fire, burning buildings and forcing hundreds to evacuate. the fire near lake sonoma exploded tonight, fueled by strong winds and dangerously dry conditions. good evening to you. i'm zach fuentes. tonight we know buildings are destroyed and firefighters are working to figure out how many. yeah. just listen to those intense flames. there firefighters are calling this the point fire. it's burned

more than 1000 acres since it started just after 1230. today it's burning on the south side of lake sonoma, just west of geyserville. it started right along stewarts point skaggs springs road and exploded to the east. firefighters. firefighters spent hours defending vineyards and homes along dry creek road. containment is up to 15. people across the bay area are noticing the smoke from this fire tonight. satellite images show that smoke plume spreading down into the east bay. and check out the view from this alaska airlines flight. you can see that thick layer of smoke. we have team coverage of this fire tonight from the evacuations to the dangerous weather conditions. let's get straight to abc seven news reporter suzanne fawn with the latest from firefighters. suzanne zach, tonight, this wildfire continues to burn out of control. >> we know that it's damaged or destroyed a number of buildings. we don't know exactly which ones or how many yet. and we also know these dangerous flames forced a number of families out of their homes.

>> it's terrifying. >> sonny childress was among hundreds of residents and visitors near lake sonoma along west dry creek road in sonoma county, ordered to leave their home for their own safety. others told to standby to evacuate. so i grabbed my sister's ashes, which were in the house, and we left all of our neighbors on west dry creek have been evacuated and it's heartbreaking. >> so they told us to leave. now i, susie lopez of santa rosa, along with her parents and little brother, were celebrating father's day on lake sonoma on jet skis when they got an urgent message from the sheriff's department. well, it was really scared because we were having a good time and then i don't know where we see all the smoke. and then it started to get in the wind. it was like really bad. >> the point fire broke out by lake sonoma sunday afternoon. strong winds fanned the flames. >> it's very strong, but it's coming from the pacific and it's blowing directly south east towards healdsburg. >> thick smoke blanketed the sky

in dry creek valley in sonoma county. >> it was very dense and very black. and so we watched it really the fire really form and accelerate over this mountain range right here. >> crews tried to attack the flames by air and on the ground, but the flames inched closer to homes and wineries along west dry creek road and expanded down to mountain view ranch road. >> as the afternoon shifted, we really transitioned from attacking on the fire into a structured defense mode so that fire is really driving down south. it's kind of gone over a point in the area. it's gone over bradford mountain went downslope off of that and has been moving south kind of into the valley. there >> many concerned homeowners like jeff nyholm and his wife continue to watch and wait. you never know. >> so as you keep your guard up yeah, don't take it lightly. >> and firefighters are counting on the cooler temperatures and hopefully the tamer winds to help diminish the fire threat.

they're also counting on the help of three helicopters tonight to fight the flames at night, along with a hand crews, as well as bulldozers and dozens of fire engines. now, cal fire tells me this is the most serious fire they've seen in the north bay since 2022. we're live in healdsburg, suzanne phan. abc seven news a milestone we did not want to reach. >> suzanne, thank you for that update. sonoma county set up an evacuation site to help evacuees connect with resources tonight. it's located at el molino high school in forestville. that's where abc seven news reporter ryan curry is tonight. and ryan sonoma county knows how to handle wildfires. what can you tell us about the response tonight? >> zach. good evening. this is the check in station right over my shoulder. you can't miss it. it's right off of covey road. volunteers are here. those from the county wearing their yellow green vests, those from the red cross wearing their red vests. and just moments ago, they brought in this mobile command center that's going to help them stay organized throughout the night. currently, this is the

only evacuation point set up, but things are looking pretty smooth over here. the county set up this center shortly after the fire broke out and the evacuation mandates were put in place. no evacuees have shown up yet. the county tells me the area being evacuated only has about 400 residents in it. they say the area is mostly rural ranches in that zone. regardless it is here for anyone who needs it and they say they're going to be here all night. it's not a shelter, but those people who are here can help direct those evacuees to other services, including housing. if it does reach that point. the county has about 20 workers in its emergency management office right now. they say they can add more if need be. the fire is still spreading and the county says everyone needs to be ready in case more places are going to be evacuated. >> this is just a temporary evacuation point. so where people first are sent and from there they can, you know, charge up cell phones, get some some water and refreshments and be

