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Bishop William Young Under Fire for Inappropriate Comments About Woman at Church Service

Bishop William Young controversy

Bishop William Young of Refreshing Springs Family Worship Center in Timmonsville, South Carolina, has landed himself in hot water after making inappropriate comments about a woman during a Sunday service. Instead of delivering the Word of God, he chose to humiliate a female churchgoer—while Bishop R. Christopher Brown III stood there smiling like it was all just good fun.

A 2019 photo of Bishop Christopher Brown III and Bishop William Young.
A 2019 photo of Bishop Christopher Brown III and Bishop William Young.

Bishop William Young’s Disgraceful Comments

During a birthday celebration for Bishop Brown at his church, Sword of Truth in Florence, South Carolina, on Sunday, January 26, Bishop Young took it upon himself to single out a woman, Sofi Harris, in front of the entire congregation.

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“WHERE THE OTHER LIL LIGHT SKIN GIRL THAT DO HAIR, SHE AIN’T HERE?” Young asked, clearly fishing for an reaction.

Bishop William Young faces criticism for making inappropriate and humiliating comments about a female churchgoer during a live-streamed service.
Bishop William Young faces criticism for making inappropriate and humiliating comments about a female churchgoer during a live-streamed service.

But he didn’t stop there. He took it to full-blown ridicule mode.

Young proceeded to yell “SOFiiiii,” instructing the congregation to chant her name in unison. He then mimicked body movements, implying Sofi was dancing inappropriately at a banquet the night before.

“Don’t give me all of this last night and can’t come to church and hear me preach today,” he added, doubling down on the blatant public shaming.

WATCH VIDEO BELOW:

Sofi Harris Speaks Out—And Rightfully So

Sofi, a holistic hair and scalp expert and owner of House of Transformations Salon in Florence, has since spoken out. In a heartfelt response, she called out the blatant disrespect and the culture within the church that allows this type of behavior to slide.

“It’s not okay, and that’s what I wanted to come on here and express. It’s not okay… It’s never okay,” she stated, emphasizing how most of hurt in her life came from inside the walls of the church.

Sofi Harris, the woman publicly humiliated by Bishop William Young Sr. during a church service, speaks out against the mistreatment.
Sofi Harris, the woman publicly humiliated by Bishop William Young Sr. during a church service, speaks out against the mistreatment.

Sofi made it clear that she wasn’t engaged in anything inappropriate at the banquet. She simply participated in a couple of line dances with elders and ministers. But somehow, that turned into a degrading sermon-worthy moment for Bishop Young.

Adding insult to injury, Sofi didn’t even know about the video until she attended Bible study days later—with people greeting her, “Sofiii, Sofiii” like it was all some kind of running joke.

“Here I am at Bible study, coming to study the Bible, and I’m greeted with this as if it’s a joke, and it’s okay,” she said.

Sofi made it clear that this type of behavior should not be tolerated.

Bishop William Young controversy

On Monday, January 27—a full day after the service—Bishop Brown had the perfect opportunity to publicly apologize to Sofi, a member of his church. Instead, he conveniently focused on how “good” the service was.

It wasn’t until The North Carolina Beat reached out to Bishop Brown for comment that a response magically appeared.  Bishop Brown issued another apology at 3:55 p.m. on Tuesday—hours after we reached out to him at 11:30 a.m. Clearly, a last-minute attempt to save face before this story.

A photo of Sofi Harris and Bishop William Young Sr. together at his birthday celebration.
A photo of Sofi Harris and Bishop William Young Sr. together at his birthday celebration.

Bishop Young should have never made those comments. Bishop Brown should have never laughed along. And the congregation should have never participated in this public mockery.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Pastors should engage in public shaming. Churches have standards for their members, and when a member fails to uphold those standards, by all means, let them know, pastor! It’s called holding people accountable for their behavior.

  2. I can say so much about the ppl involved and some members of the s.o.t church! Because I have personally experienced the discomfort and the pews of the church. It is never okay to be handled neither here nor there. I don’t know the lady that was disrespectfully preyed upon, but I do know the disrespect she feels. And is one of my main reasons why I stop attending services there all together. Besides some members always trying to check ppl until they start checking temperatures! When you wasn’t when you wasn’t even talking to them. Plus, Noone ever takes accountability for their actions and it is always a games until you give them the same energy. It’s a lot of cloaking and favoritism up in them type churches ForReal! ForReal! I was truly seeking the man above back then. Only 1 handful of members I still deal with bcuz they always showed pure genuine love, and Never made me feel they judged me or others! I do feel; It’s messed up they get embarrassed in the hands of their leader. Smh! Big Ups to them.. đź’ś

  3. I wholeheartedly agree with Sofi Harris. This behavior is definitely NOT OK! No only is it not ok, it is NOT OF GOD. I know we are living in perilous times but we are also still Gods people and should be held to a certain standard. Now, we may bring up Sofi’s name with some past “stigma” or “ridicule” as she so stated, but Bishop Young should be the very last person to air out anything about anyone’s mishaps as in his opinion. He should definitely have sat this one out but that will not be spoken here today. I stand with Sofi and all women and men, even children who have been hurt in the safety of the church. Lastly, there but for the grace of God go us all!

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Gerald Jackson
Gerald Jacksonhttps://www.instagram.com/iiamgj/
Hi, my name is Gerald Jackson. I was born and raised in Troy, Alabama. I currently reside in North Carolina. I am a Journalist, Influencer, Content Creator, and a Man of Faith! I don't shy away from the truth, always speak my mind, and before I take anything back, I'll add more to it. Follow me on my social media below to keep up with my personal life. LOL!

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