MARYLAND
Washingtonian
By Tiffany Stanley on April 14, 2016
Larry Caffery, a former children’s ministry volunteer at Covenant Life Church, was arrested on child sexual-abuse charges last month. The Gaithersburg congregation and its former parent organization, Sovereign Grace Ministries, were at the center of an investigation Washingtonian published in February.
More than a dozen people have alleged they were sexually abused as children by members of Sovereign Grace Ministries. At least seven people have seen their abusers convicted.
Caffery, 66, was charged in March with 11 counts related to sexual abuse, child abuse, sexual offense, and false imprisonment. Caffery’s attorney Mallon Snyder says he denies the allegations against his client. (His case was not part of Washingtonian’s original reporting.)
When reached by phone, the mother of the alleged victim said of her daughter, who is a minor: “I hope she does heal from this, so she can have a full life. That’s what I hope.” The mother is no longer a member of Covenant Life, but she said she does not blame the church for the alleged abuse, nor does she believe the abuse happened on church property.
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