Insider Language at Christian Fellowship Center
Shared vocabularies are a normal part of community life. For instance, North Country residents know that the Bagelry’s massive cookie is a bazoobie and “Northern New York” doesn’t start until you get above Syracuse.
Cults and high-control groups use shared language to manipulate their members, often in ways that are completely undetectable to the outside world. In recent weeks, Christian Fellowship Center has offered an excellent example of how ostensibly innocent sermons contain insider language to inoculate members against outside criticism.
In our most recent survivor story, Emily recounts how she moved in with Pastor Ben Levendusky’s family after leaving her abusive roommate, Melody. After describing how Melody stalked her and sent harassing texts and calls, Emily says that Keila Levendusky monitored her even more than her abuser.
Christian Fellowship Center uses a residential model to groom young adults from outside the church to view high-control environments as normative. Keila Levendusky lived in the Sinclair house, as did Melody Maurer and many other young adults who became loyal CFC members. Abbi Nye recalls that the Brown family hosted several young men who were studying at The Timothy Center and confirms a high level of normalized surveillance. In short, these residential arrangements were often controlling and very unsafe.
With this context, consider the CFC Canton Sunday service video from June 28, 2026, one day after Emily published her account. Carson Smith, Rick Sinclair’s son-in-law, shares some genuinely funny stories about his experience living with the Sinclairs as a college student. (He doesn’t include the disturbing details of pursuing teenage Camilla Sinclair, proposing to her after three weeks of dating, and marrying her right after she turned 18).
Carson Smith (top, far right) and Josh McGrath (top, second from left) with the Sinclair family, Easter 2011.
Carson describes Pastor Jamie Sinclair’s wedding. He says, Jamie’s groomsmen “were all from the ‘Boys' Room’ at the Sinclairs’ house in Madrid, and so clearly there was something special going on that was facilitated by the Sinclairs.” The location of the Boys’ Room shifted over the years, but the room was always small, with barely enough space for a few beds. Carson likely shared sleeping quarters with at least three other men—Jamie Sinclair, Merrick Sinclair, and Josh McGrath.
Why does this matter? Because Emily’s abuser shared a bed with her and no one considered that a red flag. More importantly, Emily alleges that Brietta Paladin specifically discouraged her from moving out of Melody’s bed and into a separate room. Carson is defending the relationships that developed in the Boys’ Room beds just one day after Emily disclosed that her bedmate sexually assaulted her in her sleep.
The CFC Canton congregation certainly had Emily’s story on their minds that day; Melody was involved with the worship team and children’s church at the Canton location. Carson uses humor to reassure them that Emily’s experience is an aberration and that the room-sharing practices at CFC are completely normal. And not just normal; a legacy and ministry that CFC should continue.
Outsiders listening to Carson’s sermon would likely hear a preacher praising generous hospitality. Survivors who know the CFC context will recognize something quite different: a full-throated defense of controlling and predatory housing arrangements.