referred to other places to go for shelter. >> currently, this is not threatening any high population area, but it's definitely something where getting those individuals out allows the firefighters to get in and do structure control, which is what they're doing right now. >> now, supervisor gore did tell me they are looking at the possibility of setting up another evacuation point in petaluma. he says they don't need to do that right now. but if the fire advances, that's a possibility. and i did mention this is not a shelter that also could change. the county tells me if more people need to be evacuated, they will open up a facility for people to spend the nights. we're not at that point yet, but obviously as that fire keeps on spreading, they're monitoring the situation. they're keeping an eye on things and if it does escalate, they will be ready to help those if they need to be evacuated. for now, reporting live in forestville ryan curry, abc seven news zach. >> yeah. ryan. no telling how long those resources there will be needed. so let's bring in abc seven news weather anchor spencer christian tracking the

dangerous winds fueling this fire tonight. and spencer, we had sky seven over this fire. but it was so windy we had to land. >> yes that's true zach. windy and smoky. so not only are those flames from the fire spreading southward, but those flames are generating a tremendous volume of smoke, which is also moving southward, contributing to a decline in air quality. let me get to current conditions first. 66 degrees near the fire. right now, 46% relative humidity. notice the humidity is rising, which is an encouraging factor. the winds are still strong, not quite so gusty as they were earlier, but still we have gusts in the area up to 30mph, so it's quite a challenge for the firefighters. let's move along and take a look at our next graphic here, which is no uh. we'll save this. trust me. okay. the air quality i mentioned that the smoke from the wildfires is moving southward. and as a result, we have a spare the air alert in effect for the bay area tomorrow. air quality is declining because of the buildup of smoke pollution from the wildfire. the worst air quality or the poorest air quality will be in the north bay and in the

inland east bay. moving along, taking a look at that red flag warning once again, which covers not only portions of the immediate bay area, the higher elevations of parts of napa and sonoma counties. but also lake county and virtually all of the northern sacramento valley. that red flag warning is in effect for most of this area until tuesday morning, for the locations in napa and sonoma, until tomorrow evening. and during that time, we'll see gusts up to about 35mph, relative humidity at its lowest between 10 and 20, which is dangerously low. and as you can see right now, we have gusts almost 40mph at sfo all across the region, especially closer to the coast and then up into the interior north bay. you can see the gusts ranging from 25 to about 35mph, but we expect the winds to diminish a bit overnight as the relative humidity rises. those are both encouraging directions for these weather factors. i'll have the full accuweather seven day forecast in a few minutes. zach spencer, we'll see you shortly. >> thank you. just days ago, firefighters were conducting prescribed burns near lake sonoma to prevent intense fires

like the one we're seeing today. one of those burns got out of control on friday afternoon. on the opposite side of the lake, from where the point fire is burning now. fortunately, firefighters kept it from spreading beyond 20 acres, and cal fire stations are fully staffed for these red flag conditions. a sky crane chopper just arrived for the season in santa rosa air base. it's capable of dropping 2600 gallons of water at a time. >> all across california, we've had a lot more fire activity, so we have the resources that we need to start attacking these fires and we're ready to go. >> and this grass fire also kicked up this morning in martinez, driven by wind off of highway 680. crews were able to stop it at one acre. the battalion chief there expects his crews to be busy for the next 24 hours. and developing news now in southern california, crews are battling a wildfire that's triggered evacuation orders in los angeles county. the post fire started in gorman, south of the grapevine, yesterday afternoon. flames have burned through more than 14,000 acres, with 2% containment. the

area is under a red flag warning, with winds expected to increase through midnight and the fire season is off to a fast and furious start in the bay area. so let's take a look at the statewide picture now. this is cal fire's map of fire so far fires that are out. cal firee says it's responded to more than 1700 fires so far, with more than 41,000 acres burned. that is about 64mi■!s, an area bigger than san francisco. and we are keeping a close eye tonight on the point fire and the dangerous weather conditions. when news breaks, we'll let you know. just download the abc seven news bay area app and enable push alerts to get notifications sent straight to your mobile device. all right. now at 11, it is a scary trend on the streets keeping police busy. and tonight we're finding out an officer responding to a dangerous sideshow was mobbed by spectators. san jose police say it happened around seven last night in west san jose, a driver

