Pastor Drives Church Camp Worker to Sleep on Roadside — Latter Delivers Scathing Speech during Morning Prayer
A Baptist summer camp and supposed sanctuary to find spiritual satisfaction turned into hell because of how management treated the employees. One man's experience urged most staff members to take action.
A man had worked for a Baptist summer camp near his home for over three years. He was dedicated and loyal to his job. Besides the money, he genuinely enjoyed what he did and even took tasks others did not like, such as pulling weeds, handling trash, etc.
He was also liked by the kids who attended the camp, making his job much more enjoyable. One thing he didn't like about camp was the owner, an old man and senior pastor, Phil, who was racist, sexist, and homophobic. However, Phil was generally fond of the man, or so he thought.
A tall church. | Source: Getty Images
The camp policy has since changed, requiring staff to live on campus during their working days on weekdays. Meanwhile, those who worked on weekends needed to request it. The man knew this rule and often submitted the request.
However, in the middle of his third summer on the job, the man asked for time off to heal from an inner ear infection. Still, when he was asked to be on-call that weekend, he took the job.
Photo of a sick man. | Source: Getty Images
Since he did not have a driver's license then and his house keys were with his father out of town, he requested to stay on campus. His request was approved until two hours later.
The man was asked to join the other weekly staff members to receive their paychecks and have a realignment at the dining hall. He didn't think much of it and went to the area where all his co-workers were.
A photo of a hallway. | Source: Getty Images
Phil was also in the hall, sitting with the other staff members. Upon seeing the man, Phil asked him to sit together. Then the owner asked what the man was doing on campus. The man explained that he was asked to work the weekend. Given his family was out of town, he requested that he stay on campus.
However, Phil said he was not needed and could return home. Kindly, the man explained that he couldn't return home because his family was gone with his key and he had no car to drive. Phil didn't care and asked the man to find someplace else to stay.
A man pointing at something. | Source: Getty Images
When the man said he had nowhere else to go, Phil replied: "Again, I'm sorry to hear that, but it's not really my problem, is it? You should've thought this one through."
After noticing the man's reaction, Phil apologized and said the man could stay. However, Phil told him he would make the man work twice as hard without pay and wouldn't be receiving any food. The staff was horrified, to say the least.
An upset elderly man. | Source: Getty Images
The man was fuming mad but held his anger in. He stayed calm, said he would figure it out alone, and left. He ended up sleeping on the side of the road that evening. The next day, he stayed in hiding in his co-worker's room since his room would be searched. The day after, he stayed in his room without much care.
"Monday morning, I make my way into the dining hall out of uniform, and take a seat. When the whole staff is present, I stand," he narrated. The man was to deliver their Devotional, but instead, he brought up what happened days prior. He said:
"Did I resort to sleeping on the side of the road like an animal? Yes. Did I hide on campus the rest of the weekend, having to beg someone to sneak food to me? Again, yes."
A man shocked while looking at the camera. | Source: Getty Images
He added, "But that's alright. I must ask you, though, If Phil has no problem treating me this way after giving three years of my life to this camp, how do you think he's going to treat you?"
The man then quit and left, but not without cussing at Phil. "I sincerely hope you rot in Hell," he added. As he stormed out of the hall, ten of his colleagues walked out right behind him. Another 15 staff members quit the following week, leaving Phil with only six employees.
About 850 campers were just about to enter the campus, aged 12 to 17. However, the man no longer cared about what would happen next.
In a similar story, a wealthy grandmother who devoted her time to the church for decades discovered that greedy pastors were only after her money.