In a letter sent to members of The Meeting House on March 19, Maggie John, chair of the Overseers Board, said they have received two more allegations of sexual misconduct against former pastor Bruxy Cavey.
Cavey was forced to resign his position on March 3 after an independent third-party investigation concluded he was guilty of sexual misconduct.
The investigator found that the relationship, which occurred when the victim, known as “Hagar,” came to Cavey for counselling, “constituted an abuse of Bruxy’s power and authority.”
"Hagar" disputed the finding, saying it was clergy sexual abuse.
The new allegations have not yet been proven, but the church is taking them seriously.
The letter from the church to the members is below.
Dear church family:
We have more difficult news to share with you.
As we shared last weekend, we have engaged a third-party victim advocate, Melodie Bissell, to independently and confidentially receive any concerns or allegations of sexual misconduct (including sexual abuse, sexual harassment, or abuse of power or authority) by a pastor, staff member, or lay leader within The Meeting House, whether current or historical.
We are so grateful for Melodie’s doctoral level education specializing in victim advocacy, and years of experience working with hundreds of victims and churches.
Our commitment, as we follow Jesus, is to be as honest and transparent as possible as we foster a safe and caring church community. Out of that commitment, we need to share with you that Melodie has received new allegations of sexual misconduct against Bruxy, unrelated to the previous investigation.
Melodie has obtained permission from the two individuals who have come forward to notify the Overseers and the church community that the allegations have been made.
These individuals are aware that their allegations have not yet been investigated. We take these initial allegations very seriously and will respond appropriately as more information is received.
The Overseers Board of The Meeting House encourages anyone who has experienced sexual misconduct or abuse by a pastor, staff member, or lay leader within The Meeting House to contact Melodie confidentially at mbissell@traumacareconsulting.com, or by calling 416-518-1058.
Please be assured that, if other allegations come forward, the Overseers will pursue appropriate steps to investigate and to care well for each person, as well as provide updates to our church community.
We will host another Town Hall discussion in the next couple weeks to provide any further updates, as well as to continue to talk about next steps for us as a church. Stay tuned for more information.
If you are finding this update triggering or especially painful, and need someone to process this with, please reach out to your Lead Pastor for pastoral care. We have also made arrangements to provide funds towards professional counselling for anyone in our church family who needs support.
Friends, these are hard days for our church. We lament with you and want to sit with the variety of emotions we are all feeling. These words from Isaiah 43 have been a comfort to our board in the past weeks, and we pray they are a comfort to you as well.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
In peace and unity, Maggie John, Chair of the Overseers Board
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