Catalina Island Restoration Project

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Imagine being sexually abused in the one place you thought you were safe? Over decades, numerous pedophiles using the cover of Avalon Community Church destroyed the lives of dozens of children. Some have been convicted and sentenced while others remain free to prey on more victims. The response by the leadership of this church was to cover up, deflect, deny, and or tell the victims they were making it up or lying. Jon Cash Ministries is actively raising funds to help the dozens of victims find healing. Many are suffering from mental health issues, addiction problems, depression, and suicidal feelings for years or decades.  There are so many hurting hearts and the church has done nothing but talk and meet without providing the funds to help the victims. My  wife, Angela Cash, was a counselor on the island during this dark time and has provided a two page statement with all the details for people considering giving to help these victims. Please see below...

Dear Island Family,

    I always hoped I would not need to share this letter with the community but events out of my control have compelled me. The island needs to know the truth about Avalon Community Church and its part in the decades of grievous abuse of dozens of people, men, women, and children. The numbers continue to rise as weeks go by. The fight for truth, justice, accountability, and the soul of our community is my only purpose in writing to you today. 

    Though my personal journey dealing with the abuses at ACC started in 2013, a whole new chapter of it began in January of 2024 when my daughter made her post here as a victim of these atrocities. As a past active participant of both ACC and Singing Waters, (The Bible Church back in the day), and the counseling I did through them both, I came to understand the dysfunctional church culture on the island. I learned and still see to this day that the victims, the righting of wrongs, the accountability of felons, the protection of our children, and doing the right thing plays a secondary role to the survival of the church and the traditions they hold so dearly. 

    If you claim to be a God fearing church following a loving, just, and righteous God, you must make the Bible the absolute standard you build it on. ACC has not and continues to ignore the standards of scripture and moral obligations. The church is God’s representation of Himself on earth. In essence, the reputation of God is controlled by the church - good or bad. My heart breaks because so many people on the island see what has happened and what continues to happen and they have given up on God in their personal lives. The copious victims suffering lifelong trauma because ACC covered up, enabled the behavior, or circled the wagons in an attempt for self preservation, have for the most part, walked away from God because of how ACC has responded to this crisis.

    The Bible tells us that we can determine who is following God by their fruit (by how they act and their motivations for doing so). The Bible clearly teaches that many who claim to follow God are fooling themselves. Slapping up a church sign, building a church building, and people coming together does not make a church. A church is built by truth and by following that truth from scripture, even when it hurts and threatens your comfort zone. ACC has not and continues to not follow this truth. The fruit of that defiance has destroyed so many lives.

    It is heartbreaking to see abuse happen in the very place where God wants hurting people to find freedom and hope. What has happened on the island is no different than the coverup of the sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church. Sadly, ACC’s response reeks of the same dark spirit. Did you know that police reports went uninvestigated? How could this happen? A coverup? If Los Angeles County is complicit, I promise you there are many lawyers who would jump at the chance to open a case and go to the media. Did you know the Los Angeles County public school was being used to facilitate the continued abuse of the victims? These are not assumptions or false allegations, these are provable atrocities that will see the light of day.

    Why believe me? I have numerous journals, victim statements, emails, and court documents going back years, meticulously cataloged, that paint a vivid picture of what happened.  All this evidence has been turned over to the proper people and authorities. Even after my daughter’s post last year, I remained silent on social media for the most part. Why? I wanted to work behind the scenes in an effort to be a part of the solution. 

    The goal was to work with victims to gather an understanding of their needs and desires, give them an opportunity to tell their story, and help them find healing. God had called me to be an advocate for the victims. With my counseling experience, I had hoped I could help mend the broken pieces of our island community. This letter is confirmation that ACC has thwarted my efforts at most every turn and that sharing the truth with you is my next move to get help to the victims. 

