North Carolina Church Wanted “Only White People” as Greeters

[shawn703]

Freedom House Church did not seem all that free this weekend.

Makeda Pennycooke, the church’s executive pastor of operations, sent an email to church volunteers asking that “only white people” greet worshippers at church services. The email said that leaders anticipated an increased number of visitors in the coming weeks, and that since “first impressions matter,” the church wants “the best of the best on the front doors.”

An outraged church member received the email and sent it to local news station WBTV. The controversy is complicated because Pennycooke is a black woman, while senior pastors Troy and Penny Maxwell are white. Nonetheless, the church’s request was hard to misinterpret. ”We are continuing to work to bring our racial demographic pendulum back to mid-line,” Pennycooke wrote. ”We would rather have less greeters on the front door if it means that the few that we have will represent us the best.”

Freedom House, a diverse church in north Charlotte, has already apologized for the incident. “The email was sent by one of our longtime pastors in an attempt to emphasize that our greeting team reflect the racial diversity of our entire congregation,” a church spokesperson wrote in a statement to WBTV. “However, she admitted it was a mistake to over-emphasize any specific group and sent an apology email within 24 hours of the original email going out.”


Read more: http://swampland.time.com/2013/09/03/north-carolina-church-wanted-only-white-people-as-greeters/#ixzz2dwut5AE7

[LearningCurve]

1. You live long enough

You'll see everything.

[mike_c]

2. I get the impression that their real problem was that the greeters...

...were disproportionately black, and that they wanted more whites among them to bring the greeters into better alignment with the congregation's diversity? The article notes that the church is "diverse."

If that's the case, it sounds like they're just tone deaf. A better approach might have been to say that up front-- "We need more greeters, especially more white greeters in order to represent the diversity of our congregation, so caucasian members are encouraged to apply."

[lumberjack_jeff]

4. This. n/t

[moobu2]

5. The letter asked that “only white people” greet worshippers at church services.

That doesn't sound like they were trying to be more diverse.

[mike_c]

6. yeah, no one gets an award for thoughtfulness....

“The email was sent by one of our longtime pastors in an attempt to emphasize that our greeting team reflect the racial diversity of our entire congregation,” a church spokesperson wrote in a statement to WBTV. “However, she admitted it was a mistake to over-emphasize any specific group and sent an apology email within 24 hours of the original email going out.”

[Sheldon Cooper]

8. I think that was the intent but then she added that they only want 'the best of the best'

so that's pretty bad. Maybe she should have asked for 'the whitest of the white' or something. lol.

[Gormy Cuss]

21. No, this quote in the OP takes it out of the benign, tone deaf arena:

”We would rather have less greeters on the front door if it means that the few that we have will represent us the best.”

[moobu2]

3. I spent most of my formative years in Mississippi during the time public schools were desegregated

so I saw a lot of this type of thing from pastors.

[shenmue]

7. Sigh

[blkmusclmachine]

9. ?!

[MNBrewer]

10. It's a church. They're allowed to be as stupid as they want to be.

[KamaAina]

11. She's assuming that the white people she wants to attract to her church

would be offended by the sight of black greeters?

Those would not be the kind of white people who would ever consider attending a mixed-race church!

[marions ghost]

13. right

--you put the words to my "illogical" flag that popped up on this one...

No need to try so hard to "create" diversity.

[KamaAina]

14. I was once guilty of just that

I was early for UU services one Sunday when two African American gentlemen showed up. I nearly tripped over my shoelaces to go get them copies of "Soulful Journeys", UUA's pamphlet targeted to AAs.

Turns out they wanted to speak with the head of the congregation about doing some yard work. D'oh!

[marions ghost]

16. You are trying to be inclusive...

that's the important thing. Better that you assumed they wanted to join the church rather than immediately pegging them as there to mow the lawn. No harm. Everyone always used to think my Dad was rich, because he acted like he was. He dropped the right names and places and could affect an air of nobility. Actually he was poor as a church mouse, but a lot of people would roll out the red carpet when they thought he was rich (tells ya a lot about those kind of people...)

But --what about this use of the term "African American gentlemen?" As tho there are two types of AA men? I know you didn't mean anything bad by it and a lot of people say that, but it strikes me as "code" of some kind. I have never asked anyone, black or white, what they think of that usage--maybe you could discuss it in some church diversity group. Maybe others have opinions. It sounds weird to me as we never say "a white gentleman." It smacks of some kind of outside approval...

Just throwing that thought out as it occurred...no criticism meant.

[KamaAina]

17. No, they were older men

"older AA men" would have done just as well.

[marions ghost]

18. right, I got they were older

but do we ever use the term "white gentlemen"? Or even "gentlemen"? It seems mostly reserved for "black gentleman." And if so, why?
I'd like to hear what some African Americans think of it. I really don't know.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. I got rejected by a synagogue for being unemployed.

The rabbi wanted me & my husband to convert but the board was composed of rich doctors and didn't want me or my husband. Besides, they had never had a couple that both wanted to convert, instead of one being Jewish and dragging the other in to convert.

Never occurred to them that a mitzvah would have been for one of them to HIRE us so we could contribute financially to the congregation.
My husband and I both have graduate degrees and lots of skills.

At least they didn't tell us we were worthless pieces of shit because Adam ate an apple, like the Christians did.

They were more subtle about it.

[Blue_Tires]

19. wow...beyond shameful...

[lpbk2713]

15. " Darkies please use the rear entrance. "

I apologize, but these clowns turned the calendar back at least 75 years.

[CakeGrrl]

20. That reminds me of a scene from "The Apostle"

where Robert Duvall's character, on the run and unknown in the area, sets up a tiny church in Louisiana with the help of a local black pastor.

He advertises on the local radio station, and initially, only a few people show up, almost all black.

The pastor's explanation? "The white people who hear you think you're black, and the black people KNOW you're white, but sure like the way you preach!"

The message? Generally, it was accepted that white listeners weren't interested in or comfortable going to what they assumed was a predominantly black, or at least black-led, church.

It sounds like "Freedom House" didn't want to scare away the white folk by showing too many black people out front.