Grace Valley Christian Center was established in 1974 by Reverand PG Matthew and a small group of members. The church was founded on the “Sheparding Movement” which is the total control of the pastor over his congregation. Since then the church has grown to hundreds of members. The church has many members with high paying jobs and push member children towards lucrative careers. 10% of all income goes to the church. This has made Grace Valley a rich and powerful organization.
Within Grace Valley, there is a hierarchy with PG at the top and young girls and women at the bottom. Under PG, there is one assistant pastor. Under the assistant pastor, there are 12 men called the elders. These elders each control their own group of members. They are free to terrorize any person under their authority, even to the point of suicide. Sexual abuse is a frequent theme within Grace Valley. The leaders groom children from the beginning and they are prime targets of abuse.
Members who, commit themselves to GVCC, are cut off from the rest of the world. They are not allowed to have friends outside of the church. They are forced to pursue careers with other members. If they attend a doctor, it’s inside the church. If they go to school, it is in conjunction with other members. But most of all, PG is in total control of their life, and they must always abide by his direction or face excommunication.
If a child member of the church steps out of line or is simply targeted by PG, they are sent to church “counseling”. They are put inside a small room and surrounded by the elders, assistant pastor, and PG. The leaders will then scream at them for hours. A child could be called all kinds of names including “slut, whore, or dirty tampon”.
The community is told that they must choose GVCC above their own children. If a member’s child leaves Grace Valley that member is not allowed contact with them and must cut all ties to them. PG and the elders are completely trusted to be around children.