The Doors of the Church Are Closed

May 22, 2019 was my last day of working at a local school in Charlotte. I was told that they had no positions opened for me after I worked as an Instructional Assistant with a Masters plus and 20 years experience for $23,000 a year starting. Insultive, no. I will work any place legal to feed my kids but they lied and said I would be promoted to a teacher or a specialist. I would have rather them say I wasn’t a good fit but I left humble without any signs of the “Black Lady Rage” that I carried. You see it’s not what happened at the school that I write about today. Its actually what happened after that, that makes me “wanna a holla”!!! 

Money quickly started going awry, as I tried to pick up the pieces to a once flourishing career gone bad. I actually swore that I would leave education alone. That was before I became desperate for employment. My career in education had actually gone bad twice because I fought with Baltimore City’s lying asses for 3 years after being released from my contract for formulating a school to prison pipeline program called “Chain Breakers”. I proudly still run and operate that non-profit program today while many that demanded my dismissal are gone. 

But I regress, when rent came due, lights were on the brink of disconnection, water gave it’s final notice and the car people threaten to repo my little Dodge Dart, I had to take action. I went to 11 churches in 1 month. Now you know I am a preacher. But local preachers are not paid, sometimes pastors aren’t either. So, I made the painstakingly hard decision to ask the church for some help. I hate asking for help. It’s embarrassing and people even in the church can be cruel. 

I preach in Salisbury but I live in Charlotte, so I only went to the local churches in my area. I won’t mention any names because hopefully this blog will be enlightening enough. The bigger 4 churches that I went to all had secretaries. Some were rude, while others were just clueless how to help. I am still waiting on an their answers. I was only asking for $73 to take care of my water bill. I often wonder why people put so much thought into giving but very little in buying a car off the dealership lot.  was advised to go to Crisis Ministries for the rest and at this time I hadn’t recieved an eviction notice for my home. Five of the churches had no voice mail, were not open or did not respond to e-mail or social media. But two churches were gracious enough to give me food and explain that they were in a financial crunch too. 

After that terrible reality that the doors to the church were closed, I went to Crisis  for the 6 hour wait, to get my gas and lights paid. And I was thankful. But the church, that I hold so dear, did not help me. I never got one a dime from any of them. I pay tithes. I give offering. But to not be able to get it when I was in need seemed cruel. I don’t want lay people to walk in church hurt. 

Every morning, there is a man at the corner of Freedom and 85, selling cold water. He is so friendly and I always try to have my dollar ready. I tell he is awesome. He doesn’t have a sign of begging and he doesn’t take handouts like I tried to from those 11 churches I asked. He wants reciprocity. He was the pendulum to sway to give and receive, with him fairly being on both sides.  

So I am going to choose 16 random churches and ask them to take out an ad in my publication for Black Line. I don’t want the money, for nothing. I want to work. I am asking them for $73 and like the man on the corner with water, I am going to quench people’s thirst for God again. I am going to post business hours of the churches and explain to people how to get assistance. I am going to also make known the good works churches are doing. Now if I can’t get money this way, what good is the church. 

Churches need to understand that people in crisis can’t wait for them. Children have to eat now, mother’s need places of rest now. And it is the job of the church to be prepared for that. No, you won’t get an influx of people wanting free because it’s embarrassing enough to ask. We have to come together better. Hopefully Black Line will not see another closed door but a path to reciprocity. 

Tag your church to this post and see if they are real givers. 

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