Meeting Transcripts

Opening Remarks

Cabin Cluster Units

A donation came from the estate of someone who none of us knew. Most of what you see, including some infrastructure that you don’t see, was provided for by that donation. So we thank God for that. In order to move forward, we have needed to make the decision to rent these new facilities out, using the proceeds first to maintain what has been built, but then also to provide for the next units. They are two clusters of eight units each—four up and four down. There are sixteen units in all. Next year they will rent for $900.00 for the whole camp meeting. This is to keep it simple for our staff. We are understaffed with, thankfully, overachievers, and we have to try to make it easy on them. So, that is the decision—one may rent a unit for $900.00 whether the stay is for three days or twenty-three days. We must keep it simple, and obviously we are also trying to defer to those who would stay for all of camp meeting. If some want to come a few days early, we don’t want to penalize them for that. If some want to stay a day or two later to help clean up, then we don’t want to penalize that either. We still have cabins to stay in that do not cost anything, but we must take the proceeds from the clusters and set them aside for the next units.

We have obtained permits for two more sets of clusters—sixteen more units. We will do as much every six months as we can to keep the permit process alive. However, barring some other estate surprise, we do not expect to have these ready for next camp meeting. Registration for the current units will be on a first come, first served basis. Those interested can contact Sister Ellen Morgan.

As I have mentioned to the pastors, do not consider the cost as rent. Consider it as an investment in the future of our church, because that is what it is. We want to leave the next generation with something better than what we have enjoyed. This is the way to do it. If we do not do something like this now, then in fifty years we will still be talking about the cabins that were old when we came into the church—some of us anyway.

The Restaurant Project

We were unable to obtain the permits for the restaurant project in time to comfortably proceed with what we said we would try to do last camp meeting. So, that will begin right after this camp meeting. As a reminder . . . the seating area will be expanded to include that part of the patio which is currently covered by the blue tarp. That area will all be one seating facility. It will be updated, and it will be a blessing as well.

We also intend to change the process for serving meals. We are experimenting this year on the snack bar with simpler pricing and faster service. That has been accomplished. We will take the same approach next year. For breakfast, there will be two options—a continental breakfast for $3.00, and a buffet meal for $5.00. Guests will pay as they enter. There will be different stations for different food items being served. People can serve themselves or rely on attendants who will be there to help. For lunch and dinner there will also be two prices—one price will be for what is offered at the snack bar station. There will probably be one area that will give children (or adults) the opportunity to have a corn dog, hamburger, French fries, or milkshake. For lunch and dinner the other price is $6.00. That will include one or two entrees and a drink. If a bowl of mashed potatoes was added, it would still be $6.00. For breakfast, there may not be quite the selection. There won’t be Brother Mark Worthington’s blueberry pancakes every morning. With simpler pricing there is faster service. If someone wanted a continental breakfast, a bowl of oatmeal, and a bowl of fruit, they would pay as they entered, go to that station, and then sit down and eat. There would be time for fellowship. Brother Mark’s French toast might be featured one day, but overall, this is what you can expect.

Ordination Expirations

In another matter, in the United States we have implemented a system with respect to ordinations that we have actually had in place for a long time around the world, I am speaking of having an expiration date for an ordination. Those who live abroad are used to this. Certificates are sent in when they expire, and we reissue a new document. A couple of years ago we implemented this system with respect to those who are ordained here in the United States. The reason for this is that some leave the faith. It has been a bit disconcerting to consider the fact of an ordained Apostolic Faith minister who has left the faith. It is troubling to consider that someone who is no longer with us could perform a wedding for someone who is marrying into adultery—using the Apostolic Faith name. So, for that reason, the new ones who have been ordained lately have an expiration date on their certificates. We are also implementing uniformity, so once these certificates expire, they will be reissued for a five-year period. Over time, we won’t have to have people sending documents back and forth. Instead, we will just know every five years to look at the list of documents and confirm that everyone is still a member in good standing, and then automatically send those documents out showing the new expiration date. That is something that we have already implemented, but I had failed to say it publicly.

