Who is my dad?
I, Jeremy Welch, am now seeing clearly that in many ways I have been fighting against myself for a few decades, and more intensely in the last two years.
The publication of this essay will be a little bit different than some of my other recent essays. I am publishing the notes of this essay in a more raw format, and then editing along the way. I also expect to add more content as I learn more. I may change some of my conclusions based on new evidence, but as of today (September 21st 2026) the evidence presented and current conclusions have built into a solid foundation over the course of months and months of research. I still have plans to shift my writings to another blogging platform, so I may adapt the format of this essay when I finally do finish that. I am publishing this now despite the anticipated changes because the claims in this essay, if true, are so enormous that even a few days difference in publication would affect a lot of people. Additionally, the format shows the true state of my thinking and awareness on the topic, which has shifted from denial and disbelief to steady-but reserved-acceptance over the last year after seeing increasing evidence.
This essay is structured first as a personal record of my recent research, second as an explainer to my family, third as an explainer to professional contacts, and fourth as an explainer to both the past and the future of humanity (this last one is a strange statement for me to write, but by the end of the essay I hope it is clearer why I am taking that seriously).
Below is a set of observations and facts that are semi-organized, which I plan to structure more in the next few weeks and months:
- My name is Jeremy Ryan Welch and I was born on October 24th, 1986 in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a full head of very dark hair and thin green (or maybe hazel) eyes.
- I have always been extremely light and sound sensitive, more so than any other members of my immediate family. Susan, my mother, who often took photos, constantly would ask me “Jeremy, please open your eyes.” It was always a challenge for me to do so, but I tried anyways.
- I retain a very thick head of hair, which I have never treated with any coloring or other hair health products (other than simple shampoo and conditioner, and at times a styling clay). There are periods where I have not used shampoo and conditioner for extended periods, and periods when my hair was longer that I did not use any styling product. I’ve always had to ask haircut people to thin it out a little bit.
- My mother Susan told me many times when I was younger that my hair was so thick when I was born that the nurses would part my hair and create hairstyles even at just a week old. She also emphasized to me that she always stayed very close to me and nursed me growing up, which I didn’t fully understand the importance of until now.
- I have always been told by family members that we have some old indigenous blood and genetics, which is mostly Cherokee and Choctaw. Recently I have been told that there is some Blackfoot. I never researched this in a detailed way, although I do have memories of occasionally visiting Cherokee, NC when growing up.
- One time in the last couple years, I texted Jonathan and Julianne after finding a photo of a Native American tribe member that looked similar to our family members. Jonathan responded dismissively. I have not made any explicit claim to belong to a Native American tribe, but I also was surprised that Jonathan was dismissive after finding a photo that looked so similar and after growing up visiting some tribal areas.
- I have been told recently by family that one of the great-grandfathers or great-uncles on the Welch side (who is now deceased) lived with a Seminole tribe down in Florida, and that he may have even become or trained as a kind of shaman.
- I have been told that PawPaw’s mother had Native American genetics, but I do not know how to confirm this.
I have also been told that a 23andme genetic test from one uncle or cousin showed some neanderthal genes, but I do not know many details about this.
I have recently learned more about melanin, and learned that the depth of color and thickness of my hair and my green (or debatably hazel) eye color are both signs of high melanin content. I further learned that older indigenous populations from a variety of locations in the world have higher melanin content.
My skin tone is a deep white when not in the sun, but when I am in the sun regularly, I do develop a tan.
I have recently learned that teeth and jaw structure can also show signs of older genetics.
I have always had a very small mouth, and my orthodontist used a specially designed appliance to widen my top palate when growing up. I do not know the details of this procedure or the technology. I also remember multiple teeth being pulled and some simple grinding work at some point. I recently attempted to recover my orthodontic and dental records, and I was told that they were destroyed in a routine change to another system, or simply not kept because the records were so old.
I have a few longer teeth, but they are not easy to see unless I open my lips on my smaller mouth extremely wide.
The man who raised me and who I thought to be my father for many years, Steve Welch, has a wide mouth, larger lips, thinner greying hair, and wide eyes. Steve had a rhinoplasty at some point which has been clearly documented and is remembered by others. Steve divorced my mother Susan when I was in high school, and only returned to the house when I begged him to. He subsequently divorced her after I left for college.
