Memphis Mega-Church Pastor Accused of Sexual Assault

Andy Savage, a pastor at the Highpoint Mega-Church in Memphis, Tennessee, has been accused of sexually assaulting a minor.

In a statement on the church website, Savage confirmed that he did have a sexual encounter with the accuser 20 years ago, when she was 17 years old and he was a college student. His age was unspecified, and is conspicuously missing from his website and his social media profiles.

Savage claims that he begged for forgiveness after the encounter and did everything he could to repent. He left the Texas church where the incident occurred and moved back home to Memphis, where he ultimately co-founded the Highpoint Mega-Church.

Jules Woodson’s version of events is quite different. On a blog called Watch Keep, she describes a coercive sexual encounter with Savage in graphic detail. Her story clearly articulates how Savage was an influential person with social capitol and power in her community, and refusing him was not an option. She also describes how he begged her to “take this to the grave,” knowing he’d just committed a serious crime.

Included in the blog post is Woodson’s email to Savage, warning him that the story would soon be coming out.

“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?” she wrote.

“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?” she added.

“Well, I REMEMBER. #me-too,” she finished.

She claims that Savage never responded to the email. Savage’s church has made several statements of their continued support for Savage. In fact, his co-founder has emphasized that he knew about Savage’s attack and his confession, and has worked with him anyway, believing he has repented.

Woodson revealed in the blog post that she has opened a case with law enforcement, pursuing charges of sexual assault. Since the story broke, Savage has gone private and protected on social media.