Members of one megachurch in Canada have received more shocking news about their religious leaders who have been accused of sexual assault and misconduct.
The Meeting House in Oakville, Ontario held a meeting last week where leadership announced dozens of reports of abuse and harm done to congregants.
A statement on the church’s website revealed that a third-party victim advocate named Melodie Bisell was hired in March to respond to concerns over sexual misconduct by any pastor, staff member, or lay leader within the church.
“To date, our victim advocate Melodie has received 38 inquiries. She’s documenting each story and is committed to advocating on their behalf,” said Jennifer Hryniw, a member of the Board of Overseers. “The inquiries are not all unique or separate but they do represent allegations, disclosures, and concerns relating primarily to clergy sexual misconduct, harassment, and abuse by Kieran Naidoo, Dave Churchill, Bruxy Cavey, and Tim Day.”
The news comes just one week after CBN News reported that Cavey, the church’s primary teaching pastor, was arrested and accused of sexual assault following a police investigation. Cavey had been employed at the church from 1996 to 2021.
“We’ve also heard stories of brave individuals who have tried to address the culture of immorality in the past and they felt shut down and alienated by the church,” Hryniw said. “Each story we’ve read causes us deep grief but we know it’s only a fraction of the pain that the victims, both men and women, have experienced.”
She went on to explain that the reported incidents are not new or recent and that they were surprising to many in the church family.
Hryniw pointed out that the church has established a subcommittee to address the misconduct reports and is responding to each case.
Another subcommittee was created to update church policies to clarify guidelines on accountability, supervision, and best practices in handling cases of abuse.
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Hryniw explained why the church has not been able to address all of the questions related to the investigation.
“It’s time-consuming for a small group of volunteers and we’re learning as we go. What I can tell you is that we are trying to tread carefully and faithfully,” she said. “We’re also prayerfully seeking understanding and not treating these stories as separate, unique and distinct situations but that as a narrative that unfortunately is woven through our story as a church.”
Cavey will appear before a judge in the city of Hamilton on June 27.
Naidoo, who was a youth pastor at the church, was arrested and charged in 2021 by the Ontario Provincial Police with involvement in a large-scale child pornography investigation dating back to 2012. He was charged with sexual exploitation, according to Religion News.
Churchill, who was also a youth pastor at The Meeting House, was charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation for an incident in 2014.
Lastly, Day served as a senior pastor at the church for 14 years and was accused of sexual misconduct.
If you have any information that you believe could assist investigators regarding these crimes, contact Canadian Detective Constable Jeremy Miller at 905-540-5050 or Detective Sergeant Jennifer Currie at 905-546-4962.
To provide information anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online at https://crimestoppershamiIton.com.
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