The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will appoint a committee to investigate allegations of physical and sexual abuse of missionary children in Africa between the 1950s and 1980s.
The new panel's first task will be to look at reports of abuse at missionary boarding schools in Egypt and Cameroon.
The allegations were initially made to another committee that was formed to report on abuse of missionary children in Congo between the 1940s and 1970s. Last year, that committee recommended a broader church probe into charges of abuse against missionary children.
The new three-member panel is to be appointed by Oct. 1, according to Pat Hendrix, staff liaison with the Worldwide Ministries Division for the denomination, based in Louisville.
It will investigate allegations of physical and sexual abuse of children at a boarding school at the American Presbyterian Mission in Alexandria, Egypt.
It also will probe alleged sexual abuse of children who boarded at Hope School in Elat, Cameroon, in the 1960s.
The Rev. Marian McClure, director of the Worldwide Ministries Division, has said the allegations in both cases are credible.