Amid public outcry over its refusal to wed a black couple, First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, Miss., issued an apology Sunday, expressing regret and admitting to being wrong.
“As a church, we express our apology to Te’Andrea and Charles Wilson for the hurt that was brought to them in the hours preceding their wedding and beyond,” the church stated. “We are seeking forgiveness and reconciliation with our Lord Jesus Christ, Te’Andrea and Charles, family and friends of the Hendersons and Wilsons, our church family, and our community for the actions and attitudes that have recently occurred.”
Te’Andrea and Charles Wilson had planned to marry at First Baptist, a predominantly white church, in July. But at the last minute, the couple was told that they would have to move the wedding to a different church. First Baptist Pastor Stan Weatherford said a small minority in his church opposed the wedding and thus to avoid conflict he decided to perform the wedding at a nearby church.
The Wilsons would have been the first black couple to marry at the 150-year-old church.
The move was met by protest by the public as word spread.
Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., said he cringed when he heard about the church’s refusal to marry the African-American couple. First Baptist, he said, should seek repentance and reconciliation.

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