The man I thought to be my grandfather for many years, James Wesley Welch, who I always called Pawpaw growing up, has the exact same long hair, three-part crown hairline, thin lips, thin mouth, and thinner eyes that I do. Pawpaw passed away during Covid19. Pawpaw was extremely devoted to his wife (who he was married to his entire life) and he frequently visited her graveside. He was a Christian preacher, and I visited their church often when growing up. I always knew I had similar features to Pawpaw, but I now believe based on recent research that Pawpaw is my direct father.
There were times in the 2000 and 2010s when I would visit Nana and Pawpaw just to sit and talk. In the later years, Pawpaw called me “JereMy” a few times. I did not understand that at the time and thought it was odd, but in context of this research, I think he was doing his best to tell me the truth.
When I grow my hair longer, which I have done a few times since around 2010, the hair looks almost exactly like Pawpaw’s hair, with both the length and the sideburns and the hairline. I have considered that maybe it skipped one generation genetically, but there are too many features that fit too closely for this to be the explanation, especially now with my findings of the hands. Additionally, there is a kind of side part that I have seen in his wedding photos that is hard to do for anyone that does not have the 3-pronged hairline that Pawpaw and I have. I have combed my hair this way over the last few weeks and months since learning about it.
From a behavior standpoint, I felt the same dedication to my now ex-wife Sinclaire that Pawpaw showed to Nana (from all the stories and experience I have seen of their marriage). Despite horrible abusive behavior to me and property damage, I took my ex-wife to many therapists and doctors to fix a very challenging set of problems. At no time have I ever returned abusive behavior to her or caused property damage. I only decided to divorce Sinclaire after a false sexual assault allegation (which I took to be very closely worded as a rape allegation) was made against me in early 2025. The allegation was made in front of a therapist when I tried to address the property damage that Sinclaire caused during her screaming incident the week prior to this therapist meeting. The nanny and I found property damage to my ex-wife’s car the day after her screaming incident, and my ex-wife acknowledged that there was damage that she claimed occurred while slamming on the brakes to avoid some ice when driving while angry. Some of the damage is inconsistent with any kind of attempted maneuvering, and further, this did not explain why she didn’t tell me about the property damage.
I am describing this because the loyalty I have felt both to my ex-wife and to the importance of marriage is so extreme, that even through these incidents (which I have plenty of documentation to prove), I tried to be kind and patch things up in the relationship until the final moment of needing to separate and divorce. And I see that same extreme loyalty in all of the displays from Pawpaw.
In the last year, while talking to Steve about the complexity of paternity, Steve made an offhand comment about “having his Uncle Bill Bradley’s big ears.” I do not take comments like this lightly, especially when discussing such heavy topics as genetic lineage.
I have a small notch in my right ear, which for many years I believed to be similar to a small notch that was in Steve’s ear. But upon further review, there is a symmetry that appears to be much closer to Pawpaw’s ears, which turned outward at the top. What I thought to be a notch appears now to be a kind of mini-turn outward that does not extend far.
In the last year, I confronted my mother Susan directly about Pawpaw being my biological father, while citing a few points of evidence, she just looked down at the table and said “I really wish Pawpaw was still alive with us today.” I stood up in shock. Repeatedly that day in discussion she never said explicitly “No”.
After I discussed this point with Jonathan and Julianne and Steve, other times when I spoke with Susan she now will tell me that nothing happened and that Steve is my father. But she chooses her words very carefully.
The slow evidence build up of phenotype markers, and the very first time I asked her this question, and a full day for us to discuss it without interference from anyone else, all leads me to the conclusion that the first answer was the correct one.
I have strange fingers. The last phalange on all of my non-thumb fingers does not fully extend straight. That has been that way my entire life. I remember looking at my hand and fingers growing up and recognizing this. I also remember seeing other people with fingers that extended straight, but I never thought that this was a problem or any kind of rare oddity.
On a recent research visit to Japan, I noticed just a few old physical statues with finger phalanges that were slightly bent, but most (going back hundreds or even a thousand years) show fingers straight.
I have recently learned that much older genetic lineages show human fingers where the last phalange does not extend fully.
In the last few weeks, I have checked many family members in-person and I am the only person with all 8 fingers to have the phalange oddity. Susan has one finger with a very small bend. Photos of Pawpaw show a similar last-phalange not being straight. Photos of Steve show straight fingers, but meeting in person with Steve I noticed the possibility of a few fingers showing a phalange oddity (but not all 8). All of Steve’s siblings show straight fingers, with one or two Siblings showing a slight bend on just one finger. Photos of Jonathan show all straight fingers.
