X. The Division of 1933 -- Stanberry and Salem The Reorganization According to Church of God historian A.N. Dugger, this is how the division occurred: Church of God members across the United States were simultaneously inspired to become impressed with the "improper and unscriptural organization of the church." They wrote one another of the "evils manifest in state and general elections of presidents, vice presidents, and suggesting the need of the restoration of the Scriptural organization of the twelve to look after the spiritual affairs of the church, and seven to take charge of the financial business, and also the seventy to go forth two by two in giving the warning message for the hour." Dugger's cousin, Elder Otto Haeber of California, wrote A.N. Dugger in Battle Creek, laying out before him the need of the "Bible Organization," as had been suggested by other living in California. Coincidentally, before Dugger received Haeber's letter, he had written Haeber telling him of a movement in favor of this form of organization, and that it would be brought up the next fall at the General Conference at Stanberry. Furthermore, unknown to the church in general, Elders R.A. Barnes of Arkansas and Ed Severson of Oklahoma had for some time been talking over the matter between themselves. A few months after Dugger returned from Palestine (early 1933), Theodore Gillespie, an old time member of the St. Joseph, Missouri church, suggested the matter to Dugger, who replied that the church at Jerusalem felt this way, and that others were seriously considering the matter. It was felt by these members that Revelation 19:7-8 showed that the church was not ready and must "make herself ready," by conforming to "Scriptural organization," instead of patterning her government after the civil organizations of this world, and furthermore, the church should make herself ready by moving world headquarters to the place Jesus had chosen -- Jerusalem.1 November 4, 1933 -- Salem, West Virginia The time and place chosen to perform this work of "reorganization" was Salem, West Virginia, November 4, 1933. For several weeks prior to November 4, a call was sent to many countries for prayer "That God would again choose men to lead His church as in the former time." Countries listed were: Jerusalem, South Africa, Australia, Egypt, England, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, China, India, New Zealand, Panama, Japan, Jamaica, Cuba, Trinidad, Guam, Canada, Liberia, Nova Scotia, Barbados, Venezuela, Syria, Madagascar, Burma, Newfoundland, and Mexico. The call was also sent to about 10,000 people in America. The incoming ministers and members arrived at Salem Church of God, some of them having traveled 1,000 miles. Friday night the 4th was spent in prayer and fasting in a general church meeting. Services opened on Friday afternoon with "Oh, To Be More Like Jesus," "The Church of God," and "Humble Thyself to Walk With God." Preparation For Lottery Early Sabbath morning, letters from ministers all over the world were gone over, and 140 names were presented and placed in a box, to be drawn by lot for the new leaders of the church. This was supposed to be a continuation of the Bible practice of drawing by lots, as in the choice of Matthias to replace Judas as apostle. Dugger later described the selection of names in the following account: "In the fall a general meeting was called of many ministers and leaders of the church to consider a reorganization of the body patterning it more in accordance with the Bible organization . . . . Ministers and local elders of congregations in many parts of the world were invited to attend or submit names of ministers favoring the reorganization policy, and consequently there were 145 names submitted together with the company assembled. These names were used in choosing officers, respectively, for the different offices according to the Scriptural organization.2 The Salem church chose three men whose names were placed on slips of paper and dropped into the box. Elder Dodd drew the slip containing John Adams of Salem, the one chosen to draw out the minister's names for the 12 and 70. Church of God ministers' names were placed in the box, a brief silent prayer given, and the drawing began by Adams at a few minutes past 11:00 a.m. The Twelve The twelve spiritual leaders chosen, corresponding to the twelve apostles, were the following Church of God elders: J.M. Orn-Naerem of Norway, C.E. Groshans of Indiana, F.C. Robinson of Missouri, Henry Wood of Massachusetts, R.A. Barnes of Arkansas, Raymond Saenz of Mexico, R.L. Taylor of Oregon, H. Negby of Palestine, C. Heywood of Michigan, John Kiesz of Missouri, W.W. McMicken of West Virginia, and Charles L. Royer of Connecticut. The Seventy The seventy to go forth two by two, all Church of God elders, were these: John Anderson, Missouri D. Davis, Michigan H. Tavel, Central America Adolph Gusman, Mexico William Bodine, Arkansas Otto Haeber, California E.H. Shadel, Arkansas Robert Nance, Arkansas L.M. Jackson, Alabama William Berry, South America W.A. Summers, Oklahoma John Brenneise, South Dakota V. Amos, India Samuel Brown, London, England Will Barnes, Arkansas Andrew J. Williams, Texas J.E. Benson, Panama J.D. Bagwell, Alabama N.P. Daniel, India E.O. Brandberry, Arkansas G. Flores, Mexico (?) L.F. Claspell, Indiana Kenneth Freeman, West Virginia V.J. Benjamin, India B. Israel, South India Pete Bartschi, Arkansas S.A. Oberg, Oregon H. Snyder, Washington J.A. Ijames, Jr., North Carolina A.H. Stith, Idaho T.V. Taylor, Louisiana D.B. Garcia, Mexico E. Campos, Mexico E.P. Roche, Michigan J.E. Codrington, Pennsylvania Noah Barnabas, Palestine C. Sobers, New York City A.C. Turner, Michigan E. Echiavaria, Texas Herbert Armstrong, Oregon A. Steede, Michigan J.W. Tarver, Louisiana J.A. Ijames, North Carolina J.E. Hamilton, Central America Allen Castor, British West Indies J.G. Smith, California L.W. Runyon, Oklahoma C.O. Vallery, Louisiana J.M. Rodriguez, Texas J. Servantes, Mexico W.W. West, California E.J. Younce, Illinois V.J. Joseph, India C.O. Dodd, West Virginia J. Siler, Michigan Archie Craig, Oklahoma Roy Kanady, Arkansas B. Bernsten, China G. Thompson, Panama Canal James Relford, Kansas Charles J. Ellis, British West Indies Charles Welch, Oklahoma E.H. Jenkins, Arkansas Ed Severson, Oklahoma W.C. Bryce, Texas Albert Bodine, Arkansas Arthur Barnes, Arkansas Hugh Brown, London, England Will Briley, Arkansas F.G. Zoller, Nebraska The Seven Dugger indicates that Adams chose ministers slips for the twelve and the seventy, but notes that after this was done, "the assembly proceeded as in Acts 6:1 and 6 in choosing the seven men to place over the business affairs of the church." The account in Acts 6 shows that the brethren chose seven men, not necessarily ministers, and there is no mention of use of lots. Thus possibly the seven were voted on, and not chosen by lot. The seven chosen were: A.N. Dugger, Missouri; C.O. Dodd, West Virginia; John Brenneise, South Dakota; Hugh Miller, Nebraska; F.L. Summers, West Virginia; John Adams, West Virginia; R.E. Winsett, Tennessee. During the prayer service that followed, the hands of those of the Twelve that were present were laid upon the Seven. "A prayer then followed for the offices chosen who were not present, that God would lead them and fully set them apart for the life duties thus involved." By this time it was late in the afternoon and the brethren still had not eaten. World Headquarters Chosen at Jerusalem Following this selection the brethren voted unanimously for the world headquarters of the Church of God to be in Jerusalem, and money was secured for the purchase of a headquarters building there. AREA HEADQUARTERS United States Salem, West Virginia Mexico Mexico City, D.F. Europe Rosenburg, Egersund, Norway India Jonnalapalem, Penumentra, W. Godavaria, South India A.N. Dugger thus closed his account of the establishment of the Salem branch of the Church of God (Seventh Day). What Dugger Left Out The full story of the "Reorganization," as Dugger terms the 1933 split, is not given in his History of the True Church (1936). So far, only pieces of the full story have been obtained. The August, 1933 General Conference As he stated he would, Dugger brought up the issue of reorganization at the 1933 Church of God Conference at Stanberry, which convened on August 20. Kiesz' history notes that 1933 was "the fateful year for the Church of God," as "more and more pressure had been exerted by probably half of the membership, that all should speak the same thing. On the other hand, probably the other half felt that our people were denied their personal liberties and freedom of expression."3 The church was in a crisis that split it right down the middle. On the one side, Andrew N. Dugger and others held to "reorganization" of church government, clean meats, no tobacco, and Passover on Nisan 14. On the other hand, Burt F. Marrs led a group of "independents" who were pro-pork and tobacco, and felt Passover should be on Nisan 15. The issue of when to observe the Passover was debated for three days during the time of the division.4 Possibly the issues were not this clear-cut. The real gut issue, as stated by R.A. Barnes, was not doctrine at all, but "who's going to drive the car," that is, whose policies would govern the church.5 William Alexander, as President of the General Conference, was apparently stepping down. The center of the struggle was over the election of the next President. Dugger and Marrs were both running for the office, according to recollections of R.A. Barnes. The balloting resulted in a tie vote. The presiding President, Alexander, cast the deciding vote in favor of Marrs' candidate, A.S. Christenson. The critical element was that previous to the Conference, Dugger had announced that if Marrs and his ideas won, that he would not accept the decision. Elder Barnes was President of the Arkansas Conference at the time, and he refused to attend with his delegates. He told the men: "If you love the church, you'll withdraw from the presidential race and accept any other office. If you split the church, I pronounce the curse of God upon you." Despite this stern warning, Dugger and Marrs refused to back down, and the split resulted. Dugger may have been the more adamant, because Marrs was not elected President, but Christenson.6 Conflicting Viewpoints In the January 9, 1933 Advocate, Dugger stated that the Church of God has only one creed: The Bible. "We do not stand upon any one-man interpretation of the Word of God, or any one-man leadership, save Jesus Christ the Son of God . . . . Paul warned the Church of God nearly two thousand years ago that men would arise among us speaking perverse things 'to draw away disciples after them.' Read, and re-read, Acts 20:28-31." To make this plea, Dugger must have felt very strongly that a division was coming. In the August 14 issue, just before the Conference began, Dugger in the "Question Corner" stated that "the congregational form of government is both unreasonable and unscriptural, and if permitted to go uncorrected in the church, the body of Christ, the body becomes paralyzed and deformed, and unable to carry forth the work God has designed."7 The August 28 issue reports the new officials. William Alexander was still Editor, but Dugger is no longer Associate Editor. He was to be replaced by Roy Dailey, who apparently moved to Stanberry from Oregon. Kiesz was still listed as office editor, but was not in the October 30 issue. Elder C.O. Dodd had a front page article in the September 18 issue on the Sabbath, and later on "unity." In the October 9, 1933 issue, John Kiesz wrote an editorial, that the Church of God does have a creed: it is "the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Still there was no mention of the split as a result of the August Conference. In the October 23 Advocate, William Alexander wrote an editorial in which he mentioned Dugger, but not by name: "He seems bound to sow discord by circulating false reports which cause division and strife." Dugger had been sending letters to Church of God members, saying I am burdened over the work at Stanberry much of late . . . . For some reason God is not blessing the work there . . . . The printing establishment is in debt forty-two hundred dollars. I cannot advice (sic.) funds to be sent there and sunk in this way any longer, for God has visibly withdrawn his blessing. At this Conference they voted to open the Advocate to other doctrines besides what the church believes. This was at the strong protest of all Brethren who stand for the third Angel's message, the plagues being future, the passover being held on the 14th of Abib, and the paying of the tithe . . . . Alexander disputed this, saying that the Advocate was not in serious financial straits.8 Yet in the November 13 issue, it was announced that because of budget cuts, Office Editor John Kiesz was leaving his post.9 October 1933: Stanberry Counteracts Dugger Circular Letter The October 30, 1933 issue of the Field Messenger, published at Stanberry, shows that the following men were elected officers at the August Conference at Stanberry: A.S. Christenson, Fredric, Wisconsin, President; Ennis Hawkins, Rattan, Oklahoma, Vice President; Roy Dailey, Stanberry, Missouri, Secretary-Treasurer. Other members of the Executive Committee were: William Alexander, Galena, Kansas; E.E. Groshans, South Bend, Indiana; Hugh Miller, Bassett, Nebraska; Christ Kiesz, Eureka, South Dakota; Frank Williams, Stanberry, Missouri. In the February 28, 1934 Messenger, Alexander, Groshans and Kiesz are absent, showing that they had joined the Salem group. Replacements for them were S.A. Moore of Stanberry and H.N. Vander Schuur of Middleville, Michigan. Not a single man from West Virginia or Michigan was on the list, showing that Salem faction had totally lost out. Notice was given in this issue that a pamphlet and circular letter was being sent out under the signatures of A.N. Dugger, C.O. Dodd and W.W. McMicken "calling for the Restoration of the Primitive Organization of THE CHURCH OF GOD, Salem, West Virginia, U.S.A., or Jerusalem, Palestine." Christenson and Dailey gave notice that Dugger and the others had been defeated at the last Conference, after trying to dominate the conference by intimidation and otherwise, [and] are now calling for means to finance another organization . . . . These men teach in said pamphlet that our General Conference has fallen into the hands [of] dissenters who deny the Holy Spirit, sanction the use of unclean meats and tobacco, and want the Bible Advocate opened to the discussion of these topics. Furthermore, they teach that peace and harmony is no longer known in the Church of God, and the Lord's blessings have been withdrawn . . . these assertions . . . are untrue . . . . We are accused also of using tactics in getting delegates to the General Conference which are untrue. They telephoned and went after delegates after the conference was in session -- still they could not control the conference. These men were disappointed, and are now trying to draw away disciples after them . . . . It is furthermore stated that each General Conference for the past nine years [since 1924] has been a place of strife, confusion, discord and debate. Brother Dugger has published good reports of the conferences in the Bible Advocate for many years past, and we feel sure that if he had been elected to the office he aspired to no criticism would be heard at this time . . . . There may be a few who will be deceived by their call, but let all earnestly pray God that these men will see the error of their way, and again join us in laboring for lost souls.10 Two Churches of God (Seventh Day) Dugger did depart as he said he would. He succeeded in drawing nearly half of the church with him. The November 