Minister Claims YMCA Paints His Witnessing as Predatory Act
by Allie Martin
July 22, 2004
(AgapePress) - A spokesperson for a Georgia YMCA says the family membership of an evangelist and former patron was not terminated because he was sharing his faith, but instead was terminated because his actions could have been perceived as a threat.Larry Lee, an evangelist and head of Down to Earth Ministries, claims his membership to the East Cobb YMCA in Marietta was revoked because he was witnessing to two teenagers outside the facility. However, Sara Rohde, marketing and communications director for the Cobb County YMCA, says Lee's membership was terminated over safety concerns.
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"These kids were approached by a stranger for an unsolicited, troubling conversation, given money and personal contact information," Rohde says, "and they were really, really uncomfortable. Their parents were really alarmed."
The day after Lee spent time witnessing to the two youths, he says he received a call from a YMCA official who informed him his membership had been terminated because he was talking about religion to the teens. The minister is outraged at the way the Y seems to be characterizing what happened.
"They paint this as if I'm out in the parking lot, trying to call these little children over and giving them a private hotline to Larry Lee -- which is absolutely false," Lee says. "What I said was, 'If we can ever answer any questions about Christianity, guys, give us a shout.'"
The evangelist does not deny he gave the teens money for playing a trivia game. He says he often uses monetary rewards in the game as an effective way to "break the ice" during street witnessing. But although Lee contends he was only trying to get the two young men to think about their eternal destiny, he says the YMCA officials never gave him a chance to explain or defend his actions.
Now the head of Down to Earth Ministries says his ministry is being damaged by a statement on the East Cobb YMCA's website. The statement, which has since been removed, does not mention Lee by name, but it says a membership was terminated due to "a child protection" issue rather than a faith issue, and that an adult offering money or private contact information without parental consent "poses an immediate safety concern."
Both Lee and Rohde said they hope the situation can be resolved without further animosity or anguish. However, the YMCA spokeswoman says the organization's one constant "is that everyone should feel safe when they are on our campus." And when an uninvited adult approaches and makes overtures to children as Lee did, she says, "that's something that we can't tolerate."
Lee says what he is hoping is that "someone in charge over there will listen to the voice of the God-given conscience and ... listen to the facts of the case and understand that sharing the gospel is not a predatory activity -- it's actually a life-giving activity."
