103-Year-Old Woman Banned From Church in Georgia

A 103-year-old woman was banned from church in Georgia. Genora Ham Biggs had attended the church since she was 11 years old. Biggs and Union Grove Baptist Church Reverend Tim Mattow had a falling out over the pastor’s preaching style.

Genora Ham Biggs told Fox 5 Atlanta that Reverend Mattow’s “holiness style” does not belong inside a Baptist church. The 103-year-old woman was shocked when she received a letter in the mail telling her she was banned from attending her beloved church.

“At one point he had a crew in here and they were hollering and falling out in the middle of the floor. We don’t do that in the Baptist Church,” Biggs said.

The debate of the appropriate preaching style for the Union Grove Baptist Church between Genora Biggs and Reverend Mattow came to a head in August when the letter arrived in the mail, MSN reported. The missive reportedly said that she was not welcome at church services nor on church property for “any reason what so ever.”

An excerpt from the letter banning the 103-year-old Georgia woman from church details the ban.

“This letter is to inform you that according to the By-Laws of the Union Grove Baptist Church, and by vote of the active members, any membership or associations that you have had with this church are now officially revoked.”

Biggs attempted to attend church services last week, as she had done for nine decades, and the police were called to remove her from the property. The law enforcement officers said there was nothing they could do to help resolve the civil dispute.

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Ezell Land, a former member of the Baptist church, said he left the congregation after 50 years because of the new holiness style being employed at the house of worship. According to Land, a total of 20 members have also left the pews of where they too had crossed their hands and prayed for many years.

“You can’t do that to somebody. She [Genora Biggs] has been part of this church her whole life. She was even the church secretary for 40 years,” Land said. “That’s just no-good pastoring to do that.”

Genora Biggs is seeking a lawyer to help her overturn the church ban.

When the 103-year-old woman was asked if she planned to go back to the Union Grove Baptist Church again this Sunday, she answered simply, “Of course.”

What do you think about the church banning the 103-year-old Georgia woman from attending worship services?

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