Rev. Buddy Slaughter was recently removed as executive director of Challenge House and there’s disagreement on the circumstances around the decision.
Notification of his removal came to Rev. Slaughter via email on the evening of Wednesday, May 23rd and it said the following day would be his last at Challenge House.
Challenge House founder Wally Bryan, who is running for mayor of Hopkinsville as an independent in November, says he’s agreed to serve as acting director with no pay for about three weeks.
Bryan says he was involved in the discussions that led to the board members present on May 23rd unanimously voting to not keep Slaughter as director. He says it wasn’t a firing, but a non-renewal of contract for a director he believes was spread too thin.
Bryan says he likes Slaughter and has no ill will toward him.
Rev. Slaughter was caught off guard by what he considers a firing and says he was not under a contract that needed to be renewed. He serves as pastor of Means Avenue Baptist Church and says all of his duties in various capacities in the community are close to Challenge House’s mission to bring resources to underprivileged people and neighborhoods.
He says community members will still see him doing the same type of work, serving the same people in need—just not with the Challenge House organization.
Bryan says Slaughter is welcome to reapply for the position and notes the board may decide to move to a less costly and less centralized model. Bryan reiterates he is running for mayor and says he has no desire to become the permanent executive director.