taking part in a sideshow hit someone watching and police say an officer tried to help the injured person when people swarmed his car, they hurt the officer and did severe damage to the vehicle. in a statement, the acting chief of police said, quote, to see one of our officers attacked by an out of control mob while in the process of trying to help a seriously injured person is truly deplorable. end quote. investigators are working to identify suspects and a carjacking suspect is in the hospital tonight after a fremont police officer shot him. police say the officer was responding to a carjacking call on osgood road. they say they spotted the suspect armed with a knife a short distance away on auto mall parkway. and details of what happened next are vague, but police say it ended with the officer firing his gun. >> the confrontation with the suspect occurred on the overpass on autumn. i won't say that it's uncommon, but it's not something that we deal with every day. but as you mentioned, it is a crime that is becoming more and more prevalent bay area wide. >> the car has been recovered.

no one but the suspect was hurt. he's expected to survive. a religious sect with bay area ties now under fbi investigation . allegations of abuse dating back decades. tonight, former members share the dark details of life inside the church with no name. and a tense school year ends with students sending a message. how new stanford grads made one last protest. and happy father's day to all the dads. we're going to show you

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a point fire and a student walk out today as stanford university held its 133rd annual commencement ceremony. more than 5400 students received their degrees this morning. philanthropists and stanford parent melinda french gates gave the commencement address. she urged the class of 2024 to think beyond their graduation day. >> and i've learned that the next best day is when the real work begins, because what we do the next day is what makes us who we are. >> hundreds of students staged a walkout shortly after the ceremony began. it was to protest the university's response to pro-palestinian student demands over the conflict between israel and hamas. student protests over the past few months have included

two encampments, and the occupation of the office of the school's president. in martinez, a barbecue cookoff brought families together. this father's day, over 30 teams took part in the two day competition for the coveted title of king of the county. our abc seven team spoke with some dads, grilling with their buddies and family members. >> i got a barbecue at home. might as well come out here and barbecue and try to win. i love the trophies we're all about. his wife watches my daughter during the day when i sleep because i work night shift. and it's just we're just a family. like, we're all friends and family here. we're pretty much so it's awesome just to have the camaraderie of everybody out here. >> yeah. what a great way for everybody to get together. there was also tons of live music vendor booths and activities for kids to enjoy. so definitely a nice day out for father's day and for being outdoors in certain parts of the bay area. spencer. but then of course, we've also had to contend with these wildfire conditions. >> we have indeed, and these conditions are very concerning.

zach, despite the fact that the weather was so lovely earlier today, here's a look at what's happening right now with our wind gusts, which are still relatively strong, especially near the coast. nearly 40 mile per hour gusts at sfo right now up in the north bay where we have the fire still burning. the winds are diminishing a bit, but still problematic. here's a view from sutro tower looking out over. actually, this is from mount tam looking out over the bay and you can see we have a spare the air alert for poor declining air quality tomorrow due to smoke from the wildfire. so the poor air quality will be tomorrow and tuesday in the north bay and in the inland east bay. other areas moderate to good air quality going into the middle of the week. now we'll go along with our current temperature readings. 54 in san francisco, low 60s at oakland, hayward, san jose, mid 60s at redwood city, 54 at half moon bay. another live view in emeryville under mainly clear skies right now, although some smoke is building up in the atmosphere over the central bay area. 64 degrees in santa rosa right now 52 petaluma upper 50s in napa, mid to upper 60s at fairfield and concord, and 62 at livermore. and these are our

forecast headlines. next two days we will have increased fire danger, which is obvious concerning considering what we have right now going on in the north bay. main weather factors for this increased fire concern is the gusty wind, of course, and the dangerously low relative humidity. by the middle of the week, though, we expect some improvement in those weather factors. the wind will be easing. we'll have a milder, calmer weather pattern, but until then we have this red flag warning for high fire danger in effect for the northern sacramento valley until 8 a.m. tuesday, and for portions of the north bay, sonoma and napa counties until 8 p.m. tomorrow. winds will be gusting 25 to 35mph. sustained winds out of the north at 10 to 20mph, and humidity dropping dangerously low to 10 to 20% at the lowest points. here's our fire danger index starting at midnight for the bay area. notice the colors blue and green, indicating low to moderate fire danger. but as we get into and even early morning hours, still very low fire danger. but as we get into

