Steve Mensing, Editor and RFP Staff
♦ In a period weeks after Dylan Roof murdered 9 persons at a Charleston, S.C. Church Bible study, it is quite understandable why a minister and a revival attendees at a predominately African American church in Salisbury would become alarmed at the odd behavior of 3 white strangers in their 20’s, attired in white shirts, ties, and dress pants and carrying black nylon shoulder bags when they showed up at 9 p.m. Tuesday. Many can imagine the high-level of anxiety among the revival folks at St. Luke’s Baptist Church at 410 Hawkinstown Road in Salisbury.
Misunderstandings are often fueled by a lack of information, misperception, and recalling a national traumatic event.
If someone understood the young white men’s “deacon” badges reading “LDS” meant “Latter Day Saints” (Remember Mitt Romney’s Mormon Church) a lot suspicion and fear might’ve been averted.
So imagine if you didn’t know these were Mormon missionaries how you might view and react to the 3 visitor’s behavior Tuesday Night:
• Three 20 something white men show up at your revival carrying black nylon shoulder bags at 9 p.m. and take seats together at the rear of the revival.
• The three were witnessed going into their shoulder bags and showed minimal interest in the revival.
• Two switched their seats in the rear of the revival while one of the men walked upfront joining the pastor in the pulpit as he was preaching.
• One of the men, still seated in the rear, snapped smartphone photos of his comrade standing in the pulpit with the pastor.
• The three men were welcome to attend the revival as long as they placed their shoulder bags in their vehicle. They promptly left and never returned.
On two evenings this past week off duty deputies from the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office provided security during the revival.
St. Luke’s Baptist Church in Salisbury website:
http://stlukebaptistsalisburync.com/index.html
