July 7. Simpson George. Simpson faced bigotry with grace and modeled forgiveness with patience. He refused to hold a grudge, and God continued to use him. Here’s his story.
Offended by man? Let it go. Be defended by God.
When the Board of a Midwestern, all-white church asked Simpson to lead, Simpson asked if the church was ready for a Black pastor. The Board answered with a resounding, “Yes.”
But now, a fringe group opposed the decision. One man even had a pamphlet using Scripture that he claimed showed the supremacy of the white race. And they interrupted Board Meetings until the Board agreed to let congregants express their personal opinions by means of a survey. To let the Georges know the struggle they faced, the Board mailed the surveys to Candace and Simpson.
Stunned, Simpson took his wife’s hand, and the couple sat in their living room. Rejection sliced at their insides.
They read statements—one after another, their guts twisting—that rejected their leadership because of the color of their skin. The comments that especially hurt were from people Simpson knew and loved, including two elderly women he had befriended when he had attended their church during his years in seminary. The message was clear: “We love you, but not as our pastor.”
Simpson squeezed Candace’s hand, and they bowed their heads. As they prayed, the decision became clear. Though because of his indomitable spirit, he wanted to confront the racism, he turned down the job. He would protect himself, his young family, and the church. He wouldn’t cause a rift. Simpson remained the pastor of his diverse East-coast congregation. And the Midwestern church found a different pastor.
Seven years later, an unrelated conflict split the Midwestern congregation. The church that once seemed to flourish was in shambles. The Board again asked Simpson to be their pastor. Would he serve them in the crisis? Pick up the pieces? Help them heal?
Simpson said, “Yes.”
Some people in his East-coast community questioned his choice to serve “those people.” But Simpson prayed to see others—even those who had hurt him—the way he wanted to be seen—through the eyes of Jesus.
The first service in their new pastorate, Simpson saw the two elderly ladies, whose survey comments had hurt him. Now, as he looked into their wrinkled faces, he just wanted to love them. Loving them—and the whole congregation—was the most important thing. Simpson treated the women with kindness, patience, and respect. As Candace invited them to meals and shared recipes and gardening tricks, she won their hearts.
Simpson was intentional about helping the congregation beyond its limited understanding of race. Some in his church had never interacted with Black people. Now they had regular, positive interactions with a Black family.
Simpson and Candace loved their congregation—and their congregation loved the Georges. As Simpson witnessed changed thinking and behavior, his hurt further healed. His family’s presence had made a difference. His congregation was learning to see through God’s eyes. The impact of this view would continue for generations to come.
“I spent a lot of years in the ‘white world,’” said Simpson. “Close friends … would say, ‘I don’t see you as a Black person.’
“I think I know what they mean—I’m not looking at your race. I’m seeing you for who you are and the man God made you to be. But … I am a Black person. I hope they can love me fully realizing that … the current conversation on race is so volatile … I just want us to see people through the eyes of Jesus.”
“Then Peter said, ‘I can see, for sure that God does not respect one person more than another. He is pleased with any man in any nation who honors Him and does what is right’” (Acts 10:34–35 NLV).
Offenses are easy to hold onto and will hold you back. Offended by man? Let it go. Be defended by God.
Based on an interview with Simpson George, September 26, 2019.
Story read by: Daniel Carpenter
Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter
Audio production: Joel Carpenter
Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/
Project manager: Blake Mattocks
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