Money for church

[baggio248]

I was just listening to my favorite sports talk radio host and they just interviewed Bishop Fred Caldwell from Shrevport L.A. He is from a Baptist churh and he said it is "too black". He stated that Jesus said he needs to make his church more diverse. Therefore, they are paying white people to attend church. They are being paid $5 an hour to go. I can't find this article anywhere, but it was amusing.

[mcs328]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-07-30-church-usat_x.htm

La. black church will pay whites to attend
By Diane Haag The (Shreveport, La.) Times
SHREVEPORT, La. — Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Baptist Church will pay white people to attend services during August to increase the diversity of its congregation.

Baptist Bishop Fred Caldwell preaches at Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Church.
By Charlie Gesell, The Times

Bishop Fred Caldwell says he will pay $5 per hour for Sunday services and $10 an hour for the Thursday service. The idea came to him during his sermon Sunday.

"Our churches are too segregated, and the Lord never intended for that to happen. It's time for something radical," Caldwell says.

He is basing the initiative on a parable from Matthew 20:1-16, the story of the workers in the vineyard. A landowner hired men to work in his fields for the day and throughout the day kept seeking more workers. No matter what time they came to work, the workers were all paid the same.

Caldwell says he has had several positive responses from the white community and expects to put out extra chairs Sunday.

One man who called didn't want the money; he just appreciated the invitation.

Church member Criss Williams says paying people to attend is a bold step but doesn't have a problem with it.

"I don't see it as any different than a lot of the churches that have different social functions to attract visitors," Williams says. "Bishop just kind of cut to the chase and went to the money."

Evangelization strategies in many churches often have "bordered on bribery," says professor Peter Huff, chairman of the religion department at Centenary College in Shreveport. In mission fields, it is common for people to seek out religious agencies to get food or medical assistance, the professor says. But their faith lasts only as long as the help.

Nevertheless, he says, conventional methods have not integrated churches.

"(Caldwell has) hit on the problem," Huff says. "All of the best motives have not been able to overcome the racial divide. Just showing people that racism conflicts with the Gospel seems not to be enough."

The professor agrees with the bishop that joint activities between white and black churches rarely work out in the long run. Despite such efforts, people often return to their segregated home churches, Caldwell says.

Williams, one of a handful of white members of Greenwood Acres, says she feels completely at home with the church. She also appreciates that Caldwell will address even the most sensitive issues from the pulpit. "I don't know where people get the impression that he doesn't love white people. I know he loves me," she says.

To get their money, white visitors will have to register when they attend a service. The bishop will pay them from his pocket and enlist the help of the congregation if it's needed.

"I just want the kingdom of God to look like it's supposed to," Caldwell says

[topane]

Wow, I guess eternal life isn't enough of an incentive ;).

[attgig]

Originally posted by topane
Wow, I guess eternal life isn't enough of an incentive ;).

not for you at least :P

[kimchicowboy]

that's just sad. the american Church really has issues.

[WhiskeyPapa]

It's all about publicity.

Although he does have a point, churches are too segregated. Not because they want to be, but just because people tend to be more comfortable around others that are "like" them.

There is another church just down the block from ours, it is an hispanic church (the services are all in Spanish). Our church is probably 95% white. A few weeks ago an hispanic family came to our church. They happened to visit on a Sunday when we had a meal served afterwards. So they stayed for a while to eat, and my wife had a chance to sit and chat with them. After several minutes of conversation, they said "we heard there were more hispanic families in this church, where are they?"

Then it dawned on my wife - they came to the wrong church! They had intended to got to Templo Mahanaim, but pulled into the wrong parking lot! We all had a pretty good laugh.

[cheapie]

Originally posted by kb0wwp
It's all about publicity.

Although he does have a point, churches are too segregated. Not because they want to be, but just because people tend to be more comfortable around others that are "like" them.

There is another church just down the block from ours, it is an hispanic church (the services are all in Spanish). Our church is probably 95% white. A few weeks ago an hispanic family came to our church. They happened to visit on a Sunday when we had a meal served afterwards. So they stayed for a while to eat, and my wife had a chance to sit and chat with them. After several minutes of conversation, they said "we heard there were more hispanic families in this church, where are they?"

Then it dawned on my wife - they came to the wrong church! They had intended to got to Templo Mahanaim, but pulled into the wrong parking lot! We all had a pretty good laugh.

:heh: what a great story.

[IntegraTypeR]

I wonder how much they'd pay an Asian to attend the service.

[Cantacuzene]

This country has a long and "proud" history of ecceslatical segregation.

[Nanotech9]

did they stay?

i grew up going to church with hispanics (spanish actually) so it doesnt seem odd to me

i wish churches were more like us bikers hanging out on wed nights or friday / sat nights - it dont matter if your balk on a chromed out Busa from teh East side, or white and from the north / south side. we all hang out together.

[cheapie]

my church is pretty cool that way.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Originally posted by Nanotech9
did they stay? Oh, they didn't race out the door or anything, but they didn't find out they were in the wrong church until after the meal, so most people were leaving right about then anyway. They never came back, so I assume the next week they found the church on the other side of the block.

