![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/bd043ca5dceb35481bb28f355cc26677.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
11 minute read
DELICIOUS Mad for macarons
By WILL MADDOX
How does an entrepreneur with no formal baking or business education end up as the owner of a small macaron empire? Kelli Watts, of Savor Patisserie, explains: “It’s been the wildest ride of my life, that’s for sure. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.”
Watts grew up baking recreationally, but worked in fashion design and lived in New York, where the macaron craze already had hit. She began experimenting with baking them herself, leaning on her French background.
Macarons are not for your average Easy-Bake Oven operator; they are exceptionally difficult to perfect with a shell that toes a delicate line between soft and crunchy.
When she found the perfect combination of texture and flavor, she sold small batches to friends and family, who encouraged her to start a business. In January 2015, Watts quit her job at Neiman Marcus to open Savor Patisserie at The Shops at Park Lane.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/05c0d2da6933c9b32483883bbd9bf6d3.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
“There was no sign at first,” she says. “People had to accidentally bump into the place to find it.”
When her lease on Park Lane was up, she moved to her Casa Linda shop in August 2016 and has been there ever since.
Savor goes against the grain by offering baking classes, where they teach patrons how to make the very cookies that are sold at the shop.
The Casa Linda location clearly has Watts’ designer touch. Black and white décor is accented with colorful succulent centerpieces, and the cornucopia of dazzling macarons draw the eye through the glass display.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/c7d59c704ed3187c3c72348aa9014cc7.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/64f5de2d8f1bec18d8d9e4a18686c874.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/9bf955f3318a209ee2dae5582020d68a.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
DID YOU KNOW: Macarons are best when they have rested for 24 hours, giving the filling a chance to soften the shell for the perfect balance between crispy and soft.
Watts has gone from a one-woman operation to employing 42 people. For a perfectionist such as herself, it was difficult passing on her recipe to another baker, but she has learned to delegate.
This season she is presenting holiday flavors like candy cane, eggnog, gingerbread and Mexican hot chocolate.
“All of these people are part of my little family,” she says. “It’s great to be able to affect their lives in a positive way.”
Macaron shops have become all the rage in Dallas lately, but with Savor expanding to its fourth location in Uptown this year, Watts isn’t worried about the competition. “I just keep my head down and work hard every day,” she says. “The more people know about macarons, the better.”
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/e25cf9e762d63619b7d9466479b79ad3.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
Savor Patisserie
Ambiance: Whimsical dessert shop
Price Range: $2.50 per macaron, 5 for $12 Hours: 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 12-8 p.m. Sunday 9440 Garland Road #142 972.913.4900 savorpatisserie.com
Holiday Spirits
Holiday drinking
’Tis the season for revelry, and our neighborhood’s watering holes do not disappoint. From spices to stouts, here are some of the seasonal specialties you can find this month.
By WILL MADDOX
CAMPFIRE OLD FASHIONED
This libation comes with a kick thanks to Wild Turkey 81/101 and black walnut bitters, but it’s topped with a toasted marshmallow so it ends on a sweet note.
LIBERTINE BAR
2101 GREENVILLE AVE.
ST. BERNARDUS CHRISTMAS ALE
At 10 percent alcohol, this is a Belgian Ale for sipping, with a dark color and rich fruity finish.
CRAFT BEER CELLAR
6324 GASTON AVE.
HOT YOOHOO YEEHAW
This Christmas twist on the classic frozen Yoohoo includes peppermint schnapps and Thin Mint cookies.
SINGLE WIDE
2110 GREENVILLE AVE.
EGGNOG COCKTAIL
Spicy and sweet, this holiday classic gets a boozy finish.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/47ff45d8960967bc17cc0fc96a44aea5.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
POUR HOUSE
1919 SKILLMAN
COCOAMINTZ
This holiday creation combines hot cocoa and Rumple Minze liqueur. 504 BAR AND GRILL 2121 GREENVILLE AVE.
CAFÉ AU LAIT CHICORY COFFEE
MILK STOUT
This New Orleans style stout is made with White Rock Sumatra coffee beans. ON ROTATION 7328 GASTON AVE.
