A woman confronted the pastor of her church in front of her entire congregation and she accused him of having “taken her virginity” when she was a 16-year-old teenager.
Bobi Gephart, 43, burst onto the stage in the middle of a sermon by Pastor John Lowe II, 65, a leader of the New Life Christian Church, to call him out for taking advantage of her when she was just a teenager.
She was 16, the legal age of consent in the state, and he was 38. at the time of the event.
Gephart’s statement came after Lowe confessed before the congregation that he had “sinned” 20 years ago by committing adultery, but he omitted to mention the woman’s age. In addition, he apologized to his faithful and made an act of repentance that earned him a standing ovation.
But after the outrageous scene, Bobi took the stage with her husband, who took the microphone first and told the church, “If you love us, let us speak.”
The woman spoke up and proceeded to confront Lowe and recounted how Lowe had been grooming her since she was a teenager, brainwashing her and manipulating her.Bobi Gephart and her husband Nate took the stage in front of their congregation
“For 27 years I lived in a prison. It wasn’t 20 years. A prison of lies and shame.” Gephart began, correcting the date of the “sin” the pastor just confessed.
She said that all this time she had been in the grip of a lie to protect the Lowe family, a lie that many knew but was afraid to accept and speak. She claimed that this led her to hate herself, to believe that she was a horrible person, and to have suicidal thoughts.
“I lived without realizing what he had really done to me, that I was a victim and I would still be in that prison if my brother had not approached me just two weeks ago, with what he had seen as a teenager and that has bothered him all these years. : his Pastor in bed with his younger sister in a T-shirt and underpants. People knew about it, but he was too afraid to speak up and now they have.”Bobi said.
Addressing Lowe, he continued: “I was only 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. You remember? I know you remember it.”
“You did things to my teenage body that had never been done to it, that you should never have done to it. If you cannot admit the truth, you have to answer to God. You are not the victim here”, highlighted the woman in a remarkable emotional state.
The pastor tried to interrupt her but she continued: “The church deserves to know the truth, this church has been built on lies, but no more. The lies have to stop, I could tell story after story after story of what you did to me.”
Other members of the congregation then intervened, seeking to stop the woman who continued to confront her assailant. At some point Nate, Bobi’s husband, took the microphone again and called the pastor a “liar”, saying that his sin had not only been adultery.
“It’s another level. It happened for nine years. When she was 15, 16 years old, the preparation began ”, he claimed.
Nate presented a pearl necklace that the church had given his wife and a “purity ring” that he said the pastor gave him during their affair. The outraged husband returned both items and said the couple “I was not exaggerating the truth,” and encouraged other women who had received these “ministry gifts” to return them as well.
As the couple left the stage, the pastor faced angry shouts from the congregation.