4, 1933 Salem, West Virginia meeting followed with the establishment of Salem as U.S. headquarters for his group. On November 6, the Bible Advocate was printed at Salem, with the continuing volume number as the one still being published in Stanberry. Shortly thereafter, the number sequence was changed due to copyright laws. From 1933 to 1949 there existed two separate Church of God organizations, one at Stanberry, Missouri and the other at Salem, West Virginia. God had withdrawn His blessing. A "united" Church of God (Seventh Day) was never again to be a reality. XI. Two Groups: Stanberry and Salem, 1933 - 1949 As few issues of the Salem group have been located, information on their activities is rather scarce. A pointed question that still is not yet totally answered is: "Who belonged to which group?" and its corollary: "How did the two groups differ?" Salem History Some of the 12, 70, and 7 chosen at Salem did not accept their positions, remaining instead with Stanberry, while Salem did not accept all of those who where chosen by their lots. Later other ministers were added to the list. The Salem group established their own printing house, although for several years their printing was done by a local printer in Salem.1 Salem, West Virginia was probably chosen by Dugger's group because members there tended to side with his "clean church party." Clarence O. Dodd, who held an important position in a large oil company, lived there. F.L Sumners owned a store in Salem, and W.W. McMicken, along with other wealthy Church of God members, lived there. The Seventh Day Baptist college located there, was attended by many in the Church of God, since they had no Sabbatarian college of their own to attend.2 In the 1940's, the name of the Salem magazine was The Bible Advocate and Gospel Herald, in contrast to the one at Stanberry which was called The Bible Advocate and Herald of the Coming Kingdom. O.D. Grimm was editor, with W.W. McMicken and F.L. Sumners associate editors. The paper was entered as second class matter at the Salem post office on November 10, 1933. "World Headquarters" at Jerusalem Dugger's trip to Jerusalem in 1931-32 was ostensibly to prepare for the establishment of a world headquarters there. In 1931 the General Conference had voted for this to happen. After the division and the reaffirmation that Jerusalem should be world headquarters, Elder and Mrs. L.D. Snow were sent as representatives for the Church of God to Jerusalem to work among the Jews and try to establish a headquarters there. They spent nearly a year there, facing "many disappointments." Before the Snows left for Jerusalem, Elders Dugger and Robert Young, a converted Jew, traveled extensively throughout America to raise funds to send Young as a missionary to work with Snow in Palestine. Young preceded Snow by several months, but "his venture did not turn out well for the church."3 E.A. Straub,who became a Salem Church of God minister in 1934, reports that the ministerial certificates were signed in Israel. Later he found out that he had been deceived, and that ministerial licenses were made up in Salem, sent to Jerusalem to be stamped, and then returned. Dugger did not go to Jerusalem to stay because Jerusalem was not the real headquarters as he claimed. Only a "Mrs. Miller" was in Jerusalem.4 Pentecost & Feast of Tabernacles Observed by Salem Group For a time, it appears that the Salem group observed the Feast days. Kiesz reports that their finances and enthusiasm picked up greatly throughout the country as nearly every state saw some churches going to Stanberry, some to Salem. Kiesz reports: "In the spring of 1934 there was a wonderful campmeeting held in Salem [West Virginia?] during the time of the Feast of Pentecost, and another one at St. Joseph, Missouri in the fall during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. Many new and independent Sabbath-keepers were added to the fold for the next several years, but troubles soon also rose from within this group, which in time led to the defection of a number of the leading brethren." Kiesz further notes, "During the summer of 1935 there was a blessed and successful campmeeting held at Jefferson, Oregon; and the fall campmeeting was held during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles at Galena, Kansas, where Elder William Alexander had a nice church group started." According to Kiesz, who was part of the Salem group, "About two campmeetings were held by the Salem group every year during most of the years of separation, in various parts of the country."5 M.L. Ogren, son of C.W. Ogren, reports that he was with the Salem group. He started keeping the Feast Days in 1934, at age 20. He reports that Salem generally kept them from 1934 to 1937, but later dropped the practice. A meeting at Pentecost was observed, as well as a fall meeting at the Feast of Tabernacles. Ogren came to believe in the Feast Days through C.O. Dodd and his own self-study.6 Extent of Salem Group Kiesz reports that the Salem group did a good deal of foreign work, especially in Mexico. This may explain why later on, Latin American Churches of God tended to be Feast Day observers. In 1936 and 1937, Elder John Kiesz did "quite an effective work" in several parts of Canada, as well as Elder E.A. Straub. In 1938, the first Canadian Church of God campmeeting was held at Acme, Alberta. Some Church of God people generally became so disgusted and disheartened at the division that they gave up the faith altogether. However, enough remained to give the Salem group equal membership with that of Stanberry. The 1936 Census listed Salem with 1,154 members and 39 churches.7 Another Look at Salem Organization Elmer T. Clark's book, The Small Sects in America (1937), mentions the Salem group as the Church of God (Seventh Day).8 He grouped the church with Holiness and Pentecostal churches as the Church of God (Salem, West Virginia). Clark termed it an Adventist body that arose from a schism in the Church of God (Adventist) in 1933. When Dugger, the leader of the Church of God (Adventist) returned from Palestine, dissension arose over matters of church government. Dugger insisted that it be patterned more closely after the Biblical pattern, but he was deposed as leader by a majority of the General Conference. He then went to Salem, West Virginia, and formed the Church of God (Seventh Day), and established a periodical, the Bible Advocate, the name of the paper long published by the parent body at Stanberry. Clark listed the following as Salem's chief tenets of belief and practice: 1. Officers chosen by drawing names out of a hat, Dugger insisting that the Bible shows nothing of democratic elections. There were 12 apostles, 70 evangelists, and 7 elders or business committeemen. Although Dugger's name was not drawn, he remained leader of the sect (the 1936 Census lists Dugger as "General Overseer"). 2. Seventh day Sabbath observed. 3. Footwashing. 4. Law of "clean and unclean" meats practiced, pork forbidden. 5. The church "displays considerable emotional enthusiasm in its meetings." In an official report submitted by A.N. Dugger for publication in the 1936 Census, the organization of the Salem group was described as follows: This body retains the apostolic form of the primitive church and consists of: The Twelve, The Seventy, The Seven, the elders, the overseers, the helpers, and the disciples. The Twelve have the oversight over the body of believers as a whole; The Seventy give themselves to the evangelistic ministry of the Word; The Seven have general oversight and management of the business of the church; the elders give themselves to the ministry of the Word and to prayers; the overseer under the supervision of the Twelve has general care over the church as a whole and has assistant overseers to care for the affairs of the church in States, territories, or various countries, as the need may require; the helpers give themselves to the advancement of the work and the truth, as the Lord has given them talents and opportunities; and the disciples give themselves wholly into the Lord's hands to use as He will.9 Robert A. Barnes, one of the Twelve, reported that he was elected the first chairman of the board of twelve. A friend of his was F.C. Robinson, another of the Twelve whom he visited in London, Ontario.10 E.A. Straub reports that he became one of the Twelve in 1942, and that these were lifetime, board members.11 The Michigan Historical Records Survey, published in 1941, gave the officers of the "General Assembly of the Church of God, Salem, West Virginia." Andrew N. Dugger of Sweethome, Oregon was listed as "General Overseer." His "counselors," The Twelve, were Elders: Alexander, Missouri; McMicken, Salem, West Virginia; Groshans, South Bend, Indiana; Haywood, Battle Creek, Michigan; Turner, Deckerville, Michigan; Robinson, Missouri; Haeber, California; Sines, Mexico; Royer, Connecticut; Ellis, Panama; Orn Naerem, Norway. Listed as "assistant overseers" are Elders Grimm, Robinson, Pearson, Summers and Adams.12 Doctrines of the Salem Group Straub reports that the lines of demarcation doctrinally between Stanberry and Salem were not as sharp as might seem. He maintains that Dugger allowed some use of pork and smoking, yet the younger Stanberry ministers were "cleaner" than Salem pictured them. The essence of the differences were that Stanberry ministers tended to be more lenient, and would not disfellowship members for doing these things. Barnes, one of the 12, as well as Dugger, had been anti-pork all his life.13 Dugger's report in the 1936 Census on the Salem group's doctrinal beliefs gives much information as to what their original position was: 1. The Bible was held to be the only inspired writing. 2. The Holy Spirit is that which abides in the believer and not a third person. 3.Christ was in the tomb exactly three days and three nights, rising at the end of the Sabbath. 4. The apostolic organization and government must be followed today. 5. The "Church of God" is the inspired Bible name for God's people. 6. Prayer and anointing will save the sick. 7. Laying on of hands (at baptism) is to be practiced. 8.Lord's Supper is to be observed annually at the beginning of the 14th of Nisan. 9. The Sabbath is to be observed from even to even. 10. Payment of tithes on increase is obligatory. 11.Participation in carnal warfare is condemned. 12.The Law of clean and unclean meats is to be observed in this age. 13.Habitual use of narcotics and habit-forming drugs, alcohol and tobacco is condemned. 14.Under this gospel age the judgment is upon the house of God. 15.The return of Christ will be literal, personal and visible, is imminent, and He will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem, ruling the world with the righteous saints on the earth. 16.Righteous saints will be resurrected at His second coming. 17.There will be a final regathering of the dispersed nation of fleshly Israel. 18.The dead are unconscious. 19.The wicked dead are resurrected to final judgment, with no probation but will be eternally destroyed. 20.The Third Angel's Message is a present day message. 21.The seven last plagues are literal and fall at the end of the gospel age.14 Michigan During the Division Years The 1936 Census shows that two Michigan churches went with Stanberry while three went with the Salem organization. The Michigan Historical Records Survey, published in 1941, records all the churches of God there as affiliated with Salem. It gives records of the establishment and then current status of all the churches in the state. The Michigan Assembly of the Church of God (notice: the word "conference" is not used because of aversion to the conference system) was said to have been organized in 1863. In 1941, it met annually for business and religious discussion, and its officers were elected for life. Elected at that time were: James Merriam,Detroit President A.C. Turner, Deckerville Vice-President Pearl Walkley, Detroit Secretary Mable Cole, Detroit Treasurer Walter Spencer, Freeland Garner Thomson, Vassar Cecil Hull, Detroit Board Members The session minutes and membership records from 1863 to 1941 were in the custody of the secretary. The Freeland Church of God, in Saginaw County, was organized in 1899. Services were held in private homes, rented buildings and the Freeland School. Its first settled elder was James Merriam, from 1899-1920. In 1941, Elder Edson Merriam presided. Myrtle Spencer, secretary of the church, had the church records since 1899. Deckerville was organized as a church in the fall of 1924, where a brick church building was erected the same year. Elder Roy Hosteter ordained Elder E.J. Davis, who served from 1924 to his death in 1928. In 1941, the minister was Elder A.C. Turner. Detroit's Church of God met at 700 Fairview Avenue in a building erected in 1940. Elder James A. Merriam founded the church in 1925, and was still serving in 1941. Pearl Walkley was custodian of the records. The Detroit church began with home meetings before 1923. Elder O.R. Osman worked in the area, and in August, 1924 James Merriam and others went to the Stanberry campmeeting. In September, 1925, Elder C.E. Groshans established the Detroit church with some twenty members. A.N. Dugger's 1929 revival added more, and after the 1933 division, W.W. McMicken was sent there to preach. A Spanish Church of God in Detroit, meeting at 3330 15th Street in a private home, was organized in 1931 by Elder R.R. Saenz, who served until 1935. In 1941, the elder was Adolfo Guzman. Finally, the Spanish St. Charles church of Saginaw County was established on May 16, 1931, by Elder O.R. Osman. Its first settled minister was Elder Ermilo Duque, from 1939-40. In 1941, Elder Julian A. Ojeda served the church, meeting at 321 E. Water Street. It stemmed from Sabbath-keeping Mexican brethren who moved from Texas and Mexico to work in the fields of Michigan. The first Church of God minister to preach there was Elder E. Campos of Mexico. Among other churches in Michigan was the one at Grand Rapids, where a church began in 1914. John De Wind began keeping the Sabbath there, and soon there was a Sabbath school, headed by M.J. Vander Schuur. They learned of the Church of God at White Cloud and visited with them. Elder L.L. Presler held evangelistic meetings at Jenison and West Olive, and Elder Thomas Howe organized a church at West Olive, with its own church building. Michigan's conference was held in the Jenison-Grand Rapids area in 1920, 1925, 1934 and 1944. At West Olive, the first record of a Sabbath school was on September 20, 1902, with 48 scholars. Elder L.J. Branch baptized John and Nellie Goodin in 1902, and two others in 1903. In the summer of 1920, meetings by Elder Presler resulted in the baptism of several more. In 1922, Elders George P. Wilson and Thomas Howe added more. A church building was constructed in 1922, and Elder R.E. Hosteter pastored from 1924-36. The Church of God at Battle Creek began anew when C.J. Heywood moved from Detroit in 1928-29. C.E. Groshans was informed of the move, and organized a church there with Heywood as elder in 1930.15 Stanberry History -- Independent Thought, "Debatable Questions" Dugger reported that the August, 1933 Conference had voted to open the papers "to other doctrines beside what the church believes," despite protests by Dugger and his supporters.16 In this, he was correct, as the October 30, 1933 issue of the Field Messenger contains "Exchange of Views Department" that contains thought "on points of doctrine that have not yet been decided by the Church of God as its teachings or beliefs." That issue has one of these exchange of views articles, entitled, "Were Enoch and Elijah Human Beings?" by J.T. Williamson.17 The December 25 Advocate, published at Stanberry, has articles that are anti-pork and tobacco, showing that Stanberry did