Marketplace
Dutch Art Gallery
Eyevenue Dallas
Eye exams, glasses & contact lenses
Glasses can be made the same day after you pick out some new frames! Need an updated prescription? No problem, Dr. Nguyen has appointments available the same day as well! Call us or schedule an appointment at www.eyevenuedallas.com
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/373c8ace5ed053d401706403f0602b5f.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
Sunstone Fit
Yoga, Pilates, Barre, Cardio
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/889562791ccf81f9bceb9e734d18b976.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
Whether you’re new to fitness or just new to Sunstone, go online and schedule your 30 min. required Orientation prior to your first class. sunstoneFIT.com/join
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/d8bed6f2df6c1e47f1ea13ffb67287a0.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
23 days of CHRISTMAS in East Dallas
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/cebe293f447f018c54f5ce30f9e60133.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
By WILL MADDOX
THRUJAN.
8 holidayAttheDallasArboretum,atraditionaltuneistakentonewheights.Called “12DaysofChristmasatNight,”theevent offersararechancetotourthearboretum afterdark.Theexpansivegardensglowwith thetwinkleofmorethan500,000holiday lights,whicharepairedwithclassiccarols forafestiveholidayevening.Theevent runsfrom6-9p.m.for$12.
THRU DEC.24
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/0ee96de4ade06a33aab716efdcdfb98e.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/3af487f006014d3dfbd3cfc97d3e293e.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/d7a81e44a9d8e358a03e3174fd9cdd1d.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/f291e006615f353d7d77314549d91554.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/6ed7cacb13019238d6d46359a051b69f.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/8ac18f43ca640ae0b2308b462c90e167.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/33dc980c0cd91d2b7997d42ea799e8b9.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
Bad Christmas sweaters — the gaudier, tackier and more three-dimensional, the better- are back. The Ugly Christmas Sweater pop-up shop offers an array of tasteless knits at 5531 E. Mockingbird Lane, #175.
THRUJAN.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/415c897f0959173c5f2363864236ecfc.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
THRU DEC. 23
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” makes its return to the Dallas Children’s Theater. The family can enjoy Charles Schultz’s classic characters find the meaning of Christmas.
8 ExploretheUnitedStates, fromTimesSquaretothe GoldenGateBridge,during theTrainsatNorthPark, raisingmoneyfortheRonald McDonaldHouseofDallas.
THRUDEC.24 talesSantaClauswillsharefestive aboutthesnowyNorthPole andat10:30a.m.Monday-Saturday Center.noononSundayatNorthPark InadditiontoStorytime withSanta,hewillbeavailablefor portraitswithkiddos.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/9914beca647a36743a2cc800eec0d534.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/f733f00e798efb7a3897daf9fd4147f8.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/e2b33245494abb91d1d82b5335c8a589.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
THRUDEC.21 KathyBurksandtheDallas Children’sTheatrepartnerto present“FrostyandFriends.” Thisversionwillbepresented entirelyinpuppetry.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/e5ee54f7d9afc9b4124bdcb1c99be307.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
DEC. 1-3Christmas and local history are intertwined at the Alexander Mansion., during the Dallas Woman’s Forum Holiday Celebration. The festivities also include a bistro, the proceeds of which benefit local charities. The holiday celebration is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with the bistro running from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
NOV. 24 THRU DEC.
23
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/2c605713417cc35d3cc0a4a96978929f.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
A traditional tale gets an unusual twist with “Joe Dicken’s Ebenezer Scrooge,” a musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carol.” This neighborhood classic marks its 36th year at Pocket Sandwich Theater. Shows are set Thursday through Sunday during the holiday season.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/c68173b1862bcce4a4cd6e4c4d43599f.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/835d25eecb96f3e65b019f087a1da8ea.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/900268329f72d0d315c30c95c44726d4.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
THRU DEC. 24
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/27d07c566ff940015ece424481b8e122.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/11c83bae953254168325ba5f668abee5.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
Neighbor Jeff Patton once again puts up a Christmas tree lot at the Mockingbird and Abrams, open daily from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
DEC.3 theTakeintheHangingof cocoa,Greenwithcookies, vocaland instrumentalperformances at8:30p.m.atWilshire BaptistChurch.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/a55ff2cf50c60e34f2d8434049d07782.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/90a0911151fb464cbd072a1e84c76550.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
DEC.
1
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/e08e022020d2f889e965490a2a967192.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
The festive Light Up Lakewood, happening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Harrell Park, is sponsored by Lakewood Neighborhood Association as well as a number of neighborhood businesses. What started in 2002 as a simple customer appreciation event by Talulah and Hess owner Elizabeth Mast has turned into a community event that includes a visit from Santa, a petting zoo, a marionette show, toy soldiers on stilts, school choirs, bands and more. This year the event will remember longtime volunteer Vicki Thompson.
