From: The International Moriel Board

February 14th, 2025

 

Dear brothers and sisters,

 

Recently, Moriel has encountered several obstacles in beginning our film project “Why is this time

different?” including logistical issues, the Los Angeles fires, and flight booking problems. We understand

this to be a spiritual battle as we believe this film is going to be an important tool for evangelism and

preparing the faithful church for Jesus' return.

 

Simultaneously, our ministry is dealing with internal challenges caused by unauthorized online groups on

messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp, which were mistakenly thought to be Moriel-sanctioned.

These groups are made up of individuals who formerly and currently attend Moriel weekly Bible studies on

Zoom, which are taught by Sarah Leslie, Sandy Simpson, and Jacob Prasch.

It has been reported these groups began to complain against Sarah Leslie and Sandy Simpson.

 

After a week of investigation and interviewing a series of individuals, we discovered that one of the groups

began to promote the use and benefits of cannabis. Moriel Ministries does not support the use of it,

whether medical or recreational. Please see Jacob Prasch’s companion post. The use of drugs in the Bible,

called "pharmakeia" in our English translations, is associated with witchcraft. God has delivered members

of Moriel Ministries from their past sins, which include drug use, including Jacob Prasch and David Lister,

and they have shared their testimonies publicly. They have called out people to repent of drug use as the

Bible in no uncertain terms calls it a sin against the Lord. As reported, one individual in the online groups

not only promoted the benefits of cannabis but mailed gummies filled with full-strength cannabis,

commonly referred to as "cannabis edibles", "marijuana gummies", or simply "cannabis gummies" or THC

gummies if they contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis. The

gummies were mailed internationally to another member of the chat group who formerly had a drug

problem and was severely affected by them. The person who consumed the gummies confessed to this sin

as she willingly gave her address and apologized to Sarah for gossiping in the group against her. The

situation in the chat groups escalated with accusations and gossip, particularly against Moriel women's

teacher, Sarah Leslie, who was wrongly criticized for her head covering and for being Amish (but she is

actually Mennonite). In the same chat groups Sandy Simpson was called a “heavy shepherd” because he

was protecting the believers by removing and blocking those who were promoting sin.

 

In regards to Jacob Prasch’s statement made on the episode of “Catching up with Jacob”, he was given

partial information and he wanted to deal with the use of pharmakeia and the dangers, especially since it

was promoted to Moriel supporters. Jacob had part of the information which was proven to be accurate.

His continued warning is that anyone who is a Christian should flee from this sin, and warn those that are

participating in it that the end is destruction.

 

In conclusion, it is our heart's desire for people to turn back from sin and stop the promotion of

pharmakeia. We encourage harmony, unity of the Spirit, and the bond of peace among the brethren. The

words of our Lord remind us every day to love one another and forgive one another. We stand with Jacob

Prasch, Sandy Simpson, and Sarah Leslie as godly Moriel teachers of the Word of Life and promote their

respective Bible studies. We stand against the enemy and his tactics to discredit our Bible teachers,

confuse others, promote gossip, and disunity among the brethren.

 

If you have been hurt, confused by this situation, or even have questions, you can call the Moriel office in

America at +1-412-321-6154 or you can email David Lister at .

In Jesus,

 

The Moriel International Board