HOULTON, Maine — A motion of solidarity was made on Tuesday, Oct. 2 from several members of the religious community in Houlton.
In response to a number of letters to the editor, as well as remarks from the town council, representatives from the Greater Houlton Christian Academy and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, joined forces to clear the air once and for all.
“There’s been much discussion, rumor and gossip concerning our recent softball tournament that benefits the Academy,” explained Greg Swallow, speaking on behalf of the GHCA. “How many of you believe it was wrong for the board of the academy to make a decision to not allow the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to participate in this tournament? Well the fact is the board never decided that the LDS church could not play in the tournament.”
In fact, Swallow stated that the LDS church had “honestly stated that fact in their letter to the editor” and that because of some “miscommunication, confusion resulted in the early stages.”
“Ultimately, we the Academy bear that responsibility and no individual,” said Swallow. “In the end, the matter was referred to the board. When we arrived at the board meeting that evening, we were made aware of a very gracious e-mail from the LDS church stating that they decided to withdraw their request to play this year in the tournament, but would you please consider their request for the next year. They said they were unaware that it was an invitational tournament at the time.
“So, at that point, we tabled the item, since the start of the school year was a week away and there were several items to be discussed and knowing that we would probably be there until 11 p.m. that evening,” he added. “You may be asking why this was even a matter for discussing, because it was not really about the LDS church per say. This incident, and we thank them for this, made us aware that it was time to review all of our fund-raisers. Any and all events associated with the Academy reflect upon us and it’s our duty to establish fair parameters for all fund-raisers.
“Quite honestly, had we not received the LDS church e-mail withdrawing from the tournament, we may have made a decision that evening and honored their request,” he said. “In any case, the Academy takes full responsibility for the confusion. We are now in the process of reviewing all fund-raising activity.”
Swallow said the board was surprised by the letter to the editor the following week, and said that somewhere in the process, there was a misunderstanding on GHCA’s part. He said the LDS church had wanted, and expected, a determination to be made at the board meeting this year even though they had withdrawn their request.
“There was nothing deceptive on their part, there was nothing deliberate to skate the issue on ours,” explained Swallow. “We have sat down together with them and we have discussed the situation and we’re doing fine and we’re all here tonight as visible evidence of that fact.”
Jared Carter spoke on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
“Our intent in writing the editorial was not to point the finger at a specific group or individual,” explained Carter. “I understand that the school has taken the brunt of criticism for what has happened, but that was not our intention. Our intention was to shed light on the misunderstanding and false teaching that circulated regarding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.”
Carter noted that since their editorial, several other editorials have been printed that “prove this fact.”
“One article stated that the Mormon Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible,” said Carter. “Anyone who has talked with members of our church know that we believe the Bible to be the word of God. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be another witness of Jesus Christ, which is why we are nicknamed the Mormons.
“The Savior Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our faith,” he said. “We do not dispute the fact that there are doctrinal differences. To proclaim that someone else’s beliefs or doctrines are not Christian simply because they’re not the same as yours is utterly absurd,
“I have never heard other churches’ doctrines taught from our pulpit and I would hope that if someone had desires to understand our doctrines, they would seek that knowledge first-hand,” he remarked. “I hope that in the future there aren’t concerns on anyone’s part about our church’s involvement in their certain activities because of our doctrine, that it is more openly communicated.”
Ben Drew, one of the LDS church members who wrote the original letter to the editor, also spoke about comments that might have been made regarding the town of Houlton. Drew said he does not have a problem with anyone in Houlton and wanted to make that perfectly clear.
“Obviously, one would realize that we had some concerns about initially how things were handled, but I think that comments or suggestions to the effect that the town of Houlton would bear any responsibility for what occurred there, would be a mis-statement and certainly, our church has no problem with the town of Houlton, any members of the board, any members of the administration of the town of Houlton from the town manager right down through to the recreation department and I want to make that very clear,” said Drew. “We have no concerns, no problems and we’re taking the necessary steps privately to take care of this issue.”
The issue concerning the softball tournament became part of council discussions several weeks ago when a member of the public suggested that the town make users of its recreation areas sign a waiver stating they would not discriminate against anyone. Town officials have stated that people renting town facilities have the right to invite or not invite anyone they want.
