White Mississippi Church to Black Couple: You Can鈥檛 Tie Knot Here
It鈥檚 been more than 50 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously called Sunday morning at 11 鈥渢he most segregated hour of Christian America.鈥� Although many congregations have since integrated 鈥� or at least no longer actively oppose the idea 鈥� some still haven鈥檛 gotten the message.
Just ask Charles and Te鈥橝ndrea Wilson of Jackson, Miss. They say a predominantly on Saturday because of their race.
The couple had sent out invitations and printed programs announcing that the ceremony would be held at First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs. But the church鈥檚 pastor, Rev. Stan Weatherford, called them on Friday to say that wouldn鈥檛 be possible.
鈥淗e had people in the sanctuary that were pitching a fit about us being a black couple,鈥� Te鈥橝ndrea told the Jackson-area NBC affiliate. The Wilsons were not members of the congregation but had regularly attended services there.
Congregants threatened the pastor that if he married the couple 鈥渢hey would vote him out the church,鈥� Charles Wilson said.
Weatherford decided it would be best for everyone if he performed the ceremony at a different church nearby in Crystal Springs, a small town of 5,000 residents a half-hour outside of Jackson.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to have a controversy within the church and I didn鈥檛 want a controversy to affect the wedding of Charles and Te鈥橝ndrea,鈥� Weatherford said.
Weatherford said he was surprised by the opposition voiced by what he termed a small minority of the congregation. No African-American had ever been married at the church, which was established in 1883, 鈥渟o it was setting a new precedent and there are those who reacted to that,鈥� he said.
Church officials now say they welcome any race into their congregation and will hold internal discussions on how to respond should this particular issue reoccur.
To Charles Wilson, the First Baptist Church鈥檚 behavior flies in the face of true Christian values. 鈥淚 blame those members who knew and call themselves Christian and didn鈥檛 stand up,鈥� he said.
His wife agreed. She was 鈥渂rought up in the church to love and care for everybody,鈥� regardless of race.
This isn鈥檛 the first time racial strife has struck Crystal Springs.
In 1966, was reportedly the victim of a racially motivated killing while in the custody of the town鈥檚 police. They claimed he was shot during an escape attempt.
In 1999, Dan M. Gibson, then-mayor of Crystal Springs, at a gathering of the white supremacist (CCC) during a failed run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. The CCC, at the time seeking a 鈥渕ainstream鈥� image, is directly descended from the White Citizens Councils that bitterly resisted integration in the 1950s and 1960s.
Nor is the First Baptist Church the only Deep South congregation recently caught keeping Jim Crow on life support.
Earlier this month, a Winfield, Ala., church courted controversy by an 鈥淎nnual Pastors Conference鈥� with 鈥渁ll white Christians invited.鈥� Rev. William C. Collier defended his event鈥檚 racial exclusivity to the Birmingham-area TV station. "We don't have the facilities to accommodate other people. We haven't got any invitations to black, Muslim events. Of course we are not invited to Jewish events and stuff.鈥�
鈥淥f course,鈥� indeed. Rev. Collier鈥檚 Church of God鈥檚 Chosen is affiliated with the racist, anti-Semitic , which claims Jews are 鈥渢he devil鈥檚 spawn,鈥� and whites the true biblical chosen people.