not dogmatically hold to either side of these and other "debatable questions." "Growing in Knowledge" The 1936 Census contains a statement of beliefs of the Stanberry group, termed the Church of God (Adventist). Prepared by Roy Davison, then President of the General Conference, it begins with the statement that his church "has no formal written creed but believes in constantly growing in the knowledge of the Bible, which it accepts as the sole rule of faith and practice."18 Davison lists eleven "doctrines upon which the church as a whole stands united." They are very general, and include belief in the seventh day Sabbath; literal premillennial second coming of Christ to be near; unconscious state of the dead; resurrection of the righteous dead at the second coming to reign with Christ for 1,000 years on the earth, after which the wicked will be resurrected to be completely destroyed and the righteous to receive eternal reward on the renewed earth; Wednesday-Saturday crucifixion-resurrection; the ten commandments are distinct from the Law of Moses. Of note is the statement that "the Lord's Supper service was instituted by Christ to take the place of the ancient Passover, and should be observed annually, at the time of the Passover." This left open the question of whether to observe the event on the 14th or 15th. Passover Date Question In the February 25, 1935 Advocate from Stanberry is an article written by Roy Dailey on Passover. It gives the date for the 14th of Nisan as April 17 (date is correct). Dailey does not say when to celebrate the Lord's Supper, that it is a disputed question. It is useless to argue the point, Dailey maintained, because "some would see it one way and some another. Let the local churches decide for themselves, practice charity toward others, and may there be no battles over the subject."19 The March 15, 1937 Advocate from Stanberry contained both Nisan 14 and 15 as "Lord's Supper dates."20 This would be something that Dugger would not allow, as he strongly adhered to Nisan 14 as the only valid date. Anglo-Israelism in Stanberry Camp The March 14, 1938 Advocate from Stanberry contains an article by Roy Davison, President of the Conference, on the subject of Israel. He stated, "The subject of 'Anglo Israel' and kindred thoughts in regard to the twelve tribes is quite well advanced in these last days. However it is not a new thought with the Church of God, for amongst our people it has held a prominent part in the message for many years." Both Judah and Israel must return to their homeland in conjunction with Christ's return. Israel today is where knowledge is increasing, in Western Europe, England and the US. "We as a people have not laid great stress upon the identity of the tribes, or so much as to which nations are included, believing God knows His own . . . ."21 Roy Davison, Frank Walker, R.K. Walker, J.W. Rich, Ted Flo, Claude Ellis and the Palmers of Idaho have all been listed as Anglo-Israel believers,22 yet this belief has not been generally accepted by the Church of God (Seventh Day). The freedom of expression allowed in the era of division (1933-1949) made it possible for the Anglo-Israel issue to gain acceptance. It still has not been totally eradicated despite efforts to debunk the idea. Marrs on Church Eras In 1935, Burt Marrs wrote a series of articles published in the Advocate on the seven churches of Revelation. He equated the "Sardus (sic.)" period with the reformation, but added, "There are churches today that claim to be living while for the most part they are as dead as a door nail . . . . Perhaps there is yet some good left in it, but it needs strengthening in order that what is left might not die." He believed the Philadelphia era began with religious toleration in America, and in the Laodicean article, he applied it to current conditions, saying that the Church of God should not have a lukewarm attitude.23 Organization of Stanberry Stanberry did not have a 12, 70 and 7 organization like Salem. Although it did have an executive committee of seven men.24 The 1936 Census states that "in polity the denomination is essentially congregational," but a large proportion of the members were isolated and without a church. Nine states were organized into state conferences, each with an executive board that directed evangelistic work within its territory. Of the tithes received, one-tenth was sent to the General Conference, which included all the local conferences as well as unorganized territory. Essentially, the state conferences paid the evangelists in their area. Ministerial candidates were first issued licenses on recommendation of a church or conference. After having gained experience and proven their calling, they were ordained into the ministry by prayer and the laying on of hands in a public service by other ordained ministers of the church. "Elder" was the only title allowed by the Stanberry group.25 Work of the Stanberry Group The Bible Advocate and Herald of the Coming Kingdom continued to be published at Stanberry. Also printed were a bi-weekly children's paper, "The Sabbath School Missionary and Young People's Friend," and a monthly church news magazine, "The Field Messenger," as well as a quarterly booklet of Bible lessons, "The Sabbath School Quarterly." The Stanberry plant was referred to as "The Church of God Publishing House." Ministers -- December, 1933 The December 25, 1933 Advocate from Stanberry lists a number of ministers and their locations.26 It appears that not all of these were in the Stanberry group, as the lines of division were not clear at this point. Rudolph Haffner, Bern, Kansas Horace Munro, Sabetha, Kansas Hugh Miller, Bassett, Nebraska Frank Walker, Albia, Iowa William Alexander, Galena, Kansas J.F. Jenson, McCook, Nebraska R.E. Hosteter, Jenison, Michigan Darrel A. Davis, Battle Creek, Michigan Herman Vander Schuur, Middleville, Michigan John Goodin, West Olive, Michigan Archie Stiede, Battle Creek,Michigan A.S. Christenson, Frederic, Wisconsin Lawrence Christenson, Frederic Wisconsin Russell F. Barton, Waterbury, Vermont J.T. Williamson, Appleton, Missouri L.I. Rodgers, Milan, Missouri Quincy Walker, Stanberry, Missouri J.F. Williams, Stanberry, Missouri S.A. Moore, Stanberry, Missouri John Anderson, Evona, Missouri T.A. Williams, Evona, Missouri Burt F. Marrs, Wewoka, Oklahoma Archie B. Craig, Ashland, Oklahoma R.K. Walker, Crowder, Oklahoma Ennis Hawkins, Rattan, Oklahoma M.S. Marrs, Dale, Oklahoma C.H. Munro, Fort Smith, Arkansas B.F. Dailey, DeWitt, Arkansas Pete Bartschi, Heber Springs, Arkansas William Woodruff, Van Buren, Arkansas M.W. Unzicker, Elgin, Texas J.A. McClain, Conroe, Texas W.C. Bryce, Gregsly, Texas R.R. Emerland, Lendon, Tennessee Lloyd George, Moundsville, West Virginia D.S. Doyle, Moundsville, West Virginia E.W. Garner, Philcampbell, Alabama A.H. Stith, Meridian, Idaho Roy Davison, Caldwell, Idaho C.F. Knott, Odessa, Washington S.J. Kauer, Junction City, Oregon G.W. Benight, Albany, Oregon (President of Oregon Conference) Leading Figures of Stanberry Elder Roy Dailey took over the editorship of the Stanberry Advocate from William Alexander in 1933, serving until 1935, and again from 1943 to 1945. He was chosen secretary-treasurer of the General Conference in August, 1933. Burt F. Marrs was associate editor in 1935. In 1934, Elder L.L. Christenson came to Stanberry to learn to operate the linotype, taking over from Mrs. Brush. In August 1935, Elder W.C. Rodgers was appointed editor, with Elder S.J. Kauer, who had moved to Stanberry from Oregon, as office editor. Kauer served until 1942. Officers chosen at the 1935 Conference were: A.S. Christenson President Carl Carver Vice-President S.J. Kauer Secretary-Treasurer During this time, Elder Ennis Hawkins was the general evangelist for the Church of God, and traveled extensively. On September 21, 1936, Hawkins was in Oregon at a meeting in Jefferson. In 1936, Elders G.T. and W.C. Rodgers died. Elder Roy Davison was elected president of the General Conference and editor-in-chief of the Advocate. In the spring or summer of 1938, Elder James A. Murray of Trinidad came to America and in June accompanied Elder Kauer on a long tour over the country, visiting many Churches of God. In 1939, Mrs. Roy Davison was instrumental in forming the Women's Association of the Church of God, in order to provide more tracts and booklets for ministers to distribute. At the 1941 Conference, Carl W. Carver was elected President, and Elder Burt F. Marrs, Vice-President. In 1942, A.S. Christenson came to Stanberry to take over as Secretary-Treasurer of the General Conference, and manage the publishing house. In the summer of that year, a Bible School for young ministers was held in the Stanberry church, and Elder S.J. Kauer was the instructor. A short time later, Elder Archie B. Craig replaced Kauer as office editor, while Roy Davison continued as chief editor.27 Christenson served as chief editor from 1945-1950, through the merger period. In January, 1948, his contributing editors were28: Burt F. Marrs L.I. Rodgers Frank M. Walker Stanley J. Kauer Roy Dailey Ray E. Benight Damaging Effect of the Division The division had certainly been a damaging influence on the Church of God as a whole. Numerous members were grieved at what occurred as Church of God leaders attacked one another in print. Kiesz notes that the church division "caused a lot of consternation and disturbances in the established policies and work of the church," and "because of all the friction that continued over the years . . . a number of folks became discouraged and gave up the faith altogether." Yet nevertheless, Kiesz reports, "good was accomplished by most of the ministers during the years of separation" between the two groups.29 Kiesz notes that by the late 1940's, "there had been a general feeling among the membership of the two churches that they were not receiving the blessings from the Almighty to the extent promised in the Word."30 A definite movement toward union came to the fore in the 1940's, in order to salvage what remained and to unify the Church of God. Pre-Merger Developments: Armstrong and Dodd Before the 1949 Merger of the Salem and Stanberry factions of the Church of God, there had already occurred at least two major developments in the Church of God. Herbert Armstrong, ordained by the Oregon Conference of the Church of God in 1931, began a radio broadcast in Eugene, Oregon on January 7, 1934 which developed into a distinct work, the Radio Church of God (later renamed the Worldwide Church of God), published the Plain Truth magazine. Herbert Armstrong taught annual Festivals and the identity of the English-speaking peoples with the birthright tribe of Joseph. He worked with the Salem group for a few years, though he did not consider himself to be a part of the political organization of the Church of God (Seventh Day). When Salem's beliefs changed, Armstrong found himself in a precarious position: either cease preaching Feast Day observance and the identity of Israel, or lose his minister's license. In 1937 he was definitely "on his own" as he refused to quit preaching these doctrines. A number of Church of God members in and around Eugene and Jefferson, Oregon agreed that Armstrong was preaching truths which the Seventh Day Church of God did not have. The work moved to Pasadena, California in 1947, with the beginning of Ambassador College. The Worldwide Church of God grew to a much larger work than the Church of God (Seventh Day) had ever been, with about 80,000 members in 1973. Another Feast Day observer was C.O. Dodd. He was closely associated with A.N. Dugger (co-author of the History of the True Church in 1936) and, with Dugger, was one of the seven men to look after the financial affairs of the church. It appears that in 1937 he too departed from the Salem group, mainly over the issues of Feast Days, and later, the "Sacred Name." In 1937 he founded a magazine, The Faith, which is still published. Closely resembling the Church of God (Seventh Day) in many aspects, the Worldwide Church of God and the Sacred Names Movement (Assemblies of Yahweh) naturally weakened the original group.ê XII. The Merger: 1948-1949 During the years following the 1933 Division, the composition of the Church of God appears to have been undergoing a gradual change. Younger men, such as E.A. Straub and others, were coming in who were not part of the arguments and factions that led to the 1933 split. The positions of the two groups on doctrinal issues had never been clear-cut in the first place, and they seemed to be moving closer together in the 1940's. 1942 Feeler Attempt to Unity The first attempt at a merger of the Salem and Stanberry groups occurred in 1942. By mutual agreement between some members of Salem and Stanberry churches, a committee of three from each group met in Des Moines. Their purpose was to consider the potential for greater cooperation between ministers and members of the two groups. The establishment of an Advisory Committee was suggested to their respective boards, and accepted. Members of this "Unity Committee" were1: Carl W. Carver (President Stanberry General Conference) Stanley J. Kauer Stanberry Group A.S. Christenson Stanberry Group William Alexander Salem Group K.H. Freeman Salem Group Otto Haeber Salem Group Efforts for unity at this time were apparently stymied. Copyright Lawsuit Hinders Unity As noted previously, the Salem Advocate had begun with the same volume number as that from Stanberry, but because of copyright laws had had to switch to a different numbering system. Another issue which made friction between Stanberry and Salem happened a year or two after the 1942 merger attempt. Salem published a new Bible Home Instructor that was almost the same as that from Stanberry. A lawsuit resulted over the copyright of the Instructor which tended to dampen developing attempts at union .2 Another Try at Unity Younger Salem ministers (such as E.A. Straub, who became one of the Twelve in 1942) convinced the older elders to have another attempt at a merger. Since Salem and Stanberry were to have their respective campmeetings on the same week in 1947, the Salem Council of Ministers asked Stanberry to appoint a committee to meet with their committee during this time in order to discuss a merger. Stanberry in the meantime had been working on the same idea. The first meeting of the Merger Committee was therefore set on November 7, 1947. Some seven meetings were held in the next two years in the move toward merger. Members of the committee were the following3: Stanberry Salem S.J. Kauer E.A. Straub L.I. Rodgers K.H. Freeman Charles E. Adams W.W. McMicken A seventh member, and the chairman, was A.E. Lidell, who was supposedly neutral. In 1946, previous to the Merger Committee's formation, there were plans for the purchase of property near Owosso, Michigan to establish a Church of God high school. It was planned to elect a bi-partisan (Stanberry and Salem) Board of Control for this purpose.4 Issues Discussed at the Merger There were several issues which the Merger Committee had to iron out before the actual union could take place. One was the issue of church government. Stanberry had only a ruling group of seven, the Executive Committee. Salem on the other hand, had the Twelve, Seventy, and Seven form of government. It appears that Stanberry was willing to go along and compromise on this point. Stanberry had no articles of belief per se, while Salem had 38 articles of belief. The Merger Committee studied the 38 articles and accepted them as part of a union Articles of Belief in the Constitution.5 Fairview Conference of 1948 -- "The Great Compromise" The Merger Committee called for a joint ministerial meeting of the two churches, at Fairview, Oklahoma, on February 12-17, 1948. Some 61 ministers were present, not all the ones from each