BRISTOL, VA—It all started during the meet-and-greet portion of a 9 am Sunday service at Valley Crest Community Church: Owen Jenkins introduced himself to congregant Jeremy Tucker with a handshake. Tucker immediately asked Jenkins if he’d like to meet up for coffee this week and get to know each other better. Though the invitation seemed sudden, Jenkins agreed.
The two reportedly met Monday morning at a local Starbucks where, after a brief period of small talk, Tucker asked Jenkins if he would be his accountability and prayer partner.
Jenkins was taken aback. “This is all just moving a lot faster than I’m used to,” he said. “I hadn’t even finished my first latte with the guy and he already wanted to jump into a long-term accountability and prayer partnership.” He asked if he could have some time to think about the proposal, to which Tucker replied that there was “no pressure.”
But Jenkins says Tucker has been texting him relentlessly since their morning meeting, sending dozens of devotionals, Bible verses, and Christian memes. “Hey, Phil 6:13. I thought this really applied to your situation rn,” one text read. “God is so good. Have you put any more thought into us?” asked another. Tucker even sent Jenkins every word of an Oswald Chambers devotional over a string of thirteen consecutive texts. “I felt very vulnerable,” Jenkins reported.
After consulting with a church elder, Jenkins decided to reply to Tucker with a request for more personal space. “Just with the way things are in my life right now, I need a break on ‘us’,” Jenkins texted. “Please don’t take it personally. It’s not you, it’s me. I just don’t think I’m in a place where I can be a good accountability partner right now.” Jenkins claims that a flood of texts followed from Tucker expressing that God had given him a “direct revelation that we were to be accountability partners” and that he is “just worried that Owen is using this as an excuse to fall into sin.”
Jenkins was last seen in line at the DMV to file for a name change after stopping by Home Depot to pick up some new locks for his doors.
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