By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org
For those who have five minutes (or less if you’re a fast reader), I would encourage you to read the Baptist Press story about Brenton Winn. It’s incredible.
In February of this year, Brenton Winn broke into First Baptist Church of Conway, Ark., and destroyed $100,000 of church property, including laptops, cameras and other electronics. According to the story, he was addicted to methamphetamines. He doesn’t remember much about that night because he “was high on drugs,” according to the article.
Lonnie Wilkey
Six months later, however, Winn is a living example of God’s grace and the willingness of a church to show God’s love and forgiveness.
First Baptist pastor Don Chandler told Baptist Press that “you can’t preach something for 50 years without practicing it, especially in front of your whole church. Had we not shown some grace to him, everything we’ve talked about and encouraged, would have gone by the wayside. It was simply the right thing to do. This was not a hardened criminal. This was a young man who had made some mistakes. He was on drugs and alcohol when he did what he did. But he was redeemable.”
Winn currently is in a 12-month rehab program based on biblical principles. He recently accepted Christ and was baptized at the church he damaged. What an example of God’s amazing grace.
Take five minutes and read Brenton Winn’s story. You’ll be glad you did.
