SOUTH AFRICA
Times Live
Dave Chambers | 2017-02-02
The son of John Smyth — the Cape Town lawyer accused of abusing boys at Christian holiday camps for decades — has just moved from South Africa to head a US “megachurch” emerging from a child sex abuse scandal.
PJ Smyth is the new lead pastor at Covenant Life Church‚ in Gaithersburg‚ Maryland. He moved there in December after being at the helm of Johannesburg’s GodFirst church‚ which has congregations in Douglasdale‚ Parkhurst‚ Paulshoff‚ Benoni and Tembisa.
The website of Covenant Life — which has 19 pastors and around 2‚000 members — says: “We convey our warmest thanks to the people of GodFirst Church in Johannesburg‚ where PJ has served for the last 10 years‚ for their faith and generosity in sending PJ and family stateside for a new assignment.”
In December 2012‚ according to Wikipedia‚ Covenant Life withdrew from the Sovereign Grace Ministries network after former congregants — including some from Covenant Life — filed a lawsuit alleging the ministry’s leaders conspired to conceal the sexual abuse of children.
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