Baller Alert Entertainment & Lifestyle
On Sunday, a pastor at New Life Christian Church & World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana announced his resignation, informing his congregation that he had “committed adultery.”
Lowe stated that his infidelity began “nearly 20 years ago” and “continued far too long.”
“It involved one person and there’s been no other,” he continued. “I sinned. I need to say that and you deserve to hear it.”
Lowe indicated that he would be stepping down, in compliance with church bylines and the board’s recommendations, after begging forgiveness from “those that I sinned against.”
Although he received a standing ovation at the conclusion of his address, the audience became silent as a woman and her husband approached the microphone with some words of their own.
What Lowe failed to mention is that the person he committed adultery with was a minor.
“For 27 years, I lived in a prison. It was not 20 years,” said the woman who stepped forward. “I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that? I know you do.”
The woman told the congregation that she had lied for decades “to protect the Lowe family” and “thought I was a horrible person.”
She stated that if it hadn’t been for her brother approaching her two weeks earlier with his remembrance of what he had seen when they were teenagers, she would still be in prison today.
“You are not the victim here,” she said to Lowe. “The church deserves to know the truth. This church has been built on lies, but no more.”
“People have to be held accountable,” added her husband. “They can’t just bamboozle people and just say, well I just committed adultery. It was far beyond adultery.”
Shortly after, several church members demanded that they hear from Lowe. One person could be heard saying, “If you did it, you need to admit it.”
The video shows how the pastor responded to inquiries from the crowd about the 12-minute mark, saying, “She was 16 years old.”
“It was wrong,” he said. “I can’t make it right. I can’t make it any better. That’s just the way it is.”
“If I could go back and redo it all, I would,” he added at another point. “I can’t, and all I can do is ask you to forgive me.”
In response to the allegations against Pastor John B. Lowe II, the church wrote a message on the website that read: “We are hurting and broken for a woman who has lovingly attended and served in the church for many years, as well as for her husband and family.”
According to the Washington Post, the woman, who has not been publicly recognized, is now in her 40s, while Lowe is 65.
The Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office notified TV station WANE 15 on Monday that an investigation into the situation is ongoing.
A spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday that “after reviewing the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct, Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Hampton is not permitted to disseminate any information regarding alleged misconduct.”
On New Life Christian Church & World Outreach website the church further stated: “this long-held secret first came to light when a woman in the church came forward and disclosed the relationship to various people within the church.”
“When confronted by others in church leadership concerning that report, Pastor Lowe confessed privately that the adultery did, in fact, occur,” the statement continued. “The woman in question and her family did attend together and addressed the congregation, indicating that improper sexual conduct first occurred when she was 16 years of age and continued into her twenties. She tearfully described living with deep shame and pain over the ensuing years.”
“In the wake of what has now been revealed, we are hurting and broken for a woman who has lovingly attended and served in the church for many years, as well as for her husband and family. 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 added.
“None of this was disclosed to or known by any of the staff, ministers or personnel.”
