Meeting Transcripts

Rev. Darrel Lee | July 4, 2024

Opening Remarks

Welcome and prayer

Thank you everyone. Brother Mark Mfandarahwa, will you come up and lead us in prayer, please? Let’s stand.

Agenda

A handful of people requested this meeting to address matters that pertain to those who immigrate from any foreign country to North America. That is what we will talk about today.

A Biblical Rather than Cultural Approach

Global unity

“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)

The strength of our work has always been unity. With the advent of the electronic age and technology over the last twenty to thirty years in particular, we’ve become more of a united global work. This is simply because individuals and groups can now exchange messages and view services online through YouTube, etc. That mechanism can serve to unite us, or the devil can use it to divide us, but we certainly want to be united. 

The Apostle Paul spoke of unity in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, and I will read that. He said, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.”

I have heard a lot over the years about Mother Kelly inspiring the Apostolic Faith work in Washington D.C and beyond. I wonder how she did it, how she kept in unity with Portland. I don’t know if she ever came to Portland. She didn’t have YouTube. She wasn’t able to view how things are done here. We hardly went there. That is also what is amazing about the work in Africa, especially in Nigeria and Ghana where it began. Seventy years ago, missionary George Hughes made a couple of trips there and the work grew. We can observe this through the letters of Sister Ruth Ashwell. It is amazing how this global work has grown in unity, because we all read the same Bible. 

There is one Gospel. Nevertheless, the application can vary slightly, and we understand that—we are not going to be the only ones in Heaven. It would be a lonely place if there were only Apostolic Faith people there. We don’t impose what we stand for on others. Not by any means. We thank God that Christ is preached here and in Apostolic Faith churches elsewhere. We are unapologetic for the manner in which we apply the Bible doctrine way of holiness.

We strive for a global Biblical approach rather than a cultural approach, because Bible culture transcends geographic and linguistic cultures. We understand that there may be minor contextual differences along the way. We don’t ignore these differences, and if they disrupt our unity, we are not content to accept them. I think that was why a couple of the brothers wanted me to address this matter.

Respecting God’s Authority and Order

We can’t use our cultural differences or private interpretations of Scripture as a cover for disrespecting authority and/or dishonoring God’s order.

As an example, a year ago, I dealt with a situation that involved a couple using private interpretation or understanding of 1 Corinthians 11.

Before going further, let me mention, and I’m sure that I have said this before, that we typically don’t include the spouses of ministers when we take up some subjects. We don’t want our spouses to be burdened with some of the things that we deal with as pastors and ministers. Even my daughter, who serves as my assistant, isn’t privy to delicate matters. I don’t burden her with those things. Not that there is a heavy burden as far as that goes, but there is no need for our families to share in it.

Anyway, concerning this issue related to women wearing hats or scarves, we don’t object to either provided attention is not drawn to oneself rather than Christ, and it is not demanded that all women do so. The irony is that 1 Corinthians 11 is about respecting authority with head covering merely used as an illustration. Paul concluded by saying, “But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering” (verse 15). Women have a natural head covering, even if some wish they had more: It is called hair.

The Word of God teaches respect for authority, and that is what 1 Corinthians 11 is all about. There are two failures that we have a zero tolerance for when it comes to the ministry—sexual misconduct and gross insubordination. Insubordination might not disqualify a person for ministry, if the guilty minister quickly repairs damage, but gross insubordination will. Once a person refuses to subject themselves to authority, assuming that authority is his or her superiors, they are done. I am not speaking of my own authority. We don’t independently declare that a person is grossly insubordinate. We rely on leadership to hold each of us accountable, the same way I am accountable to the Board and other veterans.