group, but certainly the leading ones, split about evenly between Salem and Stanberry: William Alexander Leo Merriam C.L. Faubion Archie B. Craig Burt Ford Rudolph Haffner D.G. Werner Arthur Estep Roy B. Dailey A.N. Dugger L.I. Rodgers J.A. Ojeda Ivan Harlan Christ Kiesz E.A. Straub Ennis Hawkins A.E. Lidell C.J. Heywood K.H. Freeman W.M. Olson W.T. Bass Reuben Moldenhauer Philip Ojeda Ed Severson A. Duque Fred Krumsick C.F. Wirth Emmett Samson O.T. Whitten R.E. Burge S.J. Kauer B.G. Sweet Thomas D. Foster A.S. Christenson A.L. McCoy Claude McElrath W.T. McMicken W.W. McMicken Burt F. Marrs E.D. Lippencott R.K. Walker E.G. Harrington Peter Hrenyk H.W. Munro Charles E. Adams Joel Ling A.C. Turner Curley Hayes J.B. Brenneise J.W. Martin Rollo Heebsch K.C. Walker A.F. Dugger Ray Benight R.C. Moldenhauer N.S. Marrs Tieman DeWind H.N. Vander Schuur L.L. Christenson Pedro R. Parales Guadalupe Gonzales In 1933, at the last combined General Conference meeting at Stanberry, the vote on crucial matters was 30-30, with the chair ruling in favor of the party which remained at the Stanberry headquarters. At Fairview there were also 61 present, this time they were all ministers, and likewise the ministers were split evenly. As recalled by Burt Marrs, there was a vast difference as to the outcome: "In 1933 they were divided. In 1948 they were unanimous. I never before in my life saw a greater demonstration of the power of God in bringing men together. Old men wept with joy and threw their arms about the necks of others with whom they had stood at variance all these years, and plans were made for a greater work for the whole church." Many changes were made as far as polity was concerned, "but no principle was sacrificed by either group." The future thrust of the merged church was to be determined "through its ministers who are to move in unity with a message to be formulated by these ministers." Elders Kauer and Freeman read the proposed constitution and articles of belief into a wire recorder for typing. Heard in the background when it was played back were the strains of "Blessed Be the Tie That Binds," which must have been recorded previously. This caused the ministers assembled to weep with joy, believing the merger was a providential occurrence. The vote was unanimous to accept the new constitution. Because of the laws under which the Stanberry group was incorporated, the earliest possible time the union of the two groups could take place was August of 1949. The Executive Boards of the two groups met and planned joint work for the final legal union which would take place at the 1949 campmeeting held at Stanberry. In the meantime, every local congregation was urged to accept any minister properly recommended by either group. Campmeetings were to be held jointly, and the next quarterly paper would be combined. Tithes and offerings were to be sent to the place the member chose, until treasuries could be consolidated. Straub: Merger Engineer Plans for the June California state conference were made; it was to be a joint effort, as Emmett Samson (Stanberry) was working with E.A. Straub (Salem). Straub, who may be referred to as "the engineer of the merger," exemplified the union spirit as he made it a point to work with Stanberry people. He glowingly refers to the Fairview meeting of 1948 as the "First Ministerial Conference."6 Dugger and Marrs: Hatchet Buried? One of the key problems that the Fairview meeting had to cope with was the friction between A.N. Dugger and Burt F. Marrs. As it was probably the major reason for the division in the first place, a reconciliation between these two antagonistic figures was necessary for the merger to be successful. Straub reports that tears came to Dugger's eyes and he got up and apologized when he heard Marrs preaching a moving sermon at Fairview. The hatchet was apparently buried.7 Shortly after the Fairview meeting, Dugger, who was then working in Oregon, wrote an Advocate article for the Stanberry group. In it he stated that he had started to work in the Advocate office at Stanberry in the summer of 1906, "and from that time to the present there has been debate, and division among us. We have not been striving together for unity, but rather debating and striving to have our own way about certain doctrines, many of which were not the great central themes of salvation." Dugger exhorted the brethren that the true church of God should be one, as John 17:11 states. He notes that at Fairview, "There was not one word that would mar our unity, or disrupt our peace. All was love." Comparing the Fairview meeting to the day of Pentecost, the ministers were with one accord and close to God. When the body as a whole unites, Dugger stated, we can know that God will manifest every gift of the Holy Spirit to enable us to finish His work.8 Other articles by Dugger followed later in the year in the Stanberry Advocate, on the food question, Jew-Arab problems, and the "Great Apostasy" of the SDAs falling away from the Church of God.9 Marrs noted that those ministers opposing the merger were not at the Fairview meeting. At least twenty-seven English-speaking Stanberry ministers were not present, and neither were any of their Mexican or foreign ministers. An undetermined number of Salem ministers were missing also. Burt Marrs stated in March, 1948 concerning the meeting at Fairview, "that some have already been making remarks about how one side or the other got down on their knees and crawled to the other." Marrs shames them, stating that the Devil wanted the church to be divided.10 The former opponent of Dugger publicly related: "Some have wondered whether Elder Dugger and I made it all right . . . we are brethren, and though estranged for some years, I do not hold the slightest grudge against him, and I cannot believe that he holds any against me." The Stanberry leader said he had never deliberately told any untruth about any brother during the time of separation, and if he had it was because he had been given the wrong information in the first place. "I did write hard letters which hurt the work in general. I had that fighting spirit which should not have been. For this I apologized to the brethren at Fairview and asked their forgiveness."11 Oregon Campmeeting Oregon's joint campmeeting was held on July 9-18, 1948 at Junction City. The campmeeting committee was composed of12: Roy Dailey Junction City A.N. Dugger Turner Frank Walton, Ed Severson Harrisburg Also, two previously separate churches, probably in Harrisburg, Oregon, combined efforts and fifteen members were added.13 It appears that members from Washington and Idaho also attended the Oregon campmeeting. Burt Marrs was there, along with twenty other ministers, one each from Arkansas and Oklahoma, two from Missouri, and three from California. Twenty-three new converts were baptized at the meeting, which was attended by over 400 brethren.14 In August, forty-nine ministers from both groups attended a joint campmeeting held at Stanberry.15 Joint Efforts on High School and College, New Press Besides the 1946 joint plans for the Church of God high school at Owosso, Michigan, the two groups co-operated in plans to erect a college and new press at Stanberry. Elder Burt Marrs, along with Roy Dailey and Horace Munro, led an effort for a school for training young ministers in order to have a more effective Church of God work. A new Stanberry church and publishing house were also needed, so the proposed new complex would serve all three purposes. In June of 1946, groundwork began for the new complex, but a building permit was denied until materials became more plentiful. By 1947 the cornerstone of the church section was laid. The publishing house section was sufficiently finished so that the Advocate press staff moved in shortly before the August 1948 joint campmeeting. The building was dedicated on the Sabbath before Passover, April 9, 1949.16 The college, located above the press, began classes in September, 1951. At the time it was called Midwest Theological Seminary, with Elder Burt Marrs as President of the school. Later the name of the school was changed to Midwest Bible College. At the urging of Marrs, among the first students were Benny and Betty Rosell from the Philippines. Full support by the Church of God spurred the Stanberry building effort, as well as the one in Owosso, Michigan. A boarding high school called Spring Vale Academy opened there on September 15, 1948 with Elder S.J. Kauer acting as principal. Adjacent to the Owosso high school was a farm of 146 acres, on which the students could learn to work, as well as earn part of their tuition and board. The Board of Directors was divided between the Salem and Stanberry groups, with "neutral" A.E. Lidell as President. Elder William Alexander spoke at the dedication ceremony on September 25. The Spring Vale project had been initiated in 1944 by Lidell, who led a group of the Michigan Church of God people in organizing the Michigan Fellowship Movement. Its purpose was to establish a christian school. In 1946, Elder Kauer joined the effort to establish a non-profit school. He was joined on the faculty by Mr. and Mrs. Clair W. Ahlborn, who was formerly a Church of God Elder in Oregon. The Fairview meeting of 1948 heartily backed the school, feeling that a system of church schools was necessary to make organization really effective.17 May, 1949: Salem Preliminary to Unity During May of 1949 there was a "Special Committee Meeting" for unity held at Salem, West Virginia. It was agreed that there would be four adult Church of God periodicals: 1. The Bible Advocate of Salem would merge with the one of Stanberry, and be published at Stanberry. 2. A prophetic and evangelistic magazine, The Voice of Hope would be published at Salem. 3. The Church of God Messenger, merging The Field Messenger and The Harvest Messenger would be printed at Salem. 4. The Spanish Advocate, El Abogado de la Biblia, would also be printed at Salem. Further, it was agreed that the radio work would be unified under the name, "Voice of Hope," in co-operation with the magazine of the same name. As for the ministry, it was agreed that there would be no new licenses issued until after the merger took place. Only if both groups agreed could a new minister receive a license. Ministers and laymen could hold their own belief as regards the articles of faith as long as they didn't sow discord or create a disturbance. The articles of belief were regarded not as a closed creed, but that the church was willing to accept new light.18 The Unity Committee, led by William Alexander and Burt Marrs, advised that at the joint campmeeting to be held at Stanberry, the two groups meet separately and vote on the merger. If the merger was successful, then they would meet as a whole and vote on the constitution and by-laws. It was further agreed that the first Executive Committee should have an equal number of men from Salem and Stanberry.19 Thus by August of 1949, the Merger was practically a foregone conclusion. August, 1949 Merger at Stanberry The joint campmeetings for the two groups were held at Stanberry, August 12-20, 1949. The proposal to merge Stanberry and Salem was put to the membership. Straub reports that Dugger tried very hard to prevent the merger, but to no avail. The final vote showed an overwhelming favor towards unity: Stanberry voted 121 to 15, and Salem 75 to 1. There was reported to be great rejoicing, now that the Church of God had finally become one again.20 Merger Constitution: Systematic Organization, 12 and 7 The Merger Constitution, as agreed upon by the 1949 Stanberry meeting, was a dramatic shift from the days when the Church of God was a loose and often disorganized association of state conferences. As the March, 1948 Advocate from Stanberry noted, "The plan of organization is more complete and systematic than any ever attempted in the Church of God."21 At the top of the new structure was an Executive Board of twelve men. They were not referred to as lifetime apostles, as had been the practice of the Salem group. They would serve for a term of six years, four new ones elected at each biennial session of the conference. Members of the new Executive Board were chosen from the ranks of credentialed ministers. Voting in the General Conference was to be by all members twenty years old and up. Officers of the Board served for two year terms and met annually, and the General Conference itself was to meet biennially.22 On the original Board of the Merger Group were the following: Stanberry Salem C.E. Adams E.A. Straub A.E. Lidell William Alexander L.I. Rodgers K.H. Freeman R.E. Burge W.W. McMicken Archie B. Craig Otto Haeber Ennis Hawkins Christ Kiesz Lidell was chosen Chairman, Straub the Vice-Chairman, Haeber the Treasurer, and Adams Secretary. Appointed by the Executive Board was an Administrative Committee of Seven, who were the chairmen of the seven general departments of the church. The original seven were: Ministerial, B.F. Marrs Home Missions, M.L. Bartholomew Publishing, Ray E. Benight Young People's, Spurgeon Tedrow Sabbath School, C.L. Faubion Christian Education, S.J. Kauer Foreign Missions, A.N. Dugger State Conferences were also to have an executive committee of seven men. Ray Benight was chosen as editor of the combined Bible Advocates, and it was agreed that both publishing houses would continue to operate. The Constitution, By-Laws and a statement of beliefs were developed by the Merger Committee and were adopted by the 1949 Stanberry meeting with only minor changes.23 Districts and Overseers The field was to be organized into general districts, presided over by a member of the Executive Board who lived in the district. Original districts, their overseers and territory, were as follows24: General Districts and Overseers District No. 1L.I. Rodgers (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming) District No. 2Christ Kiesz (North and South Dakota, Manitoba and Saskatchewan) District No. 3R.E. Burge (Montana, N. Idaho, Washington, Alberta, British Columbia) District No. 4E.A. Straub (California, S. Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Arizona) District No. 5Archie B. Craig (Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas) District No. 6William Alexander (Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana) District No. 7W.W. McMicken (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina) District No. 8Ennis Hawkins (North Carolina, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Connecticut, Virginia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Delaware, Washington D.C., Quebec) District No. 9K.H. Freeman (West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario) Ministerial Council Instead of a council of seventy ministers, all credentialed ministers were made members of a new Ministerial Council, which was to hold regular annual meetings. A new concept, as defined in Article III, Section 3 of the Merger Constitution, stated that "The essential doctrines to be taught by this organization shall be set forth by the Ministerial Council of the Church." Thus, the ministers, and not the General Conference, would decide whether or not to credential ministers. Doctrines would be decided by the ministers, not the laymen. The tone of the Merger Group placed the control of the church squarely on the shoulders of the ministers. When the Ministerial Council was discussing doctrinal points, "any spirit of contention or strife will be declared out of order," and doctrinal points passed by a 3/4 majority would be placed in the church Articles of Belief. It was further noted that Sabbath Schools should be presided over by a minister, and should not be the scene of debate.25 The main reason for the division in the first place, the debate of doctrinal issues, was thought to be solved by the Merger Constitution. Advocates Merged The first issue of the combined Bible Advocate came out on October 3, 1949. It had a front page picture of the new Executive Board, with the caption, "United We Stand!" Ray Benight of Oregon was now editor elect, with A.S. Christenson as assistant editor. The Salem edition had been issued every two weeks, but the new paper began as a weekly, just about doubling the circulation. A youth paper, The Christian Youth Herald-Gospel Call was printed at Salem. The children's papers, The Sabbath School Missionary, and The Golden Gems, were printed at Stanberry. Headquarters Moved to Denver In order to placate both the Salem people and the Stanberry people, it was agreed to move the headquarters of the Merger Group, and location of the Executive Committee board meetings, to Denver, Colorado. The college and press were to continue to be in Stanberry. However, in early 1973, the press and General Conference headquarters moved to a new building just outside of Denver. Stanberry, however, remained the location of the college until the later 1970's when ministerial training was transferred to Denver. Going Along With the Merger Although Dugger had striven to block the merger, he appeared for a time to go along with the move. He wrote an Advocate article in November, 1949 entitled "Let Us Finish The Work," and had another article supporting unity, "Unity, Power and Victory," in the June 1948 issue.26 He and others, who did not really approve of the whole idea, went along with the merger for a time. Significance of the Merger -- From Eyes of an Independent The strong organization of the Merger Group proved to be a point of dissension by many. Charles Monroe, who wrote "A Synoptic History of the Churches of God in the Latter Days," (Facts of Our Faith, January, 1969, pages 12-25) has voiced the view of an independent Church of God member who did not agree with the Merger of 1949. Monroe states that after the merger, the Stanberry remnant had actually lost ground, the membership had declined during the years due to the division. Ironically, some 89 years after the "Schism of 1860," the Church of God made the same mistake the Adventists did, in adopting a "centralized system of government," with twelve board members and seven department heads, a ministerial council and district overseers. The real causes of the schisms of 1860 and 1933, according to Monroe, were "personality and church government." He noted "The first step away from the faith of Jesus in the early days of this Gospel Age was the path of wrong government. The simple eldership in the local church, soon [gave way to] . . . a presiding elder, and later a president, then a bishop over several congregations, and then we know the results -- the apostasy." Some churches refused to go along with the Merger Group; these "free" churches of God, Monroe stated, were seeking to recapture the true Biblical church, in both worship and government. They voluntarily co-operate in joint projects, and do not have a headquarters machinery, which was a waste of money. Their sole purpose is to preach the gospel, and Christ is their only authority. Thus, Monroe related, "the merger did not unite all of the Church of God. This great disappointment brought additional division, and it even 'mothered' more independent congregations." The hopes engendered at the 1949 Merger were soon to be dashed forever. The phrase, "we are not divided," from the song, "Onward, Christian Soldiers," was to be an illusory and impossible goal to achieve for the Church of God (Seventh Day). XIII. The Post Merger Period, 1949 to 1973 1950: New Church Buildings, Travels of Marrs A new church building at the headquarters in Denver was dedicated on March 4, 1950 by Elder Frank Walker. Among post-merger developments was the construction of several new church buildings over the country, one of which was the Los Angeles church, pastored by Elder Carl Stacey. Elder Burt Marrs soon replaced A.N. Dugger as head of the Foreign Missions Department, and made a two-month trip to Jamaica and Trinidad in the summer of 1950, finding that the brethren there really were "God's people." Later in the year, Marrs went to Mexico, and attended a conference in Mexico City. There were reported to be some 120 churches of God in Mexico at that time. President of their Conference was Elder Jose Kim Peck.1 Mexico Center of a Tug of War The February 27, 1950 Advocate reveals that the Churches of God (Seventh Day) of Mexico were well-organized, never had any cleft or division, but considered themselves closer to Salem than Stanberry. Alberto Garcia reported that there were 91 churches there.2 The same issue also reported that a few scattered people were not going along with the merger. Although, James Merriam wrote that he was firmly with the merger. As noted previously, Salem had done considerable work in Mexico previous to the 1949 merger. Mexico, though, had had little contact with the headquarters of the Church of God in the United States. Some Mexican ministers were chosen for the Salem group's 12, 7 and 70, but they served in name only, since there was little or no contact with them.3 Dugger and others did not remain very long with the Merger; in March of 1950 they launched the "Back to Salem" movement, and sought to draw the entire Mexican work behind them. Straub, although with Salem, was the strongest advocate of the merger. He went to Mexico in 1948 and again in 1949, in an effort to counteract the possibility of losing the Mexican churches to the "Back to Salem" people. He apparently succeeded in overcoming Dugger's "lying literature" and organized the Mexican work in 1949.4 Marrs' trip of 1950 appears to have been spurred by the Mexican conflict. "Back to Salem" Movement of 1950 Besides Dugger, there were other key figures in the "Back to Salem" movement. It may have been as early as 1949 when F.L. Summers and his son-in-law Chris Royer went back to Salem and established headquarters there. Royer was married to Summers' daughter, who apparently had been previously divorced. The Merger Group held firmly that no one could be divorced and remarried, or married to a divorcee, and still remain a minister. Members who were divorced and remarried before they come into the church were allowed. No divorce except for adultery was allowed after one came into the church. The "divorce and remarriage" issue thus seen as a major reason why some went "Back to Salem."5 M.L. Bartholomew, another dissident who was in Oregon at the time, tried to push "Back to Salem" ideas in Harrisburg and Marion. According to Straub, he and Dugger told lies to get people to go against the Merger. In 1950, Straub traveled the country seeking to stop the "Back to Salem" movement, and at least for a time did succeed in getting most of the people to support the Merger. Straub maintained that Dugger believed it was all right to tell a lie once in a while if it was for the benefit of the church.6 Robert A. Barnes reported that Summers, a native of Salem, never did go along with the Merger. He was sued by the Merger group for the publishing building in Salem. He won the lawsuit causing the Merger Group's papers to have to be printed in Stanberry. Barnes (one of the Twelve of the Salem Group) went along with the Merger for a short time. He reportedly left because he didn't like the "German leaders" such as Marrs, Charles Adams, and Straub. He averred that in the Stanberry park he heard Straub say that when they got in power they would change a few things. One of those changes would be to allow the people to eat pork. Barnes felt that the Merger Group's organization was a "dictatorship."7 Salem apparently established a Bible School about the same time the one in Stanberry was begun. One of its students who later became a minister was Martin L. Ogren, who attended in 1952.8 Breaks in the "Back to Salem" Movement The "Back to Salem" movement broke into at least three factions: 1.The original Salem people who stayed at Salem with it as headquarters, 2.Dugger and Severson, who went to Jerusalem, 3.Olson and Groshans, who formed the Seventh Day Church of God in Caldwell, Idaho. Original Salem Group Continues Summers, Royer and Bartholomew stayed with Salem. M.L. Bartholomew preached to a substantial church in Cleveland. Another Salem church was in Perma, Idaho, where Otis Horne pastored. The group publishes a magazine The Advocate of Truth, which probably began in February of 1950. On its masthead is the caption, "Come out of her, my people." The Staff in 1971 consisted of9: Chris W. Royer Editor John F. Curran Managing Editor Kenneth C. Summers Associate Editor M.L. Bartholomew Contributing Editor Heidi De Long Children's Page Editor The 1971 Yearbook of American Churches10 states that the Church of God (Seventh Day) of Salem had an apostolic council which meets bi-yearly in Salem, on the first Sunday in January, and July. Headquarters is at 79 Water Street, Box 328, Salem, West Virginia, 26426. Bartholomew was chairman of the Apostolic Council; Chris W. Royer Secretary; John F. Curran, Sr., Chairman of the Board of Financial Stewards. Salem is purported to believe that the saints will be raptured to the sea of glass while the seven last plagues will be poured out.11 It differs with the Denver Group in the date for the annual Lord's Supper, following the "Equinox Theory." The 1960 Census figures given for Salem showed seven churches, nine ministers, and 2,000 members, and also fifteen Sabbath Schools, 100 teachers and 3,000 students.12 Figures for later dates have not been obtained. Dugger and Severson: On to Jerusalem In September, 1952, Dugger had just returned to Oregon from an extended trip to Nigeria. There, along with five native ministers and Elder A.C. Olson of Wisconsin, he rode bicycles through the jungles visiting groups of Church of God people. The whole family upon the return had contracted typhoid fever. Everyone recovered through anointing and prayer, except Dugger's wife Effie. Doctors in Portland said she would die. Dugger and his two young daughters prayed all night and Dugger vowed that if God would heal her, he would sell all of his belongings and go to Jerusalem. Dugger recalls, "I had many times definitely felt the urge to go to Jerusalem and publish a paper there, but had made excuses." Effie did recover, and Dugger sold his place in Oregon and took the family to Jerusalem, where he started The Mount Zion Reporter in 1953. His address became P.O. Box 568, Jerusalem, Israel. He reported that his office miraculously survived the 1967 Jew-Arab war.13 Possibly doctrinal issues led to Dugger's exit to Israel. In July, 1950 the Salem Apostolic Council met at Salem and voted the headquarters to be transferred from Jerusalem to Salem. Possibly this was the last straw that broke Dugger with the "Back to Salem" movement.14 Severson reportedly went with Dugger to Jerusalem and later died there. Dugger's Associates Dugger's assistant editor on the Reporter was Gordon M. Fauth, his son in law. In 1960, Dugger established a missionary paper called the Jerusalem Messenger, which reports on activities of ministers in foreign fields that are associated with Dugger. A traveling evangelist was white-haired A.M. Shoemaker. In Oregon, R.K. Hart of Bandon wrote articles in Dugger's paper, as did Ernest W. Baker of Lakewood, California, Elder J.D. Stewart of Chicago and black Aaron Reid of Brooklyn and V. McIntyre of Mount Vernon, New York. In foreign fields, these were some of the areas and men Dugger reported: In Nigeria, Elder R.D. Orukwowu was overseer of many Churches of God which were apparently established in the 1920's as a result of Church of God evangelistic work. Another Nigerian overseer was Elder J.A. Agileb of the Agilebu, Ogba-Ahoada area. A white missionary, Elder Kenneth Oglesby, had been in Ethiopia for 28 years, since 1944. Bishop Samuel M. Fabande and Elder Francis Thuku were in Kenya. Some of the Indian elders reported in Dugger's Jerusalem Messenger have been: Khamzalang Thankamlova Zamkhosem Douthang Henngam K. Isaac Gindai Thang Thangkhai Ngehpu Elder S. Matthews was overseer of a large district in India. A school in India with seventy students was started in 1971 near Pastor Thankamlova's home in Churachandpur, Manipur, India, the headquarters of the Indian work. The Feast of Tabernacles was kept by the Indians. Numerous churches affiliated with Dugger existed in the West Indies. Apparently Elder William Heuer was overseer of the West Indies in general. In Jamaica, Pastor George S. Thompson was General Overseer. Other Jamaican elders were: McLish, Barton Mitchell, Salem Town McFarlene, Hamstead Reid, Miles End Other West Indies workers were Elders: J. Endovique, St. Croix, Virgin Islands Overseer Hilton Winston, Dominica Clive Peters, Grenada Hercules Charles, St. Lucia Persey St. Ange, Cayenne Solomon Bramble, St. Vincent J. Ernest, Dominica Elder A. Nicholls, Tobago V. Watson, Trinidad In the Philippines was Elder Michael Postrers, evangelist of the province of Zamboanga del Norte, and Elder L.G. Cabardo of Leyte. Cabardo reported groups of believers in Hilusig, Makenhas, Baybay, Leyte, Taligi, Abuyog, and also in Satmon. In Formosa, there was a Church of God group which published a paper in Chinese, "The Holy Spirit Times." This group had originated in Peking over fifty years previously. While editor of the Bible Advocate, Dugger sent tracts to two Sabbath ministers, for them to translate into Chinese. One of them was Elder Pilquist. The Formosa church reported to Dugger that there were one thousand churches in China when they had to flee (1949) to Formosa. A few thousand actually did escape Communist China to Taiwan. In Korea, David G. Beattie was a missionary. In England, there was a Church of God (Seventh Day) at 83 Raglan Street, Lowestoft, Suffolk, where Elders Hart and Williams presided. They kept the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, and had done so since 1966. Another was Pastor W.D. Robinson, at 12 Ancherton Road, Spark Brook, Birmingham. Bennie Maxfield, a Negro, led a church in Tulsa called the Branch of Jerusalem, and associated with "The Day Star Foundation of North America." In Burma was Elder Robin H. Aeia at Kalemyo, Upper Chindwin. The South African overseer was J.J. Kondlo. In Israel, one of Dugger's chief associates in evangelizing among the Jews was Elder Shlomo Hizak.15 Dugger's African trip of 1951 apparently paid off, as many of the churches there supported his efforts. In foreign areas, the appeal of a Church of God headquartered at Jerusalem seemed to be an important element in directing people to Dugger's group. Dugger's Call for Unity Dugger apparently did not have any firm organization, because he felt that all Sabbatarian Churches of God should work together. He certainly believed that his work was God's work, and not that he split off from the Church of God. He stated that the 1931 Church of God General Conference passed a resolution by a unanimous vote that the headquarters should be moved back to Jerusalem as soon as conditions there would permit. Those who refused to carry out this resolution, Dugger believed, had separated themselves from the original "Family of Elohim" (name of Old Testament church Dugger used in the masthead of the Mt. Zion Reporter, besides "Messianic Jews" as the name of his followers, as a branch of the ancient true church).16 The "Church of God," Dugger stated, was now represented in all parts of the world with "the same doctrine," with "little differences on some minor points." The Sabbath, Lord's Supper Annually, the Inspired Bible Name for the Church, the Kingdom, the Soon Return of Christ, the Regathering of the Jews preparatory to Armageddon have been common doctrines binding the Church of God together. He implored that members should "refrain from passing