Pastor's Wife Found Murdered

Karen Shahan, the wife of pastor Richard Shahan, was found murdered in her home in Homewood, Alabama (USA) on 23 July, 2013.  Richard Shahan is the Children and Families Pastor at The First Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama.  The police are not releasing any information about the case at this time.  When more information is available it will be posted on this blog.

First Baptist Church was an important player in the civil rights struggle in Birmingham in the Civil Rights Era of the 1960’s and early 1970’s.  The Baptist Church of the Covenant split from First Baptist  in 1970, primarily over whether or not to admit Winifred and Twyla Bryant, who are black, as members of the church. Read the history of the controversy in the links below.

http://fbcbirmingham.org/

http://www.bcoc.net/templates/System/details.asp?id=43147&PID=579177

http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/First_Baptist_Church_of_Birmingham

http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Baptist_Church_of_the_Covenant

http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Temple_Emanu-El