It has come to this: I am officially leaving Grace Baptist Church, a church that I called home for the past 13+ years is no longer going to be my home of worship and my last remaining link to the days that I stayed over at Grandma Alice's on Saturday nights to go to church on Sundays.
After the end of the evening worship service on Sunday Night, I was lectured by Steve Trask, the worship leader, on certain theological and political issues-- most notably homosexuality and my support of same-sex marriage and abortion. He raised ire over my Facebook profile picture supporting marriage equality in honor of the state's passage of SB10 last week (and he raised complaints over it earlier in 2013). He also noticed that I was NEVER a formal member of GBC; however, my now-deceased Grandma was, via a letter from Suburban. More dubiously, I was ALMOST scheduled to be baptized back in October 2003; however, the bus forgot to came by that Sunday, and thus I was not to be baptized that day.
I told him, Pastor Daniel, the Helliges, and a few others at the church that night as to why I am leaving. The reason?
It is that I can no longer abide to be a regular attender at a church whose theology opposes abortion rights, marriage equality, liberalism, women's rights, cohabitation, divorce, single parenting (my mom divorced my dad in 2006), safe sex education, contraception, and birth control. Also, it was better to resign on my own rather than forcing a possible expulsion from attendership by the church.
I have came to know a lot of very pleasant people from the church over the years, including but not limited to: Thom and Rosie Wells, Alicia Gaines (via GCHS) and her son Hudson, David and Jessica Hellige and their son Camdyn, Bro. John Oswald (no longer at GBC), Bro. Ben Towell and Heather Towell, Bill and Theresa Horn and their daughters Jackie and Cherish, William Southerland, Nicki and Gary Zimmerman and their two daughters Brooke and Brianna, Tim and Tracey Faulkner, Taylor Riggs, Terry and Kimberly Jackson, Robin Macios, Tim Hayes, Chris Markovich and the Clowns Thru Grace Ministry, Jesse Maeser, Millie Hand, Kathy Rudolph, Rich Trindle (now deceased), Alexis and Sean Betts, Kelsey Grillion, Ryan Faulkner, Keith and Kelly Dunnigan, Doug and Dana Clemons, Steve and Karen Trask and their two children Jessica and Steven, Andrea and Andrew O'Shia, Jeremy Hartman, Mike and Millie Hankes, Corissa Steele, Dawn Boone, Peggy Cunningham, Beverly Brassfield, Joe Miller and the Jezreel Sun band, Sheila Gergen, Phil and Lisa Lemus, Alicia and Kevin Shaffer and their daughter Victoria, Jon Ferry, Chelsea Toussaint, Jolene and Gary Terrell, Ed and Denise Clothier, Amanda Mitchell, Ed and Joanie Niepert, Kevin and Katie Feigenbutz, Cathy Mitchell, Ron and Vickie Ferry, Don Thompson, Jesse Welty, Larry Freese, Kinsey McKibbin, Danny McNeely, Melissa Mullen, Craig and Mary Astorian and their daughter April, Mike and Rebecca Sullivan, Mark and Val Haas, Carla Hughes, Christi Clark, Sherry Phouangmalay, Kennedy Capps, Nick Garner, Steven Garner, Martinea Dailey, Ike and Danielle Newman, and countless others.
And I will no longer be posting church announcements on the Grace Baptist Church FB group page anymore except the church Fantasy Football league for the remainder of the current season.
With all that being said, I will find myself a new church home (which is most likely St. John UCC) possibly as soon as this upcoming Sunday or the next one.
Despite being at a new church, I will still be at the GBC fantasy football draft for next year and all future years and be open to occasional visits.
My blogpost from June 2013 on this issue contains much of the same reasons why I am withdrawing now.
My tweet announcing the departure from Grace Baptist, after 13+ years there and a lifelong attender of a Southern Baptist Convention church:
After the end of the evening worship service on Sunday Night, I was lectured by Steve Trask, the worship leader, on certain theological and political issues-- most notably homosexuality and my support of same-sex marriage and abortion. He raised ire over my Facebook profile picture supporting marriage equality in honor of the state's passage of SB10 last week (and he raised complaints over it earlier in 2013). He also noticed that I was NEVER a formal member of GBC; however, my now-deceased Grandma was, via a letter from Suburban. More dubiously, I was ALMOST scheduled to be baptized back in October 2003; however, the bus forgot to came by that Sunday, and thus I was not to be baptized that day.