In response to a number of letters to the editor, as well as remarks from the town council, representatives from the Greater Houlton Christian Academy and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, joined forces to clear the air once and for all.
“There’s been much discussion, rumor and gossip concerning our recent softball tournament that benefits the Academy,” explained Greg Swallow, speaking on behalf of the GHCA. “How many of you believe it was wrong for the board of the academy to make a decision to not allow the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to participate in this tournament? Well the fact is the board never decided that the LDS church could not play in the tournament.”
In fact, Swallow stated that the LDS church had “honestly stated that fact in their letter to the editor” and that because of some “miscommunication, confusion resulted in the early stages.”
“Ultimately, we the Academy bear that responsibility and no individual,” said Swallow. “In the end, the matter was referred to the board. When we arrived at the board meeting that evening, we were made aware of a very gracious e-mail from the LDS church stating that they decided to withdraw their request to play this year in the tournament, but would you please consider their request for the next year. They said they were unaware that it was an invitational tournament at the time.
“So, at that point, we tabled the item, since the start of the school year was a week away and there were several items to be discussed and knowing that we would probably be there until 11 p.m. that evening,” he added. “You may be asking why this was even a matter for discussing, because it was not really about the LDS church per say. This incident, and we thank them for this, made us aware that it was time to review all of our fund-raisers. Any and all events associated with the Academy reflect upon us and it’s our duty to establish fair parameters for all fund-raisers.
“Quite honestly, had we not received the LDS church e-mail withdrawing from the tournament, we may have made a decision that evening and honored their request,” he said. “In any case, the Academy takes full responsibility for the confusion. We are now in the process of reviewing all fund-raising activity.”
Swallow said the board was surprised by the letter to the editor the following week, and said that somewhere in the process, there was a misunderstanding on GHCA’s part. He said the LDS church had wanted, and expected, a determination to be made at the board meeting this year even though they had withdrawn their request.
“There was nothing deceptive on their part, there was nothing deliberate to skate the issue on ours,” explained Swallow. “We have sat down together with them and we have discussed the situation and we’re doing fine and we’re all here tonight as visible evidence of that fact.”
Jared Carter spoke on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
“Our intent in writing the editorial was not to point the finger at a specific group or individual,” explained Carter. “I understand that the school has taken the brunt of criticism for what has happened, but that was not our intention. Our intention was to shed light on the misunderstanding and false teaching that circulated regarding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.”
Carter noted that since their editorial, several other editorials have been printed that “prove this fact.”
“One article stated that the Mormon Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible,” said Carter. “Anyone who has talked with members of our church know that we believe the Bible to be the word of God. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be another witness of Jesus Christ, which is why we are nicknamed the Mormons.
“The Savior Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our faith,” he said. “We do not dispute the fact that there are doctrinal differences. To proclaim that someone else’s beliefs or doctrines are not Christian simply because they’re not the same as yours is utterly absurd,
“I have never heard other churches’ doctrines taught from our pulpit and I would hope that if someone had desires to understand our doctrines, they would seek that knowledge first-hand,” he remarked. “I hope that in the future there aren’t concerns on anyone’s part about our church’s involvement in their certain activities because of our doctrine, that it is more openly communicated.”
Ben Drew, one of the LDS church members who wrote the original letter to the editor, also spoke about comments that might have been made regarding the town of Houlton. Drew said he does not have a problem with anyone in Houlton and wanted to make that perfectly clear.
“Obviously, one would realize that we had some concerns about initially how things were handled, but I think that comments or suggestions to the effect that the town of Houlton would bear any responsibility for what occurred there, would be a mis-statement and certainly, our church has no problem with the town of Houlton, any members of the board, any members of the administration of the town of Houlton from the town manager right down through to the recreation department and I want to make that very clear,” said Drew. “We have no concerns, no problems and we’re taking the necessary steps privately to take care of this issue.”
The issue concerning the softball tournament became part of council discussions several weeks ago when a member of the public suggested that the town make users of its recreation areas sign a waiver stating they would not discriminate against anyone. Town officials have stated that people renting town facilities have the right to invite or not invite anyone they want.
