Woman Haunted By Pastor She Says Molested Her; He Gets Ovation

MEMPHIS ,TN — In 1998, Jules Woodson and her sister were hanging out at Woodlands Parkway Baptist Church in Spring, Texas, when her youth minister offered to drive her home. Woodson, a 17-year-old high school senior at the time, didn't have a car and it was dark outside, so she accepted the lift. But then they drove by her house — and what happened next haunts her to this day.

In a blog post published last week, Woodson wrote that her then-pastor Andy Savage turned the truck around, put it in park, shut off the headlights and unzipped his jeans. She says he then asked her to perform a sex act on him.

"I was scared and embarrassed, but I did it," Woodson said. "I remember feeling that this must mean that Andy loved me. He then asked me to unbutton my shirt. I did. He started touching me over my bra and then lifted my bra up and began touching my breasts."

Minutes later, he jumped out of the truck, fell to his knees and begged her for forgiveness, she said, before pleading with her not to tell anyone about what had just happened.

Woodson later shared her story with an associate pastor at the church, and when nothing happened, she said she told members of her all female discipleship group.

Savage left the church, but not before receiving a going away reception, she wrote. He said he was moving on over a poor decision he made.

Nearly two decades later, Woodson found the courage to speak up again. In December, she sent him an email.

"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? 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."

But Savage, co-founder and teaching pastor at Highpoint Church in Memphis, Tennessee, never responded, she said. Woodson told The New York Times she decided to come forward after seeing news that Matt Lauer was dismissed as anchor of NBC’s “Today” show after an former co-worker accused him of inappropriate sexual conduct. In January, she published her account. And on Monday, she told the Times she reported the incident for the first time to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, near Houston.

Patch has left messages with Woodson and Savage and will update when we hear back.

But the statute of limitations expired, so it's unlikely any criminal action will be taken against Savage, officials in Montgomery County told Patch.

The Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable's Office, who investigated the allegations after the incident, was to brought to their attention last week, released a statement, which said:

"The statute of limitations has passed and no charges would be able to be filed. Using the current statute we would have some possible options but we are limited to the law as it was at the time of the offense in 1998. As a result we are unable to investigate and seek justice to the full extent of what would we normally would in such a case."

In a statement that Savage read to the Highpoint Church congregation on Jan. 7, he acknowledged he was involved in what he called a "sexual incident" with a high school girl decades ago.

"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," he told the audience. "I apologized and sought forgiveness from her, her parents, her discipleship group, the church staff, and the church leadership who informed the congregation."

Savage said the incident was dealt with at the time, but that it had been recently shared with a wider audience.

"I was wrong and I accepted responsibility for my actions," he said. "I am sorry and I humbly ask for your forgiveness. I love you all very much."

When Savage finished, the congregation gave Savage a standing ovation, clapping for 20 seconds.

Woodson said she's an adult now, but that she's still affected by the encounter.

"There are triggers that take me back to that night, there are nightmares that haunt my dreams," she wrote.

She told the Times on Monday she was in disbelief watching the standing ovation, calling it "disgusting."

She hopes sharing her story will help her get closure and healing but, more important, positively affect others and change how churches handle sexual assaults.

"To anyone who has suffered from sexual abuse in the church and the subsequent cover up and pressure to remain silent, I want you to know that it is not your fault. Most importantly, I want you to know that you are not alone," she wrote in the blog piece.

RELATED: Austin Church Director Accused Of Sex Incident Cover-Up On Leave

Savage said in a statement that after the incident he took "every step to respond in a biblical way," including stepping down from the ministry and moving home to Memphis. He said he told both his wife — before marrying her — and lead pastor Chris Conlee before joining Highpoint.

"I accepted full responsibility for my actions," he said. "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."

Savage added that he hasn't been involved in any other similar situations.

Patch generally doesn't identify victims of sexual assault but is doing so here because Woodson published her account. Woodson is one of many women who have felt empowered to speak out in recent months as part of a nationwide #MeToo movement on Twitter that exploded in the wake of multiple sexual assault and harassment allegations against Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Conlee, Savage's fellow pastor at Highpoint, said in a statement the information wasn't new to him or the church's 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," he said. "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."

The Christian publishing company Bethany House and Baker Publishing Group canceled Savage's book "The Ridiculously Good Marriage."

Bethany House and Baker Publishing Group have cancelled publication of the Andy Savage book The Ridiculously Good Marriage.

It may remain on various retail web sites for a short time until those sites update.
— Bethany House (@bethany_house) January 8, 2018

Patch reporter Daniel Hampton contributed to this report.

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