RALPH SHELLRUDE, 1927-2008

Ralph Shellrude, former Christian & Missionary Alliance missionary, loving father of Beverly and Marilyn (founding members of MK Safety Net) and a courageous advocate for his children and all MK's died in January 2008. He asked that those wishing to make donations in his memory be made to MK Safety Net. To learn more about his life and dedication see below . . .

Ralph Shellrude was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on February 18, 1927, and died Thursday, January 24, 2008. He and his wife, Marion Greiner, were missionaries in Guinea, West Africa, for twenty years. Glen, their son, was an infant when they left Canada. His two daughters, Beverly and Marilyn, were born during their years in Guinea. Ralph and Marion worked with the Kissi Tribe, and were greatly loved by the Kissi people.

In 1971 Ralph and Marion returned to North America for the last time, and for the next thirty years Ralph co-pastored a church in Seattle, was a District Superintendent for three consecutive terms, served for three years as Assistant to the President for Development at the national office of the C&MA, and ended his career in a part-time position as Pastor of Missions in an Alliance church. Ralph was deeply committed to the C&MA.

During their missionary years Ralph and Marion's three children went to Mamou Alliance Academy, a boarding school owned and managed by the C&MA. In the late 1980's and early 1990's Ralph's children as well as another alumni from Mamou began to tell him of the emotional, physical and sexual abuse they had experienced at Mamou. It was exquisitely painful for Ralph to hear the trauma his children had experienced. But with courage Ralph was able to support them through the many phases of their healing journeys.

Soon after hearing what had occurred at Mamou, Ralph began to be an advocate for survivors of the school. In 1991 he wrote his first official letter to his colleagues at the national office about the abuses, asking for them to be addressed. In 1994, Beverly and Marilyn began to formally advocate for an investigation, along with other members of the Mamou Steering Committee. Some of the forms the advocacy took, such as a public prayer vigil at a C&MA Council and using the media to pressure the Alliance to open an investigation, were painful for Ralph. But he remained steadfast in his support of his children in spite of not agreeing with all of their decisions.

Ralph himself became increasingly proactive throughout the mid-1990's, hoping that the C&MA would begin to appropriately address the abuses his children and others had experienced at Mamou. The following are quotes from letters he wrote, the first two were to denominational leaders, the third to a pastor.

“Though we cannot change the past, we can reach out, in a Christ-like way, and become agents of healing to Adult Missionary Kids."

"The atrocities committed by Alliance missionaries, teachers and dorm staffs, on innocent children entrusted to their care resulted in severe damage to many. Some have only recently begun recovering memories, as (name omitted) has written. We can become agents of healing to these survivors who are now adults."

"Why, oh why does the Alliance fail to reach out to my daughters and to others who bear deep scars from the Mamou experience and are searching for healing?"

This kind of advocacy was foreign to most of his generation of Christian leaders, and it required courage.
As his children and as MKSafetynet, we are grateful to Ralph. He loved us and he was brave.
Ralph requested that those wishing to make a memorial donation do so to MKSafetynet, Inc.