The estranged husband of national evangelist Juanita Bynum was facing turmoil in his personal life in the months before he allegedly lashed out and assaulted his successful wife in a hotel parking lot.
Thomas W. Weeks, 40, was evicted from his Duluth home after he and Bynum had separated. And he had a verbal dispute with an employee that turned physical, according to police reports.
Earlier this month during a sermon at the church he and Bynum founded, Global Destiny Church in Duluth, Weeks eluded to marital problems between the two, church members said.
"He was really mean," said Tiny Gilyard, 41, of Lawrenceville, who has attended Global Destiny for a year and witnessed Weeks's sermon. "He explained that (Bynum) is not going to be preaching anymore. He said she was just going to come and sit down….It was like he was jealous of her."
Weeks surrendered to authorities Friday and was released on a $40,000 bond Friday for allegedly choking and striking Bynum â€" a fiery minister whose sermons empower women to walk away from dead-end relationships â€" Tuesday in a hotel parking lot after the pair had dinner together to discuss a reconciliation, police said.
He has been charged with two felonies â€" aggravated assault for his attack on her Tuesday and making terrorist threats fro threating to kill her, police said.
Weeks spent about six hours inside the Fulton County Jail before emerging at 1:40 p.m., holding a finger to his lips to signal that he had no comment. He was dressed in a gray suit and bow tie. He climbed into the passenger seat of a silver, four-door Jaguar and rode away.
The attack on Bynum came as the bishop's personal life apparently was spiraling toward its boiling point.
He had been separated from Bynum for three months, family say.
On June 27, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office knocked on Weeks' door to serve him with an eviction notice for his home on Campestral Court in Duluth. Weeks wasn't there, police said.
"He had moved and the home was vacant," said Cpl. Mike Honiker of the Forsyth Sheriff's Office.
Six months earlier, Weeks was involved in a dispute with an employee that turned physical, according to a police report.
Weeks had called the police because the female employee, who had been put on employment probation, was demanding her paycheck and would not leave his church . The woman complained to police that Weeks grabbed her and "physically escorted her off the property." She returned claiming to have "bruises," from the altercation.
Duluth Police did not have any information late Friday about how the incident was resolved.
Attorneys for Weeks said he planned to continue his career and try to reconcile with his wife.
"He is born to be a minister and he is going to continue to be a minister," said his lawyer , Louis Tesser. "He is a human being. It is a regrettable set of events."
There was no indication whether Weeks would be preaching at his Duluth church on Sunday.
His next hearing will be Sept. 7 in Fulton County Superior Court.
Bynum, a fiery national evangelist whose sermons empower women to walk away from dead-end relationships, was allegedly struck by her husband Tuesday in a hotel parking lot after the pair had dinner together to discuss a reconciliation.
Police said Bynum, 48, has been whisked away by family as they decide what to do next.
"He is extremely sad over the events that have taken place," said Edward Garland, another attorney representing Weeks. "I think there is hope on his part that the relationship can get past these difficult moments.
Mixing love and ministerial work can take its toll on relationship for pastors with successful followings, clergy say.
"It is tremendously hard to balance a relationship," said the Rev. Cynthia L. Hale, pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church. "If you happen to be more successful than your spouse or make more money or have greater prestige that is where the challenge comes in. There are many men who are secure in life, but there are also men who are insecure and they have struggled with having their wives [or girlfriends] excel in ways they don't."
Weeks had a successful ministry when he met Bynum. However, she is internationally known.
Weeks's books include "What's on Your Mind: The Level of Your Success Begins with Your Thinking" and "Even As Your Soul Prospers: Realize Your Purpose, Release Your Blessings." Then, there was this book, "Teach Me How to Love You: The Beginnings."
Meanwhile, the dispute may have caused Weeks to lose church members.
Gilyard left the church the day he made the comments about his wife. And now that Weeks has be arrested, Gilyard says will be looking for another place to worship.
"I'm not going back," said Gilyard, who is engaged to be married. "How can he counsel people about their marriages if he can't take care of his own business. That was his wife."
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