I have a bony jaw that protrudes forward but is slightly hidden by some fat or cartlidge in a rounded chin. There is a small divot in the bony part of the jaw that I can feel easily, but it is not visible given the layer over. Steve, who I thought was my father, also has this divot. Julianne, who I have known as my sister, also has this divot. Susan, my mother, does not have this divot. I believe that Pawpaw also had this divot. I have not measured the depth of the divot in Julianne or Steve or myself, but have only confirmed that it is there. I have not been able to confirm the divot with Jonathan yet.
I have strong musical ability and a strong voice. Pawpaw was a talented singer and I was told that he was accepted into Julliard for vocal training but did not attend. I can sing complicated pop songs and metal songs accurately acappella or with music, with very little practice. I am most adept at playing guitar, and have played in bands and written music. But I also can self-taught play drums and piano. I have strong rhythm and can also dance, though I do not have much training in either.
Over the last 4-5 years, I have experienced a set of extremely strange events while trying to stabilize and protect my immediate family, that I only now see more clearly to be embedded in a bigger picture. I have struggled to not project negative intentions on others, but some of the events are so strange in context of my recent research, that I now have to question the motives of many people in my life going back many years.
One example — on a long drive across the country in 2014 with Julianne Welch when I was moving to California, we sent a casual photo to Steve showing a Star Trek hand sign. There was no significance to this at the time other than us driving through the desert and likely joking about aliens. At the time I knew nothing of the significance of fingers in an anthropological sense. Steve responded by sending a photo of himself flipping the bird (with a straight finger I should add). I remember thinking it was a strange and harsh response at the time, but I am now seeing that it may have been more complicated than I knew.
Recently I have had some people be extremely rude or unprofessional to me with no clear reason. Despite this, I will always do my best to be polite but consistent with them in return. It could be that these people are misinformed, or it could be that these people are attempting to bait me into getting angry or being rude, and so I have now learned to just try to calmly and steadily work through the problem.
Additionally recently during my divorce, I have had multiple cases of law firms drop me for absolutely no reason or for very strange reasons. I even had one attorney bluntly say to me “I do not work for you” despite me paying him and him not having withdrawn at the point when he said this. I have tried not to publish too openly about this because I do not want to unfairly affect my pending cases, but at this point the repetitive tactic is becoming extremely unfair. It seems the only grounds that my ex-wife (who previously worked in NC State politics at the congressional level, served on a city commission, and attended a Trump rally as a VIP and told me that her law firm represented a major Trump donor) may have against me is to try to slander me by making it seem like I cannot keep an attorney. If they cannot win a favorable outcome on the matter of dividing up around $4.5million in estimated marital assets fairly because of the enormous evidence of Sinclaire’s bad behavior, then they may be trying to get a better outcome by following a strange procedural loophole that makes it seem like I am at fault or am unreliable. I am certainly sometimes slow in getting work done, but I am not dishonest nor am I unreasonable.
One of the few law firm that I will say has been consistently responsible and helpful, despite me warning them about the strange (and to me unexplainable at the time) political situation of my case, is Batch Poore & Williams PC. I will write more on this topic in the future, but it is important for a variety of reasons for me to at least briefly mention this here.
I anticipate that I will continue to have other people be extremely unprofessional to me, and I will always do my best to be polite but consistent with them in return. I do not want them to be unprofessional or impolite to me. I frequently have people try to bait me into getting angry or being rude, and so I have now learned to try to steadily work through the problem.
Another example event from a few months ago — Jonathan Welch, an ordained Baptist minister who professes to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, who it now appears is likely my half-brother (more on this below), and who married me and my ex-wife in an initial service (before a Catholic convalidation ceremony in 2024), flat out refused to help me try to repair the relationship and marriage situation in the divorce proceedings I am currently in with my ex-wife Sinclaire. Jonathan refused to try to help me in any way, without citing any clear reason why despite me asking multiple times. He met with me, claimed he had no issues directly with me, but then repeatedly refused to help me further. How can an ordained minister, who has the job of building marriages, and who professes to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, refuse to help with a marriage relationship (regardless of the outcome)?
