opinion
First, let me say what a shock I encountered as my wife picked me up from the hospital Monday (June 15) afternoon. When we got home and turned on the television to watch the evening news, we found the little, sleepy, country town of Bethel in an uproar. My wife and I couldn’t believe what we were seeing. So, naturally, I got on the phone to try and find out what was going on.
But, let me back up for a moment. The reason it was such a shock is because when we came to Bethel, where I have had the privilege of being a pastor for 20 years at Northside Baptist Church, I have not witnessed any kind of racist comment publicly or privately. And while there are only a few African Americans in Bethel, I have never witnessed any mistreatment or slanderous statements being made.
There may be some who live there who are prejudiced, but that could be said of every town in America, and that goes both ways. Case in point: as a kid growing up, when we picked apples and put them in a basket, we only threw out the bad apples; we didn’t throw out the good ones. As my dad used to say, "You don’t throw out the baby with the bath water."
This is the only town I have ever seen where all the different churches worship together at certain times of the year, and the pastors take turns preaching. Who does that? The town of Bethel does that! This little peaceful, God-loving town sadly has been mislabeled as racist, and that’s not fair. Unfortunately, sometimes the media can play into this.
The people of Bethel had two fund raisers for me when I was in a bad car accident leaving me paralyzed. They’ve also done this for others. "Empower Youth," founded by Lori Conley and continued by Scott Conley, pack around 750 healthy meals for any kid (regardless of race) to take home for the weekend depending on the need. Robin Scanlan at "Shepherd’s Place" provides a safe place for kids to come after school, where they can get food and tutoring as well as recreation. Life skills are taught and, yes, the Bible. Both groups collect and provide school supplies for the local kids.
Space does not permit me to include all the wonderful things made possible because of the generosity of the people in the community of Bethel.
Ben Hurst is a pastor of Northside Baptist Church in Bethel, Ohio.
"Opinion" - Google News
June 23, 2020 at 03:07AM
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Opinion: The Bethel I know has been mislabeled as racist - The Cincinnati Enquirer
"Opinion" - Google News
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