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Covenant Life Church (Gaithersburg, MD) and Sovereign Grace Ministries. Last week, Grant Layman, a former pastor at CLC admitted under oath that he knew of the allegations of sexual abuse but did not report them to the police. Layman is the brother in law of C.J. Mahaney, the founding and former Pastor of CLC during the abuse. After much speculation as to whether C.J. knew of the abuse, today Mahaney has released an official statement on his new churches website denying any involvement or knowledge of the sexual abuse happening in his church. The statement reads:<\/p>\n\u201cFor nearly two years now, I have remained silent about a civil lawsuit brought against various parties including myself. During that time, many have urged me to respond publicly and address the accusations against me. These pleas have only intensified over the last week in light of reports of testimony in a recent trial. I look forward to the day when I can speak freely. For now, the simple and extraordinarily unsatisfying reality\u2014for myself and others\u2014is that in the face of an ongoing civil lawsuit, I simply cannot speak publicly to the specifics of these events. Even with those constraints, however, let me be clear about this: I have never conspired to protect a child predator, and I also deny all the claims made against me in the civil suit.<\/p>\n
I am deeply grieved for those who suffered abuse while part of Covenant Life Church, as well as those beyond the church who were abused\u2014and I continue to pray for justice to be served on their behalf and for God\u2019s healing grace in their lives. I\u2019m saddened, too, by the confusion and damage that has resulted from public comments and speculation about these events. Still, my trust remains in the Lord, who comforts the brokenhearted and promises in his justice and in his time to right every wrong.<\/p>\n
In the grace of the gospel,<\/p>\n
C.J. Mahaney<\/p>\n
Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville<\/p>\n
May 22, 2014\u201d<\/p>\n