There has been a settlement in the matter of Lynette Fay vs. Christian Gospel Temple, in an undisclosed amount, as a result of last month’s successful mediation. The details of mediation and the terms of settlement are sealed. A settlement under seal with undisclosed terms certainly does not represent the kind of transparency that Steve Farmer has claimed as the church goal.  

Because the purpose of these lawsuits was exposure of wrong, my personal preference would have been for all cover-ups to have been exposed, and for each victim to have had our days in court. However, we view this as a collective victory. 

When we first went public about our abuse, Steve Farmer stated that the allegations against Christian Gospel Temple were false. Clearly, based on the settlement reached between CGT and Mrs. Fay, CGT can no longer legitimately claim innocence. Although Lynette Fay was the only one of the four victims to move forward with her case, it should not be overlooked that the three women who dropped their cases willingly did so because of a statute of limitations restriction and not because their claims lacked merit or were ever disproven. This is a law that needs to be changed. 

Lynette Fay has two cousins, Cheryl Morrell and Crystal Mears, who have fought to have the truth exposed about the abuse they suffered at the hand of Paul Mears. Although they were deprived of any sense of personal resolution legally, there is an inner sense of peace and justice that comes from knowing that CGT was not able to succeed in permanently covering up the prior abuse committed by Paul Mears.  

Steve Farmer has acknowledged in his deposition that he, as well as Cornelius Mears, did in fact know about the molestation of Cornelius’ daughter and Steve’s wife, Becky, many years ago, long before Paul ever abused his grandchildren. The acknowledgement made by Steve proves that he bears responsibility and that his claims – that these cover-ups did not occur on his watch – are untrue. More importantly, the acknowledgment substantiates that the abuses of Lynette and all others might very easily have been prevented if men in positions of leadership at CGT had come forward and shown concern for the wellbeing of innocent children.  

As followers of Christ, one might reasonably expect that these leaders would have done whatever was in their power to not only settle Lynette's case, but to offer some sort of restitution to all victims of Paul Mears; especially in consideration of their full knowledge that he was and is a predator of children. That has not happened.   

However, those of us who have not had our cases addressed in a court of law will see justice one day. There will be justice for the men and women who have abused us, as well as those who stood by and did nothing. From the beginning, CGT has claimed transparency. As members of the church and the community, you must decide for yourselves the integrity of that claim – and whether or not you even care about a lack of transparency and integrity in your spiritual leaders. 

I can’t help but wonder how transparent Steve Farmer and the leaders of CGT will be now. Will they ever stand up and ask forgiveness for calling us liars for the past two years? Will the people of CGT ever take responsibility for supporting the very men who have continued to inflict further abuse upon victims? Will anyone in that church look at the truth, acknowledge the wrong, and apologize for believing the lies that have been told repeatedly about our history in CGT?   

Today I will CELEBRATE this victory and tomorrow I will go on fighting for all victims of sexual abuse. Transparency is COMPLETE TRUTH. If you do not demand TRUTH, you choose to live in the dark.