Anonymous Letter Advises Pastor Marcus Hayes Not to Take First Baptist Church Naples Job If It is Offered to Him Again — for One Reason

Pastor Marcus Hayes, First Baptist Church Naples will probably change the constitution and offer you the job, but after dealing with white conservative Baptist Christians for 40 years, you should not take it for one reason: your precious three children who will catch hell.

Pastor Marcus Hayes, you have done everything that the Southern Baptist Convention requires of any potential pastor. You have earned this prestigious, wonderful job opportunity. That is one of the reasons why you are in the position you are in at the Southern Baptist Convention. If they offer you the job again the truth is you could handle the pressure and the pain. It would be harder for your wife than for you but she, with your help, would be able to make it through. But your children would catch hell in that situation growing up. There are so many things that would come against them in strange, clandestine ways that I do not have time to list them but it will affect them for the rest of their lives in a negative way. Your taking this job, in my opinion, is not worth that. You know the old saying ‘children can be cruel’ and they will actually repeat the words, attitude, and spirit of their wicked, racist parents, and some will intentionally try to hurt and some won’t intentionally try to hurt, but it will still hurt nonetheless and probably for a lifetime.

You do as God leads you, Sir, but my humble suggestion to you is that you start a church and you would probably be running a thousand people in three to six months and three thousand in two to three years which is nearly the same number of people which are at First Baptist Church Naples. And the blessing of it is that you will be in charge under the Lord and you will be able to lovingly welcome anybody you want, red, yellow, black, and white for we are all precious in God’s sight. Pray very hard before you take a position like that. Be encouraged!