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Vietnam Veteran Carmen Hix lives in Friendswood, Texas.
Hix felt that she couldn’t just stand by and watch as several of her fellow townspeople and statespeople where struggling after Hurricane Harvey. So, she became to volunteer with Calvary Houston Church to lend a helping hand.
Carmen Hix even took time off of work in order to commit jer time to volunteering.
"I took a leave of absence – I work part time – and decided just to do 10 days straight of volunteering," she told Channel 2.
But, it seems her giving spirit didn’t touch the hearts of religious officials who oversaw the volunteer program.
Hix said that the man supervising the church’s food bank started to ask her questions repeatedly after hearing her end each prayer with “shalom” instead of “amen.”
“I was asked about that by the supervisor of the food bank, 'Why do you say shalom?' I said because I'm Jewish,” she recounted.
Carmen Hix / Image via Click 2 Houston
This then led to other supervisors being shocked the next day that Hix had a female partner and was raising two kids.
After that, she was ushered into a private meeting with the head of the food pantry.
"The gentleman asked me, looked me in the eye, and says, 'Are you a Christian?' and I said, 'No, I identify as being Jewish,' and he said then you can no longer volunteer for Calvary," Hix said.
Hix, outraged, went to speak with the pastor of the church named Ron Hindt.
"I told him I understand I'm being fired because I'm Jewish and I can no longer volunteer with your church. He said, No, it's also a rumor that you're a lesbian," she said.
"He said when God strikes your heart and brings to light the sinfulness of your ways you'll be able to walk away from that relationship and you'll be good with God.”
After Carmen Hix spoke to Channel 2 news to share the story, Pastor Hindt went to Facebook to defuse the situation.
Part of the facebook message said, "Unfortunately, we're saddened by an incident involving some miscommunication that took place off campus in an exchange between various community volunteers at the church's food pantry."
Also, when Hindt spoke to Channel 2 he said, "At no time did I ever say you couldn't serve here. I told her I have Jewish friends. I go to Israel all the time… There are people coming to the church who are gay and lesbian," Hindt wrote.
Both sides are standing strong in their statements and are unwilling to budge. Meanwhile, Hix found another place to volunteer but she admits that the first rejection hurt.
"All I wanted to do was help those less fortunate them myself."
I’m a Christian, but I’d
I'm a Christian, but I'd rather have a friend like Carmen than some Christians' I have known in my life, who are judgemental and not as caring as what she is.
I think the woman who went running to the Minster to tell on Carmen's lifestyle was a clipe, who should have minded her own business. And the Minister was a bigot, for turning away a woman who only wanted top help the needy
I do hope that Hix also
I do hope that Hix also volunteered at another Church that would be more thankful for her efforts. This really is a time to rise above the mean-spirited pettiness shown by that so-called Xian Church.