Another example event from a few years ago — during a simple neighborhood walk with my now ex-wife and son Homer, my now ex-wife had a kind of nervous breakdown with no clear cause and asked me to leave the house because she felt unsafe, without citing any specific reason other than repeatedly claiming that she felt unsafe. I repeatedly asked her why she felt unsafe, and she had no explanation. She called her mother and many of her mother’s friends, who all quickly drove over to our house (this was also strange; as were they all ready to drive over before she made the claim?), and who I gladly allowed in to help see that my ex-wife was having a strange nervous breakdown for no reason. I had absolutely no explanation as to why. I called my mother Susan, who remained on the telephone with me as I tearfully explained to them that I did not know what was happening or why she was asking me to leave the house, and a few of these women responded with “she is uncomfortable and feels unsafe, you just need to leave.” I drove to Jonathan’s house that afternoon, had dinner, then returned to my house. Upon returning to my house, I called the police to describe the incident to them. They asked me if I had made any threatening statements or actions to my wife (at the time, who is now my ex-wife) and the answer was overwhelmingly no. I never had and I still never have. I further explained that Sinclaire had experienced previous strange mental health episodes which I had attributed to post-partum issues, which I had taken us to a marriage therapist to steadily work on (these are documented over multiple years). I told the officer I spoke with that I was calling because I was concerned that upon re-entering my own house, it could trigger a further mental health episode. In speaking with either the officer or with Steve (the man who raised me, who was a divorce attorney), it was also discussed that not staying in the house overnight could be viewed as a sign that I had abandoned the family, which I was absolutely shocked to hear. I was taking slow and steady steps to stabilize the situation, and leaving the house for the afternoon was the clear path to de-escalation, but I could not remain out of the house both because of this point and also because I was concerned about my (at the time) wife’s previous statements of self-harm. Jonathan advised me not to re-enter the house, which I found strange at the time. I told him I planned to of course re-enter and just go to sleep, and Jonathan then joined me that evening to enter the house with me as a witness to see that nothing bad had happened. Sinclaire’s mother Ronda was staying over that night, and I and Jonathan asked to see Homer my son to check on him. Sinclaire and Ronda refused to allow us to enter the bedroom to check on him. I was not going to escalate that situation that evening, so I told them I was going to sleep, and that Jonathan could leave. I did exactly that, and the next day we all woke up and Sinclaire and Ronda acted as if nothing was wrong. The next day there was NO further complaint or discussion of the incident. We cooked breakfast and walked around and I saw Homer to check his health. For weeks after the incident there was no further complaint of safety and in discussion with a marriage counselor, I still received no explanation for why Sinclaire felt unsafe, why her mother’s friend’s needed to visit, why they would not allow me as his father to check on my sleeping child (especially in context that there was a documented case of Sinclaire previously threatening suicide). One of the final strange anecdotes is that, in an abundance of caution, I placed a chair in front of a door to the bedroom where I was taking a nap alone the next day. In the middle of my nap, Sinclaire tried to enter the room and hit the chair, then fumbled an explanation that she was going to the grocery store and wanted to see if I wanted something to eat. How could the woman who just attempted to expel me from my own house with no explanation, refuse to allow me to do a simple health check on my son, and who claimed that I was making her feel unsafe, suddenly want to check on whether I wanted something from the grocery store?
- One reason this could be happening is because of something that I was told in 2025. I was shocked and in disbelief to hear the statement, but I have now been told multiple times by people that were either working in intelligence or in military that I have millions and millions of kids. I had a very hard time believing this, and have tried to disprove this idea multiple times. I was told that it was a large-scale operation that is or was a kind of new kind of Manhattan Project, which in my current understanding might be with the goal of broadening the pool of genetics of the global human population (presumably by using much older indigenous or neanderthal genetics).
- I was, and still am, very angry at the idea that this may have been done without my consent and without the consent of some other parents (even if done for good intentions).
- Since being told this, and since finding traits of very old genetics in my living phenotype that I can trace back directly to Pawpaw, I have been approached multiple times with offers to have more children by women that I do not know or have not previously met. I have accepted none of these offers. It may sound strange for me to write about that openly, but it is important to be clear given the circumstances.
- I was asked multiple times during my travel in 2025 to leave genetic material behind in a bathroom, and I refused. I have never done this and would not do this. I do not know for sure if this was a test or if this was real, but several indicators make me think that they were a real requests. Again, it is important to be clear given the circumstances.
