First Church Services Here
Starting A New Church
By James Donahue
Confrontation with Churches
After a number of families followed us out of the Sandusky Baptist Church, two interesting things happened. The pastor that ran off with the “other woman” in the church returned to his wife and children. He sent a letter of deep apology to the church members, then the family left town not to be seen again. The scarlet woman in this affair began attending a Baptist Church in Croswell, when we were attending services there, looking for a new home. She and her husband were separated.
The other strange thing was that Sandusky Baptist Church called a new pastor, but then fired him because it was said he was offending everyone in the church with his strict disciplinary theology. That caused those of us who were still wandering in search of a church home to take notice. I was one of a small delegation of men who visited this minister before he moved out of the parsonage. We came to find out what he was all about. We liked him and invited him to help us organize a new church. He accepted.
Our first services were held in the spacious living room of our house on Hale Road. Doris and I shopped for folding chairs and managed to collect enough of them to seat everybody that showed up. It was odd having church in our house with a pastor preaching while standing in front of our television set at one end of the room.
Our little church began to grow in numbers and it was not long before our living room was not big enough to accommodate all of the people wanting to attend. Arrangements were made at the John Deere tractor dealership to hold our services in the sales room of that business place, located just west of Sandusky. We moved all of our folding chairs there and more were added.
This pastor and the delegation of men, including myself, formed a special committee working to act as a deacon board as the church materialized. We held weekly meetings at the home of one of the families in Sandusky.
All appeared to be going well until one night, at one of those meetings, the pastor notified me that I must shave my beard if I was going to be allowed to continue to serving the church. I was dumbfounded. When I asked why he said he felt the beard was unsightly and did not properly represent the message of Christ. I reminded him that every portrait I had ever seen of Jesus depicted him with a full beard. Also D. L. Moody, famed evangelist and founder of the Moody Church and Bible Institute in Chicago was also known for his full beard. I asked him to show me any statement from the Bible supporting his personal prohibition of beards on men among church members.
He stuck to his guns, and I was suddenly prohibited from any further duties in “his” church. I wasn’t even allowed to work as an usher or pass the collection plate. Our family left that church. Later the pastor and some of the members came to our home and pleaded with us to return. I asked if I needed to shave my beard. He said yes. I told him we would not be back. And that was the end of it.
That little group bought an abandoned church building on a side road north of Sandusky and began holding services there. I believe the church may have failed after that. I don’t remember what they called it or the name of the pastor.
By James Donahue
Confrontation with Churches
After a number of families followed us out of the Sandusky Baptist Church, two interesting things happened. The pastor that ran off with the “other woman” in the church returned to his wife and children. He sent a letter of deep apology to the church members, then the family left town not to be seen again. The scarlet woman in this affair began attending a Baptist Church in Croswell, when we were attending services there, looking for a new home. She and her husband were separated.
The other strange thing was that Sandusky Baptist Church called a new pastor, but then fired him because it was said he was offending everyone in the church with his strict disciplinary theology. That caused those of us who were still wandering in search of a church home to take notice. I was one of a small delegation of men who visited this minister before he moved out of the parsonage. We came to find out what he was all about. We liked him and invited him to help us organize a new church. He accepted.
Our first services were held in the spacious living room of our house on Hale Road. Doris and I shopped for folding chairs and managed to collect enough of them to seat everybody that showed up. It was odd having church in our house with a pastor preaching while standing in front of our television set at one end of the room.
Our little church began to grow in numbers and it was not long before our living room was not big enough to accommodate all of the people wanting to attend. Arrangements were made at the John Deere tractor dealership to hold our services in the sales room of that business place, located just west of Sandusky. We moved all of our folding chairs there and more were added.
This pastor and the delegation of men, including myself, formed a special committee working to act as a deacon board as the church materialized. We held weekly meetings at the home of one of the families in Sandusky.
All appeared to be going well until one night, at one of those meetings, the pastor notified me that I must shave my beard if I was going to be allowed to continue to serving the church. I was dumbfounded. When I asked why he said he felt the beard was unsightly and did not properly represent the message of Christ. I reminded him that every portrait I had ever seen of Jesus depicted him with a full beard. Also D. L. Moody, famed evangelist and founder of the Moody Church and Bible Institute in Chicago was also known for his full beard. I asked him to show me any statement from the Bible supporting his personal prohibition of beards on men among church members.
He stuck to his guns, and I was suddenly prohibited from any further duties in “his” church. I wasn’t even allowed to work as an usher or pass the collection plate. Our family left that church. Later the pastor and some of the members came to our home and pleaded with us to return. I asked if I needed to shave my beard. He said yes. I told him we would not be back. And that was the end of it.
That little group bought an abandoned church building on a side road north of Sandusky and began holding services there. I believe the church may have failed after that. I don’t remember what they called it or the name of the pastor.