judgment (Matt. 7:1-2, Luke 6:37), and . . . in spite of minor differences LOVE ONE ANOTHER."17 Dugger further stated, "Let us all be one. In times like these, all variance and divisions among Sabbath-keepers should be forgotten. All trouble forgiven, and all groups fellowship together, for they are the Father's children if in harmony with Rev. 12:17 and Eph. 3:14 and 15."18 Dugger advised that the seeker for the true church connect himself with the group nearest him that has the right name and keeps the Sabbath, and be a peace maker, not bringing up strife.19 Presumably this meant that Dugger felt all Church of God Sabbath-keepers should work together, and also look to him because Jerusalem, he believed, was the only true headquarters of the church. Dugger and the Feast Days, Sacred Name, Anglo Israelism Dugger himself kept the Feast Days, according to the Jewish manner of calculating. However, he said that others do not have to keep them, because Paul stated in Colossians 2 not to let any man judge us for keeping them. In other words, Paul didn't take sides on the Feast Day issue. They not only commemorate days of mighty works for the Jews but also for the church. Therefore, Dugger believed it is not wrong to keep them, and can even be good. In 1972, Dugger kept the feast of Pentecost on Friday (Sivan 6) with his group at Jerusalem.20 Dugger appeared to believe that the Feast Days are not mandatory during this age, because they were nailed to the cross. He felt that they will be kept in the next age, as Zechariah 14:16-17 states.21 In order to appeal more to the Jews, who are offended by the name of Jesus and Christ, Dugger also used Yahshua as a descriptive title of Jesus. This is adhering to the Sacred Names concept, but like the matter of the Feast Days, this was not a cardinal point.22 Regarding Anglo-Israelism, Dugger wrote an article in the March 21, 1949 Bible Advocate from Stanberry entitled, "The Jews' Civilization and Economy." In it he said that all Jews are Israelites, but not all Israelites are Jews. He neglected to say who the Ten Tribes were.23 Seventh Day Church of God at Caldwell, Idaho The third split of the "Back to Salem" group was that of Olson and Groshans, who formed the Seventh Day Church of God in Caldwell, Idaho, in 1954. Signers of the incorporation of the Seventh Day Church of God in 1954 were Joel Ling, A.C. Olson of Wisconsin (deceased), Paul Groshans of Indiana (not with the movement since 1961), C.W. Ogren and his son M.L. Ogren, and R.A. Schaeffer.24 Doctrinal disputes appeared to be the reason for the new group. Salem allowed a divorced and remarried person to be a credentialed minister (namely, Chris Royer), and Bartholomew said that people sinned every day, while Salem also maintained that a Christian is not born again until the resurrection. These and other points instigated a departure of some from the Salem and the Merger Group organizations. Probably the biggest reason was the one of the Feast Days. Martin L. Ogren maintained that he, and Salem generally, did keep the Feast Days from 1934 to 1937. He came to a firm belief in the validity of the Feast Days through C.O. Dodd and self-study. He continued to believe in them after Salem stopped observing them. Ogren reported that he had neglected to observe the Feast Days for some years until he began anew in 1954-55. This appears to be the prime reason why the Caldwell Group began. Background of Ogren Martin L. Ogren and his parents met Church of God minister J.T. Williamson in Missouri in 1926, where Ogren was baptized (he was re-baptized in 1934). He moved to Idaho in 1938, and was with Salem during the years of division. Ogren became a minister in 1952, having attended Salem's Bible College of the Church of God. Ogren began the Caldwell church in 1952, and in 1971 there were 47-60 in attendance.25 Groshans of Indiana came from an area that had long observed the Feast Days, but little is yet known of him. Doctrine of Caldwell The "40 Doctrinal Points of Faith," adopted on November 4, 1933 at Salem, West Virginia were held to by the Caldwell Group. However, they added a 41st point, the Feast Days.26 Passover is kept on the beginning of Nisan 14, with footwashing. Pentecost is always kept on a Sunday, the other Feast Days kept according to Caldwell's version of the Sacred calendar, which is different than the Jewish Calendar. Unclean meats, alcohol and tobacco, and carnal warfare are forbidden, while tithe-paying, laying on of hands and anointing the sick is practiced. The organization of the 12-70-7 is also practiced, but Ogren admitted his group did not have enough ministers to fill the slate. He was one of the 12, chosen by lot, while Art Schaeffer, also of the 12, was chairman in 1971. Ogren objected to the lot system of the Merger Group, which puts the names not chosen back into the pot. The Feast of Tabernacles was kept for eight days at a common place. In 1971, it was observed by 125 people at Puget Sound, Washington. In 1972 it was held at a YMCA camp at Lake Wenatchee. Tithes were paid in tithe envelopes to the local church, where they are used. Full time ministers are salaried, and a Council of Ministers decided what to do with deviant ministers. A ministerial school was in the process of being set up. The church doctrine stated that "no member who teaches a doctrine contrary to any point of our essentials of faith as taught by the body and published through our literature, either by precept or example, shall be considered a member in good standing of this body." Like Dugger, Ogren believed in fellowshipping with the other Church of God groups. One Sabbath a month the Nampa (Merger Group), Caldwell and Meridian ("Back to Stanberry" Group), churches all met together. "There is only one church," Ogren maintained, but it won't be until the Millennium until they all see eye to eye. He was not out to convert others of the Church of God into keeping the Feast Days. President Robert Coulter of the Merger Group visited him about 1970, proposing that Ogren and his group join with them, and promising that their Feast Day observance could not be hindered. Ogren maintained that some of the Merger Group believe in and keep the Feast Days, but felt he could not conscientiously be a part of a group that teaches against them. Ogren said Dugger kept the Feast Days in Jerusalem, but believed that Jerusalem is the only place of worship. Ogren pointed to John 4:21-24 as a text to prove the opposite. As an acquaintance of Dugger since 1930, Ogren and most of his church helped support Dugger's foreign work. Associates of the Caldwell Group The Herald of Truth, the Seventh Day Church of God paper, was started in 1954. Circulation in the early 1970's was about 600, and some 500-1000 members were claimed in the United States. A Spanish minister from Chicago said that there were some 80,000 believers in Mexico. There were supposed to be some forty native ministers in Africa, mostly in Nigeria. They incorporated with the name, Seventh Day Church of God, in 1925, and had been affiliated with Caldwell for 15 years. The Caldwell Group supplied them money and literature for distribution. There were said to be many thousands of black African members, one congregation alone being over a thousand. Elder R.D. Orukwowu, Overseer of Nigeria, wrote letters published in The Herald of Truth. In America, churches affiliated with Caldwell were: Galt, California Richland, Washington Wenatchee, Washington Elder Easterly Everett, Washington Elder Art Smith Maywood, Illinois Elder J.D. Stewart Chicago, Illinois (Spanish ) Elder Augustus Grenada New Mexico Ohio Elder Roberts Other writers to The Herald of Truth were27: Paul A. Dreher Iowa Elder L.S. Howard Indiana Elder Hubert Thomas Oklahoma Elder Joe Moore Oregon Viola Senn Washington "Back to Stanberry" Group Perhaps the major departure from the Merger Group took place in 1950-51. At Meridian, Idaho the "Bible Church of God -- Seventh Day" was formed by elements formerly of Stanberry that refused to go along with the Merger. In spirit, if not in name, they constituted a "Back to Stanberry" Group. Philosophy of Local Autonomy As previously stated, the 1948-49 Merger of the Salem and Stanberry groups "did not unite all of the Church of God. This great disappointment brought additional division, and it even 'mothered' more independent congregations." In the eyes of many, especially some of the former Stanberry churches, the merger showed that the Church of God had made the same mistake the Adventists did in the "schism of 1860" in adopting a "centralized system of government."28 The anti-organization idea, so prevalent in the Church of God in the 1860's, again raised its hoary head, so that the merger was only another futile attempt to bring unity to the church. Since its formation, many "free" and "independent" Churches of God have existed outside the General Conference organization. Their idea is that "the first step away from the faith of Jesus in the early days of this Gospel age was the path of wrong government. The simple eldership in the local church soon gave way to a presiding elder and later a president, then a bishop over several congregations, and then we know the results -- the apostasy." The "free" churches sought to recapture the "Biblical church" in both worship and government. They voluntarily cooperated in missionary projects. With no headquarters machinery, they could devote themselves to the sole purpose of preaching the Gospel. Christ is the only authority they were subject to.29 In the words of Elder Frank M. Walker, the Church of God is united -- under Christ. Christ is the "only ONE HEAD" of the Church, and the record of membership is kept in heaven, Hebrews 12:23, Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5. Walker stated: Jesus did not establish any such thing as we now know as a general organization in the church . . . . There is no divine authority in the New Testament Scriptures for any general organization to direct and control the activities of the local assemblies of the church in general . . . the Book of Acts gives us a picture of real unity under Christ without any general organization such as we know today. Yes, they had unity with 'Local Autonomy' or congregational government.30 Elder Robert A. Barnes summed up the idea of local autonomy with his Harry Truman-like bluntness: "I'll let no man or group tell me what to preach."31 If all the Churches of God (Seventh Day) believed alike, there would be no objections to a central form of government. The local autonomy idea seems to be a cover so individual ministers can preach the doctrines that they want to preach. The Meats Issue The doctrine of abstaining from unclean meats has long been an issue of dispute in the Church of God. A "Seventh Day Baptist" church on the South Fork of the Hughes River in West Virginia which existed in the 1840's, 1850's and 1860's was looked upon as somewhat of an oddity. This church termed itself "the Church of Christ," observed the Passover once a year, was governed by the elders, and forbade the use of unclean meats.32 The Whites for some time, until the early 1860's, believed pork could be eaten. Carver states he always opposed its use. Apparently the use of unclean meats was not a firm doctrine in the early Seventh Day Church of God. Some did speak out against its use in the pages of the Advocate. In 1908, the editors of the Advocate (A.F. Dugger and Jacob Brinkerhoff) stated that they did not eat pork, but said other brethren did. Brinkerhoff wrote in 1911, "on the subject of Food we must be lenient with those who do not see the matter as we do."33 In the eyes of the pork eaters, those in the Church of God who forbade its use were mainly former Seventh-Day Adventists, or influenced by their views.34 Ostensibly, the split of 1933 resulted largely over doctrinal issues, such as clean and unclean meats. Dugger of the Salem Group opposed pork while Marrs of Stanberry approved its use. During the years preceding the merger, many Stanberry ministers came around to the anti-pork position, and the Merger Constitution included an anti-pork provision, copied from the Old Salem forty articles of belief. Those who had not changed their ideas and still held to usage of pork were for the Merger, but against the Merger Constitution which was made a test of faith. A minister who believed pork was all right would not get credentialed by the Merger Group. Before the 1933 split, pork or no pork was not a test. As Clair W. Ahlborn states, issues like this were "handled in Christian love."35 Now it was being insisted upon. This almost guaranteed the failure of complete unification. The Organization Issue Salem had been organized with the "Bible numbers" of 12, 7 and 70. Stanberry was not so tightly organized. It had a committee of seven. The Merger Constitution was almost a carbon copy of the Old Salem articles, and carried over the tight organization with the 12-7-70. The "local autonomy" people did not support this type of organization. Formation of Meridian Group A.H. Stith and several other staunch pork eaters voted for the merger, because they were for unity, but their revulsion to the Merger Constitution led them to break away and in effect formulate a "Back to Stanberry" movement. . . . several of the ministers and members of the former Stanberry General Conference could not accept the compromise in doctrine and practice that their church had made, forsaking the principles so dear to the members of God's Church. They had remained faithful to congregational government and other Biblical truths when the division came in 1933, they reasoned that now was not the time to forsake those same principles and truths. A meeting at Meridian, Idaho was called during the summer of 1950 which resulted in the organizing of former Stanberry churches and members across the country that refused to go with the Merger.36 Originally called "Bible Church of God -- Seventh Day," the name was changed about 1963 to "General Council of the Churches of God -- Seventh Day." There was to be no "test of fellowship" for the group except "the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Organizers of the Movement A group of ministers from Idaho led the movement from the start. They published a paper, The Acts, and in the first issue, March 1, 1951, stated: "We believe firmly in unity among the Brethren. However, we are convinced that such unity cannot be achieved by a set of rules imposed upon the Brethren by a majority. This is not God's Way . . . we cannot expect to see eye to eye upon all things, for we have not all reached the same spiritual growth. This does not mean that God rejects us. He teaches us unity through tolerance and charity or Christian love . . . . Thus our motto is 'Unity through tolerance and Christian love,' . . . rather than unity through force."37 Clair W. Ahlborn, a former teacher at Spring Vale Academy in Owosso, Michigan and a native of Idaho, was first edit of The Acts. But he was not a real minister and not the leader of the movement. The first officers were:38 General Conference Officers Mark Burnham President Meridian Nettie Burnham Secretary Meridian Arthur Estep Vice President Port Orchard, Washington Edna Palmer Treasurer Kuna, Idaho Committeemen A.H. Stith Meridian Frank Williamson Caldwell James Kling Nampa Clair Ahlborn Meridian Luvelt Palmer Kuna The first camp meeting was held in late June of 1951 at Meridian. Attendance for the evening services ranged from 60 to 200, and there were 250 on the last Sabbath. Those preaching were Elders:39 Edgar Lippincott Missouri A.H. Stith Idaho M.W. Unzicker Oregon Arthur Estep Washington Boyd Dowers Idaho R.C. Glassford California Roy Davison Idaho Mark Burnham Idaho At the 1952 campmeeting, 144-200 were present. The elders present were: Harry Ford Marion Jack