RonJohnSilver
Well-known
A short bit of background. My wife and I began attending a Baptist church last year. I teach as a sub and we both work in the food pantry fellowship, that is, several of us lead a short Bible class while the bulk of the pantry workers are preparing the food for distribution. We do that so people won't have to sit in their cars for 2 hours until the start time. And overall, the church has been solid as far as teaching. Today, though, was hard. There was a lunch for all the pantry workers, those outside distributing and those inside teaching (us). At the luncheon, we noticed 4 young people at one of the tables, 2 men and 2 women, the men in long pants and white shirts wearing tags that said "Elder xxx" and their companions, "Sister xxx" ... clearly Mormon. Turns out that they are part of the pantry work team, they work outside in the preparation of the food packages. But it shocked me. These are not visitors or guests of members. They are active Mormons, the two men are, in fact, doing part of their 2 year missionary work. And they're doing it at a Baptist church!! Apparently, I'm told, someone in the past allowed the Mormons to participate, for what I reason I don't know. The pantry has been in operation for about 25 years and we're relative newcomers. Now, they are not teaching, they are not passing out literature or witnessing etc. but they are under the banner, the authority of a Baptist church and that alone it seems to me gives them some degree of legitimacy to the outside world. My thought, and my wife's, is that, if they are in our church, we should consider them as "lost" and not co-laborers. And I'm speechless that, as far as I know, no one else thought that. Anyway, my plan is to write a letter, email, to the pastor, the worship leader (who was in attendance) and the pantry deacon (who led the affair) and express my thoughts to them. However, at this time, I'm am still too mad to write in a respectful way so I'll wait a day or so. Also, though, I would like to know if you all think I am making too big a deal about this. (Obviously I don't think so, but ...), and lastly, what if the church hierarchy doesn't take the same position I have? Is this a "separation level event", that is, would you leave the church because of this? Truthfully, if I had to decide right now, I might. And we both really, really like the church. The verse that keeps coming to mind is the one that says "...do you not know, a little leaven leavens the whole loaf?" So, what do you think? Am I making too much of it and would you leave if it came to that? Thanks, RJS