DEC.9 Schoolmaynotbethefirstplace yougotoshopbutthere’sareason togiveitatrythisChristmas. BishopLynchHighSchool’s ChristmasBazaarissetfor 9a.m.–4p.m.attheschool.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/bbc38ae7a3f792bb5619656edbb8d563.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/9bc47d1cfd3891dd2683b8b86b81345a.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
DEC. 5-24
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/505f3ea1ce0f70de7044ae89eb5d0228.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/4070415c68f1c798beff6771293c7a5c.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
DallasFortheeighthyear,Gingertown bringsdesign,engineering toandconstructionfirmstogether NorthParkcreateagingerbreadvillageat Center.Thelivebuild competitionbenefitstheChildren’s CraniofacialAssociation.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/59590fdbf98a6027fc8fd1652e80d0af.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/aaf592f7caf37da211d1d845433de37b.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/e6dda15ffb3d2f56b5a2f78ed6bd7fda.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/612d9f5e3b9254103ae941ab3ac0bf3d.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
DEC. 9
Watcheveryone’sfavorite Christmascaperonthebig screenwhentheAngelika Film Center shows “Home Alone” at 10 a.m.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/f0ccc3d9c76055855d89ab9c37cfbb73.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/97e8abc9ee0a3cbf74d65ccbaadd5c17.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/f44f355a77179d9409027e0ad7035ca6.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
DEC. 16 andEastDallasneighborRickiDerek performancehisorchestraarebackforalive attheGranadaTheater.an“AMerryLittleChristmasShow”is alwaysold-fashionedholidayrevuethat placedrumsupnostalgia.Ittakes at8p.m.attheGranada, $30-$42.
DEC. 16-17
Justafterdark,volunteerswilllight
7,000lightsthroughouttheCasa
LindaEstatestoraisemoneyforthe Guns&HosesFoundationofNorth supportTexas,whichprovidesfinancialtothefamiliesoffirefighters andpoliceofficerswhodiedin thelineofduty.
DEC. 16
Beapartofthere-creation searchofMaryandJoseph’sforaplacetostay duringtheLasPosadas celebrationat6:30p.m.at EmanuelLutheranChurch.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/5e04307c2da47f1eebc8be4de841b821.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/576986e3fb95cf6ec1ceb3c506de790d.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
DEC.
17-31
DEC.
17
Join St. Matthew’s in festive behymnsat4p.m.Thesingerswill outagainat10p.m.onDec. 24,afterthechildren’sChristmas pageantat5p.m.thatdayat St. Matthew’s Cathedral.
When Liz Simmons’ house is lit up, you know it’s Christmas. This year the Electric Lizzyland Christmas light display on Newell Avenue promises to be just as big and maybe just a bit brighter. The light show, timed with music, sets the neighborhood aglow when the sun drops down.
DEC.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/d5daee5276bd3a79e88306d85eb79cf8.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/45118259d67fc76750a3c5fd1a67172a.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/660249057bea7c876b1de68270f48cc3.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/0f7e9db1420496fc1bd74b7efaddf611.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/fc475b03b9fb42f5f0b8b7421c66eb5a.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
17
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/270ea6231c821422f0730701ca0bc3bb.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/4070415c68f1c798beff6771293c7a5c.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
The Christmas Choir Cantata is sung at 10:15 a.m. at Lakewood United Methodist Church.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/3fed405bd93499f6dd88a4e27b3b059f.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/182e2eb90caec040b5c8d90df7c82e97.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/2eeb95321c85a1dd3718f31701792775.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/5c4888c51c737e0f3f5823b92ca40702.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/951a8dc43c2579237489dcfbd7ffbd30.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/495dc068af8c6d0ad34d487634ea65aa.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/018b71398fb20d68173ac66ec37b5729.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
DEC. 24
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/ea71367d6005b205ec11acb1c7f725a7.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
Theyoungermembersofthe MungerPlaceChurchwill performtheirownversionof aChristmaspageantat2:30 p.m.,oneoffiveChristmas servicesthatday.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/16d0470e41a35831b428524b2155bd7a.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
DEC.28-JAN. 1
DEC. 17 hostsEastDallasChristianChurch theDiscipleWomen’s andAllChurchChristmasParty noonchildren’sprogramat atthechurch.
