A GODLY politician and a mega-church pastor have separately confessed to cheating on their wives.
Republican Congressman Vance McAllister from Louisiana admitted that he had been caught on a surveillance camera snogging a woman who was not his wife, and Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Pastor Bob Coy, 58, confessed in a letter to:
A moral failing which disqualifies him from continuing his leadership role at the church.
McAllister, left, and Coy
Father of five McAllister campaigned last year as a devout Christian, using his faith and his 16-year marriage to appeal to conservative voters
Then the Ouachita Citizen, a West Monroe, La, newspaper in the Congressman’s district, reported on a grainy video from December – which the paper says it received from an anonymous source.
Yesterday, McAllister, a Baptist, issued a statement to the News Star, a newspaper based in Monroe, La, admitting he is the man in the video.
There’s no doubt I’ve fallen short and I’m asking for forgiveness. I’m asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff and my constituents who elected me to serve.
The newspaper also identified the woman as Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock, 33, who worked for the congressman. The married Peacock is cosmetologist. who was employed as McAllister’s “District Scheduler”.
A fan of Christian lunatic homophobe Willie Robertson, of the controversial reality-television show Duck Dynasty, McAllister added:
Trust is something I know has to be earned whether you’re a husband, a father or a Congressman. I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I’ve disappointed.
Coy, who has led the church since its founding in 1985, said he will now focus his full attention on his personal relationship with God and his family.
The radio, television and digital media that distributes Coy’s teachings have been suspended.
Calvary Chapel said in a statement:
The governing board of the church is providing counsellors and ministers who will help guide him through the process of full repentance, cleansing and restoration.
Calvary is one of the largest churches in Florida, with some 20,000 members who worship in 10 locations across the state.
The statement added:
Trusting in God’s providence, protection, provision and direction, the staff of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale will continue our mission to ‘make disciples’ through regular services at all campuses and through myriad other ministries the church has established over the years.
Hat tip: Mark Palmer (Coy report) and BarrieJohn
Freshman Republican Congressman Vance McAllister from Louisiana has admitted that video surveillance allegedly showing him kissing a staffer who is not his wife, is of him.
First reported by the Ouachita Citizen, a West Monroe, La., newspaper in the Congressman’s district, the grainy video from December — which the paper says it received from an anonymous source — shows a man turning off the lights in a hallway before briefly exiting the frame. When he comes back in frame, he is joined by a woman and the two kiss passionately before exiting the building. None of the footage, which the newspaper says was shot in McAllister’s Monroe district office, clearly shows the faces of the two individuals. The woman is identified by the newspaper as McAllister’s district scheduler.
On Monday, McAllister issued a statement to the News Star, a newspaper based in Monroe, La., admitting he is the man in the video. “There’s no doubt I’ve fallen short and I’m asking for forgiveness,” McAllister said in a statement. “I’m asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff and my constituents who elected me to serve.” The newspaper also identified the staffer as Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock, 33. She reportedly no longer works for the Congressman.
“Trust is something I know has to be earned whether you’re a husband, a father or a Congressman,” McAllister’s statement reads, according to the News Star. “I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I’ve disappointed.”
McAllister won a Nov. 16 special election to replace Representative Rodney Alexander, who vacated his seat after he was named the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs in August. McAllister campaigned as a devout Christian, using his faith and his 16-year marriage to appeal to conservative voters. In January, he invited Willie Robertson, a member of the controversial reality-television show Duck Dynasty, to be his guest at the State of the Union address.
The Ouachita Citizen says on its website that it has a paid circulation of 5,200.