Recommendation letters for immigrating ministers

Branch church pastors, it is important that you receive a letter of recommendation for any minister immigrating to your church before allowing them to preach. The letter must state that this person is a member of an Apostolic Faith branch church in good standing. For Nigeria, the WECA District Superintendent’s appointee notifies Portland when a minister or worker is moving to North America. When we are satisfied that this is a member in good standing, we forward the letter to the branch church. We get these letters regularly, and before we forward them, we ask some questions and request that a Minister Questionnaire or Worker Application be submitted. One question that we have been asking more recently is, “Is this person married, and if so, is the whole family coming?” We can’t have ministers or group leaders preaching who are living apart from their spouses. This has happened in the past, and where this situation already exists, we will be very cautious, especially where it has been successful. However, it is difficult to set an example as husband and wife—“and they twain shall be one flesh”—when one spouse is three thousand miles away from the other. In general, this is not what we want to happen, and we will continue to work on this.

Questions from Immigrating Ministers

Here are some questions that have come to me in letters from ministers immigrating to North America. 

Question one: Is a traditional wedding for church members the same as for the world or do we follow a wedding reception guide given in our Ministers’ Manual? Which elements, such as dancing, should we allow or disregard?

I believe I covered this with clarity a year ago in March. I’m not sure of the date, but it was recently, so I will be brief and give just one example.

Not long ago, I received a phone call regarding a video that was circulating online of a wedding reception. The concern was that the reception emulated the world. I knew the pastor well, a very good man, and I was aware that a wedding had taken place.

I wrote to the pastor and named the person who had called me, because we don’t operate behind each other’s backs. We are one body of believers. I wrote . . .

(the name of the pastor) called me from abroad to express concern over a recent wedding reception. It sounds like it emulated the world, which is in strict contradiction to what we ask for when we conduct a marriage ceremony in the Apostolic Faith. That the reception took place away from the church does not alleviate the fact that this couple knew better, because they had been taught otherwise. They would do themselves a favor, and would also do you a favor, if they took down their online post of the reception. This sets an example for others to follow. Frankly, I don’t understand how couples can think this is acceptable. They need to be made to understand they have embarrassed the Apostolic Faith worldwide work. Of course, I was not there, nor have I seen the video, nor do I want to see it. I do, however, want them to be made to understand that they have embarrassed all of us.

I received a reply from the pastor. He had already called the couple into his office and explained to them that the conduct at the wedding reception was not in accordance with acceptable guidelines. I told you he was a good man. He expressed his disappointment to them and spoke to them at length about the negative impact this could have. He also asked them to take down the video, which I assume they did based on their overall response.

Having done all this, the pastor had a question for me. He asked, “What do we do to move forward?” I told him it was contingent on the couples’ response. For example, if they humbly said, “We’re Sorry. We messed up,” (which they did), I had no objection to their returning to their volunteer positions after a time—perhaps in September. On the other hand, if they were resistant or defended their actions, that would be a different matter. I left it at that saying, “You know best.” I won’t follow up now, but will leave it with the pastor, and I think it is going to come out well. 

When I last spoke on this topic, perhaps last March in this very room, I stood before you exasperated. I don’t understand how people can think this is acceptable holy behavior. I also don’t understand when someone posts a worldly video or photo, and it is “liked” by purportedly holy people—ministers or their spouses. Why would we “like” something that is ungodly, worldly, and against all that we stand for?

I can’t be on social media; I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I know this, because people come to me dismayed by what they see there. They shouldn’t be telling me; they should be telling the person doing the posting. I don’t want to be discouraged, I want to be encouraged, so I stay away from all of that.

Question two: Should women’s hair length be regulated? Should the color remain natural?

I am not going to go around telling women they must grow their hair out to a certain length. Some women can’t grow their hair long. I am married to one, and it grieves her. Others, especially those elderly, can’t physically take care of longer hair. I don’t know about all of that, and I don’t want to. I do know that we cannot legislate righteousness; it comes from within. Perhaps the key is modesty. Hairstyles that draw undue attention, on men or women, detract from glorifying God.

Question three: Where does one who has immigrated send their tithes and offerings?

We tithe where we worship. Offerings can be more subjective. In America, one cannot give a designated offering—one with strings attached. A person can request that their offering be used for a certain purpose, and we will try our best to comply. However, it is not guaranteed.

There have been a few times, not many, where we have returned an offering. In one case, the money was designated for one whom we knew repeatedly solicited funds for personal use. We returned the money and told the donor that we can’t give a tax-deductible receipt for funds going to that individual. We don’t funnel money to individuals who go through life with their hand out. We hoped the donor would realize how the money was going to an individual who was undeserving.