the midday hours tomorrow, you can see the increase in the yellows and oranges indicating high and very high fire danger. and that pattern will spread during the day as he gets drier and windier. so we have these fire, this fire concern to contend with for at least another day. overnight, under clear skies, look for low temperatures, mainly in the low to mid 50s. high temperatures tomorrow under sunny skies about 60 around the bay shoreline. upper 70s near the up to 60 in the on the coastline. upper 70s around the bay shoreline. see, that's what happens when you try to talk too fast. and the inland areas will warm up to mid to upper 80s tomorrow. here's the accuweather seven day forecast and you can see it will warm up a little bit more on tuesday, but not dramatically. temperatures moderate a bit on wednesday, which is juneteenth, and on thursday which is first day of summer. but we really start heating up friday, saturday and sunday with a big heat spike that will take inland high temperatures into the mid to upper 90s or around 100 degrees. and that may raise some concern about fire all over again as we get into the end of

the week. >> absolutely. well we know you're going to continue to track those conditions. absolutely, spencer, thank you so much. okay. all right. a religious sect with bay area ties is now facing an fbi investigation. we're going to have an inside look at life inside the church with no name from former members claiming brutal

medicines being used to lose weight is not slowing down. plus, the pint size comedian that has millions of fans on tiktok, that's coming up this week at 1 p.m. right here on abc seven. >> the schulz museum in santa rosa has set a new record. the press democrat reports the museum for the peanuts cartoonist welcomed its 100,000th visitor in a single year. the fiscal year runs through june 30th. this weekend, that's never happened before in the museum's 22 year history. it's named after the late

cartoonist charles m schulz. the peanuts strip still runs in some 2000 papers. i always love those . all right, the giants offense lights up the scoreboard, while the us open had plenty of drama on championship sunday, chris alvarez is here with a preview of sports. >> hi, zach. coming up in sports, the giants avoid a sweep and we had a fantastic finish at the us open. plus, dub nation celebration. why today holds a special place in warriors

alabama. the game is going to pay tribute to the leagues and 93 year old willie mays, baseball's oldest living hall of famer. father's day at oracle park giants looking to avoid a sweep against the angels. how cute is that? memory unlocked. bottom four. giants down two. nothing. thairo estrada into the left field corner. two rbi double ties. the game giants kept scoring. later in the inning, jorge soler three run blast to left 415ft. it's eight two giants and austin slater caps the nine run giants fourth inning with this base hit. giants win it 13 to 6. a's and

twins rained out yesterday. played a doubleheader today. minnesota's carlos correa hit not one but two homers in game one. his second dropped him to a knee 408ft. got all that one. twins win, six two. some a's fans stuck around for the nightcap game tied at seven in the eighth. jose miranda there it goes. solo shot proves to be the game winner. twins win eight seven. final round of the 124th us open. bryson dechambeau making that fans day rory mcilroy held a one stroke lead on 16 misses here, his first miss inside five feet all week, drops to six under and a tie for first on 18 to save par. another huge miss. he hasn't won a major in some ten years at showdown. the stretch dropped in a five under opens the door for bryson dechambeau, a par would win it on 18. wayward drive left him with a bad lie. no back swing. not a problem. he punches it in to the front bunker. all right. how about his third shot 55 yards out of the trap. and this?

he'll never forget this shot. what a shot it was. and up and down sets him up for the par putt. and the win. here it comes. and just like his idol payne stewart in 1999 dechambeau wins, securing his second career us open victory. battle of expansion clubs bay fc hosting utah royals fc. utah's kate del fava opens the scoring in the 89th minute. it's utah's first goal since may 3rd and bay fc falls one nil. hey, did you see this june 16th? a special day for dub nation. on this day in 2015, the warriors won the nba title over the cavs, the first for steph and company. and then on this day in 2022, the warriors won their fourth title of this dynastic run, a six game victory in boston, once again securing the larry o'brien trophy. warriors center trace jackson davis will be in studio on after the game tomorrow night following game five of the nba finals, right here on abc seven. this abc seven sports report, sponsored by river rock casino. zach

>> chris. thank you. coming up on abc seven, an in-depth i-team report into the church with no name. >> i mean, what specifically do they do? >> you're scared of the world. they make it a scary place to leave. >> a religious sect with ties to the bay area is now facing fbi scrutiny. allegations of abuse, dating back decades. so why are they just coming

