Seth Oiler who pastored the First United Methodist Church, died by suicide inside the parsonage on Friday morning. A married pastor and a and father of three from Ohio who was about to lose his job after confessing to an affair with a member of his flock earlier this month, reportedly took his own life on Friday inside the church-owned parsonage where he lived with his wife and three children.
Christian Post reports that 42-yr-old Seth Oiler who pastored the First United Methodist Church, died by suicide inside the parsonage on Friday morning, according to the Newark Advocate.
The report noted that the church had sent a letter to the congregation earlier this month informing them that Oiler had been placed on leave after confessing to the affair.
"The bishop (Gregory Palmer) requested a meeting with Seth at which time Seth freely confessed to sexual misconduct with an adult in the congregation. Seth requested a voluntary leave of absence. He agreed with the bishop that stepping aside from his current appointment at First United Methodist Church was best in order to provide a time of counseling for himself and his family," said Lisa Streight, communications director for the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, in a statement to the Newark Advocate late Tuesday.
"We were just heartbroken and stunned," Streight added in a later report. "Many people are grieving, including of course his wife and children, the congregation he served and so many of his colleagues and friends. It was terribly sad."
As news of Oiler's untimely death spread over the weekend, many who knew the pastor told the advocate that Oiler was about to lose his job with the church but they were providing support for his family, including allowing them to temporarily stay in the parsonage and extending his salary.
An obituary for the pastor said he was a veteran of the United States Navy who loved God and many other things.
Credit: www.247naijagossip.com/
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