Northside Foursquare Church and Cloverdale Christian Fellowship Church Abuse Allegation Cases
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Vocal.Media
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/11/30
Langley, with its dense Evangelical presence, has seen serious abuse allegations within local churches. One civil case involves Pastor Barry Buzza of Northside Foursquare Church, accused of grooming and sexually abusing a teenage congregant who sought pastoral guidance, with claims the church ignored warning signs. Another case centers on Pastor Samuel Emerson of Cloverdale Christian Fellowship Church, who faced multiple charges related to sexual misconduct involving youth; he was ultimately convicted on one count of sexual assault, with other charges and those against his wife dismissed. These cases highlight patterns of spiritual authority, impunity, and inadequate safeguarding in regional Evangelical institutions.
I grew up in Langley, which has a significant Evangelical base of the country. I infrequently find value in covering some older stories and controversies in community, because I focus a lot, internationally. A focus on the local is necessary, at times, for balance in emphasis. Churches tend to be forces of impunity and social coercion in communities. Another facet is explicit crimes rather than community bullying.
One case a few years ago, 2022, was Pastor Barry Buzza and Northside Foursquare Church. Buzza is founder of Northside Foursquare Church in Coquitlam and a former president of Foursquare Church in Canada. A woman in Langley alleged grooming and sexual abuse over many years by Buzza. The relationship began when the Langley woman was a teenager. In the civil claim, she is anonymized as “A.B.” and described as a Northside congregant. SHe bega attending in her mid-20s. She alleges the sexual abuse began in 2007. She was 28 and Buzza was 60. This happened in the context of pastoral counselling and domestic-violence support.
Buzza positioned himself as a spiritual mentor as well as a father figure. This gradually escalated physical touch into sexual touching and intercourse. A teenager sought spiritual guidance from an Evangelical pastor in Langley. Buzza’s pastoral role was at Northside Church in Coquitlam, which she attended from Langley. Their relationship developed this into a sexual relationship during and after international church travel and one-on-one counselling sessions.
The allegations are severe, including psychological, spiritual, and sexual grooming. There are claims of exploitation and negligence, and sexual assaults and battery. The civil suit alleges Buzza reignited the abusive dynamics. Court filings describe an initial phase of alleged abuse beginning around 2007.
One allegation included a groping on a flight from Israel while his wife slept and then sexual contact at his daughter’s home. There were repeated sexual encounters at a condo he helped arrange for her. Allegedly, he left money after visits.
Between 2012 and 2013, he told her he had been diagnosed with liver cancer. This brought the Langley woman (Northside congregant) back into the home of the pastor seeking spiritual care. Allegedly, the abuse had resumed from there. This callback was the basis for arguing that she should work from his home. The relations and abuse continued until late 2014.
According to court filings, there are arguments Northside Foursquare Church (Northside Church), the Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada, and the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel knew or reasonably should have known the warning signs and failed in the duty of care to protect the girl.
This case is a civil suit, not a criminal conviction so far. As of late 2025, the case remains before the civil courts. No findings have been made on the merits.None of the allegations against Buzza or the churches have been proven in court.
Allegations need a proper text in a full civil trial regarding the merits of the case. Foursquare as a church has been under wider pressures regarding a history of clergy-sexual-abuse allegations. Media and court records in the United States and Canada document multiple other clergy-abuse suits and complaints involving Foursquare pastors or ministries over many decades.
Several Northside Foursquare Church abuse cases or related abuse cases have arisen across North America, e.g., Oregon and Washington State. These have fueled concerns about the denomination’s handling of misconduct. This has prompted public scrutiny of the leadership oversight and institutional reporting practices. The denomination has, to its credit, implemented a number of safeguarding policies while transparency is lacking in these cases.
Another case was the Cloverdale Christian Fellowship Church. The congregation is based in Surrey, British Columbia, in the same broad Evangelical corridor as Langley. This church, though in Cloverdale, is in the same beltway of Evangelicalism as Langley. Many residents have been following these cases closely.
Pastor Samuel Emerson had multiple charges and one conviction from this church as a youth pastor at the church. He held this position for eight years. The original charges stem back to 2017 with 13 counts of sexual assault, 11 counts of being in a position of authority and touching a person for a sexual purpose, 1 count of sexual touching of a person under 16. His wife, Madelaine Emerson, in fat, faced three related charges including sexual assault and uttering threats. Police and media reports state that the alleged offences occurred between roughly 2013 and 2017.
Allegations include the Emerson family home and the Cowichan River Bible Camp where church youth events were held. The trial was held in Surrey Provincial Court over 2019. By the time of trial, Emerson was being tried on a reduced indictment of five counts of sexual assault, two counts of touching a young person for a sexual purpose, and one count of sexual interference of a person under 16. In November, 2019, he was convicted of one count of sexual assault. He was acquitted on the majority of the remaining charges. Madelaine Emerson was acquitted on all counts.
The judge found one complainant’s consent was undone (vitiated) by the conduct and position of Emerson. Emerson was sentence to two years in jail with a 10-year firearm prohibition. The BC Court of Appeal dismissed the attempt to overturn the conviction in 2022. A three-judge panel held there was no reversible error in the trial judge’s assessment of consent and abuse of authority, so the conviction and sentence remain in force. The verdict and sentence remain intact. Separately, in a distinct case involving the same church, former elder Brian Batke pleaded guilty in 2020 to a sexual assault stemming from a 2005 incident.
These have further intensified local concern about leadership oversight and safeguarding at Cloverdale Christian Fellowship.
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