This was just too funny not to share. First off, I used to live in Naples, FL, not far from Charlotte Harbor where this happened. But secondly, as a pastor, the one thing you learn about worship services is that you are never really in control – the musicians are. Just keeps you honest to make sure that your sermons are meaningful, relevant, and to the point. Otherwise you may face a revolt like this. Then again, you may deserve it. 🙂
Church mayhem: Rogue choir, earlobe twisting
WBBH-TV
CHARLOTTE HARBOR — The pastor of a Charlotte Harbor church had 16 church members booted from a service after they allegedly refused to stop singing and let the clergyman preach.
Deputies were called at 10 a.m. Saturday by Pastor David Noel of the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Harborview Road.
Noel told a deputy he was instructed by regional church superiors to involve law enforcement to remove the rogue choir.
The deputy issued trespass warnings to the group, and all 16 left the church without incident.
The sheriff’s office got another call from the church shortly before noon when a parishioner wanted to file assault charges against Noel.
Edourd Pierrelus, 57, of Port Charlotte, said Noel got mad at him, hit him in the chest and twisted his earlobe during a church service a week earlier.
The man told the deputy the entire congregation of 25 witnessed the attack. Pierrelus said that because of the way the singing dispute was resolved, he now wanted to pursue charges of simple battery.
Deputies say the dispute is rooted in concerns about the handling of church funds. The members of the rogue choir told deputies they’d handle those concerns within the church.
© 2005 MSNBC.com
wow. i can just feel the love from that one. but who’s fault is it for what happened: the choir cuz they wanted to keep singing, or the pastor cuz he just couldn’t sit idly by without getting in his two cents?