WaPost: A small-town Georgia preacher fills pews by leaving no one out

[teach1st]

A small-town Georgia preacher fills pews by leaving no one out
Washington Post, July 9, 2023, by Alison Miller

HARTWELL, Ga. — At night, the worn sign looks like a beacon in the darkness out front of the modest, red-brick Mt. Hebron Baptist Church.

The tired, it reads. The poor. And huddled masses. Welcome home.

In this small town in the rural northeast corner of Georgia, it’s the kind of message that assures Teri Massey she is loved for being who she is — a message 180 degrees from the one she heard in the Baptist church where she spent her teens into her 40s, where her grandfather, father and brother all held leadership positions.

When Massey came out in 2004, shortly after meeting the woman she later would marry, the congregation in that other small Georgia town responded by campaigning to send her to conversion therapy and holding prayer vigils outside her home.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/07/09/georgia-pastor-myerholtz-mount-hebron/

No paywall (gift article): https://wapo.st/3pIfKxG



Pastor Grant Myerholtz leads Mt. Hebron Baptist Church in Hartwell, Ga. His T-shirts and tattoos make for an unusual pulpit presence. His message of inclusivity is drawing people who say they have longed for a fully welcoming place to worship. (Will Crooks)

[CurtEastPoint]

1. as a Georgian who is SO TIRED of apologizing for the idiots in this state, this is refreshing. And

believe me, Hart Co. is red red red.

[relayerbob]

3. Yep, also a Georgian

And agreed with 100% on all counts

[Silent Type]

6. +1. Hart County went for trump 74.3% in 2020. So, yes, rube red.

[Qutzupalotl]

7. I see what you did there.

[relayerbob]

2. Nice to see some real Christians out there

Instead of the noisy and hateful anti-Christians

[CurtEastPoint]

4. Like the one who called them out as sinners, pervs, etc. Hey, Andy, you asshole!

[AltairIV]

5. Pudgy

Why is he wearing glasses, doesn't he know that science shit is just another pathway to.hell. He also.needs to cut back on those carbs based on that tire underneath his shirt.

[SunSeeker]

8. Holy shit, a Christian preacher that follows the teachings of Christ!

Don't see that too often...

[lees1975]

10. It's out there.

And it depends on what kind of Christian. Among mainline Protestants, finding leaders and churches like this isn't a problem. Among the more conservative denominations, much more difficult, though Baptists, because of their free church tradition, and the differences in the way their denominations and groups relate to each other, and the independence and autonomy of each local church, which is a core principle of Baptist faith and order, there are those whose circumstances have combined with their background and their theological education to bring them to the point where they can separate the cultural background from the gospel itself, and lead a church to start meeting people's needs, rather than appointing itself as an authoritarian expert on morality.

This church, in a rural area, is somewhat of a surprise. This kind of minister usually doesn't get the time or consideration in a church where the mindset is locked in place, to make changes. But this church had only a small handful of its old members left, and they were apparently ready for change and welcomed it. And they found the people who needed them. They're out there, even in deep red counties and rural areas.

[lees1975]

9. Love this!

Last edited Tue Jul 11, 2023, 12:08 AM - Edit history (1)

Glad that the Washington Post picked this up and ran it. The real thing, authentic faith.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2023/07/if-church-were-christianmost.html

[lees1975]

11. K & R

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2023/07/if-church-were-christianmost.html