- If I did ever have additional children (not from a woman that I was married to or in a clear relationship with), I would want both parents of the child to fully consent. I know that sounds strange for me to even write about, but it is important that I write this openly and clearly given the circumstances.
- I have accepted no monetary offers for genetic material, and have made no money from any appearances or sale of genetic material of any kind. It is possible that a hair was left behind when traveling in a hotel room, but since learning more about this world I now make it a practice to intentionally flush any hair or finger nails down the toilet to dispose of them.
- However, I now see clearly that many children and teens today have many of the same features (and even behaviors) that I do. Most notable is the much thicker hair. I can trace my thicker hair very closely to Pawpaw (Jonathan, who it seems is my half-brother, does not have the same thicker hair, nor the same hairline, nor the same fingers, nor the same mouth), but it seems that there is a pattern of kids with much thicker hair and a certain shape of ears similar to mine starting sometimes around or after 1986, and which accelerated further after 1990. I was born in October 1986.
- Further, if this operation was truly about expanding the genetic pool with some very old indigenous or neanderthal genetics, then it is theoretically possible that more strange mutations would be found after this time in 1986 based on new reactions by different mothers to the older genetics. My hair color was black when I was born, but is now a dark brown. I have always had very long eyelashes that Steve nor Jonathan have. I have a few white eyebrows, and I am told that Pawpaw had white sideburns all his life while still having very dark black hair until very old age that was never colored. So it is possible that alternate hair and eye colors could emerge easily based on different mothers. I am taller (about 6'2’‘) than Pawpaw and taller than Susan, but just slightly shorter or about the same height as Jonathan and Steve. My hair and skin seem to be aging a little bit slower than others that are my age or immediately older than me.
- I also have some unusual communication and thinking skills that might be called neuro-atypical. I am mostly self taught on guitar and other musical instruments (I have been told that Pawpaw was accepted into Julliard in NYC for voice but did not attend).
- I also pickup sports skills rapidly with little practice. Another example is my calves and physique. I have always had extremely defined calves and a high metabolism and stamina, which is different than my half-brother Jonathan.
- There are certainly ways that I have been slower than other humans that are my same age, younger, or immediately older. But I am simply raising the odd mix of demonstrated skills and behaviors, and also the pattern of increased height while all other phenotypical features fit extremely close with Pawpaw.
- I do not have a clear explanation for how this could have happened.
- I will note that there are several members of my family who served in the military.
- I will also note that the very small town where I grew up, Greenwood, SC, has the first independent genetics center in the nation, which was founded in 1975. I do have a very distinct early memory of visiting the location of this center when I was younger and sitting in a patient room. I do not have any memory of the exact reason, and the area of this center was not my primary care family doctor. I have no other affiliation with this center, and I have not spoken with anyone from this center.
- Finally, I will say that I have tried to think of alternative theories, such as a psycho-social phenomena of mate selection (conscious or unconscious) by mothers that points in a direction similar to some of the patterns of my nose, ears, hair, etc. One of the problems with this theory is that the change in traits in some prominent cases (pre 1986 and post 1987 or so) is so sharp that it seems nearly impossible.
- There is another argument to say that my phenotypic features make me much older than many other people who were born on a date prior to 1986, and so in that sense I am the elder. However, this also doesn’t explain the sharp shift in some phenotypic features and capabilities that seems to have emerged after 1986.
From a responsibility standpoint, I think one conclusion I have to make is that with my increasing confidence that there is some truth to me having millions and millions of children on the scale of a Manhattan project program, I need to always behave in a way that would be a good example to all children. That awareness has been a partial driver for some of the work I have performed and written about in the last year. It has also been a partial driver for the positions I have taken in my divorce case. That kind of awareness is what Pawpaw would also say.
As for the timing, I have been researching and accumulating evidence over the last year, but it is not until the finger observations that I felt there to be overwhelmingly clear that Steve is not my father. I already had phenotypical and behavioral differences with Steve (including catching him lying directly to me multiple times), but the finger observations are far too distinct (especially in combination with the other factors). And I considered that publishing this may hurt him emotionally, but the repeated lies that he has made in the last year to me, and the numerous chances I have given him to speak openly about what he knows (I asked him months ago to please write about it privately, as I am doing now, and he refused), mean that I am far less concerned with that now. The problem of not discussing this topic openly, especially if there are children out there with big questions, is far more important. Even a response of “yes, I am noticing that there is a pattern, but I do not fully understand it and here is what I learned and when I learned it” is far better than no response or no discussion of this topic.
