Canadian megachurch substantiates abuse allegation against Bruxy Cavey involving minor
One of Canada's largest megachurches says it has substantiated sexual abuse allegations against former pastor Bruxy Cavey, including one involving a minor.
Cavey, who was arrested and charged with sexual assault in June, was the former pastor of The Meeting House, which has multiple campuses across the Toronto area.
Ontario police arrested the 57-year-old on May 31 after an investigation into reports of a sexual assault that occurred while he served as the church's primary teaching pastor from 1996 to 2021.
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An update released by the church on Saturday announced that an investigation into Cavey's conduct revealed two allegations of sexual abuse by a church leader and the third allegation of sexual misconduct involving an underage victim at the time of the alleged abuse.
A separate investigation also "substantiated" sexual abuse allegations against senior pastor Tim Day, who the church said "chose not to participate in the investigation" despite "multiple opportunities to do so."
A statement from church leaders Bruce Miller and Nour Aziz read in part: "In all cases, the victims have suffered great harm. We grieve deeply at the hurt caused to each of these individuals at our church.
"We also acknowledge the courage of those who stepped forward. We are grateful for their bravery, and willingness to be vulnerable. As church leadership, we humbly and profoundly apologize to them for the pain they experienced at the hands of The Meeting House pastors whom they — and we — trusted."
In March, the church shared the results of an initial investigation into Cavey's conduct but stopped short of labeling the allegations as "sexual abuse."
Cavey became the senior pastor of what was once called Upper Oaks Community Church in Oakville in 1997. With its name changed to The Meeting House, the church grew to 19 campuses.
The author of 2007's The End of Religion: Encountering the Subversive Spirituality of Jesus and the 2017 book Reunion: The Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, and Sinners, Cavey gained a following through his sermons and YouTube videos in which he would answer questions about Christianity.
Cavey previously served as a guest lecturer at the California-based Fresno Pacific Bible Seminary. He was removed in 2018 after donors raised concerns over his theology.
The Meeting House held a town hall Sunday to discuss updates on the allegations and how they plan to move forward as a church.
A "victim advocacy" page has been established on the church's website, which reads in part: "We grieve with all victims and are committed to taking all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously."
The page also asks "anyone who thinks they may have experienced sexual misconduct or abuse by a pastor, staff member, or lay leader" to contact the church confidentially.
The allegations involving Cavey and Day are not the first allegations made against those on The Meeting House's pastoral team.
Former youth pastor Kieran Naidoo was arrested in 2012 as part of a child pornography investigation by Ontario police.
Naidoo was later charged with possession of child pornography and other charges.
He was arrested again on sexual exploitation charges in January 2021 for an alleged incident between 2002 and 2005.
Youth pastor David Churchill was charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation in 2014. The church announced Churchill was later convicted on those charges.
In June, The Meeting House announced at a town hall gathering that the four pastors — Cavey, Day, Naidoo and Churchill — have combined for at least 38 reports of sexual misconduct.
