Pastor Accused of Sex Assault at Two York Churches Had Family Connections in Church Group

The pastor accused of sexually assaulting a girl at two York churches is the son-in-law of a bishop in the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas. According to his mother, the organization allegedly assigned Cory Dean Moses to another church despite being aware of his past as a convicted sex offender.

Rev. Greta Moses, who left the Fire Baptized Holiness church last year, denied the allegations against her son, stating he would “never threaten nobody; he’s not that type of person.” Police have charged Moses, 38, with two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of assault and battery. They allege he fondled and inappropriately touched the girl during his tenure at New Mount Zion Church and Redeemed Christian Ministries in York.

New Mount Zion, now defunct, was part of the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas. Redeemed Christian Ministries is not affiliated with the group. The girl reported the abuse to police last month, stating the incidents began in 2009 when she was 14. Moses allegedly touched her and told her he “always liked the way she looked.” He also threatened to expose her for kissing him if she came forward.

Moses inappropriately fondled the victim in 2010, 2011, and 2012 while serving as pastor at New Mount Zion. He allegedly exposed himself to her during those times. Last year, he touched her again while pastoring Redeemed Christian Ministries, according to the victim’s account.

Moses turned himself in to police on Saturday. He was previously on North Carolina’s sex offender registry after being convicted of taking indecent liberties with a minor in 2003 while pastoring at Faith Chapel Fire Baptized Holiness Church in Gastonia.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has called on leaders of the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas to explain why they placed a convicted sex offender in a position of authority near children. Police have not received any other reports of victims coming forward.

Efforts to contact the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas have been unsuccessful. Calls to Bishop Patrick Frazier Jr., overseer of the First Episcopal Diocese, have not been returned. York is part of the First Episcopal Diocese, which also oversees a second district in South Carolina led by Elder Charles Frazier.

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