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you've just broken. like i could just cry right now. >> the power and control. >> we couldn't believe it. >> there are so many more layers to this story. >> a shocking story from the abc seven news i-team. tonight, the fbi is investigating a religious sect facing allegations of child sex abuse. they call themselves two by twos or the church with no name. and there's a following here in the bay area. abc seven news i-team reporter stephanie sierra spent weeks speaking with former members. tonight, she brings us this special, in-depth report. >> tonight. you'll get an extensive look into an

organization former members say has something to hide. a so-called secret believed to have been swept under the rug for decades, haunting one generation after the next, including families right here in the bay area, 72 miles south of san francisco, in a remote, isolated location of san martin. there's allegations a dark secret is hiding within this ministry, walking in the way of god. it's a nondenominational christian religious sect that's been around for more than 100 years. which god that cannot lie, sometimes called the church with no name or the two by twos by outsiders. how would you describe this organization? >> they use fear and manipulation. >> this organization literally hurts my stomach when i think about it. >> they're very persuasive type of religion. >> if they didn't talk to god's true people, his chosen ones, then yes, they are going to

hell. >> i mean, what specifically do they do? >> you're scared of the world. they make it a scary place to leave. >> this is where i absolutely blame the truth for all of this >> for the two by twos are often referred today as the truth by its followers. according to the ministry's doctrine, this is the only way to find true salvation. >> why do you think they're being truthful? >> they're not being truthful. no former members say that truth has something to hide. are sick, secretive, sick. i mean, i'm just broken. like i could just cry right now. >> very harmful. >> his type was small framed brunet girls, a convicted child molester, and he'd been in our home. >> there is so many more layers to this. >> in february, the fbi announced it's investigating the ministry and seeking victim information following allegations of child sexual abuse reported across the us.

the church generally operates inside private homes of members where worship services are held on wednesdays and sundays. it was founded by scottish evangelist william irvine in the late 1800s. historical records suggest it wasn't until the early 1900s the ministry set roots in the bay area. >> they went about in pairs. they call it two by two. >> that's where we get the name shreek, a former member and author of a historical biography on the religious sect, explains the hierarchy over sinners are at the top, considered to be church leadership. >> below them are the ministers or workers that travel in pairs of two men or two women as they evangelize and preach to members. below them are the elders and friends that make up the members of the congregation. >> the preachers were to be celibate. >> these ministers often live in members homes for a period of time before moving to the next. according to the scripture, it's considered an honor to host

them. >> i do remember workers. if they stayed with us, they would sleep in like our room. >> lynette burdge flanagan is a former member who lives in union city. she says her cousin, laura lee brown, pictured on the left, was sexually abused by another member at the age of nine until she was 13. were their parents aware of this. was there an effort to report this abuse? >> no. why do you think that is. i think that they wanted to keep it a secret because i think that they believe that if you tarnish their perfect way or their perfect will, or the only way, then that would look bad on them . >> can you walk me through what happened? >> her cousin, laura lee, says it's been a nightmare ever since . >> my little foot and slipper. this was in the middle of about, in the middle of the time of the three years he was molesting me. >> she shared a picture of her alleged perpetrator the night of his engagem sent to another woman. >> he would immediately,

immediately go back to sexually interacting with me or whenever he could. >> how often would this happen? >> on a week to week basis? it would happen about two times a week or more, laura lee says. >> for three years she didn't understand what was going on until sixth grade. >> sex ed class and i left the class and went out side and it was the first time i realized what had happened to me. >> she was 13. >> my parents were actually told at that time i was i couldn't do school. laura lee says she tried reporting it again four years later at age 17, but her parents still didn't believe her. so with my parents, them allowing that to happen basically they allowed it. >> my mom and dad, lynette says. >> it's a crooked culture that's been passed through generations. >> we do know that there there was some abuse of my mom's. it was from her father, and he

touched her inappropriately, and she was just like. like dad, like, what are you doing? and he's like, well, i just want to see what kind of girl i raised. i want to make sure do does that . >> another former member who grew up in visalia, south of fresno, says her father was also a victim of abuse. years later, chariotry says she experienced it herself. >> my abuse started with a minister, he started grooming me when he was in our field two years before the abuse started at the age of 13, she says. >> a 28 year old worker by the name of steve rose molested her throughout the duration of his two month visit in her home from my memory, it happened on a nightly basis. >> i mean, it was it was regular. >> if you questioned him, tried to report it, what would happen? >> you would get gaslit profusely and accused of having

