Pastor E-Mail: ‘Only White People’ at Front Door of Church
Controversy has sparked at a north Charlotte church after a pastor sent an email asking that “only white people” stand at the front door to greet the congregation. A viewer contacted WBTV after getting an email from Pastor Makeda Pennycooke, an African-American woman, at Freedom House Church along Salome Church Road.
The email was sent to a group of church volunteers who act as greeters for the church’s 9 a.m. service. Carmen Thomas, who has attended and served at the church for the past two years, sent us the email. She was appalled.“I was floored,” she recalled. “Like it was a jaw dropper. You can put a white face all over the front door. But when you come through those doors, you’re going to see African Americans, you’re gonna see Asians. You’re going to see people of color.”
In the email, Pastor Pennycooke reminds volunteers that fall is one of the busiest times of year for the church.