Pastor’s Accuser Speaks Out After Guilty Plea

A woman who has accused pastor Robert Morris of abuse has recently shared her thoughts in an interview, expressing a sense of peace and a commitment to her faith in Christ.

This month, Morris, who is 64, pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd indecency involving a child. He accepted a plea deal which includes a 10-year suspended sentence, six months in prison, and a payment of $270,000 to victim Cindy Kremischer. The abuse occurred in the 1980s when she was just 12 and he was in his early twenties.

Kremischer was informed about the deal and attended the court proceedings, where she also presented a statement.

Morris is known as the founding pastor of Gateway Church, a large congregation in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

“The only way I can describe what I felt in that courtroom is that when he came out in handcuffs, I stood up and realized I had been playing a role like an actress my whole adult life,” Kremischer said. “That role was shed, and I emerged as the woman God intended me to be.”

In the interview, Kremischer recounted how Morris had taken away her childhood and left her with lasting trauma.

“In my victim statement, I told Robert that he not only stole my innocence but also destroyed the woman I could have become. He created a twisted notion of love that left me believing that abuse was equated with love,” she expressed.

“Robert made me feel that my body wasn’t sacred,” she added. “This view impacted my adult life significantly.”

Despite these experiences, Kremischer maintained her belief in God’s goodness but expressed concerns about how church authorities managed her situation.

“If you talk to many leaders in that religious community, some high-ranking officials are aware of these issues. Yet they continue to cover them up,” she said. “They say he’s recovered but don’t inquire about my healing or offer to help me.”

“The ongoing frustration and pain only serve to undermine trust in organized religion,” she continued.

While her faith took a hit, she said she still feels grounded in God’s teachings.

“I revert back to the foundation my parents gave me,” she noted. “My father’s faith was rooted in Jesus, not in church. He taught us to draw strength from God’s Word, not from human beings.”

“I learned to believe in God’s Word and nurture a personal relationship with it,” she added. “I prayed throughout my life, especially during tough times.”

Kremischer remarked that forgiveness is an ongoing journey for her.

“It’s like when we forgive, we sometimes find we have to do it repeatedly,” she said, referencing Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness. “This process of forgiving isn’t for Robert; it’s for my healing. It’s not about him being free of consequences; it’s about my relationship with God and with those I care about.”