Last week, a brave individual came forward reporting that four years ago they experienced inappropriate sexual contact by a staff member of The Ramp. The staff member involved was Samuel Bentley, and the individual was a minor at the time of the incident.

Upon receiving this report, leadership immediately addressed the matter with Samuel. During that conversation, he admitted the allegation was true. Samuel was immediately terminated from his position, The Ramp's Board of Directors was notified, and the matter was promptly reported to the appropriate authorities.

A few days later, Samuel disclosed a second instance involving another minor, which was also reported to the appropriate authorities. We are readily cooperating with law enforcement as their investigation proceeds.

Based on the information currently known to us, these incidents did not occur on church property or in connection with Ramp University.

As Samuel is someone we platformed to speak and lead, our community is devastated by these revelations.

Our deepest concern is for the victims and their families. As a ministry, we are committed to supporting their ongoing healing in any way possible, and we are working with them to pursue this. To the victims, we want to say clearly: we believe you, we grieve with you, and we stand with you.

Out of respect for those affected and the seriousness of this situation, we have made the decision to cancel this week's scheduled events, including College Days and Spring Ramp. In their place, we are holding spaces for mourning, prayer, and reflection.

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." - Psalm 34:18

We are committed to hold our team members to the highest standards and are unwavering in our commitment to protect minors and ensure a safe environment for those entrusted to our care. The safety and wellbeing of those in our community, especially minors, remains our chief priority. We do not tolerate abuse of any kind and are committed to transparency, accountability, and care for those affected.

At this time, the victims have requested to remain anonymous. We kindly ask our community to respect their privacy and honor their request not to be publicly identified.

Media & inquiries: media@theramp.org