Important Message from Provost

Dear Moody Family,

After we recently announced that, at our request, Grand River Solutions was extending the fact-gathering phase of their Title IX investigation to Sunday, February 28, 2021, some have attempted to connect past allegations of sexual abuse by Mr. Charles W. Lyons to an unrelated recommendation letter that I provided to Mr. Lyons last year, suggesting that, by providing the letter, I showed a lack of care for victims of sexual misconduct and abuse.  

In July 2020, Mr. Lyons, former pastor of Armitage Baptist Church, contacted me to request a letter of recommendation. I provided a recommendation at that time because I had known him for many years and observed from my interactions with him that he operated his ministry with integrity. However, at the time of writing this recommendation, I did not know of allegations of past sexual abuse by Mr. Lyons while he was an adolescent. I recently learned of this alleged sexual abuse, and promptly retracted my recommendation.

I regret any confusion my letter may have caused. We remain focused on completing our Title IX review and gaining insight into how we can strengthen our processes and better care for victims of sexual misconduct. I pray for God’s continued presence throughout this whole process.

Prayerfully,
Dr. Dwight Perry
Provost