Posted on 07/11/2004 5:05:43 PM PDT by Dubya
Eleven o'clock on Sunday mornings still may be the most segregated hour in America, but a Tarrant County church this weekend will force some of us cynics to rethink that old saying as well as refocus our attention on the Christian definition of charity.
This story is almost too good to be true, and when I suggested to the Rev. Jimmie Bradford that what I heard he was doing struck me as rather odd, he responded with a slight chuckle in his voice:
"Odd? Oh, I know it sounds odd in 2004 to help somebody, but if you're a Christian you see through a different eye.
"Course, there are not many Christians around today. Many call themselves Christians, but ... "
But, let's get back to the story of two preachers, two congregations and one church.
For the record, Bradford, who is "nearly 68," is white, and has been pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Crowley for 33 years.
This year he met the Rev. Larry Pruitt, a 41-year-old minister who spent 15 years with the Fort Worth Police Department until he retired last year after breaking his foot and ankle in a freak accident.
Pruitt, by the way, happens to be black, and has served as pastor of Christian Faith Baptist Church which, until last month, worshipped in a rented commercial building in Forest Hill.
This morning, the sanctuary that has been home to Trinity Baptist becomes Christian Faith Baptist, and Pruitt takes over the pulpit that once was Bradford's.
Oh, this is an odd story.
Both men say it was God's doing.
When I first asked Bradford how long he had known Pruitt, he said, "Oh, for a while," making me think that it was several years. But according to Pruitt, they only met in February.
The black congregation, which started in Pruitt's home in 1996 with 16 people, grew to 150 and began looking for a building for a permanent home.
Pruitt said church members had found an old Food Lion building and had submitted a loan application to the bank where they had done business for five years, feeling confident they would get it.
But the loan application eventually was denied.
One of the members had noticed that a church at 9224 Crowley Road was on the market. The asking price was $450,000 for the 11,070-square-foot building and 2.5 acres on which it sat.
Bradford, whose members number fewer than 80 now, said he was not retiring but was planning to take a new direction and become an evangelist.
Pruitt said he dropped by to see the pastor one day, and the minister invited the black preacher and his wife over for hamburgers.
About three weeks later, Pruitt said he stopped by Trinity Baptist to "fellowship," not even entertaining the idea of trying to buy the facility because his congregation didn't have the money and couldn't secure a loan even from several Baptist lending organizations.
After that visit, the Pruitts were invited back to the Bradford home for beef stew and cornbread, and after dinner the black couple got the shock of their lives.
"His wife walked over and handed me the keys, and said, 'God told us to give y'all the building.' "
But that wasn't all.
"The awesome thing about it was when [Bradford] met us at the church to draw up the contract, he gave us two other pieces of property across the street."
For the past few weeks, Pruitt, his church members and volunteer contractors have been working late into the night refurbishing the facility, which includes nine classrooms and a dining hall.
When I dropped by last week, there was the smell of fresh paint and carpet glue in the air, and there were new windows and light fixtures and newly upholstered pews.
At 10 a.m. today, the building will be rededicated as Christian Faith Baptist Church with Pruitt as pastor.
A formal dedication service will be at 3:30 p.m.
Bradford, who refers to his gift as sort of a merger, said that his congregation will join in with the new one and that he will hang around to help out the new pastor.
"I'm nearly 68 years old," he said. "It's time for me to step down and let a young man come in and work.
"This will now be an all-together -- black and white together."
Referring to Bradford as "a God-sent man," Pruitt said he believes the new merged congregation will show that "African-Americans and Anglos can get together and love God and love one another. This is going to be a challenge and a blessing."
By 11 this morning, worshippers at the new Christian Faith Baptist Church will be experiencing a true miracle -- in black and white.
Great story. Thanks for sharing it.
Your welcome. I believe we will be reading a lot more of these stories as news papers start to print the truth.
I've often wondered if one could get ten people to agree on the real meaning of peace.
I've heard of a church in Atlanta that is very much "salt n' peppered"....
I'd venture to say there are alot more than a handful in this country...But the lame streaming DemoMarxistSocialistLyingClymerLibs.....aren't going to point this out very often.
Sigh.....
I agree. There are a lot of them here in Ft. Worth Texas area.
Wonderful story! Thanks
God is doing what the liberals wished they could (and have failed) to do.
CORRECTION: all good men get along, regardless of race.
It is the malcontents, the excusers, and the race pimps who refuse to get along
Very well put. Thank you.
that is a FREE choice (no mandatory bussing out of the neighborhood) and mostly exists now because of the STYLE of the service preferred. The slow hymns and solemn service of many 'white' churches don't appeal to (darn I say it) non-whites. Yet, the new up-beat Worship service of born-again baby-boomers draws people across the color lines. Their barrier is more age related.
Well, I went to this white pastor's church for over 20 years...my message to Reverend Pruitt would be: "be very careful"...everything here is not all that it seems.
Thanks for the info.
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