Statement from the Be In Christ Church Of Canada Regarding Incidents of Pastoral Sexual Misconduct at The Meeting House (Oakville, ON)
The Be In Christ Church of Canada takes matters of clergy sexual misconduct very seriously. We are grieved over the allegations and disclosure of abuse and clergy sexual misconduct recently reported from one of our congregations, The Meeting House, concerning two former Senior Pastors and two former Youth Pastors. Bruxy Cavey has confessed to sexual sin while serving as Pastor and accordingly his credentials have been removed and he is no longer serving as a Pastor. As his case is before the courts, we cannot comment further. The two former Youth Pastors – Kieran Naidoo and David Churchill – also no longer serve in any context with us, neither do they any longer hold credentials with us, and their cases were prosecuted in the courts. We grieve with all who have been directly affected by the actions of any of these persons and sincerely apologize that there was a broken trust and harm in what should have been a safe place to experience God’s love. The allegation regarding former Pastor Tim Day is currently being investigated and, as this remains an allegation, it is not appropriate to comment further. Mr. Day has elected to surrender his credentials with our denomination.
Our Handbook on Faith & Life, available on our website, clearly outlines the high moral standards expected of clergy. All of our credentialed workers provide vulnerable sector background checks, and the expectations of following healthy professional boundaries are clearly communicated during their orientation. Unfortunately, no amount of written guidelines or clear expectations can always deter a person who decides to do the wrong thing and keep it hidden. We do our best to respond immediately to allegations, suspend the Pastor, care for those who have brought forth the allegation, and move quickly to investigate. The authorities are also contacted if there is any reason to believe an assault has occurred. If the outcome of the investigation confirms there has been misconduct warranting dismissal, this will occur with consideration given to following required labour practices for termination of employment. We have never relocated a known sexual predator to another situation in our community.
We will continue to work to be steadfast in confronting sin in our midst. We have no tolerance for pastoral sexual misconduct. We will continue to cooperate with investigators to the best of our ability.
Charles Mashinter
Executive Director – The Be In Christ Church Of Canada
