Virginia Pastor Fires Church Daycare Worker for Being Unmarried and Pregnant

[rizen1]

Carrie Dedrick Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com| Wednesday, January 14, 2015

A Virginia woman was fired from a church daycare this week after being warned that she was in violation of the employee handbook for being pregnant and not married.

Apryl Kellam of Henrico County has worked for the daycare at Staples Mill Road Baptist Church since September. In October, she was told that she and her fiance James Coalson were to get married or at least announce a wedding date by this week in order to keep her job; the two are expecting a baby due in April.

fox13 reports that being unwed and pregnant is in violation of the church’s employee handbook.

Kellam said, “It hurts because I’ve grown up in a Christian home and Christian church my whole life.”

The couple says that they want to get married when it is the right time for their family.

“I want to wait so we can have all our family and friends there and have a big wedding. I just don’t want to go to the courthouse and have someone marry us,” Kellam said.

Pastor James Booth said that Kellam’s dismissal is a confidential personnel matter and the church should not be judged for its decision.

“People are calling us judgmental, but that’s judgmental, to say we’re being judgmental when they don’t know us,” Booth said. “They don’t know our heart. We’re not trying to be hurtful, we’re just following our personnel handbook which is rooted in our statement of faith and our biblical beliefs.”

Fox 13 reports that Kellam had been an exceptional employee to the church. She had received a positive job review last Thursday and was offered a raise.

Kellam and Coalson are now considering legal action against Staples Mill Road Baptist, though the church maintains firing Kellam was within its legal rights.


Publication date: January 14, 2015

 

[mercy777]

It just tears my heart out to see a young woman, raised in a Christian home who has attended Church her whole life, decide to have a child out of wedlock. It speaks volumes to the children/ young people in her care. The Church has made the right decision even if they had not incorporated it into their handbook. JMHO

 

[Chad]

Kellam and Coalson are now considering legal action against Staples Mill Road Baptist, though the church maintains firing Kellam was within its legal rights.

That's absurd. First, child out of wedlock and now suing GOD's house for doing the right thing. I doubt they can expect GOD's blessings anytime soon with these two actions together.

 

[B-A-C]

I personally feel a time of persecution is coming to the churches in the US (perhaps many other countries as well).
There is already talk of churches being sued for not performing same sex marriages and not including homosexual presentation in funerals.
(there was a news article on CNN yesterday about this). Private companies are being sued for not giving same sex couple the same insurance benefits.
It all starts with allowing the churches to be sued for what they believe in.

Rather than post the link, you can do a search on google for...
"Protests at Colorado church over handling of gay woman's funeral"

 

[kvnchrist]

What is love is to be sure that a child of God raised up out of wedlock is taken care of. Maybe adoption or something. All this does is bring up the possibility of the women acting rashly and aborting the child.
I am not arguing for her to keep her job but Surly there are places the church could send her for the betterment of all. A women's shelter or something where the church can minister to her and possibly return her to the fold.

We dislike sin, but do we not care for the sinner? Even Christ eat with sinners. Did he not say the following

Matthew 9:12 - But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

 

[kvnchrist]

I personally feel a time of persecution is coming to the churches in the US (perhaps many other countries as well).
There is already talk of churches being sued for not performing same sex marriages and not including homosexual presentation in funerals.
(there was a news article on CNN yesterday about this). Private companies are being sued for not giving same sex couple the same insurance benefits.
It all starts with allowing the churches to be sued for what they believe in.

Rather than post the link, you can do a search on google for...
"Protests at Colorado church over handling of gay woman's funeral"

I think it started long before this. It started when people started disrespecting God. Once you diminish in your mind the reason for a thing to exist it is only a short leap to taking away it's legal status to be what it is.

 

[B-A-C]

What is love is to be sure that a child of God raised up out of wedlock is taken care of. Maybe adoption or something. All this does is bring up the possibility of the women acting rashly and aborting the child.
I am not arguing for her to keep her job but Surly there are places the church could send her for the betterment of all. A women's shelter or something where the church can minister to her and possibly return her to the fold.

We dislike sin, but do we not care for the sinner? Even Christ eat with sinners. Did he not say the following

Matthew 9:12 - But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

There are a lot of unknowns here. Did the woman claim to be a Christian? Was she a Christian before she got pregnant?
If she was simply a member of the congregation and not involved in a ministry (especially one that involved children) would it be different?
It sounds like she had the handbook with the rules in it, so why knowingly violate the rules?

