Incident at Work Yesterday

[saturneptune]

I'd have been in your face.

I have a question about the seven individuals. As a group, were you guys noisy and disruptive? (Maybe I should aske one of the 30 or so adults.)

I hope you do not mean my face, but, to clarify, had I carried out doing what I was thinking of doing, I would have been fired. To answer your question, the waitress directed us back to the room where this group of "saints, bless their hearts" were sitting. Immediately, we got looks, rolling eyes, and sounds. We had not even gotten our drinks or gone to the buffet to get the meal, maybe a period of two minutes, when the waitress came over and said "we cannot have you all sitting with this church group." At that point, I thought maybe the table was reserved. Then the waitress said, "leave you coats and follow me out to the main dining area, you can pick them up when you leave, no one will be sitting here." That is when I lost it. Praise the Lord there was another staff there to keep me in check. It was so blatant, that even some of the consumers we took out picked up on it. One asked me on the way back, "why didn't these church members want us sitting there?" Try and answer that one.

For the two minutes we were there, not one of the seven were loud, making noise or being disruptive. They just wanted to eat.

I do not know all the ends and outs of Greek and Hebrew, but I do know this. Christ died for our sins, and he used the lame, blind, poor and down trodden to make a point of His mission here on earth. I do not recall Him saying, "come to Me, all of you that are white, upper middle class, proud, mean as a snake, and healthy years beyond the normal human life span, and I will give you rest."

Thank all of you for your responses. I would have never believed it if I had not witnessed it with my own eyes.

 

[saturneptune]

So your questioning SN's integrity & the validity of the posts? Let me ask you something, are you intentionally attempting to agitate the guy?

We have a pact that I am going to respond to this person ever again, and that is just what I meant. Ignored long enough, he will disappear. Thanks for you help in this area of my life.

 

[saturneptune]

I'd have been in your face.

I have a question about the seven individuals. As a group, were you guys noisy and disruptive? (Maybe I should aske one of the 30 or so adults.)

I think, if I am getting the meaning of being in my face, it was a good thing you were not there.

 

[saturneptune]

Have you ever been with a group of developmentally disabled folks? Noisy and disruptive comes with the territory. They also drool, talk funny, use wheelchairs and walkers, make strange noises, spill food down the front of their shirts and a myriad of other challenges. So what? Lepers had chunks of dying, rotting skin falling off their bodies but Jesus spoke with them, touched their bodies and healed them.

I can't picture Jesus pushing away His plate of humus because those people walked in the room.

Noisy or not, the church folk showed a lack of compassion and charity.

We could all learn a lesson....

Beautiful image, thanks for posting. I cannot prove it, but it seems to me this subject brings out the best (good) or worst (evil) in people.

 

[Zaac]

I hope you do not mean my face, but, to clarify, had I carried out doing what I was thinking of doing, I would have been fired. To answer your question, the waitress directed us back to the room where this group of "saints, bless their hearts" were sitting. Immediately, we got looks, rolling eyes, and sounds. We had not even gotten our drinks or gone to the buffet to get the meal, maybe a period of two minutes, when the waitress came over and said "we cannot have you all sitting with this church group." At that point, I thought maybe the table was reserved. Then the waitress said, "leave you coats and follow me out to the main dining area, you can pick them up when you leave, no one will be sitting here." That is when I lost it. Praise the Lord there was another staff there to keep me in check. It was so blatant, that even some of the consumers we took out picked up on it. One asked me on the way back, "why didn't these church members want us sitting there?" Try and answer that one.

For the two minutes we were there, not one of the seven were loud, making noise or being disruptive. They just wanted to eat.

I do not know all the ends and outs of Greek and Hebrew, but I do know this. Christ died for our sins, and he used the lame, blind, poor and down trodden to make a point of His mission here on earth. I do not recall Him saying, "come to Me, all of you that are white, upper middle class, proud, mean as a snake, and healthy years beyond the normal human life span, and I will give you rest."

Thank all of you for your responses. I would have never believed it if I had not witnessed it with my own eyes.

WHEW! It just breaks my heart. There are some things that leave you gasping for air because they just seem so far fetched.

Lord forgive them and help us in our day to day walk and interactions to not be guilty of the same thing.

 

[Aaron]

I think, if I am getting the meaning of being in my face, it was a good thing you were not there.

No doubt we'd have become well acquainted with each others' knuckles.

But you didn't answer my question. Were these seven individuals disruptive?

 

[Gina B]

That is very disturbing, but also a very common attitude and part of what makes it very difficult for parents and caregivers to find a place to worship.

You handled it right for the sake of those you were with, letting them eat without them getting upset at the time.

I'd write a simple letter to addressed to the church and be sure to include the part mentioned above about their mothers choosing life. Lots of people scream about choosing life, then act like complete jerks to the same babies they called "precious" once they grow up. Just let them know it was unappreciated and not how it should be. They KNOW that, but a reminder is always a good thing. People are often afraid to tell people their behavior stinks. At least this way they'll think about it and maybe at least curb it. Maybe one will even think about it enough to change. Who knows.

