Chi Alpha, the former student ministry under the Assemblies of God umbrella, is seeking to rebuild at Texas A&M after its suspension in January. The suspension was issued after the organization was accused of bringing students and minors in contact with a sex offender; in June, members were arrested in Brazos County for indecency with a minor.
The student organization Chi Alpha World Fellowship and local church Mountain Valley Fellowship recruited in tandem over the last few years, reaching hundreds of members by 2023. Being one of a dozen Chi Alpha chapters in Texas alone, their goal is to “introduce fellow collegians to an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ,” according to their website.
However, in May 2023, details came out about the group’s connection to Daniel Savala, a registered sex offender who pled guilty to sexual abuse of a minor a decade ago and with whom Chi Alpha leaders regularly put minors and students in contact. The investigation ultimately ended with Savala’s arrest a month later in Houston.
In September 2023, Chi Alpha’s student organization was temporarily suspended pending an inquiry by the A&M Department of Civil Rights and Equity Investigations, or CREI. The previous summer, allegations of spiritual abuse — coercion or control using religion — rose sharply as whistleblowers began sharing their stories, so much so that victims created an online forum to tell their stories anonymously.
The Chi Alpha chapter was officially suspended in January, preventing them from renting rooms and participating in official campus activities. The full CREI report uses more than a dozen interviews and months of research to reconstruct the events leading to the arrest. Two A&M students, Alexander Owens and Otto Randolph, and two non-A&M-affiliated Chi Alpha members, Ryan Hoffart and William Johnson, were alleged to have exposed their genitals to a 13-year-old boy before asking him to remove his clothing and expose his genitals at Messiah’s Ranch in Bryan.
University rules only allowed A&M to investigate and pursue action against students Owens and Randolph, both of whom denied an interview but submitted written statements denying the claims to CREI.
“The allegation seems maliciously false,” Owens wrote. “… in a sequence of events that has snowballed from frustration towards Savala’s offenses into a malicious and false report against an innocent student.”
Yet the allegations are consistent with previous Chi Alpha experiences. Savala, before being arrested, was seen as a mentor to those in Chi Alpha across Texas, especially by church leadership — who often referred to him as “the holiest man alive.” A former member, Rachel Schober said Savala attended A&M Chi Alpha events and visited the church often.
“The first interaction that I had with him was at somebody’s house here in town,” Schober said. “I know people would go to his house in Houston pretty regularly.”
In the report, the former A&M Chi Alpha’s student president said Savala often taught that “nudity was unity,” claiming people became closer through physical intimacy. Two former members interviewed both recall hearing that phrase while in Chi Alpha.
A third-party review was commissioned by church leadership following last year’s events. But the results were never physically shared, Schober said. They were shared only verbally — and out of approximately 400 members, only around a dozen were interviewed for it, two former members said.
Eli Stewart, head pastor of Mountain Valley Fellowship, resigned, leaving Chad Tarhini as the group’s interim director. Tarhini, a leader within the group for years, was cited in the CREI as assisting with the investigation. In his statement, he said Stewart was fired for his friendship with Savala and after he “violently hit someone who worked for [him].”
Tarhini said in a statement, “Our hearts have been broken by the reports we have seen over the past year. At this time, we continue working to address concerns that have arisen and to comply with investigations. Our primary goal is to foster a safe community of faith for TAMU students and we will continue to take appropriate actions in response to relevant findings. Our sincere prayers are with any affected by the reported actions.”
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” … it was made clear that the adult males exposed themselves to John Doe.”
— OFFICIAL REPORT
Tarhini did not respond when asked to clarify how the group was changing to address internal concerns. A statement from the university made clear the student organization was not currently recognized, with their future status under review, a process they weren’t able to comment on.
The university also explained that the First Amendment clearly allows Chi Alpha-affiliated students to continue to discuss the group and church with other students on campus despite the student organization’s suspension.
As such, current Chi Alpha members have spent weeks preparing for the semester, specifically Howdy Week. In one Facebook post, a member said they created a Howdy Week schedule for members to share with new students. Another claimed to be searching for financial partners to “rebuild” Chi Alpha in College Station, and a third showed a group heading to a Chi Alpha retreat before returning to campus for Howdy Week.
A former member, who requested anonymity, said these initial weeks Chi Alpha spent advertising were vital — and they often targeted freshman, international and lonely students. Chi Alpha has a script to recite to students, they said, with the ultimate goal of getting their phone number. Once in, the member said they force them to isolate themselves — eventually Chi Alpha becomes all they have left. A training manual excerpt shared with The Battalion shows scripts for different on-campus scenarios, such as if they encounter an atheist.
One Chi Alpha staff member live-streamed their Howdy Week success in a private Facebook group for financial donors on Aug. 15.
“We’re going to hang out tomorrow,” he said, referring to a new international student he spoke to. “If you all could be praying for me and him — man, it’s just answered prayer after answered prayer today. It’s been incredibly awesome. I’ve been praying for international students forever and just having one just fall in the lap like that was incredible.”
Former Chi Alpha members will continue to interact with students on campus throughout Howdy Week and the rest of the semester. Mountain Valley Fellowship is currently for sale.