A prominent pastor at Florida’a sprawling The VIllages complex, home to roughly 80,000 senior citizens, was arrested on charges of bigamy after an outstanding warrant in Georiga alleges he was married to two women at the same time. Ironically, Leslie Williams wrote a book in 2017 on how to properly love a spouse according to biblical ethics while also running an eponymous ministry in the central Florida development helping residents connect to God.
According to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, one of the the three counties spanning the massive complex, Williams is currently being held without bond as a result of his status as an out-of-state fugitive.
Williams, aged 62, was taken into custody at the sprawling retirement center, The Villages, on an outstanding warrant out of Georgia tied to a bigamy charge, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Questions began being asked after the pastor posted to his social media that he had just gotten married, despite his Facebook status already indicated his marital status in the affirmative since at least 2018.
“Concerns were first raised when a complainant reported the alleged bigamy to the Haines City Police Department in Florida, officials said. The case was later transferred to Georgia after records showed Williams’ previous marriage had been certified in Rockdale County,” Fox News reported as it untangled the messy relationship status. The Georgia County’s Sheriff Office stated in related comments that it had obtained Florida marriage records and confirmed he was indeed legally wed while obtaining the subsequent marriage certificate.
Incredibly, both Williams’ 2017 book “Love Her Like This: Loving Her Has Never Been Deeper” and ministry located in The Villages focused on helping devotees develop a closer relationship to Christ in order to strengthen their relationships with their partners and Jesus Christ.
“At Leslie Williams Ministries, our mission is to spread the message of hope and love through faith in Jesus Christ and prepare as many as we can for the end of time! We believe in empowering individuals as disciples to strengthen their relationship with God, each other and with new disciple recruits,” his website’s mission statement states.
“LHLT speaks directly to the hearts of men sharing the deep intent of the type of love a man should have for his wife! LHLT also deals with common issues that arise in a marriage that have the potential to destroy the sacred relationship between a husband and wife. Additionally, LHLT answers many questions and challenges men to love deeper than ever before, by making plain the meaning of commitment!” the book’s synopsis on Amazon reads.
“Most importantly, LHLT reveals the rich and deep love a husband should and must have for his wife using the biblical example found in Ephesians 5:25. “Husbands, love your wives even as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it!” This book describes the unconditional, never failing love our Lord has for His bride and uses the premise of that love as a measurement for men to use while loving their wives! Reading this book will make you laugh, cry and most of all act. If a husband loves his wife like Christ loves the church, God will be glorified and their love would be the crowning achievement of their lives!” it continues.
Featured image: Sumter County Sheriff’s Office