BELFAST (NORTHERN IRELAND)
Belfast Telegraph
Jan. 6, 2020
By Brett Campbell
The father of a man whose wife was caught having an affair with her pastor 18 months after he married the couple has criticised a Co Down church for its “shameful” response to the scandal.
Pastor Gareth Mills (41) was sacked from the super-church he helped found in Newtownards after details of his affair came to light last Thursday.
The betrayed husband’s dad said he believed the church was more concerned about protecting itself and “paying the mortgage on their big new building than they are with helping my son who is completely and utterly devastated by this”.
“So are we, his mother is absolutely distraught too. It is shameful,” he said.
Members of Thriving Life Church (TLC) yesterday wiped away tears as they were told that the “unrepentant” father-of-one has no intention of ending the illicit relationship with the 22-year-old family friend who began attending the church around four years ago.
It was there she met her husband and the pair were both baptised by Pastor Mills.
The Belfast Telegraph has seen pictures of the young woman posing alongside the heartbroken wife of her new lover before the affair was uncovered.
Her father-in-law said there had been suspicion for the past six months, although it is not known for certain how long the affair has been going on.
“It’s all on the phone, there are pictures of them out on dates and up the Mourne Mountains together,” he said.
“It’s obviously been going on for a while and now they’ve just tripped themselves up. My son works night shift, so it was easy for the pastor.”
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