Montgomery Pastor Admits To Having AIDS, Sleeping With Church Members

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -

It’s an announce­ment that con­tin­ues to rock a Montgomery church and the sur­round­ing community.

WSFA 12 News con­firmed with church lead­ers, includ­ing the now for­mer pas­tor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, Juan Demetrius McFarland him­self, that McFarland con­fessed from the pul­pit a few Sundays ago that he had full blown AIDS and had slept with church mem­bers with­out reveal­ing he had AIDS.

Shocked and stunned, church mem­bers con­tact­ed the 12 NEWS DEFENDERS and reac­tion is com­ing in from the con­gre­ga­tion that is still in disbelief.

McFarland did­n’t hold back when he revealed to wor­shipers at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church on Sept. 14, that he con­tract­ed HIV in 2003 and dis­cov­ered in 2008 he had AIDS.

“The church was very accept­ing of Reverend McFarland and was will­ing to help him in any way pos­si­ble,” a church mem­ber, who want­ed to remain unnamed, explained.

Once the pas­tor, with 23 years of lead­er­ship, start­ed reveal­ing more and more on the fol­low­ing Sundays, mem­bers and lead­ers say they real­ized he had crossed the line.

In a res­o­lu­tion read aloud at the church, lead­ers shared, and Pastor McFarland con­firmed to WSFA 12 News, that he admit­ted to drug use and mis­han­dling of church funds. And there was what mem­bers say was the ulti­mate shock­er, described by church dea­con Nathan Williams Jr.

“He con­cealed from the church that he had know­ing­ly engaged in adul­tery in the church build­ing with female mem­bers of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church while know­ing­ly hav­ing AIDS,” Williams said.

McFarland was removed as church pas­tor on Oct. 5. Still, church mem­bers say some con­gre­ga­tion mem­bers are afraid to come for­ward and many oth­ers are concerned.

“Who does this to peo­ple, and you are the leader? Who does this?” anoth­er unnamed church mem­ber asked.

“I know a young lady who is a mem­ber of the church who says she has slept with him and that she did­n’t want this to go pub­lic, and she run­ning out now try­ing to find out if there is any­thing wrong with her,” the mem­ber explained. “And my heart goes out to her because she’s been a won­der­ful church mem­ber, and then for some­thing like this to hap­pen. The fact that he did­n’t tell them at all. That’s a crime in itself.” read more here :http://​www​.msnews​now​.com/​s​t​o​r​y​/​2​6​7​3​7​9​3​5​/​m​o​n​t​g​o​m​e​r​y​-​p​a​s​t​o​r​-​a​d​m​i​t​s​-​t​o​-​h​a​v​i​n​g​-​a​i​d​s​-​s​l​e​e​p​i​n​g​-​w​i​t​h​-​c​h​u​r​c​h​-​m​e​m​b​ers