Chapter 71

71
CHRISTIANS FOR CHRIST HEADQUARTERS, TAMPA

Ruth Yemmer was the type of older woman was could be counted upon to rise to just about any occasion. She had been selected unanimously to lead the newly formed United Christians for Christ, the giant Neo-Apostolic denomination which had resulted from the unification of several smaller groups. Whatever she may have lacked in strong leadership was made up for by the loyalty and respect of its hundred and twenty plus million members.

She walked down the hall of the newly re-modeled complex of offices which housed the church's business and spiritual headquarters in Tampa. Today for the first time, she would address the combined leadership of the groups which had joined with each other to form her flock.

More than four hundred delegates from Neo-Apostolic groups across the nation were waiting for her when she entered the auditorium. As she walked to the podium the audience stood to applaud. The ovation continued for several minutes as she fought back embarrassment. Finally, she lifted her hands to call for silence.

"Brethren in Christ, don't give me the applause that is rightfully meant for Our Lord. I am but a servant to this great cause. He is the object of our affection. He is the Divine Messenger! We have only the loving task of preparing His Way so He can perform His work on the earth."

"To begin our meeting, let us pray. Pastor Heathgate, will you lead us in prayer?"

Pastor Heathgate had served in the Methodist Church long enough to have developed a permanent smile. The expression seemed at once innocent and insipid, just the thing to further calm almost sleeping congregations as they passed out the door. Now, however the CFC had inspired a righteous fire in his personal ministry sufficient to add an ulterior glint to the straight white teeth revealed in his perpetual simper. He began.

"Heavenly Jesus Who has come to be the doorway through which the Divine Light of God can reach the darkness of our world, we pray that You will use us in Your Sacred Commission. We pray that the Rays of Goodness will come from You to guide our efforts in Your behalf. We pray that You will make us feel at home on our earth, in harmony with the animals and plants. We pray that You will make us happy and joyous, that You will lift up our hearts, filling them with laughter and contentment."

"We pray that You will use our arms in Your Mighty Army to destroy the enemies of our true faith. We offer ourselves as soldiers to march behind You into the great battle that rages now with the forces of evil who are trying to cast the world back. We ask especially that You will confound our enemies and their leaders, that You will curse those who come up against us! Help us serve You, Oh Lord! We proclaim that we are Your people! Bless this strategy meeting here today where we will seek Your Divine Guidance to show us the way to victory in Your Name! Amen."

A great "Amen" rose up from the audience, followed by still another round of standing applause.

A smiling Ruth Yemmer hugged the Minister as she returned to the podium.

"I am very pleased to be speaking to an audience where everyone of our beloved brothers and sisters represents a congregation which has joined in our Glorious Unity. In these tragic times when we are being attacked and killed by the forces of the old world order, history will tell that it was this great army of new believers who led mankind away from the darkness of the past into the bright and beautiful light of a New Day! We are the new believers, for now we have what we have always needed in Our Lord and Savior, Reincarnate! We are the new believers! We are the Neo-Apostolics!"

The audience once again went wild with applause.

"I want to share with you a special moment I had just this morning. I was making my sunrise meditation in the small fern garden outside my apartment. Quite frankly, it was pretty chilly. I had my old lap robe wrapped around me. Suddenly the first light of this beautiful day broke over the side of my apartment building. I was lost in my thoughts, deep in meditation, and I missed it!"

"Even though the patio was still quite dark, a single sunbeam struck the meditation crystal which I had hung up by a thread. So just while I was sitting in the dark and the cold, wrapped in that old robe, a beautiful rainbow came through the prism of the crystal and washed my face with fabulous colors! The rainbow fell on the smoke of the incense I was burning, illuminating it in the same beautiful colors."

"I suddenly stood up, no longer cold at all. A moment later the sunshine reached my little place. The green fronds of my ferns seemed to sing in delight at the prospect of a new day. They called to me with the loving message of all the plants in the world. They sang the song of sunlight. I threw off that old robe and trusted the sunshine to keep me warm, and it did."



Just as I trusted that tiny glimmer, it was followed by the warmth and caring touch of the sun. Likewise, once we see the glimmer of hope which comes from the Divine Ray of Our Savior, if we trust it, we too shall be cast into the warmth and light of God's Love."

"And finally, when I threw off that old robe to allow the sunlight to reach me, I was warm! Once we throw off the old rags of Fundamentalism, the Pure Divine Ray will reach us, too. Our enemies are trying to keep those old rags wrapped around our eyes, wrapped around our souls! They try to keep the whole world in the endless darkness of their own lives, their own lack of faith."

"They will force the world to continue to allow their control over the lives and souls of humanity if we don't stop them. They have already been at it for thousands of years of turmoil, suffering, sadness and death! They don't want to ever quit! They don't want to ever change their ways! That's where we come in!"

"I want to encourage everyone here to make the maximum contribution of ideas to this conference. We're not losing, but we don't seem to be winning, either. That's not going to be good enough! We pledge ourselves! We pledge our lives and fortunes! We pledge ourselves to the Perfect Savior Reincarnate Who has been delivered unto us as a Gift of God Almighty!"

"Victory for Jesus! Victory for the CFC! Victory for Jesus!"

The hall thundered with applause as Ruth left the room.