A US church pastor who admitted to and asked forgiveness for alleged sexual misconduct in front of his congregation received a standing ovation from them - but the victim says it's not enough.
Jules Woodson was inspired by the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse and harassment, and spoke out on January 5 in a blog post about an alleged incident which took place between her and Andy Savage in 1998.
She sent an email to Mr Savage on December 1, asking "Do you remember?"
"Do you remember that night that you were supposed to drive me home from church and instead drove me to a deserted back road and sexually assaulted me?," the email read.
"Do you remember how you acted like you loved me and cared about me in order for me to cooperate in such acts, only to run out of the vehicle later and fall to your knees begging for forgiveness and for me not to tell anyone what had just happened?
"Well, I REMEMBER. #me-too"
"I WAS TERRIFIED AND ASHAMED" - JULES WOODSON'S STORY
Ms Woodson was a 17-year-old high school pupil at the time and Mr Savage was a youth minister at the suburban Houston, Texas church she attended.
She said in her blog that after staying late at her church one night, Mr Savage offered her a lift home but instead took her to a secluded location where he told her to perform oral sex on him.
"I was scared and embarrassed, but I did it ... I remember feeling that this must mean that Andy loved me," Ms Woodson wrote.
"After what I believe to have been about 5 minutes of this going on, he suddenly stopped, got out of the truck and ran around the back and to my side before falling to his knees ... I quickly buttoned my shirt back up and got out of the truck.
"Now I was terrified and ashamed.
“My fear and shame quickly turned to anger ... I had just been manipulated and used
"I remember him pleading, while he was on his knees with his hands up on his head, ‘Oh my god, oh my god. What have I done? Oh my god, I'm so sorry. You can't tell anyone Jules, please. You have to take this to the grave with you'".
"My fear and shame quickly turned to anger ... I had just been manipulated and used - I swore to him I wouldn't tell anyone just to get him to stop."
Ms Woodson went on to say that "the secret quickly began to eat away at my soul".
"I couldn't concentrate at school ... I couldn't think about anything else ... The fear, shame, anger and hurt consumed me.
"What happened to me was not right nor had it been my fault ... I had to report this.
"Little did I know, the very people I was about to entrust to protect me and help me would not only victimize me all over again but would also engage in a cover up to protect my abuser and the image of the church."
Ms Woodson alleges that when she went to church management, they made her feel like she was complicit in the act, told it would be dealt with my church management and that she was not to speak to anyone about what happened, but that Mr Savage had been able to go about his daily life with no apparent consequences.
"My hope in finally coming forward with my story is not only that I can begin to get closure and healing for all that has happened to me, but more so, that my story might have a positive impact on others and effect positive change in how these types of situations are handled within the church."
She has reportedly filed a report to local law enforcement about the incident.
"THIS INCIDENT WAS DEALT WITH" - ANDY SAVAGE'S APOLOGY
Mr Savage is now a teaching pastor at the large Highpoint Church in Memphis Tennessee, which boasts a congregation of thousands, and on Sunday he made a public apology with the support of head pastor Chris Conlee.
"As a college student on staff at a church in Texas more than 20 years ago, I regretfully had a sexual incident with a female high school senior in the church," an emotional Mr Savage said.
“I sincerely ask for forgiveness from her and pray for God’s continued healing for everyone involved
"I apologized and sought forgiveness from her, her parents, her discipleship group, the church staff, and the church leadership, who informed the congregation ... In agreement with wise counsel, I took every step to respond in a biblical way.
"I resigned from ministry and moved back home to Memphis ... I accepted full responsibility for my actions ... I was and remain very remorseful for the incident and deeply regret the pain I caused her and her family, as well as the pain I caused the church and God’s Kingdom.
"There has never been another situation remotely similar in my life before or after that occurrence ... The incident happened before Amanda [Mr Savage's wife] and I were engaged and I shared every aspect of this situation with her before I asked her to marry me ... I further disclosed this incident to Chris Conlee before coming on staff at Highpoint and have shared with key leaders throughout my tenure.
"This incident was dealt with in Texas 20 years ago, but in the last few days has been presented to a wider audience ... I was wrong and I accepted responsibility for my actions. I was sorry then and remain so today. Again, I sincerely ask for forgiveness from her and pray for God’s continued healing for everyone involved.”
"WE ARE 100 PER CENT COMMITTED TO ANDY" - HIGHPOINT CHURCH'S RESPONSE
In response to the public revelations, Mr Savage has received the continued support of lead pastor Chris Conlee, who has tweeted that he is "praying for God's healing for all involved".
In an official statement, Mr Conlee said "this information is not new to me or to our leadership".
"As one of my closest friends and partners in ministry, I can assure you that I have total confidence in the redemptive process Andy went through under his leadership in Texas," Mr Conlee said.
“Praying for God's healing for all involved
"In addition, for more than 16 years, I have watched Andy strive to live a godly life and proactively share what he has learned to help others.
"On behalf of the elders, pastors, staff, and Trustees of Highpoint, I want to affirm that we are 100 per cent committed to Andy, Amanda, and their family and his continued ministry at Highpoint Church.
"We ask for your prayers and support for all involved."
The church and Mr Savage have faced considerable public backlash online, and both Mr Savage and his wife Amanda have now made their Twitter accounts private.
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