Cross Pointe pastor talks about botulism outbreak

LANCASTER – Cross Pointe Free Will Baptist Church Pastor Bill Pitts spoke of the mundane moments in life during his April 19 sermon.

Little did he know that life would soon become anything but mundane as a botulism outbreak was set to strike and kill one church member and sicken others after a potluck lunch.

"There's always one defining moment in our lifetime," Pitts said. "And that defining moment will determine the rest of our future and how we handle the rest of our future, if we're going to trust God or we don't during that time. So it seems like it was almost a preparation for what was going to happen 15 minutes later."

The Ohio Department of Health said Monday that home-canned potatoes in a potato salad are the likely cause of the botulism outbreak that led to Kennetha "Kim" Shaw's death. There are 20 other confirmed cases and 10 suspected cases.

Pitts said there are still church members who are in critical but stable condition, while others are improving and going home.

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"For me, it's pretty much, hearing good things, I shout, 'Yes,' " he said. "And whenever things aren't going so well, I just pray. So it's just been an up-and-down."

Pitts said he left for Chicago the day after the lunch in good spirits. But eventually, one congregation member after another went to the hospital.

"We knew that, stringing it together, an incident happened that was beyond that someone just went to the (emergency room)," Pitts said. "And that is when I started my way back. And it was on the way back I got a text that Kim had passed. It was a very difficult time."

Pitts said he never imagined something like botulism breaking out in Lancaster or the church, and he said it was unprecedented.

He said he spent much of last week with the Shaw family and going to various hospitals visiting sick church members.

The congregation met for the first time Sunday, preceded by Shaw's funeral.

"Kim was a sweet as could be," Pitts said. "That's what I called her, 'Sweet Kim.' She was just so unassuming, but at the same time, it made her beautiful. She was a sweet, sweet lady. I loved the whole family."

He said Shaw had been a member of the church for a couple of years or so.

Pitts said it is legitimate to ask why God would allow something so bad to happen at a church gathering.

"My thought would be, in order to understand, it may be after we get to heaven," he said. "Because I don't understand. There's a lot of things I don't understand. One of the things as I read Scripture, though, is my 'why' needs to turn into 'what.' What am I to do now since it has happened? I think, any pastor who says they know it all, it's a bluff.

"We have to understand that, since things have happened, I personally believe, according to Scripture, that death came because of sin. So instead of me really questioning God, getting mad at God, I need to get mad at the sin that's in the world and make the world better, rather than what sin has done to it."

He said each church family has a story behind them as the crisis continues. Therefore, Pitts said, he didn't know what to expect at Sunday's services and Shaw's funeral.

"The hugs were tighter and I would say that the love was much deeper," he said. "And I would say those handshakes were much firmer. We really sensed a real good desire to help each other and comfort each other during this time."

Pitts said there will be no more potluck lunches at the church for the time being. When they do resume, he said, the church will work with the Global Association of Christian Hospitality Professionals to prevent further tragedies from happening.

In the meantime, he said, he hopes people look at the incident as something that could have happened anywhere and that the church rebounded with the help of God.

"And that's already what we're seeing," Pitts said. "Because that defining moment for our church was how we were going to react. The hospital knows we reacted the proper way. We were there in droves helping our people and praying for our people."

He said such fellowship continued at the Sunday service and funeral for Shaw. Pitts said it's hard to say what the church will look like in the coming months after the outbreak.

"I just know we're stronger," he said. "We are getting stronger. And anytime that the grace of God has come over a group, they'll be stronger."

Pitts said that, if the person who made the tainted food is identified, they will still be loved among the congregation.

"Everyone wants to define that person, and to me, that's kind of weird, to be honest," he said. "I think the media needs to look at it in case it was them this time. Because that person, they probably already know. They're hurting, and I think, as a community, we need to understand that."

jbarron@lancastereaglegazette.com

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Twitter: @JeffDBarron