He was Pastor Nathaniel, but we mostly just called him Pastor Nate. It aligned with the persona he wore as he began his service at the mystery. The one consensus about Nate was his energy level; he was the embodiment of Redbull gives you wings.

He joined our church as a youth pastor. The church leaders were happy with the number of congregants he brought in. Word quickly spread of the youth pastor with the gift of gab. His sermons were electrifying, and he got many people to join after service activities and groups.

“We have to join Daughters Like Ruth,” said Ivy, my church friend.

“I’m not sure that I am a good fit,” I replied.

“Aren’t you approaching 30 and still single?”

It stung when she said it.

“Plus, Pastor Nate even helps the ladies find husbands. Three of the girls in the group took their boyfriends, and he helped them sniff out who wasn’t serious,” said Ivy.

Almost as though the heavens had taken pity on me after Ivy’s remarks, a guy I had been crushing on for a couple of months asked me out.  The first few months were great. I was certain that I had found ‘the one’.  Then ‘the one’ started treating me like I was just one of his options.

“You know, you can have him meet Pastor Nate, and he can assess for you if he’s serious about you,” Ivy told me when I complained about my boyfriend’s mixed signals.

“What do you mean? Like, have the Pastor vet him?” I asked her.

“Exactly. Now, will you join the church group so that Pastor Nate gets to know you, too?” Ivy asked me.

I didn’t need convincing at that moment. My ‘one’ was slipping through my fingers, and I needed to do all I could to prevent it.

The first meeting was interesting. After the session that included praise and worship and preaching on issues faced by people in my age group, the newcomers had a chance to introduce themselves to everyone and later have one-on-one sessions with Pastor Nate.

“The lady who’s always in heels and prefers the back-left corner of the church,” said Pastor Nate when I went to introduce myself to him.

The wide eyes and raised eyebrows spoke before I could string together any words.

“Surprised? Don’t be. It’s the shepherd’s job to know his flock,” he said.

“I hope I’m not the missing 100th,” I joked.

“You did bring yourself back to the flock, so you’re part of the 99 for now, at least,” he said with a wink.

Experiencing Pastor Nate from the congregation was one thing, but being that close to him was a different story. The way he looked at you in your eyes when he spoke made me feel like I was the only object of his attention. He was witty, and boy, did he smell good! But he was Pastor Nate.

The way the group meetings worked was that a female pastor led most sessions, but Pastor Nate would chime in when there was a need for male insights or to discuss gender-neutral topics. By the third session, my boyfriend’s drama had escalated, and I poured out my heart to Pastor Nate.

I knew he wasn’t serious about me, but a confirmation from Pastor Nate felt like permission to end the relationship. It hurt, but Pastor Nate checked on me, which made it bearable. It wasn’t long before Pastor Nate and I got close. At first, it felt appropriate, and then I began to feel like there was more to some of our conversations.

He was the ‘Pastor Nate’ and the whole church knew his wife, so I quickly brushed it off. Shortly after, he invited me for coffee. I had gotten more involved with church activities, and it gave us an excuse to meet. That was when he confessed his feelings for me. I hadn’t been imagining things.

I tried to resist. Lord knows I did. I reminded myself that he was a man of God, married and every other ethical, moral and logical reason there was, but I found myself falling for him more and more. I tried ignoring his calls and texts, but he was persistent. He was a charmer and would come over to my house or send me gifts to my home or workplace.

I didn’t tell any of my church friends what was going on for obvious reasons. Part of me was also excited by the thrill of keeping the secret. In the stolen moments with Pastor Nate, nothing else mattered. Our affair lasted almost a year before everything went south.

His wife suspected he was unfaithful. It was hard for her to pinpoint who it was because Pastor Nate hung out with so many women in the church. However, one of the female pastors had been suspicious of us for a while. She had asked my friend, Ivy, about it, but since I had kept the affair a secret, she had nothing useful to tell.

Then I missed my period. I told him about it. We fought about how to go about it. He started ignoring me. I texted and called him endlessly. His wife found out due to the drama. She came to me as ‘a woman’ and gave me an ultimatum. I had to terminate it and change churches. They gave me cash for the procedure and for my silence.

I remember Pastor Nate looking at me like I was the temptress sent to ruin him as his wife insulted me. It was hard to reconcile the man I had fallen for with the man who was presenting an envelope of cash in front of me.

I knew I had it coming because I didn’t argue with them. I moved houses, stopped attending church and blocked the friends I had made at that church.

Also check out

Until The Pastor Puts Asunder

He Ghosted Her After Three Perfect Dates, Then She Saw Him At Church

Let Us Prey – The Billionaire’s Club In My Church

The Church’s First Lady Had A Scandalous Secret That Threatened To Destroy The Church

He Said She Wasn’t Christian Enough

A Lady In My Church Whom I Respected Set Me Up With A Date Who Was In An Open Marriage

The Governor And His Secret Scandalous Affairs –  Will This Church Elder Finally Be Exposed?

The Singlehood Series: Dating The Man With Constant Misfortunes Was Getting Tiring