I've been part of two church plants that have tried to cultivate an "integrated" congragation. Around here that means hispanics and anglos (that's pretty much all the 'diversity' you can find in western Minnesota). It's really hard, and I honestly don't know why.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Originally posted by Nanotech9
i wish churches were more like us bikers hanging out on wed nights or friday / sat nights That remind me of another good "church" story from the guy who was youth pastor at our church several years ago. He was out shopping and walked by a couple tough looking guys sitting on their bikes smoking cigarettes.

He says "Do you mind if I ask you a question? I'm the pastor of Living Waters Church and we've been thinking about adding a smoking section to our church. If we had a smoking section, would that make you guys more likely to visit?"

The guys kind of looked at each other, shrugged, and said "Sure, I suppose we might check it out."

A few weeks later, the pastor was outside greeting people on Sunday morning when these the same two guys walk up, cigarettes hanging from their mouths.

"Hey preacher, you get that smoking section yet?"

"Sorry guys, not yet."

They pause for a second, throw their smokes on the ground and say "I guess we'll just come in anyway."

[CornMonkey]

Originally posted by kb0wwp
That remind me of another good "church" story from the guy who was youth pastor at our church several years ago. He was out shopping and walked by a couple tough looking guys sitting on their bikes smoking cigarettes.

He says "Do you mind if I ask you a question? I'm the pastor of Living Waters Church and we've been thinking about adding a smoking section to our church. If we had a smoking section, would that make you guys more likely to visit?"

The guys kind of looked at each other, shrugged, and said "Sure, I suppose we might check it out."

A few weeks later, the pastor was outside greeting people on Sunday morning when these the same two guys walk up, cigarettes hanging from their mouths.

"Hey preacher, you get that smoking section yet?"

"Sorry guys, not yet."

They pause for a second, throw their smokes on the ground and say "I guess we'll just come in anyway."
hehe, good one. i'll have to use that one day.

[kimchicowboy]

Originally posted by Cantacuzene
This country has a long and "proud" history of ecceslatical segregation.
i agree. Martin Luther King, Jr once said that 11 AM sunday morning is the most segregated time in America. and it's still true.

[NuTs62]

I haven't been going to church regularly for a while.. but I did stop by a few weeks ago. The church has service in english and spanish. The congregation was made up of African Americans, Caucasians, Chinese, Indian, Korean, Hispanic, and more. And this is a fairly small church IMO. I thought that was a nice sight. :)

[cheapie]

Originally posted by kimchicowboy

i agree. Martin Luther King, Jr once said that 11 AM sunday morning is the most segregated time in America. and it's still true.


yes BUT....it's not so much because of racism anymore. people just feel more comfortable around people that are similar to them.

[nickel]

Originally posted by kimchicowboy

i agree. Martin Luther King, Jr once said that 11 AM sunday morning is the most segregated time in America. and it's still true.
i don't like that saying. we may be different denominations but we are united in praising God at that time.

[sbp]

This Rev supports affirmative discrimination type programs. http://www.shreveporttimes.com/html/91D3EC83-A385-45D9-85D0-B2F4E7958F40.shtml


Discussion revolved around what's legally possible in such a program and concerns of the Rev. Harry Blake, Bishop Fred Caldwell and the Rev. Artis Cash that anything race-neutral would continue to bar minority contractors from opportunity.lol! How is that so?

And is an ally of Rev. Al Sharpton. http://www.shreveporttimes.com/html/4AFE8710-C43F-4A9B-88EF-2B12795D31C3.shtml


Political action will again come from the black church. A group of ministers officially called for a boycott of white businesses Tuesday night.

Bishop Fred Caldwell was greeted with rousing cheers from the audience when he called for the boycott as he was introducing the Rev. Al Sharpton.but the next day...

Oh wait its not about boycotting white businesses. http://www.thenewsstar.com/html/B5612518-944E-4D6A-A9A0-B5C473E5CE60.shtml

Bishop Fred Caldwell of Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Baptist Church Wednesday said the boycott was not targeting white businesses but declined to give any other details, including a timeline.So its right to target businesses and people who weren't involved in that matter? Esepcially businesses "recovering from last year's drop in sales?" And as the article points out there are black employees and investors of those businesses. Yeah that makes a lot of sense. :rolleyes:

[kimchicowboy]

Originally posted by cheapbast@rd

yes BUT....it's not so much because of racism anymore. people just feel more comfortable around people that are similar to them.
i don't mean to pick on you per se, but i think in general, that kind of mentality allows rascism in the Church to continue on. why is it that one can go to like a conference with so many different people and worship together without a problem, then go back to their own ethno-centric church?

i have an issue with racial churches; i grew up in a first-generation korean church and then moved on to an asian-american church. when i did see someone that wasn't asian, it was exciting because it's like the token minority. perhaps because the church is so asian, it scares non-asians away? it shouldn't be like that, especially in a generation that is so mixed. can God move beyond skin color? heck ya He can!

i started going to a church in south-central LA a few months ago(and i'm not trying to sound holier-than-thou). but being at a church where the pastor and his family are white and the congregation is either black, hispanic, or cambodian has really opened my eyes to the diversity there is in the Church. how do you think your church would react if some drug addict or hell's angel dropped by? i'm pretty dang sure that my old first-generation korean church would totally turn them away. where then, is the AGAPE love of Christ?

does any of this make sense? haha. i'm pretty out of it right now.

[Speedfreak]

Let's hope the KKK isn't hurting for money.