Pastor Greg Varney of Light of the Word Christian Center Arrested for Second Time in a Week
For the second time in a week, Greg Varney, the founding pastor of Light of the Word Christian Center in Topeka, Kansas, has been arrested as his church and family struggle to cope with erratic behavior they believe is being triggered by his ongoing battle with kidney failure.
A report by The Topeka Capital-Journal said Varney was arrested on Wednesday in an encounter with Topeka police who were asked to do a "welfare check."
Topeka police spokeswoman Amy McCarter told the Journal that Varney left an area hospital behaving erratically and was cornered by police at an address on S.W. 10th. McCarter said because he "was resistive to assistance" police had to take him into custody.
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He was booked in the Shawnee County Jail on charges of disorderly conduct — brawl or fight; obstruction of official duty; and battery on a law enforcement officer. His bond was set at $1,000.
Prior to this incident, Varney was arrested by Topeka police last week for allegedly using a vehicle in an assault against his daughter, according to the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office.
A churchgoer told local news station KSNT that Varney was arrested after he smashed into another car as he was trying to leave the scene of the assault.
Police declined to comment on that incident but Light of the Word Christian Center denied in a statement released on their Facebook page that Pastor Varney attempted to harm anyone, and blamed his out of character behavior on his kidney disease.
"Light of the World Christian Center is aware of the recent charges against our church founder, Pastor Greg Varney, and his family has given the church permission to relay details about Pastor Greg's medical condition, which is directly responsible for the actions leading to these charges. We also feel it is important to tell the community that Pastor Greg did not harm or attempt to harm any person in the incident leading to his arrest," the church said.
"In the last few years, Pastor Greg has had health concerns resulting in kidney failure. He took a sabbatical from the church to focus on his health, and he is receiving dialysis. During treatment, however, Pastor Greg's family began to notice unexplained cognitive and behavioral changes they believe were caused by the toxins released in his body when his kidneys were not functioning. Pastor Greg and his family have been working with multiple doctors to determine a solution to these issues, and they will continue to aggressively pursue the medical treatment he needs," it continued.
The church further asked supporters to pray that doctors will find the right treatment to help Pastor Varney.
A 2008 National Institutes of Health article titled "Psychiatric Issues in Renal Failure and Dialysis" says depression, anxiety, suicide and delirium are common complications observed in patients with renal failure.
Varney has served as the non-denominational church's senior pastor since its founding in 1985 and since that time has been active in a number of city-wide efforts involving other evangelical and Pentecostal leaders in Topeka according to the Journal.
