NEW JERSEY
The Jersey Journal
Saturday, January 21, 2006
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
More than 200 people packed into St. John's Baptist Church this week, some hoping to hear a confession from its pastor, who cost the church more than $100,000 after a former church employee won a sexual harassment lawsuit against him.
But the Rev. Sammie Lee Hawkins, who has been pastor at the church for 15 years, not only told his congregation Thursday night that the court documents were lies, but also reportedly said The Jersey Journal was going to retract its earlier account of the lawsuit. The newspaper is not retracting the story.
Jermaine Thomas, who attended the meeting Thursday, said many of the attendees were looking for answers from Hawkins, as well as some insight into how the church plans to deal with the money issue and what steps will be taken next.