a bad spirit or the devil's getting into you, so how dare you question god? >> in 1986, autry wrote a high school research paper claiming that rose repeatedly told her not to tell her parents. she says he promised her, quote, if you ever get pregnant, then i'll marry you. he said, what he was doing to me was right. everyone in the church and public thought he was nice. now that same year, rose sent an apology letter to church leadership where he admitted to kissing and touching autry intimately, saying, quote, i did not intend to cover this up, but i did not know how to handle it other than to leave the area and beg god to forgive me. rose denied promising to marry autry and stated they didn't have sex, adding in the email this did not happen with anyone else. fast forward from 1986 to april of 2023, an email was sent to members about rose

stating another allegation was made from outside of the state of minnesota. the abc seven news i-team made multiple calls to steve rose to get further comment, but we never heard back. abc's kyra phillips was able to track him down in minneapolis. here's what he had to say steve rose kyra phillips with abc news. when we come back, we will show you what happened with that confrontation with steve rose decades after his apology letter, why he likely will never face criminal charges in this case. we'll ♪ hey, come on, come on ♪ ♪ do what you want ♪ ♪ what could go wrong? ♪ ♪ come on, come on, come on ♪ ♪ come on ♪ ♪ do what you want ♪ get into an audi and go your own way.

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is facing the ministry, but questions remain about accountability. let's go back to minneapolis, where abc's kyra phillips tracked down former member steve rose. steve rose, kyra phillips with abc news. i'd like to ask you about these

letters that you wrote. sherry autry's parents and also your overseer. did did you sexually uh. did you sexually abuse sherry autry when she was 14 and you were 28? no comment. your overseer said that what you did was a felony. do you believe your church protected you from this kind of abuse, protected you from going to jail? does your church protect sexual predators? does your church protect the children? we just want to get your side of the story. we want your response to what you wrote. you wrote that you were weak in the flesh. you woke. you were weak in the flesh. that's what she wrote you. you woke that you were. >> it was not a secret amongst leadership that he had molested me. >> audrey says six years later, rose was out of the ministry but still leading meetings in his own home. she says she was horrified. okay you do grape juice instead of wine to not tempt an alcoholic, but yet you keep in meeting and put children

in front of them. rose never faced criminal charges in this case and likely never will, according to the tulare county da's office. prosecutors have meticulously reviewed reports and victim accounts in this case and have determined that any potential crime falls outside of california's statute of limitations. citations we spoke with legal expert and veteran criminal defense attorney seth chazen, who specializes in sex crime cases. is this true? >> yes it is. unfortunately he. the charges can't be filed in this case due to the running of the statute of limitations. >> so, just to be clear, do either of these cases have any criminal recourse? no. >> charges were not filed prior to the alleged victims 40th birthday. >> according to a well-known anti sexual violence organization, rain, only seven states have eliminated the statute of limitations for all felony sex crimes. california is

not one of them, in part because certain felony sex offenses like rape, still has a statute of limitations. as we understand, state lawmakers have attempted to change this. yeah ab 2295 is simply saying there will be no statute of limitations for any child sexual assault. but that bill has yet to pass. for now, the only law on the books is one that allows alleged victims who file a claim within five years or by age 40, to seek civil damages for childhood sexual assaults that occurred before this year. and both sheriff autry and laura lee brown say there was a sense of fear that prevented them from reporting their alleged abuse at the time, and it was just such a symbolization of the power and control. >> i don't know how i went through that year. >> decades later, it's unclear who exactly to hold accountable, but we tried to reach current local leadership. representing the bay area congregation for further comment. we never heard

back. that's until we located gary paul, a veteran worker based in washington state, north idaho and alaska. he was not involved in any of these cases, but we spoke with him about the broader allegations facing the ministry. he recently visited the south bay for a special meeting. these meetings only happen on rare scheduled occasions, but they're difficult to track down as the schedules aren't posted publicly and several were reportedly shut down following pressure from the federal investigation when they preached the word. after preaching this sunday service, he had gone. paul agreed to speak with us virtually the following week. gary i've talked with numerous former members who say they have been sexually abused by ministers who were staying in their home at the time. many of them say it went on for years. what's your response after hearing that?

