By Staff, Baptist Press
CRYSTAL SPRINGS, Miss. (BP) – First Baptist Church in Crystal Springs, Miss., has publicly apologized after an African American couple was barred because of their race from holding their wedding at the predominantly white church.
“Both the pastor and those involved in the wedding location being changed have expressed their regrets and sorrow for their actions. This wrong decision resulted in hurt and sadness for everyone,” the church said in a statement read at the end of its Sunday (Aug. 5) worship service and posted on its website.
The congregation drew negative publicity when pastor Stan Weatherford told the couple he could not perform their wedding at the 150-year-old church because a few members objected to blacks being married there. Instead, Weatherford married Charles and Te’Andrea (Henderson) Wilson at a nearby African American church.The full content of this page is available to Baptist Message subscribers only.