A clergyman in Indiana has acknowledged to having committed "adultery" about 20 years ago. After a 43-year-old woman named Bobi Gephart stepped forward with a microphone to tell their church in Warsaw, Indiana, how he'd groomed her as a youngster, starting when she was 16, the pastor, identified as John Lowe II, made the confession in front of his congregation (the legal age of consent in the state).
The incident was captured on film and uploaded on Facebook on Sunday, May 22 at New Life Christian Church and World Outreach in Warsaw. With hundreds of thousands of views, the video has gone viral.
I was 16 years old when you took my virginity on your office floor - Pastor is forced to admit to committing adultery.
The altercation erupted after Pastor Lowe II told the congregation that he'sinned' 20 years ago by committing adultery, without specifying the age of the woman or girl involved. He pleaded for forgiveness from the congregation before receiving a standing ovation.
I was 16 years old when you took my virginity on your office floor - Pastor is forced to admit to committing adultery.
Because she was so young at the time, Bobi stormed the stage with her husband, Nate, to claim it 'wasn't just adultery.'
She said;
'I was imprisoned for 27 years... I was imprisoned by falsehoods and shame. Lying to keep the Lowe family safe. For years, I believed I was a bad person who had suicide tendencies and had no idea what had been done to me.
'I'd still be in prison if my brother hadn't approached me two weeks ago with something he'd witnessed as a youngster that had bothered him for years: his pastor in bed with his younger sister.'
'You took my virginity on your office floor when I was 16 years old. Do you recall what happened? I'm sure you do.
'You did things to my teenage body that you should not have done. You must answer to God if you refuse to admit the truth. You are not the victim in this situation.'
Nate, Bobi's husband, then added:
'This is a fabrication. This isn't just a case of adultery.
'It's a different level.' This went on for nine years. Grooming began when she was 15, 16 years old.'
I was 16 years old when you took my virginity on your office floor - Pastor is forced to admit to committing adultery.
Nate also returned a pearl necklace provided to his wife by the church and a 'purity ring' given to her by the pastor during their affair, according to him.
The minister received angry calls from the congregation as the couple exited the stage.
One enraged churchgoer exclaimed, "If you did it, you need to admit it!" 'We need to hear from our pastor!' exclaimed another. 'Give him the microphone!' exclaimed a third.
Lowe took the stage once more. 'I told you I committed adultery and that it lasted far too long,' he claimed at first.
'You didn't tell us she was 16!' exclaimed a member of the congregation.
'It was incorrect,' he finally said. I'm not sure how to fix it. I'm sorry, but I can't help you. That's the way things are. It's not entirely true, but it did happen.'
I was 16 years old when you took my virginity on your office floor - Pastor is forced to admit to committing adultery.
Lowe is unlikely to face criminal charges as a result of the connection because the state's consent age is 16. He has left the church and his name has been removed from its website.
The church issued the following statement:
'A woman in the church came out and revealed the relationship to various people within the church, bringing this long-held secret to light.
'When questioned by others in church leadership about the report, Pastor Lowe privately admitted that the infidelity had occurred.
'The woman in question and her family were invited to attend our church service in preparation of Pastor Lowe's public confession.
'She did go and, along with her husband, spoke before the church, revealing that she began engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviour when she was 16 years old and continued until her twenties.' She revealed her years of tremendous guilt and suffering with tears in her eyes.
'In light of what has now been disclosed, we are grieving and devastated for a woman who has faithfully attended and served in the church for many years, as well as her husband and family.'
'It is our deepest prayer and pledge to love, support, encourage, and assist her in every way we can during her healing process.'
'Our brokenness includes Pastor Lowe, his wife, and their family.
'For 42 years, Pastors John and Debbie Lowe have taught and preached a Cross-centered message of repentance, forgiveness, and restoration; a ministry of reconciliation that they have both led and practised.
'As healing takes place in their hearts, marriages, and families, we pledge to offer the same encouragement, guidance, and forgiveness that has come to define this body's collective heart and mission.'