>> well, i never saw it. and knowing the quote, church leadership, i find that very difficult to believe. >> nonprofit advocates for the truth, an organization dedicated to helping survivors across the world, says it's received reports on more than 900 alleged perpetrators that have been identified by a hotline worldwide. the organization says there are more than 1300 alleged victims who've reached out for help since its inception in march last year. autry is the former president and co-founder. the fbi is now investigating your church. how do you feel about that? >> well, i think it's i don't think it's necessary, but they're doing it so that's fine. >> and you don't think it's necessary? why? >> because i don't think that there is, a cult trying to hide things. >> there are hundreds of alleged victims that have come out indicating they were abused at one point or another because the

allegations were made. don't you think it's important an investigation is done to fully vet what happened? >> i suppose it would be after 57 years in the ministry. >> paul says he never dealt with a child sexual assault case nor received formal training on how to respond to such allegations until after the federal investigation began. just to be clear is that training voluntary or required now voluntary? >> don't you think it should be required? i don't think it should be required. >> would you consider this ministry to be secretive? >> no. >> we're definitely not. >> but some of those who grew up in it disagree. me is there a culture within this religious sect that encourages sweeping things under the rug? comfortable topics are swept under the rug. ex-member michael day says he experienced that firsthand. he grew up in the religious sect with his cousin, john vandenberg, a hayward native. >> it was shocking. he was, on a

on a missionary trip when he was coming back, he was kicked out. he was molesting people, inappropriate touching of girls in the philippines and one in mexico. but they're just hearsay , i don't know. >> vandenberg died in march this year, nearly a year before this email was sent out from a regional leader in the ministry reporting vandenberg was the subject of several credible allegations of unacceptable sexual behavior, including a complaint of inappropriate touching of a minor which was reported to the authorities. >> i feel really bad, especially if they if they feel violated. >> day says he had 35 ministers or workers stay at his home growing up, and one of them, who john knew and we knew stayed in our home and was later came out as a convicted child molester. in the years that followed, day says he grew out of the faith and was displeased with what he

called the hypocrisy. >> i would hear that there are no rules. we have no rules, no, there's rules galore. >> a lot of man made rules. >> there are absolutely rules, and none of them are written down. >> there's no jewelry other than a wedding ring. >> basically no makeup, tv. >> you must have long hair. you had to wear it pinned up on your head, wearing just very conservative clothes like really dresses and no slacks or shorts. >> what happens if you wear pants? >> you would be looked at like up and down. like, what are you wearing? like, why are you wearing pants? >> was one woman who had to confirm that she'd thrown away all her makeup and would not wear it again? >> we asked paul about that. he denied any rules about makeup. what about wearing pants to send a service? >> i don't feel that's very womanly. what the scripture says is that a woman should not wear what pertains to a man, not womanly, to wear pants, nor go

to college. >> according to laura lee brown, she says she wanted to be an attorney, but was told by the ministry that's too worldly. >> we don't think you should do that. >> certainly a religion with a strong set of rules that preaches they are destined to find the truth or the one true way. but questions linger as to who's really being honest. we were told that the way is perfect, but the people are not. but some former members argue the way is far from perfect. >> there's no accountability when you go and try to talk to them about it, there's a cover. they'll just ignore you, they'll deny it. >> some former members believe there should be rules in place, prohibit ministers from staying in people's homes, arguing that it would protect innocent children from potentially being exposed to predatory behavior. do you agree with that?

>> no. nowhere in the scripture does that support that. and in the multitude of years that i've been in it, it's never been a problem. >> how do you know it hasn't been a problem? >> it's never been a problem that i'm aware of. obviously, it could have been, but i wasn't aware of it just because you weren't aware of it. >> well, don't you see value in protecting future generations given what has already been publicly revealed? i think it would affect the quality of our ministry. >> we've always stayed in the homes of god's people, staying in a home makes you very vulnerable. it's true that the children and the family home are vulnerable also, but that's the way that this the fellowship has been established. >> from your perspective, what do you think it will take to see real change from all this? >> well, i. word change because there's a

lot of things about the fellowship that cannot change >> it doesn't stop when the abuse stops. >> they manipulate people. >> it affects the rest of your life. it'll affect your children's life. >> see, the irony is the ministry conflicts with former members. yet both are on missions to seek the truth. the queson is, will it bring justice? the fbi continues seek the public's help in identifying victims of abuse within this religious group. if you have any information that could assist this investigation or have personally been victimized by anyone affiliated with this group, go to our website, abc seven news.com to report directly to the fbi and as you saw, we worked in

conjunction with abc news and nightline on this investigation. you can watch more of the full impact by nightline episode secrets of the two by two church, now streaming on hulu for the i-team. stephanie sierra,

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