Weddings

In speaking of weddings, remember that we use the Apostolic Faith wedding ceremony and we use the Apostolic Faith wedding vows. We do not write our own vows or use somebody else’s vows. We are consistent. This is one of the things I mentioned to the pastors in Haiti who want to be Apostolic Faith. Another thing that we covered very clearly with them was that they must use our Minister’s Manual. The strength of our work is our unity, and in the fact that we have practices that are the same around the world. If someone wants to be married, and they want to say a poem to their soon-to-be husband or wife, then that can be incorporated into the service somehow. We can be a little creative, but not so creative that we do not use the Apostolic Faith ceremony and vows. Once we give allowance for something different, everybody will want to start writing their own vows. The vows that have been written were written long ago, and they are good. Remember when there was that royal wedding two years ago? I know it was two years ago because it happened when our granddaughter was being born. It was around two in the morning, and I was anxious, saying “Let’s go. Let’s go.” Debbie and Alicia were saying, “We want to hear the vows, the vows of the royal wedding!” I was thinking, I want to be there when my granddaughter is born. Well, so did they. Finally I got them out of the house, and we took off on I-205. Just as we passed the Clackamas Town Center, we received a texted photo of a baby. I said to Debbie, “She has been born!” We were so close; we only missed it by about four-and-a-half hours.

We don’t do dancing as part of our church services. I don’t want to see anyone dance. That has no place in the wedding ceremony; it is sensual. Nor do we use weddings as an opportunity to do things not in the way of holiness—whether the ceremony is in the church or otherwise. We can control what people do in the church; this is the House of God. Others before us bought and paid for it, so anytime I speak with a prospective bride and groom, they hear that speech. I tell them to honor the people who bought and paid for this facility.

Collections

We also do not take collections in an Apostolic Faith church. If a church begins doing collections, they are not Apostolic Faith. They may have the name over the door, but they are not Apostolic Faith. How would you like to be the only work in the world different from every other Apostolic Faith church? Everyone would think it odd, because it would be odd. So, we don’t take collections.

Inviting Guest Preachers

Having Brother Johnny Wyatt Jr. and his wife, Sister Paulette, here reminds me that you need to check with me before asking for a district leader to come to your branch church to hold meetings. You may hear Brother Johnny preach and Sister Paulette sing, and the bell might go off in your head that you should ask them to come to your church. You would call me first, because I have already told them they can’t do that. The congregation at 265 Lafayette in Brooklyn needs their pastor. Just like every other church, they need their pastor at home. We measure out over time, which visits are made. Your duty is at home. As far as that goes, you would check with the pastor before you would invite a minister from a branch church to come to your branch church. The exception is when we come to camp meeting. I don’t check with the pastor when I ask one of the ministers on staff to preach. I don’t check with Brother Bill McKibben to see if Brother Nolan Roby can preach. I don’t have time, but more importantly if someone wasn’t up to preaching or wasn’t qualified to preach, I should already have known about that way ahead of camp meeting.

Safety and Security Policy

We live in an age where lawsuits are prevalent. As mentioned in the March ministers’ meeting, we are working on formalizing the details of our policy that relates to our work being safe and secure. None of the steps we are taking are mandated by our insurance company or our lawyers. I need to make that clear. Our insurance company and lawyers look at what we have in place informally and say that we are way ahead of most churches.

One key area is what they call the gateway to participation in our work. It is what separates us from most churches. In most churches when a new person comes in, they want to get them involved as part of the church, so they are invited to usher, teach Sunday school, or sing in the choir. We simply do not do that. You can consider your own life and how long it took for you to be a participant in the work. Some of you grew up in the church, so you were known your whole life. A lot about you and your family was known. For those of us who came in from the outside, it took longer before we were asked to participate in the work. What we want to do is formalize that process. We have done it already for the Mayfield Lake Youth Camp. I have seen every application for staff that has been submitted. Twenty years from now somebody may need to know who authorized this person to be a worker. They will see my initials and my date stamp. They will recognize the way I write my initials because I have very poor penmanship. The same process will be used for all participants in the work. We may do this incrementally, but we wanted to start with youth camp.

We have always maintained a practice of due diligence. No one is left alone with a child. Teachers are told that when they start teaching Sunday school, so we are just formalizing these procedures, and formalizing the training. Our full safety program will be available this fall. I had hoped for a sooner date, but it is harder than you think to write a policy in a satisfactory manner. If you think it is daunting to read, it is more daunting to write it and to put it together. For the most part, it will be simple in the end.

Before I was asked to preach my first sermon, I was told to never be alone with a woman other than my wife. That is so basic. Before I ever preached my first sermon, I heard that. We are taught that. We grew up knowing that. I met with a woman the other day at 5:00 p.m. at the office. Beforehand, I asked a couple of the ladies in the office what time they expected to leave knowing that this woman was coming in. One said she would stay and be there during the meeting. As it turns out, I met with the woman in the lunchroom. I would have observed this same precaution thirty years ago as well. These are policies that have been planted in us. Until now, this process has been self-imposed rather than mandated, but now we want to show documentation of due diligence in a more formal manner.

When you receive the safety program, there will be three components. There is a church Safety and Security Manual, which provides a written overview of our policies, procedures, and guidelines for all our churches to operate by. Secondly, all of our workers will submit authorization to do a background check. If someone says they do not want to do that, it is fine. They will not be able to be a worker, but we respect that decision. I will fill out an authorization.  There will be a background check done on me, and I am curious if there is anything there. Well, there is nothing there. When I was a member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), I drove a truck with a load of hay one day—this would have been in early 1970s—and did get a ticket because the load was too wide. The FFA boys did the stacking, but I knew how to stack hay, and it was over the width, so I will just confess that right up front! So, we are formalizing certain procedures such as how we screen and appoint workers in the church. There will be some place where the buck stops; a person who gave authorization to use the worker. Online training and certification with be required in a couple of areas of ministry. Some of our youth camp staff have already taken that, and the rest will before the Mayfield Youth Camp starts—or they will not be going as staff members. We will help you implement the record keeping process.

Lifting Up a Standard

“Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people” (Isaiah 62:10).

Introduction

Some of this is a review of our pastor and spouse meeting. We talked a little bit about a standard. It is a visual rallying point. We think of a standard as “standards,” stipulating appropriate dress or conduct. Those are certainly standards, but we want to relate to what Isaiah was saying when he said, “Lift up a standard for the people.”

Contemporary examples of a standard include the United States flag. It actually doesn’t have any words on it, but when we sing “The Star Spangled Banner” that is what a standard is. It is a banner; it is an ensign. The twelve tribes of Israel had symbols that were placed in a visual manner so they could see where to set up their tents. The army standard was elevated so that they would know where to gather and know when to go to battle. So, those are contemporary examples of visual rallying points as well as the Biblical idea of a visual rallying point.

The standard spoken of by Isaiah is figurative rather than a visual. When he says, “Lift up a standard for the people,” he is no longer talking about lifting up the ensign of a tribe. He is talking about his message, which was the message of salvation. If you look at the preceding and succeeding chapters of Isaiah, he was speaking of the hope of Israel—the hope of a better day! He was challenged by God to lift up a standard for the people so that they would have a rallying point, they would have a hope, they would have some direction and know where to march in the Lord.

Our Rallying Point

Continuing in Isaiah, we read in verse 11, “Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh.” The enemy was threatening to ravish the land in Isaiah’s time, but his words and the message that he was elevating was that they would no longer do that. There would be a time when Judah would be secure. Previously in the same chapter, he spoke of the gates of Jerusalem having been closed. But now they would be open for the Jewish people . . . a rallying point. That is the beauty of camp meeting. We hear the message repeatedly throughout the year, but when we all come together and hear together, it is a clear message of the Latter Rain Gospel. That is why we exist as an organization. We do not technically exist as an organization to produce material that relates to Christian growth, for instance, as important as that is. We exist as an organization to preach, teach, and experience the Latter Rain Gospel. The by-product of that emphasis is going to be Christian growth and development. But let’s be clear. I used to get a magazine that was full of articles for Christian growth. That was great. Our Higher Way magazine is designed in a manner where obviously we repeat the testimonies and sermons that have been given in meetings. But, we try to make sure that it reflects the nature of the Latter Rain Gospel, because that is our mission; that is why we exist. If we fail to preach real deliverance at salvation, entire sanctification, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, divine healing, and the other doctrines, we are dispensable. We know our mission. That is our rallying point! We must be confident and solid in our mission. We certainly believe that we are.

