all expenses paid, which she declined.
Following the alleged attempted kissing incident, which she immediately reported to a colleague, she remained for only two more months before resigning.
“I was literally trapped in a church that felt like hell, and most of the people there had no idea what this man was doing,” she said.
Responding to the allegations, Wood told The Washington Post: “I do not believe these allegations have any merit. I place my faith and trust in the process outlined in our canons to bring clarity and truth in these matters and respectfully decline to comment further at this time.”
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I didn’t see it mentioned in the article (as it was regarding him): Was she married? Did she have kids? If so, why was she working? Shouldn’t she have been at home with her family? These kinds of things happen daily when a man sends his wife out to earn him a living.