Crystal Springs Baptist Apologizes to Black Couple...Kinda

[Zaac]

(AP) JACKSON, Miss. - A predominantly white Mississippi church has apologized for its refusal to allow a black couple to marry in its sanctuary, though the couple said Monday they knew nothing of the apology until a reporter called.

The First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs posted the apology on its website Sunday, saying it was seeking "forgiveness and reconciliation" with Charles Wilson and Te'Andrea Henderson Wilson, their families and friends and God.

"This wrong decision resulted in hurt and sadness for everyone. Both the pastor and those involved in the wedding location being changed have expressed their regrets and sorrow for their actions," reads part of the six-paragraph statement.

However, Charles Wilson said no one from the church had contacted him or his wife.

"I can't believe they think they've apologized," Wilson said. He said only one or two people from the church have contacted him in recent weeks, and they did so personally and not as representatives of the church.

"You put a thing in the media and say you've apologized?" Wilson asked. "That is an insult."

Church officials did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking further comment Monday.

The Wilsons had planned a marriage ceremony at the church July 21, but some members objected to the Rev. Stan Weatherford after the couple's rehearsal. The Wilsons have said that Weatherford, the pastor, told them he could be fired if the wedding was held in his church.

The couple's wedding was held in a predominantly black church, where Weatherford officiated.

Some church members have said that most of the hundreds of congregants didn't learn what had happened until well after the Wilsons' wedding.

Crystal Springs Apology for Barring Black Wedding

Seriously? Did this guy fail Pastoring 101. If it was the pastor's idea to apologize this way, either he needs to grow up and stop letting the powers that be push him into a seemingly castrated state, or he needs to step down from being anyone's pastor.

The way that this entire thing has been handled is abysmal and if I were in the congregation, would be questioning whether I needed to be under this man's leadership.

Even if he is just the do-man of certain folks in the church. If he can't take a stand and start doing things RIGHT, folks need to get on up out of there.

 

[abcgrad94]

Another article I read said the pastor offered to marry them somewhere else because it was the church's policy not, his. It seemed he didn't mind marrying them, but the people wouldn't let him marry them in that church.

Also note that the couple attended this church, but were not members. I don't know exactly what their policies are, but I do know that many churches have made policies to ONLY marry members of their church, in order to avoid lawsuits from gays.

It very well could be that this church is racist. It also could be that the media is spinning this, leaving out some important details, to make it look racist.

 

[Zaac]

Another article I read said the pastor offered to marry them somewhere else because it was the church's policy not, his. It seemed he didn't mind marrying them, but the people wouldn't let him marry them in that church.

Also note that the couple attended this church, but were not members. I don't know exactly what their policies are, but I do know that many churches have made policies to ONLY marry members of their church, in order to avoid lawsuits from gays.

It very well could be that this church is racist. It also could be that the media is spinning this, leaving out some important details, to make it look racist.

I don't know too much about the racist angle. But it was reported that a small number of folks came to him about marrying the Black couple in the church because in the entire history of the church, this had never taken place and they didn't want it to start.

So to let this blatant prejudice fester, the pastor conceded and married them in a predominantly "Black church".

The Bride's father is a member and church's generally don't take issue with member's kids getting married there.

But this had nothing to do with the legalities.

But to turn around and have a reporter calling them because an apology has been made but not directly to them? This is crazy!

We're the Body of Christ. You don't want a bride to get married in God's Church because of the skin color of she and her fiance (smh). Some folks are gonna have an awfully rough time when they get to heaven and see Christ's Bride made of every shade and nationality.

But that aside, this church seems to lack real leadership. And the pastor can apologize for others all he likes. But all this has boiled down to him not doing what is right...BOTH times.

 

[freeatlast]

Some are claiming that they were not allowed to be married in that church because of race. If that is true the pastor needs to step down even if he does not agree with the churches position because he is suppose to set the standards not be subject to ungodly standards.

Others are saying this was not a racial issue but a membership issue. If that is the case then nothing was done here that is improper. However my question is IF this was a membership issue then why apologize? It looks like it was a race issue and if that be the case then the pastor needs to get out of the pulpit as he does not meet the qualifications in the scriptures.
That being said what needs to be done by all who know the Lord and now know of this is to pray for that church and its leadership that the Lord's name is restored and that includes the couple who feel they have been wronged to forgive.

 

[Zaac]

Some are claiming that they were not allowed to be married in that church because of race. If that is true the pastor needs to step down even if he does not agree with the churches position because he is suppose to set the standards not be subject to ungodly standards.

Others are saying this was not a racial issue but a membership issue. If that is the case then nothing was done here that is improper. However my question is IF this was a membership issue then why apologize?

It's not just the apology that makes it look suspect. But the fact that the Pastor had already agreed to marry them in the church so their lack of membership never seemed to be a factor. According to the first story released, they attended the church regularly but were not members. And her father has been a long time member.

From a previous story:

"This had never been done before here, so it was setting a new precedent, and there are those who reacted to that because of that," said Weatherford.

Weatherford performed the July 21 ceremony at another church.

"I didn't want to have a controversy within the church, and I didn't want a controversy to affect the wedding of Charles and Te'Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a special day," said Weatherford.

WLBT reported that church officials now say they welcome any race. They plan to hold internal meetings on how to move forward.

Church member Casey Kitchens said she and other members of the congregation are outraged by the church's refusal to marry a black couple, a decision she says most of the congregation knew nothing about.

"This is a small, small group of people who made a terrible decision," Kitchens told The Clarion-Ledger. "I'm just ashamed right now that my church would do that. I can't fathom why. How unfair. How unjust. It's just wrong."

"I blame the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, I blame those members who knew and call themselves Christians and didn't stand up," said Charles Wilson.

Wilson told the newspaper that he understands Weatherford was caught in a difficult position and he still likes the pastor, but he also thinks the pastor should have stood up to the members who didn't want the couple to marry in the church.

"It's not reflective of the spirit of the Lord and Mississippi Baptists," the Mississippi Baptist Convention executive director, the Rev. Jim Futral, said. "It's just a step backward. ... It's a sad thing.

It looks like it was a race issue and if that be the case then the pastor needs to get out of the pulpit as he does not meet the qualifications in the scriptures.That being said what needs to be done by all who know the Lord and now know of this is to pray for that church and its leadership that the Lord's name is restored and that includes the couple who feel they have been wronged to forgive.

Absolutely. I'm so sick of the Body of Christ letting the enemy use skin color to divide us. But that's why I say that if I were a member, I'd be questioning Weatherford's ability to strongly lead at this point.


We are ALL descendant of the first two people so every skin color imaginable has derived from those two.

So who historically started this whole "you're a different race if you're a different skin color" stuff anyway?

 

[abcgrad94]

We are ALL descendant of the first two people so every skin color imaginable has derived from those two.

Exactly. There is only one race--the HUMAN race. We're all related to Adam.

 

[Jon-Marc]

Another article I read said the pastor offered to marry them somewhere else because it was the church's policy not, his. It seemed he didn't mind marrying them, but the people wouldn't let him marry them in that church.

If that is the case, that pastor needs to find a church that actually has Christians in it.

 

[Aaron]

Ho hum. :sleep: