On January 25, 2013, a pastor and members of her worship group gathered together to for a meal at Applebee's. As is the custom with most restaurants, parties consisting of more than eight people are automatically charged gratuity. The pastor's group was about twenty people, which lead to such a charge of 18%. When the pastor, Alois Bell, received her check, she was upset with the fee and wrote on the bill, "I give God 10%. Why do you get 18%".
Throughout the last year, this story has been shared by friends, and acquaintances, and a slew of news reporters. I was somewhat familiar with this event prior to this assignment, however as I continued to research the matter, I realized that this is a great illustration of the impact that social media can have in our lives.
I read about ten various reports on the topic, and the first thing that I noticed was how negative everyone was toward the pastor. True, her comment may have been a little snarky, but I was surprised how every report was against her. There are two sides to every story. While I do not support the actions of Pastor Alois Bell, I would not go as far to say that server, Chelsea Welch, was innocent of any blame.
According to to ABC News, Welch uploaded a photo to Reddit "as a lighthearted joke". She may have posted the image as a joke, but I do not feel that justifies her senseless act. In a world filled with social media, it is important to think before you post. Welch's inability to consider the weight and consequence of her actions ultimately led to her termination from Applebee's employment. Though the company received backlash for letting the server go, I feel it was the best thing to do. Welch argued that she had broken no specific company policy, however she showed an inability to act appropriately in a customer service situation.
A powerful lesson can gleaned from the actions of both Chelsea Welch and Alois Bell. Both produced a message that had not been well thought out, leading to negative results. Pastor Bell, terming her actions as a "lack of judgement", stated that her heart was broken and that she has "brought embarrassment to [her] church and ministry". Though former server, Chelsea Welch, has received internet support, she stated that she needed to find another job in order to pay for college. Through both of these examples, we can see that once an action takes place, the actors do not determine the repercussions.
As we have learned throughout the course of the class, it is not uncommon for potential employers to research candidates online. Imagine what businesses and organizations will see when they search for information about Chelsea Welch. When learning how she has acted in the past, they may be leery of making her an addition to their team. Through this example alone it is not difficult to see how she could have trouble securing a good job for several years.
In a like manner, if someone were to search for information about the Word Deliverance Ministries church, they would likely find information about Pastor Alois Bell and her Applebee's experience. Especially considering her position, her comment about restaurant tips may destroy her credibility. Support and congregation size may have diminished as a result of her action. Surely there are those that thought her words and sermons were not consistent with her private actions (illustrated by the Applebee's incident).
There is a practical take-home message in this story. Put simply: Think before you act. Whether that be in personal setting or through social media, once something is said it cannot be taken back.
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