TheLoneStarCircusmarksits holiday11thyearofbringingitsfestive“CirqueJoyeaux”showcase ofacrobatsandaerialists,music andmimestotheDallasChildren’s Theater.You’llwanttogetthere45 minutesearlytotakeinthepre-show withmusic,poetryandmore.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/6f3cfaf8ae83e8992977e9339febe4d3.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/c3b012b13da006f693dfaa54636b09e0.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/63a4355adf5ca980782e32204dceb06c.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
The Leadership Of Wilshire Baptist Church
KNEW TWO THINGS: THE VOTE WOULD BE CLOSE, AND EITHER WAY IT WENT DOWN, THEY WOULD LOSE PEOPLE.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/8b1fcae67d04b977b112c555335743d6.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
By KERI MITCHELL
Nearly 450 members voted, and 67 percent affirmed the church’s new direction.
It
The church’s new, young pastor, George Mason, had taken the helm of Wilshire two years earlier after the retirement of longtime leader Bruce McIver. Mason, at 35, navigated his flock through that tenuous period and into its future.
Twenty-five years later, in November 2016,
Mason found himself and his church in a similar crisis. This time, the issue threatening Wilshire’s unity was the role of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the congregation.
They already were church members, but gray area persisted: Could they marry? Have their babies dedicated? Become leaders as deacons or even as pastors?
Once again, the decision would be the final straw for some folks. This time, nearly 950 ballots were cast with 61 percent of votes affirming the full rights of membership for those in their midst who identified as LGBT.
“Open to all, closed to none” became Wilshire’s new mantra.
And yet, now as then, hundreds of people felt shut out by the decision. In the aftermath of the 1991 vote, most people stuck it out despite their theological differences. This time, however, the bleeding began as soon as Wilshire’s leadership announced a committee would study the issue, and continued for 14 months until the vote elicited a hemorrhage. Three Sunday school classes of older adults disappeared altogether.
Months later, after the bleeding had stopped, the church counted its losses: About 250 members left, taking $700,000 of annual giving with them.
Mason, now 61, calls the experience “the biggest misjudgment of my ministry” — not in terms of the decision itself, but in terms of its consequences.
“I assumed that if we followed a deliberative process on this matter, that like these other matters, we would have had dissent, but we would not have had a major loss of membership or financial contribution,” Mason says.
“I was wrong.”
Note: Whites and blacks include only those who are not Hispanic. Source: Pew Research Center survey conducted April 12-19, 2016.
A couple of months after Wilshire’s monumental vote, a schism unfolded at a different “church” across town. Uptown’s Kalita Humphreys Theater transformed into a sanctuary for the Dallas Theater Center production of “The Christians.” The play portrays the story of a megachurch led by Pastor Paul, who blindsides his congregation one Sunday with a sermon revealing his epiphany that hell doesn’t exist.
The show’s director, Joel Ferrell, spent a couple of months visiting local conservative and megachurches to get a better feel for their dynamics.
Wilshire’s clergy were among those he asked to participate in “Stay Late” conversations following each performance.
“The fact that Wilshire was a Baptist church dealing with an issue that had separated the church body made it interesting to me,” Ferrell says.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/1cae005be735eaec48b1484445cc7864.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
Typically 30 to 40 audience members stick around for Stay Late sessions, but for “The Christians,” the theater company saw crowds rise to 50 or more. Those who stuck around were “intrigued, passionate” and often had personal stories to share about schisms they had experienced in their own churches, Ferrell says.
“This play rings really, really, true,” Wilshire’s associate pastor, Mark Wingfield, told theatergo - ers at one Stay Late session. “It’s almost painful to watch because it’s bringing stuff up. And at the same time, you realize this kind of conflict is inherent from the very beginning of the church.”
Wilshire’s “splintering,” the term Wingfield prefers to “split,” was not about hell — “though some would say it’s felt like hell to have the conversation we’ve had about LGBT inclusion,” Wingfield says.
“Don’t be like Pastor Paul,” Wingfield quipped to the audience after the play. And yet, he added, “the reality is that even with a lengthy, drawn-out process that’s much more thoughtful than what Pastor Paul goes through, these difficult issues of faith can still be so controversial.”
Wilshire is hardly the first Dallas church to affirm same-sex marriage and ordination. Cathedral of Hope in Cedar Springs, known as “the world’s largest gay church,” has been around since 1990. Discussions and debate in mainline Protestant denominations — such as Episcopalians, Presbyterians and Methodists have impacted Dallas churches, too. Grace, Greenland Hills and Lakewood United Methodist Churches (UMC) in our neighborhood all are part of the UMC network of “reconciling” congregations who fully affirm LBGT members.
