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This letter was forwarded to me as part of the neighborhood watch.

Dear Embry Hills Family,

Many of you are already aware that Embry Hills is scheduled to be a picket site for the Westboro Baptist Church on Saturday, December 13th. The picketers will be here as a result of the memorial service for Keith Jernigan. In light of the information and misinformation that is circulating, I am writing to you to offer the facts and provide a word or two to those of you who plan to worship with the Jernigan family on Saturday.

Westboro Baptist Church is located in Topeka, Kansas, and they are a Primitive Baptist congregation. You can do your own research on the church and its teachings if you wish. I prefer not to grant their ideas any credence here, but it is important for you to know that their presence on Saturday has nothing to do with Embry Hills Church. Westboro Baptist Church monitors the locations of the services for soldiers who die in Afghanistan and Iraq, and their picketers show up wherever those services are held. Their message is vile, cruel and legally protected. According to Captain R.K. Ellison of the DeKalb County Police, the picketers will be located on the sidewalk at the corner of Henderson Mill and Chamblee-Tucker Roads. They plan to picket between 1:00 and 1:45 P.M. on Saturday.

DeKalb County law enforcement officials have been extremely helpful in preparing logistically for the service on Saturday. There will be an appropriate contingent of law enforcement officials to oversee the demonstration and to provide traffic direction, if necessary.

Please be advised that one of the goals of the picketers is to evoke strong responses. My best advice is to ignore them and not to grant them any part of your personal power. This is the brave approach that the Jernigan family is taking; if Toni, Bill and Wade can do that, then surely we can, too. The Jernigans invite you to rise above the protest and to join them in celebrating Keith’s life. There will be no counter-protesters present, by specific request of the Jernigan family. Please honor the Jernigans’ wishes by ignoring the protesters rather than attempting in any way to respond to them. Thankfully, the location of their picket is far more preferable than the sidewalk in front of our building and will make it easier for us to pass by them and even to pray for them in love as we do so. Of course, you can avoid them altogether if you approach the church traveling north on Henderson Mill.

Now, a few words of logistical instruction regarding Saturday.

In order to allow for maximum on-site parking for guests, I am encouraging Embry Hills members to carpool. We expect a sizable congregation for Saturday’s service, a wonderful testament of love for Keith and support for Keith’s family. Please do what you can to use as few spaces as possible.

Please know that “Night in Bethlehem” has been moved indoors, because of the forecast of very cold temperatures. As a result, there will be no access to the building from the Education Wing, and the driveway from the front to the rear of the building will be blocked. You may access the front parking lot from both driveways, but your only access to the rear parking lot will be on the Sanctuary side.

If any of us on the staff can answer any questions for you, please let us know.

I know that we’re all praying for the Jernigan family, and they appreciate it so much.

Embry Hills is very nearby. I don’t know how I will be able to physically restrain myself from going there. The family wishes for them to be ignored, and normally I would respect a family’s wishes. But if they are picketing up the street…
I would really appreciate your opinions. If you were here, what would you do? This may be legally protected, but their actions and messages are wrong and profoundly destructive.

Yes, I do make a judgment here. Jesus might forgive them, but I have a hard time.

They have a thing for funerals, and love to show up for the deaths of gays, soldiers and boy scouts in particular.

I never have agreed with Bush’s war policies, but to blame a soldier for them is wrong. To put the stamp of God on that opinion is more than wrong; it’s a sin against the Spirit of Love, against God. This is how Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church (and really, it’s wrong to call it Baptist) describes its purpose in protesting the funeral of Keith Jernigan:

12/13/2008 -1:00 PM – 1:45 PM Atlanta -Embry Hills United Methodist Church – Army Corpse, YAY! 3304 Henderson Mill Rd Yikes! God has killed another Army brute! There is nowhere safe for those of you who put on a uniform for this perverse and God-despising nation of hypocrites and whoremongers. You take your life in your own hands, and God is killing your fellow countrymen! Woe be to those in the armed forces of Doomed America! It would have been better that you had not been born/signed up for that foolish cause. There is no protecting a nation that God does not protect (Psalm 128:1)- your watchmen- your marines- your national guard-your air force- your army- your navy- none of them can win this fight against God! RUN FROM THAT FAG-INFESTED and GOD-HATING association of brute beasts! The flag is a piece of cloth; it can not save your souls from the fires of HELL! You had better listen to us, or you will join William K. Jernigan in the Lake of Fire! He ignorantly sinned away his day of Grace and brought WRATH down on his head! America is Doomed! Amen.

I feel the need to do something. Even just make a sign and stand there across the street. Anything. I could peacefully protest with a compelling message, like “Don’t Hate” or “God doesn’t hate” or “Jesus would think you’re a jerk” or just “Love, Peace, Respect.” I can think of any number of things. The fruits of the spirit, maybe, or even something humorous.

Or I could stay home.

I have to make a decision about this. There are several people who read this blog who are very insightful on spiritual and/or political matters. This is a bit of both, and I would like to hear your feedback, thoughts, opinions, perspectives and ideas.

Please comment.

P.S. Wow, that was quick: