‘When she was 15, 16 the sexual grooming started’: Pastor applauded for ‘adultery’ confession until sobbing woman comes forward claiming to have been just 16-years-old.
As religious far-right groups in the US brand innocent LGBTQ+ people with words like ‘groomer’ and ‘child abuser’, and while queer and women’s rights hang on by a thread in the name of traditional values, one pastor was just caught on camera facing accusations of – wait for it – actual child grooming.
Moments after Rev John Lowe II admitted to his congregation that he’d committed “adultery” 20 years ago, a woman attending the service came forward with a different recount of events, alleging that she was groomed by the man when she was just 16-years-old.
“I committed adultery,” the pastor initially told churchgoers during a Sunday service at the New Life Christian Church and World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana.
In the first instance he was met with applause and even a standing ovation from some attendees, all commending the pastors honesty. But the mood suddenly changed when the subject of his adultery came forward:
“I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that?” she said.
The woman in the video, now in her 40s, came forward as the person who the pastor had just moments before admitted to having an affair with, though she corrected his timeline by stating before the congregation that it was 27 years ago, and not 20.
She confronted the pastor in front of the congregation, while her husband stood by to support her, alleging that she’d been victimised by Rev Lowe throughout her late teenage years and into her early 20s.
“I lived in a prison of lies and pain. Lying to protect the Lowe family. I thought I was a horrible person having suicidal thoughts, not realizing what had truly been done to me,” she continued.
“The church deserves to know the truth. This church has been built on lies, but no more. The lies need to stop,”
The woman said her older brother recently confronted her about witnessing her lying in bed with their pastor while wearing a T-shirt and underwear when she was just a teenager.
“You did things to my teenage body that had never and should have never been done,” she said. “If you can’t admit to the truth, you have to answer to God. You are not the victim here.”
The woman’s husband then confronted Lowe directly: “It’s not just adultery. It’s another level when it’s a teenager and I will not let this man talk about my wife like that. It happened for nine years- when she was 15, 16 the sexual grooming started. People have to be held accountable,” he continued.
“They can’t just bamboozle people and say, ‘I just committed adultery.’ It was far beyond adultery,” he added.
As the woman left the stage and the pastor returned to the podium to explain himself, reiterating his confession of ‘adultery’ and asking for forgiveness. He was then hugged by the congregation.
Watch the shocking video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87ZJQJuCLik
New Life Christian Church and World Outreach released a statement following the pastor’s confession and the woman’s allegations.
The “long-held secret” was revealed when the woman, who has attended the church for years, “came forward and disclosed the relationship to various people within the church.”
“It is our deepest prayer and commitment to love, support, encourage and help her through a process of healing in any way in which we are able,” the church’s statement said.