TENNESSEE
Christian Post
BY NICOLA MENZIE , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
December 19, 2013
A Memphis, Tenn., pastor is being held on a $1 million bond for allegedly sexually molesting a young family member for years. When the 16-year-old reported the alleged abuse to her mother early on, the woman chose to pray for God to end the abuse instead of reporting the alleged crime to earthly authorities.
Michael Bryant, 48, pastor of Hour of Restoration Church of God in Christ for the past three years and previously an elder at Greater Community Temple COGIC, is accused of taking advantage of the woman’s work schedule to abuse her teenage daughter.
For the last two years, Bryant would enter the girl’s bedroom whenever her mother was at work or asleep and expose his genitals and fondle her, WREG-TV reports investigators as saying.
When the girl turned to her mother for help, Bryant admitted to fondling her. However, the teen’s mother prayed that God would remove “these thoughts” from Bryant’s mind, instead of taking her daughter’s story to the authorities. It was not immediately known how Bryant and the girl were related.
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