Pastor Responds to Backlash From Snellville Council Meeting, City Clerk Issue

In light of the city clerk controversy at the last Snellville Council meeting, Pastor Elijah Collins Jr. wants to explain his side of the story and his involvement in Snellville politics.

Specifically, the pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church spoke about his speech during the public comment portion of the Jan. 13th meeting. Many people have voiced how "rude" and "disrespectful" Collins was to speak a few minutes and then raise his hand to signal for his church, which consisted of nearly half the room, to leave when other citizens still wanted to express themselves.

During a meeting with the press at his church Thursday (Jan. 23), Collins said he thought he was speaking last since there were no other citizens lining up for the podium. Going last was important because, "To me, I didn't want to say what I had to say and then leave my church members there," he said. 

Him raising his hand comes from a custom in the black Baptist church during devotion, he continued. The deacons will lift their hands to signal that it's time to stand, and lowering their hands means to sit down. 

"I did not know Melvin Everson was coming up behind me," he continued, adding that he worked with the former Snellville councilman while being a youth minister at Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Lilburn. "It was not my intention to be disrespectful. I was trying to be the last one and to take my people out before anything else happened. That's the truth." 

But when the church left, it caused a loud, boisterous disruption and negative comments were thrown from both sides of the room. Collins said he was disappointed in what he heard and has reprimanded his church members who took part in it during Sunday worship. 

So does he regret what happened?

"I didn't regret it," he said. "I regret the fact that it wasn't received the way I meant for it to be received. I talked about the power, the strength of the black church and the black community. I did that as a show of, 'This is what I mean. We have this unity already.'"

That unity also was evident when his church members sat on the same side of the council chambers, even though the pastor didn't ask for them to sit together. He explained that they sat together because they were in a new environment and it's common to cling to those one knows, but another reason may be because racism can still be seen in Snellville. From personal experience, Collins recalled four separate times when people driving by his church have yelled the N-word.

"They remember what happens on our property," he said. "They're seeing this [situation at the council meeting], so it kind of takes on a certain look."

Collins has been living in the Snellville area since 1999. In addition to being the pastor of New Jerusalem, he also founded it in 2002. With 340 members, the congregation on Dogwood Road is the only black church in the city limits that owns the property it sits on.

While the church has had picnics, barbecues and other community outreach events, the only city involvement New Jerusalem has had is the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day March and Celebration, which was held for the third year Monday (Jan. 20).

"My calling is to preach and to pastor, to preach the gospel Jesus Christ, to lead people to salvation in Jesus Christ," he said. "In doing so, the role of the pastor, which resembles the role of a shepherd, is to take care for the flock." 

Since Phyllis Richardson, the African-American woman whom Mayor Kelly Kautz attempted to place in the city clerk's seat, is a member of his church, he felt the need to step in when that position was being debated at the council meeting. 

While he attended the meeting to support her, Collins admitted that he does not intend on being involved further in her situation involving the city charter and the city clerk position, which the council voted to be filled by the original administrator, Melisa Arnold.

Instead, he is working with the city staff to bring more diversity since the mayor, council and a majority of the city staff are caucasian. He's also encouraged his church to attend more council meetings to educate themselves locally and to vote when the time comes. 

Collins claims that he does not have a "side" when it comes to Snellville politics, though. 

"I'm on the Lord's side. I'm on the side that speaks to edify people, encourage people," he said. "I believe there are a lot of discrepancies in the charter that needs to be cleared up. I believe that Mayor Kelly [Kautz] is doing what she thinks is right, and I believe the councilmembers are doing what they think is right. What has to happen at some point is everybody has to come together and lay it on the table and truly discuss it and figure it out."

Collins is hopeful the city is heading in the right direction. He's met and spoke with City Manager Butch Sanders, who has asked the staff how they could diversify, and he also attended worship last Sunday at New Jerusalem. In the next couple of weeks, Collins wants to get the mayor, council, himself and other ministers in the area to try to come to an "amicable solution" to bring diversity to the city staff.  

"Snellville is going to grow on it's own," he said. "The city leaders can be a part of that growth, or that they can be the stagnant force in the growth. I think we're at the cutting edge where we can put some things in effect to where everybody is pleased with what's going on in the city."