Pastor John B. Lowe II, of New Life Christian Church & World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana, stepped down from his post after a woman came forward with some disturbing details.
At the end of Sunday’s church service, the pastor left many in the congregation confused when he took the microphone to confess that he had sinned about 20 years ago.
Without going into much detail about his personal life, Rev. John Lowe II, who has been married for more than 45 years, revealed that he has sinned by committing adultery.
Lowe said he kept the ungodly secret from his family and churchgoers for far too long and asked for forgiveness.
The man of God said: “It involved one person, and there’s been no other. I sinned. I need to say that, and you deserve to hear it.”
The congregation gave pastor Lowe a standing ovation after his mea culpa.
Bobi Gephart says Pastor John B. Lowe II groomed her
However, seconds after, a woman walked to the pulpit and said that the pastor only shared half of the story.
Bobi Gephart, a woman in her 40s, stood in front of the crowd with her husband, Nate, by her side.
She told Lowe that the events he spoke about took place exactly 27 years ago and went on to put him on blast.
She continued with her speech by explaining that she has been going through hell for almost three decades because of what the pastor did to her.
She described herself as a victim and shared that the pastor groomed her and took advantage of her when she was 16.
The woman, who had not been publicly identified by name at the time, stated: “For 27 years, I lived in a prison. It was not 20 years. I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that? I know you do.”
Bobi Gephart and Pastor John B. Lowe II’s video goes viral
The 14-minute video was posted on Facebook by a woman who says that she is a family member of the victim of Pastor John B. Lowe II.
She made more shocking revelations and promised to drop more truth bombs if necessary.
She said: “You did things to my teenage body that never had and should have never been done, and the church deserves to know the truth. I could give story after story after story to what you did to me.”
Then, she turned to Lowe’s adult son and said: “Your dad is not the victim here. A partial truth is not true. The church deserves to know the truth. This church has been built on lies, but no more.”
She said that she decided to come forward and liberate herself from this mental prison after her brother spoke to her.
Bobi Gephart explains why she is coming forward now
A few weeks ago, her brother said he was confused by remembering something he saw when he was just a teenager.
The brother said he had the feeling that his mind was playing tricks on him because he recalled briefly seeing his then-teenage sister in bed with their pastor.
At some point, the woman’s husband took the microphone and bashed the pastor for his unholy conduct.
The furious spouse said: “People have to be held accountable. They can’t just bamboozle people and just say, well, I just committed adultery. It was far beyond adultery.”
After the woman’s confession, voices in the church grew loud and angry, with many asking the pastor did he commit the crimes that the woman was accusing him of.
He eventually answered by saying: “It was wrong. 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. I can’t, and all I can do is ask you to forgive me.”
Pastor John B. Lowe II’s confessions led the members of the church to form a prayer circle with him, where they hugged him and offered him forgiveness for his acts.
However, at least one congregant could be seen walking away from the pastor and saying that he could not be part of this.
New Life Christian Church & World Outreach releases statement asking for prayers and time to heal
New Life Christian Church & World Outreach released a lengthy statement confirming that the pastor has resigned and they are praying for him and his wife.
The statement began: “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 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.”
The statement continued by saying that they are hurting alongside the woman and the pastor over the sexual misconduct.
It went on to say: “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. New Life is likewise devoted to ministering to and with all of our members through this difficult season so that we might not only survive this but experience together abundant grace, unity healing – all for the glory of God and the preservation of His church.”
It added: “Our brokenness extends to Pastor John B. Lowe II, his wife, and family as well. For 42 years, New Life has taught and preached a Cross-driven message of repentance, forgiveness, and restoration, a ministry of reconciliation that has been both led and modeled by Pastors John and Debbie Lowe.”
The statement concluded with the following note about God: “To all concerned, please be assured that, until now, none of this was disclosed to or known by any of the staff, ministers, or personnel of New Life. As with the church in general and the public at large, we too are responding to this without anticipation, praying and striving only to see that the Lord’s good, perfect and eternal plans will ultimately and visibly prevail. Life is messy. Believers are messy. Church is messy. God is not.”
Investigation opened in John B. Lowe II’s case
It has been confirmed that local prosecutors have opened an investigation to uncover exactly what happened between Pastor Lowe and the then-teenager.
The Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said in a statement: “After reviewing the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct, Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Hampton is not permitted to disseminate any information regarding alleged misconduct.”
A second victim comes forward on Facebook
Another woman, Jessi Kline, has come forward on Facebook to accuse the pastor’s son, Jeremiah Donald Lowe, of sexually molesting her when she was a child.
In her viral Facebook post, she also claimed that she reported the incident to Pastors John and Debbie Lowe when she was a teenager, and they declined to speak to the police about it.
The husband and wife cited the Bible as the reason why they would handle the matter privately.
The woman said in part: “I was molested by Jeremiah Donald Lowe Jeremiah Lowe when I was a little girl. Jeremy is the son of the rapist pastor, John Lowe II. He babysat my brother and me when we were young, prepubescent children. He sent my brother upstairs to get him something to drink as he proceeded to have me get on top of him and molest me in my dark basement.”
Some on social media say that the pastor should face consequences. His wife is a former stripper and has said they got close to a divorce several times in the past.
