A 93-year-old girl attended the identical church for greater than 50 years. Sure, 5 complete many years. When she died, her household assumed that the church would deal with the proceedings. Nope. Guess why.
Olivia Blair had a long-standing want to have her funeral performed on the church the place she was a member for greater than 50 years, an area Fox affiliate reported. It could look like a easy and logical final request for Blair’s closing want since she was somebody so dedicated to her religion.
One would assume that it could possibly be simply fulfilled by the Fourth Missionary Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, the place she was a member for thus many many years. Nonetheless, the lady’s residence church refused to grant her final want in a stunning transfer that many have discovered inconceivable to abdomen.
In keeping with Barbara Day, Rev. Walter F. Houston of Fourth Missionary Baptist Church refused to conduct the funeral service for her mom Olivia Blair, who died on the age of 93. Day mentioned that Rev. Houston instructed her that his determination rested on the truth that Blair hadn’t tithed sufficient within the years previous her dying, in keeping with The Washington Instances.
“It was just like the final insult on the planet, there was nothing else that I might do for my mommy however funeralize her within the church that she cherished and worshiped all of her life, whilst a bit of woman,” mentioned an clearly and rightfully dismayed Barbara Day, who merely needed to honor her mom’s dying want as she laid her to relaxation.
Rev. Walter F. Houston declined to be interviewed on digital camera, however he did inform the media that Olivia Blair’s membership within the church had lapsed practically 10 years earlier than she died, in keeping with Uncooked Story. Nonetheless, that’s not precisely true, in keeping with preacher watchdog Tyrone Jacques, who runs the web site PimpPreacher.com. Jacques reported Day’s story on his web site and advocated on her behalf in an try and make Houston change his thoughts.
Jacques says that data point out that Rev. Houston buried Blair’s husband with a full church service and membership honors seven years previous to Blair’s dying, which ought to function proof that the household was nonetheless in good standing with the church throughout that interval. This would appear to debunk Rev. Houston’s declare that Blair’s membership within the church had lapsed practically 10 years earlier than she died.
Whether or not the 93-year-old Olivia Blair was an energetic member of Fourth Missionary Baptist Church on the time of her dying or not must be irrelevant. As many would anticipate from somebody of their 90s, her daughter admits that Blair was not effectively sufficient within the final two years of her life to attend providers or make common contributions to the church. That must be simply understood by anybody with compassion and customary sense. Sadly, this doesn’t appear to be one thing that the reverend might grasp.
“For the final two years, my mom has been in both a nursing residence or she’s been in a hospital,” mentioned Day. “And the previous couple of months, she was in a coma!” Jacques additionally factors out that at no time throughout that interval did any consultant from the church attain out to test on Blair’s well-being. So, maybe it was the church that failed in its providers to their member in the long run and never the opposite means round.
In a last-ditch effort to meet Olivia Blair’s dying want, Tyrone Jacques selflessly provided to pay to have the funeral performed on the Fourth Missionary Baptist Church. However, nonetheless, Rev. Walter F. Houston declined, displaying his heartlessness and unrelenting stubbornness. “Membership has its privileges,” Houston reportedly instructed Jacques.
After some looking, Barbara Day mentioned that she finally discovered a church to carry out her mom’s funeral, however she continues to be upset it was not carried out at her residence church, and rightfully so. Figuring out Rev. Houston’s true motives, any present members of his church ought to contemplate discovering one other place to worship, the place the management actually has Christian values at coronary heart.