In wake of Ivy Ridge documentary, United Methodists denounce Nichols, academy's PR head

Mar. 13—LISBON — United Methodists of Upper New York are distancing themselves from Thomas A. Nichols, the St. Lawrence County Republican elections commissioner who serves as pastor at two churches in the county.

Nichols, pastor at Galilee Methodist Church in Ogdensburg and Kendrew Methodist Church in Rensselaer Falls, is the former public relations coordinator for the Academy at Ivy Ridge, the subject of a Netflix documentary series, "The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping," released last week.

The documentary portrays students at the boarding program at the former Mater Dei College on Route 37 near Ogdensburg being emotionally and physically abused. It claims students and parents were defrauded by the operator, led to believe the school, which operated between 2001 and 2009, could award high school diplomas even though it was denied state Education Department accreditation as a private high school.

St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary M. Pasqua and Sheriff Patrick "Rick" Engle announced at a joint press conference Monday that they are opening an investigation into reports of abuse, each indicating that their offices have been inundated with phone calls and emails from former students, as well as other inquiries about potential investigations. Assemblyman Scott A. Gray, R-Watertown, has asked that the state attorney general conduct an investigation.

"We have received reports of physical abuse as well as sexual abuse," Pasqua said. "Those reports we've received regarding physical abuse and sexual abuse will be investigated by law enforcement here in St. Lawrence County. Any individual who was a student at Ivy Ridge who believes they are a victim of a crime can and should reach out to my office or the sheriff's department to report that. We welcome that."

Any former Ivy Ridge students who want to report physical or sexual abuse to law enforcement are encouraged to contact the St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Office at 315-379-2222 or the St. Lawrence County District Attorney's Office at 315-379-2225.

The United Methodists of Upper New York released a statement indicating the church conference had been made aware of the documentary featuring audio clips of Nichols.

The statements said that Nichols was "associated" with the Galilee and Kendrew churches, but Nichols and these churches have "disaffiliated" from the Upper New York Conference and The United Methodist Church. A rift in views on the inclusion and treatment of LGBTQ+ people drove the United Methodist Church to allow member churches across the country to disaffiliate. The window to decide on disaffiliation closed Dec. 31.

The disaffiliation of Nichols' churches took effect Feb. 9, according to the statement.

Galilee and Kendrew are now listed as part of the Global Methodist Church, founded in 2022 as a conservative denomination.

"Nichols' prior work at the Academy was independent and never endorsed by the Upper New York Conference," the statement reads.

The statement says that in the United Methodist Church, credentialed pastors must complete a thorough process that includes mentoring, a criminal background check, psychological assessment and more.

"Upper New York had no knowledge of the events portrayed in the docuseries and no knowledge of Nichols' involvement in the alleged abuse," it said.

The statement continued that United Methodists of Upper New York are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of the people they serve, especially the most vulnerable. Congregations are required to enact and maintain a Safe Sanctuary policy to reduce the risk of abuse of children, youth and vulnerable adults participating in the ministries of their churches, districts, agencies and ministry groups.

"We stand with those harmed by the alleged abuse and questionable practices portrayed in the documentary and recommit ourselves to confronting abuse in all the ways it manifests in our society," the statement concludes.

The documentary accuses Nichols, a former county legislator and chairman of the Board of Legislators, of participating in fraud.

The makers say the photographs he took to use in promotional brochures did not show typical day-to-day life at Ivy Ridge. Rather, they say the pictures were used to paint a rosy picture to convince parents of the kids sent there that Ivy Ridge was something it wasn't.

At one point, the filmmakers confront Nichols at Galilee church. In an audio recording, when asked if his photos were an accurate representation of Ivy Ridge, Nichols told them, "No."

Nichols told the Times Monday that he has been advised not to comment on the matter.