The Message has Appeal

This message has appeal to the world. I have an update for the pastors and spouses relating to the Haitian group of one hundred churches that want to be Apostolic Faith. We met again and learned a few more things, and I am all the more confident now that this group in Haiti exists because of a missionary effort either by Brother Forrest Damron or perhaps Brother Mel Frost. So, it is no coincidence that their website has seventeen doctrines, almost identical to ours. We are where they learned them. They produced an old Apostolic Faith paper from years ago that answered the question I had which was, “How can this be?” How can we call you Apostolic Faith without being confident that you understand what we stand for? The leader, who was ninety-seven last May when a representative came to visit us, knows that his time is winding down, even though he still preaches. He wants to be sure that there is accountability built in. We have met with him again, and the group wants an answer. Brother Moise, who came in May, also came for camp meeting. He left early this morning after conveying that they want an answer to the question, “Can our churches be Apostolic Faith?” We explained again that we had to be confident that they embrace the doctrines and our practices. He came and saw that we don’t wear jewelry, we dress modestly, and we don’t divorce and remarry. They vote on ministry, and we have said they would not be able to do that. They would need to be subject to the leadership structure of the Apostolic Faith Church of Portland, Oregon, like every branch around the world. We threw at them everything that we could possibly think of. He responded, “You said that last time” and "Well, what shall I tell them? They want an answer.”

As it turns out, I will be traveling to the Dominican Republic in September, accompanied by Brother Earl Phillips, so I have asked Brother Moise to meet me there to take the next step. When I say the next step, I told him we would give the group our history book, doctrinal books, and more, which we will need to translate into French between now and then. We would also need a corporation prototype to be looked at by a lawyer who attends one of our churches, and a board of trustees would need to be decided. The board would include myself as the Superintendent General, Brother Michael Anthony as the District Superintendent of the Eastern Caribbean, and Brother Rolland Deler as the District Superintendent of Haiti as well as two others. There would be only two people from their group. I asked if that would be acceptable. His answer was, “Yes, that is what we want.” I could not talk him out of it! So he was instructed to get the paperwork in order, and told that before signing it, we would meet and talk. I also told him to expect a week of intensive Bible training sessions relating to Apostolic Faith history. Brother Michael will do that when Brother Earl and I return home from the Dominican Republic. He will be in the Dominican with us along with Brother Rolland and perhaps a dozen of the other group’s leaders. They will travel to Haiti from there to hold a week-long series of Bible teachings.

My point in conveying this information is that the Latter Rain Gospel has appeal! You have heard that—in India, the Philippines, etc. It is what the world is looking for. People are tired of the watered down, diluted, contemporary Christian message. They want something that changes lives; they want a structure. It is not . . . take off the ties and put on sandals and shorts to chill for an hour, worshiping God. If you want to do that, just go to the beach and have a good time, and then get dressed up and come to the House of God and show reverence to the Lord!

The message has appeal! Regarding the deliverance of the message, Isaiah 62 brings out three things: zeal, responsibility, and integrity. We will look at each of these briefly.

Zeal

In verse 1 we read, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest.” We must deliver our message, this message of the Latter Rain Gospel, zealously. That is not to say that every sermon should be on one of the three experiences. That comes through in every sermon, and even in our textual approach to studying the Bible—we do not have to try to work in something to a text that isn’t there simply to talk about one of the deeper experiences. Just present what is there. What is there will reveal over time the two-fold nature of sin, and the two-fold remedy for sin. So, don’t twist the Scriptures; just present the Scripture with our Latter Rain Gospel understanding. It is a Biblical understanding that is lacking in the world.

