Cindy Clemishire to speak at SNAP Conference in Houston in August

For Immediate Release July 8, 2024

Cindy Clemishire, the woman who publicly accused the founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake of sexually abusing her beginning in 1982, when she was just 12 years old, will be a keynote speaker at the 2024 SNAP Conference. The event will be held in Houston from August 16-18. We are looking forward to meeting Cindy, and we hope that other Baptist survivors, and anyone interested in hearing Cindy speak, will join us at the Wyndham Hotel on Kirby Drive to hear her presentation.

Cindy Clemishire is a dedicated Realtor, proud mother of three boys, and blessed to be a bonus mom to three additional adult children. She is also a cherished Mimi to four grandchildren. A survivor of clergy sexual abuse, Cindy has transformed her experiences into a powerful mission to educate others about grooming and the prevention of sexual abuse. She is a passionate advocate for changing laws to eliminate the statute of limitations for sexual abuse victims, making these changes retroactive to ensure justice for all.

In addition to her advocacy work, Cindy enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending quality time with her close friends and family. Her commitment to helping victims find healing and hope drives her to make a lasting impact in her community and beyond.

While SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, was begun by victims from the Catholic Church, our resources are open to those who experienced sexual abuse in other religious settings, as well as non-religious settings. All survivors are welcome to contact SNAP Leaders for an understanding ear, and to participate in our peer-led support meetings.

And, again, all survivors are also welcome to join us at our annual conference. We are not only pleased to have Cindy join us this year, but also “Detective Mike” Johnson, who was the Youth Protection Advisor/Director for the National Office of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) from July 2010 to December 2020. Not forgetting our origins, Teresa Lancaster and Anne Barrett Doyle and Terry McKiernan from Bishop-Accountability.org will talk about abuse in the Catholic Church.

We hope that Baptist survivors, Boy Scout survivors, Catholic survivors, and all other survivors will join us in Houston for informative speakers, and more importantly, a chance to gather with others who have been through similar experiences. Abuse happens in isolation, healing occurs in community.  

CONTACT: Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Director ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Director ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Interim Executive Director ([email protected], 814- 341-8386)  Eduardo Lopez de Casas, SNAP Houston and member of the Board of Directors ([email protected], 832 641 6319) 

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)