Slankard, Charlie Salkeld Iowa Lippincott, Unzicker, Estep, Stith, Ahlborn, Burnham Idaho Valencia California By July of 1952, the Church of God Publishing House, which today houses the press and college, was ready for use.40 Another paper, reporting church news, The Fellowship Herald, was established. Beliefs of Meridian Group The Acts (standing for: "Advocating Christ the Savior") magazine contained a brief statement of beliefs, which closed with the statement: "We believe the true church organization taught in the Bible is local autonomy and that the Bible name for the church is THE CHURCH OF GOD. That the test of Christian fellowship is the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."41 Local autonomy and no test of fellowship appeared to be the big difference between Meridian and Denver-Stanberry. The Meridians came out with the nearest thing to a statement of beliefs, a "Declaration of Things Most Commonly Believed among Us," which they stressed was not a test of fellowship.42 At first, most Meridians ate pork. Later, most of them changed their views to anti-pork. Not all their young men became conscientious objectors, but the church supported the convictions of those who did. "Pentecostalism" of the "spiritual" style rather than speaking in tongues was commonly adhered to. However, Billy Watts of Springfield, Oregon apparently went overboard on this and lost good graces with them. Mark Burnham, pastor of the Meridian church, and son-in-law of Arvin H. Stith (deceased), said Christians should have "a real experience with the Lord." He said he is saved and that he was working with many young people who want a "born again" experience. Burnham ate pork, and probably got his ideas from his father-in-law Stith. In 1971, Burnham reported that there were at least seventeen divisions of the Church of God which have come about since the initial split in 1933.43 Actually, there were many more. Carl Palmer was minister of the Milwaukee, Oregon Church of God, in 1971 which was affiliated with Meridian. He said that there was speaking in tongues in his church, but it was not emphasized. About one third of the ministers spoke in tongues, and the movement had been growing lately. However, he did not do so.44 British-Israelism at Meridian Frank Walker quit the Merger Group in 1951 because he was against their kind of organization. In 1971, he taught at Meridian's Maranatha College. Walker's "Anglo Israel" ideas have already been discussed. He estimated that 1/3 to 2/3 of the Meridian group leaned in this direction. Roy Davison (deceased), who worked in Idaho for some time, was a firm believer in Anglo-Israelism. Other believers besides Walker were Claude Ellis and the Palmers.45 The Church of God has long taught that the Jews will be restored to their homeland, and Armageddon will be fought by the Jews and their allies against Russia (Gog) and its allies. The Two-Horned Beast is said to be the Holy Roman Empire, and Babylon the Catholic Church.46 Walker and his father W.K. Walker may have gotten their Anglo-Israel ideas through G.G. Rupert, whom they met in 1913-1914. Walker admitted that he believed a lot like Herbert Armstrong on the Israel Identity question, but he differed in that he thinks the United States is Ephraim, the younger and greater nation. His 32-page pamphlet, "Hope of Israel," explained that the Ten Tribes were never amalgamated back with the Jews, but continued to exist as the Celtic and Teutonic peoples of Europe and America, and elsewhere. They will remain separate until they become one nation, when the two sticks are put together, Ezekiel 37. Joseph is not dead, but he cares for his brethren, (the 5 1/2 million Jews in the United States). Thus, according to Walker, the United States will defend the Jews at Armageddon against Russia, which will be a battle of Israelites versus Gentiles. Walker was speaker of the Bible Sabbath Association's radio program, "Echoes from Eden," for eleven years, from 1960 to 1971. Meridian Not The Only True Church Both Palmer and Walker did not believe theirs is the "true church." Palmer noted that people in his church are baptized into Christ, not into the Church of God. The people in the true church have their names written in heaven, and no organization exists that one must belong to in order to be a true Christian. Walker, in referring to Armstrong's later development of a tight church government, said "Any people that claim to be the only people of God, I am against, because we are all God's children." Palmer worked with the Merger Group people, and had a very broad view of the Church of God. Differences of opinion must certainly have been rife in the Meridian Group, owing to the nature of their organization. As Clair Ahlborn stated, doctrinal differences, such as pork, were handled the same way the church handled them before the division of 1933, "in Christian love." Meridian Organization The church government of the Meridian Group is highly congregational. Ministers serve "at the pleasure of the membership." Elders are elected by the local congregations, and the churches determine to what extent they would cooperate with the General Council program.47 In 1971, the seven Board of Directors consisted of ministers and laymen48: Lee Roy Stucker President Charles Ward Vice President Delbert Alloway Claude Ellis Jay Ellsworth Jim Kling Luvelt B. Palmer Committeemen Maranatha College, founded in 1963-64, had 17 students in 1971. There were plans to build a new campus for expansion to 150-200 students, a rather ambitious project. David Gjesdal was director and Frank Walker and Clair Ahlborn teachers.49 Extent of Meridian Group It is rather difficult to determine just who is a part of Meridian because it is an association rather than an organization. A "Church Directory" from the 1965 Fellowship Herald 50 listed the following churches as constituents: CaliforniaArcata, Fresno, Lodi, Los Angeles, Olivehurst, Pico Rivera OregonCoos Bay (Empire), "Harmony" (Junction City), Milwaukee, "Scravel Hill" (Jefferson) WashingtonOlympia, Port Orchard, Richland, Toppinish, Wenatchee IdahoBoise, Emmett, Meridian ColoradoDenver IowaCedar Rapids, Clio, Davenport, Ottumwa, Muscatine KentuckyBrowder Michigan Detroit, Newton, Battle Creek MissouriBuffalo, Easton, El Dorado Springs, Ethel, Maryville, Milan North Carolina Farmville Texas Borger, Stinnett Alabama Philcampbell Tennessee Dyersburg Oklahoma Wagoner Kansas Pawnee Rock Canada Langley, Vancouver, B.C. Early 1970's mention of affiliates to Meridian included: Richard ChatfieldMaryland Heights (St. Louis) (Remnant Seventh Day Church of God) William DornbergerHuntington Beach, California David Blanke, Sid SikkemaLodi, California Billy WattsSpringfield, Oregon R.A. BarnesHarrisburg Albert KeatingHarmony David KillgoreScravel Hill, Oregon Claude DuwePhoenix, Arizona Arthur EstepWashington State Evangelist A. O'ReggioWashington, D.C. Martin Ogren of the Caldwell, Idaho Seventh Day Church of God has been mentioned in Meridian papers. Foreign workers mentioned by Meridian publications have been51: Teofilo A. DonalBinalonan, Pangasinian, Philippines A.A. Bryson Jamaica Calvin V. LedgerSt. Vincent, West Indies As for numbers, it is difficult to determine, since the Meridian headquarters kept no records and the association was loose. About 1600-1800 magazines were mailed out monthly.52 Some ministers apparently did not really want any central location or publishing work at all. In 1971, Barnes said he was "going along" with the Meridian group, but he believed they had gone overboard on the idea of local autonomy. "It won't work," he stated. Yet Barnes was the most esteemed minister of the Idaho group and the oldest, for he was being given the privilege of giving the opening sermon at each year's camp meeting.53 Frank Walker went along with them, but because of his British-Israel ideas he had plans for doing things on his own as well. The "Missouri Conference of the Church of God (Old Time)" was apparently organized in 1951, as its 13th annual campmeeting was held at Milan, Missouri in 1964. Leaders then were Edgar Lippincott and Keith Siddens. It appeared to be affiliated with Meridian, but incorporated separately.54 For a time, the "River Road Church of God" of Eugene, Oregon associated with the Meridian Group. It originated from a division of the Radio Church of God congregation in Eugene, and was led by Elders Emil Heibel and J.O. Spires. Because of their Feast Day observance, the alliance with Meridian was transitory.55 Un-Denominational Split: The Ultimate Trip56 Splits for local autonomy, splits for feast day observance, splits for this and splits for that: the Church of God (Seventh Day) in recent years came to a full circle when there developed a non-denominational movement, the ultimate split of all. In late 1943, correspondence between a few Sabbath-keepers of different beliefs and affiliations led to a self-appointed Committee of Six. In early 1944 this committee sought to ascertain if there was enough interest in an un-denominational organization for promoting the Sabbath. Circular letters were sent to many known Sabbath-keepers, which resulted in the establishment of the Bible Sabbath Association at Fairview, Oklahoma in 1945. One of the leaders in the movement was Church of God (Seventh Day) member, Lawrence Burrell of Fairview. Its founder was the late George Main, a Seventh Day Baptist. In 1949, a paper, The Sabbath Sentinel, was established. Since 1962, it has been published by the Bible Advocate Press in Stanberry, which later moved to Denver. Some of the Bible Sabbath Association's aims were to restore the true Sabbath worldwide, repeal all existing Sunday "Blue Laws," oppose adoption of a World Calendar (already adopted in Sweden) which would upset the weekly cycle. It published tracts for the Sabbath, Sabbath calendars and localized sunset tables, and the Directory of Sabbath Observing Organizations. It also supported a radio broadcast, "Echoes From Eden," with Bob Rogers, which was heard on eight stations across the United States. Elder Frank Walker of the Meridian Group was the radio speaker from 1960 to 1971. Eugene Lincoln, Fort Wayne, Indiana Editor Terril D. Litterll, Nevada, Missouri President, Associate Editor Frank M. Walker, Meridian, Idaho Edgar Lippincott, Stanberry Lawrence Burrell, Fairview Ruby C. Babcock Editor Emeritus There was a separately incorporated Bible Sabbath Association in New Zealand. Beliefs of the Bible Sabbath Association The Bible Sabbath Association is held to be strictly un-denominational and non-sectarian. The Directory of Sabbath Observing Organizations was sent to those interested in affiliating themselves with a church, but was not offered unless someone asked for it. Succinctly stated, its whole purpose was to promote Sabbath observance, for "None who are directors of the Bible Sabbath Association intend to turn the association into a church; The Bible Sabbath Association was founded upon the principle of various Sabbatarian groups WORKING TOGETHER."57 Supposedly nonsectarian, the Bible Sabbath Association does take a side on the issue of Feast Days: they are held to be done away, as "shadows of good things to come."58 Significance of the Bible Sabbath Association Of minor importance as far as numbers, the key significance of the Bible Sabbath Association is that it keeps alive the principles of local autonomy and "working together" among independent Sabbath groups. By publishing and publicizing the smaller splinter groups of Sabbatarians, the Bible Sabbath Association serves to perpetuate them. It also definitely helps the historian attempting to keep track of these small groups. Merger Group Continues Having carried on the story of the splits and divisions following the 1948-49 Merger of the Church of God, there remains the story of the Merger Group itself. Without at first a background of the post-Merger splits, one would have a distorted picture of Church of God history. The Merger Group, also known as the Denver Group, contained the largest number of Church of God people today, but it would be inaccurate to describe it as the only significant Church of God center, as the foregoing has shown. Worldwide Trips to Unite Church of God Efforts As reported earlier, Burt Marrs traveled to Jamaica, Trinidad and Mexico in 1950. Also Elder Charles E. Adams went to Africa in 1951 and stayed almost a year, and then went on to India and the Philippines. Before leaving Nigeria, Elder Adams organized a board of seven men, with Elder Tikili as chairman. In 1953, he toured the Caribbean Islands. In the meantime, Elder E.A. Straub, chairman of the General Conference, made an extended tour of the United States and Canada, in order to stem the "Back to Salem" movement. As noted earlier, Elder A.N. Dugger and Elder A.C. Olson toured Nigeria in 1951-52, apparently for the same reason: to garner the foreign work under their particular organization. Also in 1951, Elder Charles J. Ellis of Jamaica spent several months in America, and attended the Red Rocks Church of God campmeeting of 1951, near Denver.59 Canadian Churches Dedicated In June of 1952 a church building was dedicated at Nipawin, Saskatchewan, with Elders Pete Hrenyk, R.C. Moldenhauer and John Kiesz present. The following July another building was dedicated at Calgary, with guest ministers Charles E. Adams, E.A. Straub and John Kiesz.60 New Developments, 1952-1955 Dr. A.L. Carlin of California moved to Stanberry in 1952. Besides teaching at Midwest Bible College, he served as town doctor. Elder Floyd Merriam, as head of the Home Missions Department, in 1953 with the help of others prepared the Searchlight Bible Correspondence Course and the Membership Instruction Course. Elder Kiesz with his Committee prepared a Personal Evangelism Handbook. In accordance with the 1949 Merger Constitution, property was secured in Denver, at 1510 Cook Street, to be used as church headquarters and conference building. The first General Conference and campmeeting held in Denver was at the Assembly of God Campmeeting Grounds in August of 1953 or 1954. It continued to be held there bi-annually for many years. Shortly thereafter, a Church of God radio program was instituted, "Faith for Our Time," and Elder K.H. Freeman of West Virginia became its speaker, serving for many years, until replaced by Ray L. Straub in 1972. In 1973 the program was going out on 32 stations in 18 states. In 1953, Elder Clayton L. Faubion replaced Ray Benight as editor, serving until 1956. Also in 1953, Midwest Bible College had its first graduating class, (it is basically a two-year institution for men, although a few women attend for Biblical Foundation courses.) The first graduates were Haskell Hawkins and Robert Harris. Elder Burt F. Marrs (died 1956) became its director. In 1955 a young minister named Carl Stacey was killed in an auto accident while visiting in Bakersfield. He was a member of the Executive Board and pastor of the Los Angeles church at his death.61 Church Development, 1956-1959 A new church building was completed in 1956 at Grand Junction, Colorado, where John Kiesz was pastor. Also that year, Max Morrow, Deloris Forkel, Lyle Schueler, Claretta Ling and Nelson Caswell graduated from college. The following year Morrow became office editor of the Advocate while Charles E. Adams replaced Clayton Faubion as editor of the Advocate and the Harvest Field Messenger. In 1958, Elder K.C. Walker became Director of the college, and the Stockton, California church building was secured. Elder Ivan Harlan pastored Lodi and Stockton at the time. Adams lasted only a year as editor, resigning in 1957 at the Denver campmeeting, with the idea of going to New Zealand and Australia. The new officers were: Horace Munro Editor K.C. Walker Assistant Editor Max Morrow Office Editor (1959 became Editor) In 