Now on a humorous note, a developmentally disabled young friend wanted to show me today that his friend was dancing. He tends to use a lot of body language to express his words, and to get your attention, he will poke you first and then start showing you what he's saying. He doesn't THINK about WHERE he pokes you.
So I got a poke that would make most anyone turn purple and he started his dance.
And I just happened to be standing in a large open area.
With over a thousand people seated on either side. :laugh:
But for him, nobody else was there. What can you do?! I danced a little with him and he moved on to his seat. ROFL

Don't tell me sitting across from someone in a restaurant setting is just not tolerable. Humans are humans. Deal with it. If you get involved, or at least learn about different humans, life can be pretty fun. And funny. And cool. And interesting. And much, much richer. I can't imagine not knowing some of my friends, some who smile every day despite living among people who don't even want to sit next to them simply because they're them. UGH! Have you ever been asked to get up and move at a restaurant because someone didn't like how you looked, and the restaurant actually complied and asked you to move? Can you imagine what that would be like? If that's how people act in public, can you imagine how they act in private?

 

[Zenas]

S/N, if you talk to the pastor I doubt if the message will ever get to the offenders in his congregation. Have you considered doing a letter to the editor for publication in the local newspaper? You might even name the church involved. In it you could relate what happened, somewhat like you did here, and then explain why their behavior is NOT what Jesus would do. The letter should not have an angry tone, but should show sincere concern for all involved. If the paper will publish it, I can guarantee it will be read and will have a more far reaching effect than just the people in that one church.

 

[Baptist Believer]

Were these seven individuals disruptive?

They are mentally- and physically-challenged adults, so you should expect that they might be a little less refined than the Country Club crowd. At the same time, I've known mentally- and physically-challenged adults to be more "proper" than some church folks.

The Kingdom of God is open to people of all types and in all kinds of situations. Should not the church live that out in daily practice by being open to even those who are a bit rowdy and don't have it all together?

What would Jesus do in that situation? My feel confident that He would join those who have "greater" obvious needs than those in the religious community. He would have sat with SN (if invited/allowed) and invested His life in them.

I'm working with a young man who has severe mental illness issues who suddenly showed up at the door of our church a couple of months ago. We welcomed him in and have worked out his history with his family and are taking appropriate precautions for a couple of issues. He has been attending faithfully ever since and each Sunday/Wednesday so can see him growing in confidence and healing in small increments. A couple of weeks ago, during the greeting of the visitors and the church body, he wandered away from me toward the middle of the congregation to greet people and was warmly welcomed and hugged by many of our senior citizens. (I need to add that he is a musician and performs punk rock, so he has a rather strange hairstyle with a decidedly unnatural color on one side of his head.) When he returned a few minutes later, he sat down next to me and whispered, "I'm important!" I said, "Yes you are. You are important to God and you are important to this church." He smiled and visibly relaxed. I think he has mostly known rejection over the past few years, both for his appearance and the shame he feels over his mental illness. He is finding healing in the simple love and acceptance of the people of God.

 

[Tom Butler]

But you didn't answer my question. Were these seven individuals disruptive?

SN did speak to this in his post #21. The answer was no.

 

[Jerome]

Have you ever been with a group of developmentally disabled folks? Noisy and disruptive comes with the territory. They also drool, talk funny, use wheelchairs and walkers, make strange noises, spill food down the front of their shirts and a myriad of other challenges. So what?

I imagine those Baptist senior citizen diners do these things too, or soon will.

 

[saturneptune]

No doubt we'd have become well acquainted with each others' knuckles.

But you didn't answer my question. Were these seven individuals disruptive?

No they were not disruptive. I gave you a detailed account of the two minutes we were in there two posts before your quote. I find it very odd and strange that you either directly or indirectly condone and defend such behavior.

 

[saturneptune]

They are mentally- and physically-challenged adults, so you should expect that they might be a little less refined than the Country Club crowd. At the same time, I've known mentally- and physically-challenged adults to be more "proper" than some church folks.

The Kingdom of God is open to people of all types and in all kinds of situations. Should not the church live that out in daily practice by being open to even those who are a bit rowdy and don't have it all together?

What would Jesus do in that situation? My feel confident that He would join those who have "greater" obvious needs than those in the religious community. He would have sat with SN (if invited/allowed) and invested His life in them.

I'm working with a young man who has severe mental illness issues who suddenly showed up at the door of our church a couple of months ago. We welcomed him in and have worked out his history with his family and are taking appropriate precautions for a couple of issues. He has been attending faithfully ever since and each Sunday/Wednesday so can see him growing in confidence and healing in small increments. A couple of weeks ago, during the greeting of the visitors and the church body, he wandered away from me toward the middle of the congregation to greet people and was warmly welcomed and hugged by many of our senior citizens. (I need to add that he is a musician and performs punk rock, so he has a rather strange hairstyle with a decidedly unnatural color on one side of his head.) When he returned a few minutes later, he sat down next to me and whispered, "I'm important!" I said, "Yes you are. You are important to God and you are important to this church." He smiled and visibly relaxed. I think he has mostly known rejection over the past few years, both for his appearance and the shame he feels over his mental illness. He is finding healing in the simple love and acceptance of the people of God.