    For over a year now, I have continuously and at my own great expense, communicated with the church leadership at ACC and Singing Waters, past and present, expressing the needs of the victims and my belief that ACC is financially and morally responsible to help these victims get the best care possible. As I write this letter, not one dime has been spent helping the victims with counseling to my knowledge. Has there been talk of it? Over a year, but it’s been talk, no action. Just endless meetings. I have spent hundreds of hours, (yes hundreds) counseling victims, investigating the abuses, and begging ACC to step up and do the right thing. Just yesterday, ACC communicated with my husband and I, Jon Cash, who is a Pastor himself, that they may send 1% of the sale price of their secondary church building to Jon Cash Ministries to help the victims. You cannot make this stuff up! Jon Cash Ministries is a non profit Christian Charity in good standing with the IRS that has built nearly two dozen churches and orphanages in third world countries and has promised and is legally bound to use designated funds toward helping victims. The ministry has led nearly 20,000 people into a true relationship with God. 

    Jesus’s ministry on earth clearly shows us how to rebuild after so much damage. Jesus always attended to the broken and hurting first. The victims of ACC are the lost sheep that Jesus went after. That is my heart and the heart of our God. They need help! I will do everything I can to help them, with or without ACC. Jesus did not hang out at the temple or spend time or money caring for it. In fact, when the religious leaders during the life of Jesus refused to mend their ways, God destroyed their temple 37 years later and scattered the Jewish nation. His goal was to confront the false narratives of religion that brought destruction and show people the true goodness of God. Given this example, my husband and I met with the leadership of ACC and Singing Waters to propose ACC disband and its assets (which are owned by God) be given toward helping all the victims and healing the hurts of the community. In short, ACC is disqualified to manage anything that represents the Lord. As of this writing, they continue to meet in the Singing Waters building, they continue to have leadership meetings, Jonathan Burcombe and Wayne Herbst (though not in official leadership roles) continue to attend and are possibly still voting members, and the church has appeared to adopt a strategy to re brand without an expressed vision of what that would look like. 

    Once the church is disbanded, assets sold, and the victims get the counseling and restitution they dearly deserve, then God can and will begin a new thing with different people on the island who know God’s true nature and help the island community deal with the struggles of drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual abuse, and depression. 

    We are currently forming a diverse advocacy team made up of trusted members of the community to help us wisely distribute any funds given to Jon Cash Ministries to help the long list of victims. Our hope is that ACC uses the almost million dollars from the sale of their ministry building sitting in their bank account to actually help the victims. I have received word that ACC is now considering using a local non profit on the island to distribute some of these funds. Good idea? No.There are leaders in that non profit that are members of ACC. Wisdom teaches that the abuser should have no role, no control, and no influence over the entity that is distributing the funds.

    Sadly, after a year of communication with ACC and Singing Waters, the goal on how to help the victims has not been reached. Singing Waters has committed some funds to Jon Cash Ministries for the victims, but other than that, we have been stonewalled. We have been told to be patient. That it takes time. So many are hurting. Some victims are dead (because of family confidentiality, I can not elaborate). Many are battling substance abuse and severe mental health issues. We can’t do any more meetings or listen to any more excuses. More victims may very well die as ACC sits on their hands. The time to act is NOW!

    The way the church government at ACC is set up, they have to take a vote on our proposal. I know there are ACC members who follow God and want to do the right thing, but I also know there are many that are steeped in religious culture that will block any attempt to distribute these funds to Jon Cash Ministries. I am told that due to my past dealings with the church and attempting to bring the darkness to light about this scandal years ago, the vote will most likely fail. God, truth, and justice should never be a democratic process! Helping those you hurt should never be put up to a vote. I believe church politics and personal vendettas may very well lead more victims to even darker places.

    I have done everything in my power to address these personal issues but there has been very little cooperation from those involved. Because of this, my husband and I will no longer working with any of the Church leaders that are helping to influence or decide the actions of ACC. We can’t wait on them anymore. We will still work hard through our 501c3 to raise money for the victims.  We will continue to work with GRACE investigators and encourage you to do the same. I believe their final report will be a huge asset for the advocacy of the victims. We will also continue to work with the victims themselves, advocates, law enforcement, lawyers, and media until truth, justice, health and wholeness is brought to our sweet island community. That is my God given commitment to you all. Please message me with any questions, concerns, donations, if you want to get involved, or if you need help as a victim of abuse at ACC or any other place that might be affiliated with ACC. I would love to hear from you. Thank you for reading and sharing with others.

Angela Cash (Sanchez)