A musician and former member of Soul Survivor church in Watford is sharing his experiences with disgraced local reverend, Mike Pilavachi MBE.
Watford News has been following the story of Mr Pilavachi, founder of local charity Soul Survivor, after he was accused of using his spiritual authority to control and coerce individuals. He is being investigated by the National Safeguarding Team (NST) and the St Albans Diocesan Safeguarding Team.
Now, Matt Redman, a Grammy-winning worship leader and former member of Soul Survivor, has released a new documentary, Let There Be Light, sharing his, and his wife Beth’s story.
In one part, Matt discusses how at 13 years old, he went to Mr Pilavachi for support after disclosing to the reverend that he had been abused. Mr Pilavachi asked Matt for details, then wrestled with him afterwards at his home or in private rooms at the church.
Meanwhile, Beth faced bullying from Mr Pilavachi, which left her feeling “unwell” and led to her leaving her job at Soul Survivor.
In a post on social media, Matt said: “We tell our story to shine light and help validate others’ experiences. It would have been much easier to say nothing – but a culture of silence up until now has been a significant force.
“While speaking on a painful subject, it’s also important to acknowledge all of the pastors out there faithfully loving those that God has entrusted to them.
“This is a story Beth and I chose to tell. Our prayer is for the healing of yesterday’s wounds and a brighter, safer church tomorrow. Let there be light.”
A spokesperson for Soul Survivor said: “We are grateful to Matt and Beth Redman for their bravery, openness and honesty. We recognise how painful it has been for the Redman family, and for all those who have contributed to the Church of England’s NST investigation and Fiona Scolding KC’s independent review, commissioned by Soul Survivor Watford – they have all displayed great courage in coming forward and we are taking their reports very seriously.
“As a church, we are committed to the ongoing process and implementing all of the recommendations of Fiona’s review of our culture, leadership and governance.”
Let There Be Light is available to watch on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVZkgdt32u8
Photo credit: Matt Redman
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