Worth repeating, this issue brings out the good in people or the bad. I think we have seen sharp, clear cut examples in this thread.

 

[saturneptune]

No doubt we'd have become well acquainted with each others' knuckles.

But you didn't answer my question. Were these seven individuals disruptive?

Even if they were disruptive, which they were not, that does not excuse the behavior I witnessed. These types do not live a Christian life, they have found a comfort zone social club.

 

[annsni]

I am so grateful for my church that taught me to be comfortable around the disabled. We have a wonderful ministry to the special needs community and my children have grown up hugging those with severe disabilities and they are completely comfortable around all kinds of people. I'd honestly have probably left the room with my charges, gotten them their meals, made sure they were settled and safe - and then gone in and given those pharisees a piece of my mind. It wouldn't be pretty.

 

[Reformed]

SN, Monday morning quarterbacking here. Unless the server told me the room was reserved for a private group I would have refused to move. You were trying not to make a scene. I applaud that. I know my personality type and causing a scene would be justified in my opinion. How dare supposed believers would act in such a deplorable manner. I would hsve done what Paul did to Peter and confront them to their face.

Shameful, shameful, shameful!

 

[OldRegular]

I would greatly appreciate knowing what some pastors and Christian leaders think about this situation. I work in an adult day care since retiring. Yesterday, as part of a weekly routine, I and another staff took seven individuals out to eat in the community. This particular restaurant was a buffet type restaurant. We go there regularly. Anyway, as we pull up, there was a bus from a local Baptist church parked at the restaurant, school bus sized. When we walked in, the waitress took us to a back room that had 35-40 of these church members already seated. There was plenty of space in the room, and no tables were reserved. After being seated, I noticed that some of the church members kept looking over at us, shaking their heads and making various sounds.

The next thing I know is the waitress informs me that we cannot sit near the church group and moved us over to the other side of the restaurant. Being on the job and representing the company, I decided to not make an issue of it. The bottom line is these forty or so church members did not want to sit in the presence of the seven individuals that are physically and mentally handicapped. The company is writing the restaurant complaining about the situation.

To me, this goes much deeper. It was the worst display of Christian action I have ever witnessed. Not only did I feel angry at the actions, it was embarrassing knowing these church members were basically from the same type of church I attend from the same denomination. As we were leaving, I walked back into the room containing the church members, and without saying one word, walked up the aisles of the tables and stared each person in the eye. None would look at me.

I am thinking of writing the pastor of this church and relating this incident. Would you, or is this something you would just let pass? We have had threads in the past about Christians in restaurants.

I would say call!

 

[HankD]

I am thinking of writing the pastor of this church and relating this incident. Would you, or is this something you would just let pass? We have had threads in the past about Christians in restaurants.

Personally, I would let it pass and leave it the Lord's hands.

Let your stare haunt them.

If you connect with their pastor it may even turn uglier.


HankD

 

[quantumfaith]

I'd have been in your face.

I have a question about the seven individuals. As a group, were you guys noisy and disruptive? (Maybe I should aske one of the 30 or so adults.)

Typical ......and I would have been in YOURS

 

[Luke2427]

I would greatly appreciate knowing what some pastors and Christian leaders think about this situation. I work in an adult day care since retiring. Yesterday, as part of a weekly routine, I and another staff took seven individuals out to eat in the community. This particular restaurant was a buffet type restaurant. We go there regularly. Anyway, as we pull up, there was a bus from a local Baptist church parked at the restaurant, school bus sized. When we walked in, the waitress took us to a back room that had 35-40 of these church members already seated. There was plenty of space in the room, and no tables were reserved. After being seated, I noticed that some of the church members kept looking over at us, shaking their heads and making various sounds.

The next thing I know is the waitress informs me that we cannot sit near the church group and moved us over to the other side of the restaurant. Being on the job and representing the company, I decided to not make an issue of it. The bottom line is these forty or so church members did not want to sit in the presence of the seven individuals that are physically and mentally handicapped. The company is writing the restaurant complaining about the situation.

To me, this goes much deeper. It was the worst display of Christian action I have ever witnessed. Not only did I feel angry at the actions, it was embarrassing knowing these church members were basically from the same type of church I attend from the same denomination. As we were leaving, I walked back into the room containing the church members, and without saying one word, walked up the aisles of the tables and stared each person in the eye. None would look at me.

I am thinking of writing the pastor of this church and relating this incident. Would you, or is this something you would just let pass? We have had threads in the past about Christians in restaurants.

Absolutely!

These types do more harm to the Gospel than atheists, feminists and gay rights advocates could ever dream of doing.

I PROMISE you Jesus would not have let it go!