John Edward Cooper’s Notes
We return home
|
1965, the year that changed my life My parents and Gooding’s visit Sharon Monday 1st March 1965 1. Before we left the following morning, Pastor Williams probably engaged us in conversation as we sat by the fireside. Such chats took place on a number of occasions. On one of them, maybe this one, maybe not, Pastor Williams happened to mention something which at that time I found hard to swallow. “I believe the Bible from cover to cover,” he told us, probably adding that it was “the Word of God”. This surprised me and slightly disturbed me, after having been indoctrinated by books and television and school with evolution — and not only that: having been led by the assumption of everyone, up till now without exception, that evolution was an established, unquestioned fact. “What?” I asked him. “Do you believe in Adam and Eve?” — to which he replied quite matter-of-factly, “Oh, yes.” 2. Shortly after we first became acquainted with Christian things, I got hold of a small reel of triple-play tape produced by one Brother Mandus. “This is Brother Mandus of Blackpool, England, speaking,” his serene though stilted voice began. I can’t remember much else, apart from his having a soothing, relaxing effect. “Be still, and know that I am God,” [Psalm 46:10] he went on, on Side Two. (I think he was based at South Shore, and in fact there was the sound of an aircraft flying overhead from nearby Squires Gate airport at one point on the recording.) So I asked Pastor Williams about him. He had heard of him, and although he didn’t launch into an outright condemnation of him — for he was a humble man, was Pastor Williams — he nevertheless made it clear that he considered that he was not quite sound and that we would be better off to avoid him. 3. Pastor Williams said that he would write to us with the addresses of some churches in our area, which indeed he did shortly afterwards. I think it was Chris he wrote to, and Chris showed us the letter: there were three addresses given, but two were crossed out; the remaining one was the Full Gospel Church, Lowther Road, Fleetwood. Our first visit to the Full Gospel Church, Fleetwood |
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]