<p>Televangelist Juanita Bynum's husband, who is charged with beating her, said Friday that he and Bynum had spent the night together one day before the alleged attack in a hotel parking lot, and it had boosted his hopes for a reconciliation.</p><p>Thomas W. Weeks III said during a news conference at the headquarters of Global Destiny Ministries _ where the couple has preached for several years _ that their relationship had been strained since June when Bynum said she was leaving their church, but he had hoped their love "was going to get us through these hard times."</p><p>The news conference offered Weeks' first in-person remarks to the news media since the incident in August that plunged him and Bynum into the glare of publicity.</p><p>"In the last five years I have always loved my wife and have been nothing but faithful to her," Weeks said. "I want to be clear in saying I do not condone in any way shape or form violence of any kind towards women. My role has always been to operate as a protector and not as an aggressor. I have walked away from many situations between the two of us, just like I walked away that night."</p><p>He did not take questions, nor did he explain how the incident developed after he "walked away."</p><p>Weeks faces charges of aggravated assault and making terroristic threats. He is free on $40,000 bond and is not allowed to have contact with Bynum.</p><p>The incident unfolded the morning of Aug. 22 when police were called to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, where they found Bynum with bruises. According to the police report, she told officers Weeks "choked her, pushed her down, kicked and stomped her ... until a bellman pulled him off of her."</p><p>Weeks said Friday that he and Bynum had met at a restaurant at the hotel the night of Aug. 21 for a business meeting.</p><p>But one night earlier, he said, "I was with my wife the entire night ... and felt that our love for each other was going to get us through these hard times."</p><p>Bynum earlier this month filed for divorce, saying that the marriage is "irretrievably broken" and citing "cruel treatment." Weeks initially said he would challenge it, but later said he would not.</p><p>Weeks told reporters their estrangement began on June 3 when Bynum announced to the church that she was "planning to leave our church never to return." He said he learned her plans for the first time when she made the announcement.</p><p>Weeks said called the press conference "due to the many discrepancies, dramatizations and untruths shared over the past three weeks" and that he wanted to address his congregation and others who have been interested in the case. He explained that he had kept silent in the beginning out of respect for his marriage.</p><p>"Through all of this, I still believed in protecting our marriage by keeping our relationship issues a private matter," Weeks said. "Marriage can only function at an optimal level when it separates itself from the public and other hindrances that block the integrity of the union."</p><p>Bynum and Weeks wed in a million-dollar, televised ceremony in July 2002, and their marriage played a prominent role in their ministries. The couple co-wrote "Teach Me How to Love: The Beginnings."</p><p>Bynum has not publicly discussed in detail her own perspective on what led to the estrangement. But after the alleged attack, Bynum emerged as a self-appointed "face of domestic violence" and has said she wants to be seen as a survivor, not a victim, of abuse.</p><p>On June 14, Weeks said, Bynum sent him a letter through a lawyer asking him to "cease and desist selling any of our church ministry products with her name, face, image, sound or likeness."</p><p>Bynum, 48, is head of a ministry that also includes a gospel record label and seminar tours. She has sold thousands of motivational books, CDs and DVDs related to empowerment and relationships.</p><p>Weeks, 40, is known to his followers as Bishop Weeks and is head of Global Destiny Ministries, based in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth.</p><p>After the press conference, divorce attorney Randy Kessler said that Weeks has not been focused on how he could benefit financially from the split.</p><p>"This is not a case about money," Kessler said. "He has not talked to us about money, he has not talked to us about what he will seek."</p><p>The couple did not have a prenuptial agreement, Kessler said. Weeks' attorneys remain hopeful that the divorce can proceed amicably and quietly.</p><p>___</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x2def214)</p><p>HASH(0x2def2bc)</p>
