From there, she thought, she could quickly exit in case Idamae caused any disturbance during the service.Īs she’s done many times before, Zilliken said, she then waited until Furtick’s sermon to begin breastfeeding “so she’s quiet.” Then she went to the church auditorium’s second floor, headed for the last row and took the seat nearest the door. Zilliken said she dropped off her two other children – ages 5 and 4 – at the church’s eKidz child-care area. Zilliken said she did last Sunday what she’s always done since the birth of her youngest child, Idamae, who’s now 4 months old and breastfeeding.

Furtick, who launched the Southern Baptist church with wife Holly and seven other couples in 2006, speaks most Sundays in person at the Ballantyne campus. We welcome everyone and anyone to attend Elevation church.”Įlevation, one of the fastest growing churches in the country, draws more than 20,000 worshipers to its nine Charlotte-area sites every weekend. We are sorry that this in any way offended anyone. A volunteer had a conversation and felt both parties arrived at the same conclusion to exit mutually. “If anything difficult arises (at Elevation), they try to hush it up.”Įlevation Church said in a statement: “We do not have a policy that nursing mothers can’t be in the sanctuary. On Wednesday, Zilliken, a 29-year-old stay-at-home mom, told the Observer that she “definitely” plans to participate in the “Nurse-In.” But it’s up in the air whether she’ll decide to continue as a regular at Elevation, a church she’d driven an hour to attend most Sundays since 2015.Īs much as I love hearing the word of God from Pastor Steven (Furtick) … I’m not sure at this time if I’ll feel comfortable going back because of the way this was handled,” she said.

Her Facebook post, which also featured a photo of the bathroom at Elevation’s Ballantyne campus, has since been shared by more than 1,500 people.

Pastor mike todd scandal