I read of a zealous Tennessee judge. This was in the Tennessian on June 13. It showed up online. This judge wants to lift up a standard in his courtroom. The article says, “A Tennessee judge issues dress code for female lawyers. Attorneys in the county have groaned to their colleagues and judges that certain female attorneys are showing up in attire that pricks the sensibilities of a profession long known for its conservative dress code.” So, the judge is saying, “Lift up a standard for the people.” Continuing, “Your personal appearance in court is a reflection upon the entire legal profession.” Your personal appearance, men or women, is a reflection upon the Apostolic Faith Church, whether we are talking about your deportment when you are at church or your deportment when you are at Costco! You are a minister or married to one. We need the help of our spouses to “lift up a standard for the people.” The people in our congregations will rise to no higher level than the ministry. If they see the ministry conducting themselves in a certain way, that is a statement that it is okay for them, even though we did not say that. They won’t quite reach that standard, whatever we settle on. That will not be reached; they will be shooting for it, but they will be satisfied to be a little short of it. If we put the standard down here, they will be a little short of that . . . or lower, a little short of that. Lift it up! Don’t say, “It’s so hard.” Deal with it. God called you! God did not just call me; God called Debbie, too, because she married me. I don’t have to tell her to deal with it! Referring to the article again, one lady lawyer said she was “slightly offended by the judge’s move, but understood his motivation. The bigger picture is some ladies are dressing in a manner that should be bothersome to other lady lawyers who strive to be professional.” That judge lifts up a standard. Isaiah speaks of the Assyrians coming against Judah in Isaiah 10:18 which reads, “And they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.” Though the Assyrian army was strong, vicious, and sturdy, they would melt away and be defeated. We cannot be as a standard bearer who fainteth. We do not want to be weak, helpless, and waste away.

Responsibility

We bear responsibility, so we must project our message responsibly. Isaiah 62:6 reads, “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence.” We must be true to our predecessors and to our successors. He speaks of the sons and daughters. We are responsible to them; we are responsible to see that they hear what we heard. Any generation that drops the standard a bit, has just set a new bar that the next generation risks dropping a bit further . . . to the point where a ninety-eight-year-old Haitian leader who learns of this faith might come and no longer see the altars or the modest dress. He would not recognize it as being what he learned forty or fifty years ago. We are responsible.

Integrity

In Isaiah 62:12 we read, “And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord.” Deliver integrity. The content of the message must be consistent with the life of the messenger. Otherwise, there is no credibility to the message.

The other day, I noticed on a package of coffee beans that they were “responsibly grown and ethically traded.” The package went on to say, “ninety-three percent of coffee was ethically sourced.” What about the seven percent? How was that handled? What if we were 99% ethical? Out of one hundred of us, what if just one lacked ethics? Should we feel good about 99% being ethical? No!

I am reminded of a fir tree. This is repeating something from a sermon a month or so ago. It was on the campground. Do you know where the bell is rung at the entrance of the camp restaurant? Have you seen that stump? This is part of that tree. The arborist came through to ensure the safety of our campers. We have the arborist come through from time to time and look at the trees to see which are healthy and which are unhealthy. He said that a fir tree, 120 feet high or so, needed to be taken down. There was a bee’s nest in it last year, and he saw the hole about thirty to forty feet up. He said the tree was now lacking integrity. We had the tree cut down, and I could not bring the whole tree today, but I brought part of it. On the outside, this tree looked tall and sturdy. But, eventually, a lack of integrity would have manifested itself, and there would have been a collapse. The taller the tree, the bigger the collapse—the bigger the thud when it comes down! We must be men and women of integrity!

I am also reminded of Tiger Woods who lost the respect of his peers at the Augusta golf tournament when he violated the rules and failed to disqualify himself. He had hit the ball into the sand or lake or something like that and was allowed to take the ball and drop it back in play. He was supposed to drop it in a certain area but dropped it elsewhere. He acknowledged in an interview what he had done. He admitted to a violation of the rules. Probably the greater lesson was that the Augusta tournament itself lost credibility when they failed to take punitive action against him. They did not impose upon this man what has been imposed on other golfers throughout history in the PGA.

This is not the game of golf. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the real thing, and our credibility and integrity are at stake. We are charged to lift up a standard, and with the help of the Lord that is what we intend to continue to do. We will stand and be led in a song before being dismissed with prayer.