Published on June 25, 2024, 12:35 am

Image source: Fox News

In the light of emerging sexual abuse allegations made against Robert Morris, the recently resigned founder of Texas-based Gateway Church, Tra Willbanks, a longstanding elder of the institution apologized to victims during a Sunday service. One of these victims was Cindy Clemishire, a 54-year-old grandmother who accuses Morris of sexually abusing her over a four-and-a-half year period in the 1980s starting from when she was just twelve.

Addressing those both present and tuning in to the service, Willbanks expressed deep sympathy towards Clemishire and others who have experienced abuse. He acknowledged their feelings of betrayal and voiced his apologies on behalf of himself and his fellow elders for the pain they are suffering. It is a situation that has arguably sent shockwaves across followers of real news closely monitoring breaking news in the Christian worldview.

Morris’s resignation came only days after Clemishire publicly disclosed her allegations. This development sparked immediate national outrage. The church elders responded by stating their lack of detailed knowledge regarding Clemishire’s accusation. However, she maintains that they had been informed.

Clemishire further pressed her case by stating that Gateway Church leadership became aware of this crime back in 2005 through an email she directly sent to Morris via his Gateway account. She claimed former Elder Tom Lane received and replied to this email acknowledging Morris’s misuse of trust starting from December 25th, 1982.

Bringing more weight to her claims, she noted how her attorney Gentner Drummond (current Attorney General of Oklahoma) contacted Morris in 2007 seeking reimbursement for thousands spent on counseling due to trauma inflicted by this abuse. Despite Morris’s legal representation confessing awareness about the dates corroborated, they opted instead to shift blame onto Clemishire herself.

Willbanks assured congregants that as an elder at Gateway since 2014 and being an active participant for almost two decades with his family, he had no prior knowledge of the sexual abuse claims against Morris. As a father of six daughters, he shared his shock, devastation, and grief over what had transpired.

Gateway Church elders have enlisted Haynes & Boone, LLP, to ascertain complete knowledge regarding the events reported between 1982-1987. They are eager to cooperate with this professional review and plan on sharing results with community members once they become available.

Even though Gateway’s definitive future is still uncertain, Willbanks affirmed his commitment toward worshipping in the church and assured believers that they would remain steadfast and yielded to what God has planned for their assembly. For those tracking trusted news in Christian circles, developments related to these allegations promise to have a substantial impact.