Audio: South Suburban Pastor Tells of Phone Conversation with Jesse Jackson Jr.

Jesse Jackson Jr. wants his constituents to know that he loves them to death, according to a Matteson pastor.

In his Sunday sermon at Victory Apostolic Church in Matteson, the Rev. Andrew Singleton Jr. spoke of a two-hour phone conversation he says he had with Jackson, who recently returned to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Audio of the sermon was sent to Patch, but church officials said they did not make the recording. Officials at the church, however, confirmed Singleton's mention of his conversation with Jackson during the sermon. 

"He made it clear, he's got serious issues he must deal with, and they are serious," Singleton said during his Sunday sermon. 

Singleton declined to divulge many details from the conversation, sharing just two statements from Jackson.

"He said two things, he said, 'First of all, tell them . . . that I love 'em to death,'" Singleton said. "No. 2, he said 'tell them, will they please pray for (me).' Those were the two things that he said."

Singleton makes clear his support for the congressman in the audio clip and encourages the congregation to support Jackson without explicitly telling them to vote for him.

"I don't think it's good when a person is down, that we kick them," Singleton said.

The Mayo Clinic announced Jackson was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder in August, after the congressman had been on medical leave for two months. Jackson checked out of the Clinic in Sept. but went back last week.

Jackson is the subject of two federal-level investigations, one of which involves his campaign spending. 

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