A local Baptist church has done the unthinkable. The church body voted last Wednesday night to end the Wednesday Night Meal. What has been for ages a Baptist tradition of sharing a meal on Wednesdays (either every Wednesday or just before a business meeting) is no more Blewize Baptist Church. The senior pastor, Rev. Ray Lee Gont, was quoted as saying, “We’ve searched the New Testament for precedent and found none. There is no admonition, nor any example, of the early church sharing a meal before their Wednesday night meetings. In fact, we couldn’t even find support for Wednesday night meetings themselves, so we’re probably going to take a good long look at that next.” The chairman of the deacons, Jackie S. Prat, added, “For too long it’s been ‘When we meet, we eat.’ That has put a horrible burden on us to get here early enough to eat. Lacking any clear Scriptural guidance, we’ve decided to do away with it altogether.”
This move is not without controversy, though. Members of surrounding churches were shocked at the move. Most expressed dismay that a cherished Baptist tradition could be tossed away so lightly, some even pointing out that the practice is not unique to Baptists at all. Jim Koch, pastor of near by Well Filled Bible Church spoke for many when he said, “I think it’s a shame what they’ve done, but if any of BBC’s congregants would like to be filled on Wednesday nights, we’re just a few blocks away.” He then added with a wink and a smile, “We may even have some dinner.”