The Church and Integration in Starkville

A newspaper article titled “Choir Create Baptist Conflict” by Macy Shipp from September 17, 1968 details the reaction of the local Baptist churches when contacted about allowing the newly integrated choir to come sing at their services. The Baptist Student Union was and is a collection of Mississippi State students who meet to worship together. The Baptist Student Union and the Baptist churches of Mississippi worked together to provide this place for students, although they still would not allow black Americans into their services. Explaining that “we live in the south…and we know the reaction of the people. We do not feel that it is time to present this integration problem to the people.” The young man mentioned in this text joined the choir, just wanted to sing at church with people he went to school with, he didn't want to disrupt the choir’s plans. Although once he joined the churches did not want or allow the BSU choir to perform or integrate into the churches activities. 

In “A very regrettable situation” by The Daily Mississippian February 9, 1973. A guest editorial speaks on the inconsistency of the church, when one day it gives millions of dollars to work with African Americans to become integrated but will not allow them to come into their own church services. A “most powerful and influential church” would not allow a group of black students to attend and said “If they wanted to come to worship, that would be fine. But they just wanted to come to cause trouble.” 

This mindset that local churches had towards black believers caused them to openly say that they did not believe in segregation although they did not act that way in the end. The article “No Segregated Services Here” by George Miller May 7, 1971. This item starts by describing the “battle with this ambiguous thing called life” that the author explains we all struggle with daily. Miller goes on to describe the other battle man is struggling with at the time which he explains as the idea of getting segregation out of society. Although Miller points out the major road block in the way of the government stepping in, the first amendment. Miller believes that in passages like James 2:2-9 and Mark 12:31 which tell us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and treat everyone with kindness. That Sunday George Miller and three other MSU students, May 2, 1971, decided they were going to Baptist Church in Starkville. Miller knew that once they got to the church the usher would tell them “we don’t have segregated services here” meaning that they do not have integrated services here. Miller raises the question if God sees color? The church and the body of Christ are called to live as Christ did Himself and do His work on this earth. Although at the time that George Miller wrote this the churches were segregated against what another believer looked like.