11-May-2020
Amended 13-May-2020
Amended 19-May-2020
Chelsea, MI – It is with great concern and sorrow for those affected that we report on Monday, May 11, 2020, that former Servants of the Word member Jamie Treadwell was arraigned on two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree.
We place a high priority on the safety and well-being of every child in our care; we deeply regret the harm that his actions may have caused to children, their families, and our community. We have been fully cooperating with those investigating this matter and will continue to do so. We encourage anyone with any pertinent information about Mr. Treadwell’s activities to please contact the police and/or us.
A member of Servants of the Word since 1987, Mr. Treadwell ended all association with the organization in December 2019. As a member of the Servants of the Word he held a variety of service roles and occupations in the UK from 1986 to 2015, and in Grand Rapids, Michigan from 2015 to 2016.
In late September 2016 two Michigan families raised allegations about Mr. Treadwell’s behavior with their young daughters. We put him on administrative leave, changed his residence to our rural headquarters in Chelsea, Michigan, and restricted his activities. Police investigated the allegations, but no charges were filed at that time.
In early November Mr. Treadwell requested to begin a process to terminate his membership. His membership was terminated on December 15, 2019 and the circumstances around it were announced on our website.
Servants of the Word is an international, ecumenical brotherhood of Christian men who have made traditional promises of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Established in 1971 with headquarters in Chelsea, Michigan, we have roughly 60 permanent members living in our houses in 6 countries. We live communally, sharing all finances and possessions. While our members work in many fields, including engineering, academia, software programming, psychiatry, counselling and youth work, we share the mission of bringing Christian teaching to young people and adults and in assisting Christian communities around the world.
We deeply regret the distress that Mr. Treadwell’s actions have caused.
If you have any child protection concerns please contact the authorities directly or you can contact us at concerns@servantsoftheword.org or call (734) 475-3550 x250. For media queries, please contact media@servantsoftheword.org or call (734) 215-
7525 with any additional questions.