It’s the “Baptist” in Wilshire’s name that seemed to draw such shock from outsiders and such ire from within its denominational ranks. Texans are most familiar with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), an almost 170-yearold network of more than 47,000 U.S. churches. It’s the predominant Baptist force in the Bible Belt, which still loops around North Texas.
Dallas is home to more than 100 Southern Baptist churches, the best known of which is First Baptist Dallas, the Downtown church led by the Rev. Robert Jeffress. His proclamations from both the pulpit and the cable news circuit — that the Bible is unequivocal about the sinful practice of homosexuality — is representative of SBC doctrine.
But Baptists are a “hugely diverse group throughout history,” ranging from the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. to Jerry Falwell to President Jimmy Carter, says Ted Campbell, professor of church history at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology.
That’s because in Baptist congregations, decisions are made at the local church level, which is different than hierarchical denominations, where edicts come from on high and are passed down to local congregations.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/3c42c369bcda8b7690841d8e467ee2b6.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
“Each [Baptist] congregation can make up their own minds about the issues that face them,” Campbell says. “Congregational polity allows Baptists to have a degree of flexibility, despite their kind of legendary conservatism.”
Wilshire was part of the SBC until it stopped participating in 1990 and formally severed ties in 2000. It identifies instead with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), which tends to represent churches that are “progressive on social issues and traditional on forms of worship,” Campbell says.
The CBF split from the SBC in 1991 over scriptural differences, including the ordination of women. The SBC still maintains its long-held belief that the Bible limits pastoral roles to men.
“I do think you can draw a straight line from that vote to the latest one,” Wingfield says of the 1991 and 2016 votes, “and find a number of folks who acquiesced on the women in leadership issue despite reservations but hung on anyway, until the possibility of same-sex marriage was just a bridge too far.”
‘That is not a Baptist church’
Jeff Patton attended Wilshire for 58 years. He sat in the same pew every Sunday. His parents and his grandparents were Wilshire members. His mother taught Sunday school. For 15 years of Mason’s tenure, Patton and Mason shared a locker at Lakewood Country Club. Patton considered his pastor a good friend.
But one day, “George Mason took it upon himself that we should start marrying gay people,” Patton says. “I’ve got nothing against gays at all, but gays don’t get married in a Baptist church.”
Wilshire’s clergy say the intent of the 14-month study was to ensure people had all the information they needed to make a decision and plenty of opportunity to have a voice. But for Patton and other Wilshire members with similar views on gay marriage, it felt like a long, drawnout campaign to change people’s minds.
“He pushed a little too far this time,” Patton says of Mason. “Something just went haywire in his head. I told him he had lost his mind.”
Patton had his own experience pushing the envelope at Wilshire. In 1968, when Patton was in high school, fellow
Woodrow Wilson High School student John Paul McCrumbly attended Wilshire with Patton’s family.
Woodrow recently had begun integrating, and McCrumbly, who is black, was ushered by Dr. Walter H. Patton to the second row of “a Southern Baptist church that never had a black person in it,” Jeff Patton told us for a 2011 story.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/23880fc18127a0d21c73d5e2e3835e5b.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/f00826282563c7e416ff964cc70376ff.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
Patton does not see any parallels between the Civil Rights movement in the ’60s and the Gay Rights movement of late, at least as it applies to Baptist churches. Nor does he see parallels between the 1991 vote to ordain women and last year’s vote to ordain LBGT persons.
“There’s absolutely no comparison. You’re talking about apples and oranges,” he says. “Baptists do not ordain gay people. It does not happen. That is not a Baptist church.”
Campbell, because of his expertise in
Baptist church history, has provided historical perspective to the discussion his own United Methodist Church (UMC) is having on gay marriage and ordination. His study and interactions have led him to believe that it is the “flashpoint issue” of our era.
![](https://assets.isu.pub/document-structure/230622040050-193d0fc2b8792235be829e90980b030d/v1/e0a4c3e5e25b1f44a4b62b72b902b558.jpeg?width=720&quality=85%2C50)
“I think the direction right now is polarization. It’s not heading toward consensus at this point,” says Campbell, who says the United Methodists are seriously divided over these issues, and those divisions may take the form of denominational division by 2020. “The question in the UMC is, ‘Can’t we all just get along with each other?’ And the answer is absolutely clear — the answer is no.”
“A flashpoint issue becomes the standard for orthodoxy,” Campbell says, “and people go to their own sides and say, ‘I’m not going to budge on this.’ ”
After the vote, when Patton left his church of 58 years, he says it felt like family members had died. It was “betrayal,” he says.
“The church got stolen from the people who built it,” he says.