Thursday, October 18, 2012

Letter to First Baptist Church, Wilmington, NC (in appreciation)

 
 

Dear Dr. Cook, Ministers, Staff, and Congregation:

I believe it was your parishioner/congregant named Gary who ran the food service delivering hot meals to Mercy House Homeless Shelter where I stayed from about October 2011 until mid-January, 2012, which was the FRIENDLIEST and most CONSIDERATE of all the kind churches helping out to feed the hungry at Mercy House of Wilmington, NC!!! As I recall, Gary and his crew OFTEN also left sack lunches and other food as well -- all of which I know I certainly appreciated. You all even opened your church for a SUPER BOWL party for homeless -- something NO OTHER church did.

I'd also like to tell you a funny, but slightly OFF-Baptist-color (not too much), story about what happened when I FIRST arrived homeless in Wilmington in January of 2011, and ate a lot of lunches at GOOD SHEPHERD CENTER, whose lunch program seemed to ALSO be run by the kindest, friendliest, people from your church: I must tell you that I was brought up in the Catholic Church, studied metaphysics in Science of Mind (aka Religious Science -- NOT to be confused with Scientology), and then later found my closest match philosophically in the Presbyterian Church (and NOT because my relatives had endowed First Presbyterian, Wilmington so heavily).

The truth is ACTA NON VERBA!!! (Action, not Words) is what matters when one seeks to live "in Christ", as I like to call it -- and YOUR congregation (as well as St. Mary's Catholic Church), were the two churches I found most "Christ-like" (and I don't mean to slight those I knew less well, so that I don't feel comfortable commenting).

Anyway, the story: One morning, the nicest lady -- about 80 years old -- was refilling water glasses and I was sort of "seized up with the devil" and said to her VERY FRIENDLY self as she refilled mine asking if I would like to join your congregation in worship on Sunday, "Sister-woman -- I'm gay as a GOOSE (quite true)!!!", and without skipping a beat, she replied, "Oh, we don't care about that honey, we'd just like ya to WORSHIP with us."

I broke down in tears of appreciation for that lady, and still do when I think of that totally kind-hearted woman. 

But I have more to say that might concern your congregation (at least a couple of you), which is best done by pasting in what I posted on my political blog this evening. It does mention your church and two of your prominent members. All my blog posts are also blind-copied to nearly 1,500 mostly in the US and Mexico, where due to your member and a few other Wilmingtonians, I am FORCED, now, to live in political exile.

Scott David Kenan
Chacala, Mexico


Without further ado:


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