Help Christian Pastor & Family Fight Legal Battle

Who this will help

Funds donated here will go towards legal fees and to help support our family until this case is resolved. In the month of December, our family took a $33,000 hit as a result of bond and legal fees, lost time working and lost business.

Why I'm fundraising

In February of 2023 Justin and two of our children were attacked in the parking lot of a local Baptist church. As a means to resolve conflict biblically, we sought for accountability from church leaders in the community. Those we spoke with ignored the complaints and refused to hold those involved to account. As a result our church held disciplinary procedures and invited the accused and their churches to attend and defend themselves. They were found to be guilty of misconduct and the church sent letters/notices to several churches and people in the community informing them of the outcome. As a result of these letters being sent, several pastors reported it to the police and had Justin arrested on December 1st. He was jailed for 13 days. He has been released on a bond of $10,000, he has not yet been formally charged. It is my understanding that it could take years before this is resolved, even under a speedy trial request.

While in jail, he was not allowed visitors or any books aside from the Bible, nor paper and pencil. He was denied the right to attend religious services on Sunday. He was only allowed out of his cell for one hour a day, he was only allowed outside once for 15 minutes and the window in his cell was blocked so he did not see the sun.

This is Christian persecution happening right here in America, in the "Bible belt". Justin was acting in accordance with the scriptures (Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 6:1-11) and as a result he was arrested. You may disagree with how CRBC handled the situation but I would hope that as freedom loving Americans you can see the injustice of his arrest.

Justin missed work for over a week and we have already lost students over the ordeal. As of now, we cannot tell the full impact of this on his business. In addition to losing income, we have to pay thousands of dollars towards a lawyer and bond.

As we continue to remain faithful to the scriptures and endure the suffering that goes with it, we ask that our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ would come alongside us and help us through these trials.

The impact of your support

This Go Fund Me account is just that. I am going to be completely transparent regarding our finances, I want you to know that whatever you give will be used reasonably and responsibly. Anything that is given that is not used will be donated to the Georgia Innocence Project. The majority of the goal set is legal fees ($6,000 for a lawyer and $1,022 for bond fees). I’ve included two months of our living expenses ($2,460) and one month of Justin’s rent ($520) and added padding for GoFundMe fees ($516). As new information comes in about legal fees, the goal may change to reflect that. Your support means so much to us, not just from a financial standpoint but from an emotional and spiritual point as well.

*Because this is a legal issue, some specifics of the case will not be posted publicly. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions you may have.*