I also considered the impact that publishing these findings may have on Homer or Sinclaire. I have credible photo evidence, which I have reported to the FBI, that Homer was being abused sometime in 2024 or 2025. It is possible he was being abused because of the findings I am outlining here (as a way to threaten or control me, though I never received direct threats with his name before 2025), and it is possible that someone was trying to get his genetic material despite his young age. I know that is strange to write, but with the weight of evidence and the complexity of this situation, it is important to state openly. Not stating this openly, while I am discussing the wider findings above, could actually put Homer in more danger. I should also say that I have offered multiple times for Sinclaire to have full custody of Homer, if she would only enable a once a year meeting so that I could see him and be a positive presence in his life. She refuses, and with no clear reason. I would prefer to have full custody given Sinclaire’s demonstrated mental health issues and history of false accusations, or joint custody but with a better collaborative parenting approach. I have been denied all of those possibilities by her to date, and again, with no explanation. I am stating this openly because I am concerned that, if the story of my old genetics is true, that Sinclaire or someone else could try to control Homer because of actual or perceived unique genetics that he may have. Sinclaire has implied in a few emails that she does not think Homer is my biological son, but he does retain a number of features that are very similar to me, so I need to be a responsible parent even if he is not my biological son.
All of this information also means being careful about who I date and marry and have more kids with. I have always wanted to be married with kids, and I have struggled to understand why it has been so hard for me to find a good match in my life. I have been on only one semi-date recently, and I have not dated nor slept with anyone else since sleeping with my ex-wife Sinclaire (which was at at least 8 months to a year before the divorce).
I should also state that I have only ever dated and slept with women. I was asked that at least once or twice during my travel over the last year. I have friends that are gay and I am not judging their decisions, but I have never felt that kind of attraction myself.
I should also say that if there is a plausible theory that something of this scale happened, and if others know about it and thought that it could have been them as the father, I now find it incredibly hard to understand how any man could date a woman younger than him (at least beyond a few years). I also see the act of sex and procreation as incredibly delicate, and I have tried to again be an example to any future children about the best way to handle sex within a healthy relationship (and preferably a marriage).
If you’re wondering why I would talk so openly about something so complicated and largely unprovable at scale, the simple answer is that — if it is true — then the consequences of NOT talking about it are enormous. If it is false, then the consequences of talking about it are relatively minimal. If it is false, it is also possible that some others have been told a false story. However, through seeing the plausibility of my case, which has proof points that go far beyond anyone else that I can find or see, these other people may be able to see the weakness of their own case. But again, if it is true, then every one of these children should know the truth, or as much of the truth that I or others can explain.
Further, every one of the parents today should also know the truth. If it were true that something like this happened and if these kids are indeed mine (which is what I am being told by multiple sources), then at the very least I owe all the other parents the truth (or as much of the truth as I can uncover, especially the part that all of this was done without any consent or awareness on my part). If it is true that something like this happened and that these kids are not mine, then I think it is still critically important to discuss the issue of paternity openly. I was told that it was my decision whether to go public with multiple geopolitical issues that I was made aware of last year (including this topic).
I think for the sake of genetic diversity, that future parents should choose their spouse and have kids with their spouse with confidence that the children are biologically theirs. If a woman decided that she wanted to have a child of mine, I would openly discuss that, but I would want it to be done in an open and clear and structured way. I would never want something like that to be hidden. I am stating this openly and clearly (despite it being a discomforting statement), because I am concerned that others are attempting to hide similar behavior and I would never condone that (from me or from others).
If the generations of young people today and tomorrow are anything like me (and increasingly like me), they will be furious if they find out that something like what I’m describing happened and furious that what happened was not done in an open and clear way. That is true even if the people that may have limited (or complete) responsibility could not see the full picture (and is also true if certain parties, myself included, had no idea). So despite the complexity of this situation, it is better for me to publish something about my research and understanding of the situation now, rather than waiting.
If any of what I am noting above is true, then I will close this by noting that PawPaw Preacher Welch would have wanted everyone to forgive each other and try to work together. I am trying to follow what Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 18:21-22 as much as I can, and I have also been asking others to do the same. Forgiveness does not always mean kindness, but it does mean to respond to any ongoing crimes and bad behavior from a place of learning and compassion and care instead of from a place of hate.
“Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times? Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”