In my church she would be allowed to attend the church, however she would not be allowed to continue in ministry (especially one where she has authority over children).
The thinking here is, we should still love them when they make mistakes. However leaving them in a position of leadership is problematic.
First it seems to make a statement that the church approves of what she did. (if they approve of that, it opens the door to having to approve of other things).
Second, as a daycare worker it sends the wrong message to children. Is she repentant about this? Does she tell the church and children she is working with
that it was wrong? It was a mistake?
The OP leaves much about the circumstances out, but the feeling I get isn't that she thinks what she did was wrong (in fact she is willing to sue the church)
but rather she is angry because she lost her job.

 

[kvnchrist]

It just tears my heart out to see a young woman, raised in a Christian home who has attended Church her whole life, decide to have a child out of wedlock. It speaks volumes to the children/ young people in her care. The Church has made the right decision even if they had not incorporated it into their handbook. JMHO

The prodigal son need not necessarily be a son. This world has distorted much more than the morals of a young women. Self indulgence is a epidemic and one that is pushed on our children as a virtue. We all know better and some of us gained that knowledge through the bad choices that we have made.

We all found our way back to Christ and I have no doubt that more will follow. Maybe this women will. I believe that God has a plan for us all and none of us knows those plans, even for us. How do you know his plan for her is nt to find herself half way through a court trial and come to Christ.

 

[Edward]

What does the Bible say about this

Apryl Kellam of Henrico County has worked for the daycare at Staples Mill Road Baptist Church since September. In October, she was told that she and her fiance James Coalson were to get married or at least announce a wedding date by this week in order to keep her job; the two are expecting a baby due in April.

The church gave this young lady a choice in line with their own handbook and scriptural based. She could have keep job if she got married. So what did Moses teach us (Gods words) in Deuteronomy 22:28-29 (AMP)
28 If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her and they are found,
29 Then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her; he may not divorce her all his days.

1 Corinthians 7:2 ESV
But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Kellam said, “It hurts because I’ve grown up in a Christian home and Christian church my whole life.”
The couple says that they want to get married when it is the right time for their family.

Yes Kellam, Sin hurts, it also does fellowships you from Christ. Growing up in a Christian family in going to church your whole life does not mean you are saved. There are many that can quote scripture but don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

Kellam and Coalson are now considering legal action against Staples Mill Road Baptist, though the church maintains firing Kellam was within its legal rights.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

It is the duty of all parents to teach your children the word of God, to be a living example of Christ. Today's news media wants the viewers to think that churches done something wrong by following scripture and the law our father gave us. Again this fall's on the parents teachings for where was the parents instructing their children on this matter. Moreover when they went to the news media were they honoring their Parents,Christianity and God. There are too many of us excepting things as it is society today as the norm. May we all find the opportunity to spread the truth of the gospel and win one soul at a time.

Things like this to sadden my heart when somebody professes that they are Christian in yet complains of the consequences of their own action of Sin.

1 John 1:9 ESV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God Bless, may we all be enlightened with the word God.

 

[kvnchrist]

There are a lot of unknowns here. Did the woman claim to be a Christian? Was she a Christian before she got pregnant?
If she was simply a member of the congregation and not involved in a ministry (especially one that involved children) would it be different?
It sounds like she had the handbook with the rules in it, so why knowingly violate the rules?

In my church she would be allowed to attend the church, however she would not be allowed to continue in ministry (especially one where she has authority over children).
The thinking here is, we should still love them when they make mistakes. However leaving them in a position of leadership is problematic.
First it seems to make a statement that the church approves of what she did. (if they approve of that, it opens the door to having to approve of other things).
Second, as a daycare worker it sends the wrong message to children. Is she repentant about this? Does she tell the church and children she is working with
that it was wrong? It was a mistake?
The OP leaves much about the circumstances out, but the feeling I get isn't that she thinks what she did was wrong (in fact she is willing to sue the church)
but rather she is angry because she lost her job.

I understand fully and I agree she should not have remained an employee. Standards must be kept to prevent infecting our young with the idea that what she did was right.

I think this is all a tragedy. Maybe I spoke without thinking, I think there is anger and hurt involved. I know how many times I've said crazy stuff when I was upset and there is always that secular hatrid of Christianity that might just have fabricated that suing paragraph.

If she does try to sue I hope that somewhere along the line she finds herself and God. I think the price of a trial is nothing against the posiblity of saving a soul. I also think that if she returns or she'sa the folly of her life she will except Christ and with her, her new born child. That would be another miracle from God.

I will prey for her!