I told him, Pastor Daniel, the Helliges, and a few others at the church that night as to why I am leaving. The reason?
It is that I can no longer abide to be a regular attender at a church whose theology opposes abortion rights, marriage equality, liberalism, women's rights, cohabitation, divorce, single parenting (my mom divorced my dad in 2006), safe sex education, contraception, and birth control. Also, it was better to resign on my own rather than forcing a possible expulsion from attendership by the church.
I have came to know a lot of very pleasant people from the church over the years, including but not limited to: Thom and Rosie Wells, Alicia Gaines (via GCHS) and her son Hudson, David and Jessica Hellige and their son Camdyn, Bro. John Oswald (no longer at GBC), Bro. Ben Towell and Heather Towell, Bill and Theresa Horn and their daughters Jackie and Cherish, William Southerland, Nicki and Gary Zimmerman and their two daughters Brooke and Brianna, Tim and Tracey Faulkner, Taylor Riggs, Terry and Kimberly Jackson, Robin Macios, Tim Hayes, Chris Markovich and the Clowns Thru Grace Ministry, Jesse Maeser, Millie Hand, Kathy Rudolph, Rich Trindle (now deceased), Alexis and Sean Betts, Kelsey Grillion, Ryan Faulkner, Keith and Kelly Dunnigan, Doug and Dana Clemons, Steve and Karen Trask and their two children Jessica and Steven, Andrea and Andrew O'Shia, Jeremy Hartman, Mike and Millie Hankes, Corissa Steele, Dawn Boone, Peggy Cunningham, Beverly Brassfield, Joe Miller and the Jezreel Sun band, Sheila Gergen, Phil and Lisa Lemus, Alicia and Kevin Shaffer and their daughter Victoria, Jon Ferry, Chelsea Toussaint, Jolene and Gary Terrell, Ed and Denise Clothier, Amanda Mitchell, Ed and Joanie Niepert, Kevin and Katie Feigenbutz, Cathy Mitchell, Ron and Vickie Ferry, Don Thompson, Jesse Welty, Larry Freese, Kinsey McKibbin, Danny McNeely, Melissa Mullen, Craig and Mary Astorian and their daughter April, Mike and Rebecca Sullivan, Mark and Val Haas, Carla Hughes, Christi Clark, Sherry Phouangmalay, Kennedy Capps, Nick Garner, Steven Garner, Martinea Dailey, Ike and Danielle Newman, and countless others.
And I will no longer be posting church announcements on the Grace Baptist Church FB group page anymore except the church Fantasy Football league for the remainder of the current season.
With all that being said, I will find myself a new church home (which is most likely St. John UCC) possibly as soon as this upcoming Sunday or the next one.
Despite being at a new church, I will still be at the GBC fantasy football draft for next year and all future years and be open to occasional visits.
My blogpost from June 2013 on this issue contains much of the same reasons why I am withdrawing now.
I started attending back in 2000 when my Grandma switched membership from Suburban Baptist Church.Not long after my Grandma couldn't drive anymore, I relied on the strong and robust bus ministry to take me to and from there. If it weren't for them, I would likely be long gone from Grace. Also, I gained (and lost) friends during my 12.5 years at Grace Baptist. With that being said, there were bumps in the road along the way, such as attacks on my Christianity and liberalism in later years (primarily from Ron Martin), especially for endorsing President Obama and supporting abortion rights and same-sex marriage.
How I became pro-choice and pro-marriage equality, which ties into this a lot: I'd say sometime between the election of Obama in 2008 and being in Ms. Ames' economics class and the passage of the Hate Crimes Law in 2009 for the latter. For the former, it was around the time that Dr. Tiller got killed that changed my views on abortion from leaning personally pro-life but not for restrictive abortion laws to pro-choice and even moreso recently. However, I am still opposed to assisted suicide.
My tweet announcing the departure from Grace Baptist, after 13+ years there and a lifelong attender of a Southern Baptist Convention church:
I have decided to finally leave Grace Baptist Church, a church that I was a part of for 13+ years.
— Justin Gibson (@JGibsonDem) November 11, 2013
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