1959 there was launched a "Free Tract" program in which tracts were given away free, instead of having a charge as in the past. Financing for this program came from a special fund for which offerings were taken by local churches. Men who died during these years were62: Elder Otto Haeber 1958 at Hawthorne, California A.S. Christenson 1959 Roy Davison 1959 "Facts of Our Faith" Split from Merger Group Charles Adams, head of the Home Missions Department of the Merger Group, headed a "Layman's Research Committee" of Seven Men in 1958 and 1959 which sought to reform the church from within. The object was to put the control of the church back in the hands of the laymembers, not the ministers. One of these members was Ed Blenis of McKenzie River, Oregon. Possibly others were Roy Marrs and Wilbur Dornberger. Apparently the movement affected about a third of the entire church, but the Ministerial Council got wind of the development and nixed the idea. At the 1959 Conference, the Laymen's petition was not even allowed to be read before the conference meeting, consisting of 475-500 delegates. They in the end received only seventeen votes, and still later only eleven. Churches in Denver and Los Angeles separated from the Merger Group, but in 1972 only the church in Los Angeles was left. There, Roy A. Marrs headed the "Church of God, Sabbatarian" at Torrance, California, which published, free of price, the Facts of our Faith magazine. Apparently, he had a radio program as well. His associate was Elder Wilbur C. Dornberger of Huntington Beach. Elder E.A. Straub was President of the General Conference at the time, and says there were no real issues for the split. The Layman's Group asked Twenty Why's, but these were based on false information of the condition of the church. They still believed in the Merger Group's principles, and did not fellowship with Meridian. Roy Marrs sent his daughter to Stanberry for college, and Straub felt that they would eventually come back to the Merger Group, once the older generation passed on.63 1960-1962: Church of God Continues In 1960 a new church building was erected in Bloomington, California, where Elder Trinidad Padilla was pastor. He was a former Roman Catholic, and was responsible for bringing more than fifty of his relatives out of Catholicism into the Church of God. Bloomington attendance at that time was over a hundred. Youth Camps began to be held at this time, at campgrounds owned by other denominations. In 1961, one was held at North Silver Creek Falls, Oregon. Elder Ray Straub reported many young people "began to pray loudly and groaned for the filling of the Spirit of God," in a revival meeting. Some twenty-six youths were baptized on the last Sabbath of the meeting. In 1961, K.H. Freeman was Conference Chairman. From 1949-1961, it was the practice of the Merger Group to hold the campmeeting and General Conference sessions in Denver every odd-numbered year. In 1962, though, the Central States Districts held a meeting near Dover, Oklahoma instead of Stanberry, on some land that had been recently purchased by the Church. At the Ministerial Council, held at October 30, 1962, there were forty credentialed ministers and five licensed ministers from the United States, plus one credentialed minister from Canada and one from Mexico. Two doctrinal positions were approved.64 Centennial Celebration -- 1963 The Hope of Israel began in August of 1863, and thus in August of 1963, a special centennial issue of the Bible Advocate was published, which contained a number of historical items, excerpts from older issues, a list of editors from 1863 to 1963, some twenty-five in all, and an analysis of Church of God doctrine through the years. Ministers in 1963 and their locations were as follows65: 1. Augustine Adams California 2. J.D. Bagwell Alabama 3. Ray E. Benight Idaho 4. Carl Bentz Idaho 5. E. Barnal Texas 6. Garland Brunson West Virginia 7. Hugh Butrick Oklahoma 8. Julian Camero Michigan 9. Noah Camero Minnesota 10. Nelson Caswell Michigan 11. L.L. Christenson Missouri 12. T.U. Conner New York 13. Robert Coulter Michigan 14. Archie B. Craig Colorado 15. Floyd Craig Oklahoma 16. James Crane California 17. Tieman DeWind Michigan 18. A.F. Dugger Colorado 19. E. Dugue Texas 20. Burt Ford Oklahoma 21. K.H. Freeman West Virginia 22. Curn Gilchrist Colorado 23. Israel Haeger California 24. Rudolph Haffner Oregon 25. Ivan Harlan Arkansas 26. Ennis Hawkins Oklahoma 27. C.J. Heywood Michigan 28. Peter Hrenyk Canada 29. Harry Johns Washington 30. Ross Johnston Oklahoma 31. S.J. Kauer Missouri 32. Roy Keim Michigan 33. Christ Kiesz South Dakota 34. John Kiesz Missouri 35. Fred Krumsick Oklahoma 36. James Kuryluk Iowa 37. A.E. Lidell Michigan 38. Clyde Maher Oklahoma 39. Eric Mathis New York 40. William McCann Michigan 41. Reuben Moldenhauer Canada 42. Max Morrow Missouri 43. R.C. Moldenhauer Missouri 44. Deroy McGill Oregon 45. W.W. McMicken Florida 46. Horace Munro Missouri 47. Delvin O'Banion South Dakota 48. W.H. Olson District of Columbia 49. Trinidad Padilla California 50. Vernon Patchan Wisconsin 51. Roland Peterson Nebraska 52. Sam Poff Oklahoma 53. Emmett Presler Colorado 54. Jesse Rodgers Arkansas 55. L.I. Rodgers Arkansas 56. Louis Sanchez Minnesota 57. Manuel Solis Texas 58. Archie Stiede Washington 59. Ray Straub Oregon 60. Nathan Straub Oregon 61. E.A. Straub California 62. Heber Strickland Maryland 63. Marion Strunk Oregon 64. Belton Sweet Texas 65. B.G. Sweet Texas 66. Melvin Sweet Texas 67. S.R. Tedrow Ohio 68. Floyd Turner Michigan 69. Clifford Tuttle Missouri 70. K.C. Walker Texas 71. R.K. Walker Oklahoma 72. Fred Walter Oregon 73. O.T. Whitten Oklahoma 74. C.W. Wilderson Michigan 75. Victor Youngs California Extent of Work -- 1963 The Executive Board in 1963 was composed of the following66: K.H. Freeman W.H. Olson Carlos Garcia Reuben Moldenhauer Nelson Caswell K.C. Walker Floyd Turner E.A. Straub Robert Coulter Trinidad Padilla Archie Craig The nine District Overseers were: 1. Robert Coulter 2. Delvin O'Banion 3. Ray Straub 4. E.A. Straub 5. K.C. Walker 6. James Kuryluk 7. John Kiesz 8. Nelson Caswell 9. Floyd Turner General Conference officers in 1963 were: Robert Coulter Chairman Ray Straub Vice-Chairman Larry Russell Secretary-Treasurer Heads of Departments were: LeRoy Dais Publishing Elden Fischer Young Peoples S.J. Kauer Sabbath School Emmett Presler Home Missions Grover Davis Foreign Missions Delvin O'Banion Ministerial Dr. A.L. Carlin Education From Church of God "United Fund" receipts were the following distributions: 30% Publishing 20% Home Missions 20% Ministerial 15% Foreign Missions 12% Christian Education(1/2 each to College and High School) 2% Sabbath School 1% Young People In the Foreign Work, Mexico had over 200 ministers, led by brothers Alberto and Carlos Garcia in Mexico City. Other foreign workers were: Jamaica Charles J. Ellis British Guiana V.H. Gibbons Trinidad John Raybourne, Wilfred Saunders, Hubert Weekes PhilippinesBenjamin Dingal, E. Peniaredondo, H.C. Rosell New Zealand F.A. Tonge India F. Joseph Germany Helmut Strauss Nigeria B.I. Tikili Extent of Work, Circa 1973 Robert Coulter continued to be the Chairman of the General Conference, and Floyd A. Turner the editor of the Bible Advocate and the Harvest Field Messenger. Robert Coulter and S.J. Kauer were the editor's advisors and Ray Straub, L.L. Christenson, K.H. Freeman and Bose Dickens were contributing Editors. Ray L. Straub was speaker of the radio program, "Faith for our Time." Mead's Handbook of Denominations for 1970 listed the Merger Group with 76 churches and 5,000 members, and the Salem group with only seven churches and 2,000 members.67 The old "Church of God Publishing House," which served from 1908 to 1948 gave way to the newly constructed brick L-shaped building in 1948, which served the Stanberry church, the press and the college. The General Conference offices moved to Denver in 1952. A new headquarters building near Denver was constructed in 1971-72 at a cost of about $195,000. The press was moved into the new complex in March of 1972. In the 13 months since the publishing plant was moved, some half million tracts were printed for the "Free Tract Fund."68 The following were heads of their departments: LeRoy Dais Chairman of Publishing Department Raymond C. Moldenhauer Home Missions Reuben Moldenhauer Foreign Missions Harvey Fischer Sabbath Schools Elden Fischer Christian Education Calvin Burrell Young Peoples E.A. Straub Ministerial Max Morrow Director, Midwest Bible College S.J. Kauer Chief Instructor, Midwest Numbers and Growth of Merger Group The Messenger gave Sabbath School (SS) and Sabbath Worship Service (WS) attendance for the churches submitting reports. Combining figures and taking highest amount in each case for 1972 and late 1971 gave the following results69: SS WS ALABAMA Hammondville 43 ALBERTA [Canada] Acme 15 15 Calgary 17 17 ARKANSAS Bono 33 33 Delaplaine 27 28 Fort Smith 80 85 BRITISH COLUMBIA [Canada] Mission City 18 18 CALIFORNIA Bloomington 89 95 Lodi 49 52 North Hollywood 35 38 Ontario 43 45 Sacramento 93 113 San Jose 7 6 Stockton 83 88 Visalia 20 20 COLORADO Denver 97 111 IDAHO Nampa 4 10 ILLINOIS Macomb 17 17 IOWA Marion 39 41 KANSAS La Cygne 30 30 Wichita 18 26 MICHIGAN Detroit 70 Freeland 38 38 Grand Rapids 30 Monroe 88 Muskegon 26 30 Owosso 79 86 Petersburg 18 22 West Olive 26 26 MINNESOTA St. Paul 59 63 MISSOURI Joplin 43 Kansas City 54 65 Stanberry 72 83 St. Joseph 44 57 St. Louis 36 40 NEBRASKA Central City 22 NEW MEXICO Roswell 18 0 NEW YORK Brooklyn 21 22 Manhattan 28 39 NORTH CAROLINA Farmville 33 NORTH DAKOTA Alfred 68 68 OHIO Brighton 14 14 Toledo 19 23 OKLAHOMA Claremore 60 57 Coweta 30 27 Dover 77 Fairview 33 33 Lane 18 18 McAlester 38 43 Oklahoma City 52 60 Shawnee 78 85 Tahlequah 41 40 Tulsa 22 20 OREGON Elmira 39 38 Harrisburg 116 140 Marion 106 112 Portland 39 34 SASKATCHEWAN [Canada] White Fox 32 33 SOUTH DAKOTA Aberdeen 21 Eureka 47 48 TEXAS Arlington 22 24 Artesia Wells 24 Austin 10 10 Conroe 66 74 Grand Prairie 26 29 Houston 34 41 Longview 17 San Antonio 43 45 Three Rivers 20 19 WASHINGTON Spokane 18 18 Tacoma 53 72 Walla Walla 31 31 WEST VIRGINIA Moundsville 23 23 WISCONSIN New Auburn 53 47 TOTAL (Highest Figure in either case): 3,226 Leading Ministers, 1971 The 1971 biannual conference was held at La Verne, California. Seventy Credentialed Ministers were placed on the Ministerial Council as follows70: Ray E. Benight K.C. Walker L.L. Christenson Victor A. Youngs Burt Ford Jose Desiderio Israel Haeger Erlo S. Hendricks Ross Johnston Hermon Champagnie Roy Keim Thomas J. Madden Dale G. Lawson Raul Escalante Clyde Maher Arturo Gonzalez Ray C. Moldenhauer Jonathan Gonzalez Vernon Patchen Jesus Martinez L.I. Rodgers Pedro Martinez E.S. Straub Benjamin I. Tikili E. Bernal Wilfred Saunders Floyd M. Craig Peter Hrenyk K.H. Freeman Artemio Soto Rudolph Haffner Helmut Strauss S.J. Kauer Oscar G. Cockburn John Kiesz Gersham N. Wallen Kenneth R. Lawson Alberto Garcia Jacob S. Miller Bulmaro Gonzalez Reuben Moldenhauer Lionel Hernandez Roland Pedersen Joel Martinez Manuel Solis Aureliano Rodrigues Spurgeon Tedrow Richard Lindo Hugh Butrick Andres Leiva Alex F. Dugger Antonia Vega Curn A. Gilchrist P. Joseph Ennis Hawkins Charles J. Ellis Marvin Keim Rosalio Alonso W.J. Kuryluk Carlos Garcia Nathan Lee Lawson J. Encarnacion Gonzalez John Moldenhauer Zeferino Laureano Max M. Morrow Jonathan Martinez Emmett Presler Manuel Rodriguez Archie M. Stiede Ezequiel C. Barangot The Executive Board chosen in 1971 were: Robert Coulter Chairman Ray Straub Vice-Chairman Noah Camero A.B. Craig Delvin O'Banion Melvin Sweet Floyd Turner Wesley Walker O.T. Whitten Bose Dickens Trinidad Padilla W.H. Olson The United States was divided into six districts as follows: #1 West Coast Ray Straub #2 North Central Delvin O'Banion #3 High Plains Robert Coulter #4 Southwest K.C. Walker #5 Southeast (under supervision of Executive Board) #6 Northeast Melvin Sweet Canada constituted a seventh district, which was under supervision of the Executive Board, with Wesley Walker representative. The men in charge of the districts were referred to as "overseers."71 Publishing Developments In July of 1970 the Bible Advocate was made free, the first time in its 107-year history. The reasons given were to expand the paper to non-members and reach more people. Also in July, Floyd Turner of Owosso, Michigan replaced Noah Camero as editor of the Advocate. Camero had served since 1967. In October of 1970 the Sabbath School Missionary for youngsters was discontinued and replaced by Footprints magazine. The teen magazine title was Aim, and its volume numbers indicate it was established in 1936, but may have had a different title earlier. A home course in Bible Study, the "Searchlight Bible Course" of thirty lessons was offered free. Foreign Work The Church of God (Seventh Day) in Mexico had an estimated 20,000 plus members. On November 8-13, 1971 a ministers meeting was held at Acapulco, attended by over 150 Mexican ministers, and with Robert Coulter and Noah Camero from the United States also attending. From this meeting, Coulter and Camero went to Guatemala city, headquarters of the Central American work. There they attended the annual Church of God (Seventh Day) council of Central America where 40-50 delegates from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua met from November 17-20, 197172 Elder Antonio Vega of Guatemala was the overseer of the Central American work. He raised up other churches in South America in 1970 when he visited Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. At a meeting on his return it was agreed by the Central American headquarters to send Elder Manuel Soto Lopez on a return trip.73 Vega reported that the Managua, Nicaragua Church of God was spared during the earthquake there, and the United States churches were sending relief supplies to their Latin brethren there. The General Conference in the United States in 1971 agreed to sponsor Elder Andres Leiva, formerly the overseer in Honduras, to be missionary to Ecuador. He soon established the work in Ecuador, incorporating the Church of God (Seventh Day) there. In Jamaica there were said to be thirty-eight churches. Elder Thomas Madden was overseer, replacing Elder Charles J. Ellis who died in 1972. Wilfred Saunders of Trinidad was overseer of four churches on that island. Another group, in Nassau, Bahamas, was headed by Joseph S. Garvey. In 1971, Elder E.A. Straub made a trip to Eastern Europe, where he contacted Sabbath-keepers in Poland and elsewhere that were interested in working with the Church of God. They had only "minor differences" with the Church of God in the United States. Chorzow is the headquarters of the Polish work, led by Brothers Bujok and Wiecek. Straub reported seven to eight Polish churches (60-79 at Chorzow, 85 at Brenna, some in Gdansk, and 85-90 at Bielsko Beala) with 400 members. There were supposed to be 80 members in Czechoslovakia, and others in Romania and Hungary. Elder Helmut Strauss headed the German work. There was a small work in Norway and in Belgium, where Elder F.C. Ardaen worked. There was reported rapid growth in England, with some 500-600 members. Elder Erlo S. Hendricks, a black of London, appeared to be the leader. Elder Reed of Manchester reported a church of 80 at Birmingham. In Nigeria, overseer of the Church of God (Sabbatarian) was Bishop Benjamin I. Tikili of Port Harcourt, River State/ Numerous other ministers were mentioned in Messenger reports. In the Philippines, a Church of God radio program went out in 1972 over DXMB Malaybalay and DXSY Ozamis City. In India, Elder P. Joseph resided in Bhinavaram, Godavari District. Miscellaneous Developments The 1973 biennial conference was held August 10-18 at St. Marys, Ohio. It was probably the first one held east of the Mississippi River.ê