Hamilton police charge former pastor of The Meeting House Church with sexual assault

Hamilton police have charged a former pastor of The Meeting House Church with sexual assault.

Police say 57-year-old Bruxy Cavey was the primary teaching pastor at the church and worked there from 1996 to 2021.

The Meeting House Church is headquartered in Oakville, Ont., but has locations throughout the province. It also streams its Sunday service at several cinemas in southern Ontario.

Neither police nor the church confirmed which location or locations Cavey has worked at over the years.

Det. Sgt. Jennifer Currie told CBC Hamilton in an email the allegation was reported in April and said the alleged sexual assault occurred in the city.

"We will not provide any specific details in terms of dates or locations in order to protect the identity of the victim," she wrote.

Police say Cavey, of Hamilton, was arrested but released with some conditions. He will appear in court on June 27.

The Meeting House's communications pastorJared Taylor said the church wouldn't comment on the matter as it's before the courts but said it iscooperating with police and encourages anyone who thinks they can help investigators to contact the police.

CBC Hamilton has contacted Caveyfor further comment.

Churchinvestigation led to pastor's resignation

The Meeting House posted online on March 8, saying it received allegations of sexual misconduct against Cavey. It is unclear if the sexual assault charge stems from these same allegations.

The Meeting House said Cavey was placed on a leave of absence during a third-party investigation.

The Meeting House said the third-party investigation found Cavey had a sexual relationship with a woman, which contravened its rules.

Melodie Bissell, who was hired by the church in March as a "victim advocate," said that's a reference to the power dynamic between Bruxy and the person raising the allegation.

Board chair Maggie John said in the online statement the relationship between the accuser and Bruxy lasted "an extended period of time, constituted an abuse of Bruxy's power and authority as a member of the clergy, and amounted to sexual harassment."

John said Cavey resigned at its request on March 3.

There was also a town hall meeting on March 10 about the investigation where John said Bruxy's pastoral credentials with the Be In Christ Church of Canada denomination have been removed.

During the town hall meeting, Jennifer Hryniw, a member of the board, also shared a statement from the person accusing Cavey.

The statement says Cavey was 46 and the accuser was 23. The accuser said she was in crisis when they met. Board members said the relationship ended a few years ago.

Hamilton police said it can't comment on the church's investigation.

Cavey apologized for 'affair' in blog post

Cavey made a blog post on his website titled My Confession on March 8 related to the church's investigation.

In the post, he says "at the core of the allegations there is truth" and he apologized for having an "extramarital affair."

"I was also irresponsible in my role as a spiritual leader and Christian clergy, which involves dynamics of power and influence and an expectation of exemplary conduct that makes me doubly accountable. I accept this responsibility, with deep regret for my actions," he wrote.

"I wish I had had the courage years ago to divulge what has now become publicly known through the bravery of the woman I was involved with. Although I had repented before God, I kept it a secret from others. I am sorry upon sorry for my cowardice."

During the church town hall, the board member said it was more than just an affair, saying Bruxy abused his power as pastor.

When asked about the blog post, police said they couldn't comment on it.

Police service asking people to come forward

Hamilton Police said investigators believe there may be multiple victims and encourage anyone with information to come forward.

The service said people can contact Det. Const. Jeremy Miller at 905-540-5050 or Det. Sgt. Jennifer Currie at 905-546-4962.

Police said in a media release they want all sexual violence survivors to know the service believes them.

"Hamilton Police would like to encourage anyone who believes that they may have been a victim of sexual violence, to come forward and report the incident to police. There is no statute of limitations for sexual offences, and offenders can be prosecuted well after the date of the offence," read the release.

Anyone who isn't ready to report but needs support can call victim services at 905-546-4904.