Be aware that we don’t solicit funds. If someone is doing that, say on social media, and claiming to be part of the Apostolic Faith Church, they are actually not. For example, many years ago, someone claiming to be a member in good standing at one of our branch churches, solicited funds from several pastors. One pastor sent him the money, twice. Then another pastor, unaware that the first pastor had been preyed upon, called the Portland headquarters and asked if we knew who this person was. We didn’t. He was just someone who saw our list of pastors on our website and took advantage of that. Once we learned of the situation, we notified our pastors, and it didn’t go any further.            

Though we don’t solicit funds, we are not afraid to make people aware of projects that are going on around the world. Recently, we made known the Faith City project. We try to stop short of soliciting funds. The exception would be if the request comes from the Portland headquarters office. Here, we can keep track of where the funds are going and avoid someone taking advantage of the good nature of the saints.

Question four: How do we treat Gospel workers who dress worldly during the week and dress like saints on Sunday?

This question was really about women wearing pants, aside from sports and their job requirements, such as uniforms. This issue is one that has been brought up repeatedly. The Scriptural reference that is often cited is Deuteronomy 22:5: “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”

I heard Brother Carver say, about forty years ago, to the ministers in the United States, “We cannot use this Scripture to say that our women can never wear pants.” This verse doesn’t say anything about pants. It is about blurring the distinction between the sexes. In this age of gender confusion, we can better understand what conditions existed in Biblical times, for example, in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. A woman isn’t to characterize herself as a man, nor is a man to characterize himself as a woman.

If Moses lived today, he would be dismayed that the U.S., heavily influenced at its founding on Biblical principles, would allow men to compete as women in women’s sports. It is insanity, but that is America today. Welcome to Sodom and Gomorrah. I’m glad we could leave Sodom and come to this holy campground for a while. Speaking of the campground, the City of Portland calls at least annually, asking to use our cabins to house people who otherwise would be in high or low temperatures, depending upon the season. But there is no way we are going to allow these holy grounds to be used by this corrupt city.

The important point concerning appropriate attire is that the Bible teaches femininity for women and masculinity for men, and that is what we preach and teach. This doesn’t mean that we go into people’s homes and regulate what they do. Let me give you an example from my own past. When I was first married, I was told, unsolicited, what appropriate birth control is. I listened, walked away, and thought, That is absolutely none of your business. You do not belong in my bedroom. We don’t belong in people’s homes. We are not going to tell people what to wear to work. Instead, we do our best to inspire them to dress modestly at all times, and we trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

Brother Dave and I went to an event where one of the minister’s wives was dressed inappropriately. I asked Brother Dave, “What are we doing wrong?” I don’t know what the answer is, but I do know that if we legislate holiness, it won’t come from people’s hearts, and then it won’t last. So, we endeavor to inspire. One way that we do this is to hold up a mirror to ourselves and ask, “How can I better inspire holiness, including modesty?”

In addition to femininity and masculinity, the Bible teaches modesty for both males and females. Modesty is subjective, so we intentionally use some ambiguity in our approach. 

Here is an example of our approach to modest and appropriate dress. Before the youth meeting on Sunday, I sent a message to Brother Erik Calhoun to speak to the musicians. The message was as follows.

Please take the opportunity this evening to see that the youth musicians are reminded that we appreciate their interest in the work of the Lord. We know they want to represent the World Headquarters well. We will appreciate that our young men are well-groomed, which includes neat hairstyles rather than the popular male shaggy looks. This also means they should not have braided or twisted dreadlocks or rolls that are not combed.

I was happy to include something that we ask of the young men, because talks of modesty are usually focused on the women. We are not the Taliban. Let’s keep that in mind.

By the way, I had noticed just one young man with shaggy hair. There may have been others that you noticed. Let me share something I have said in the past to some coming from abroad: “Please don’t judge our entire Portland work by one or two less-than-stellar examples, and I won’t judge your entire work by the less-than-stellar examples that I see where you are.”

Continuing with the message . . .

We appreciate the modesty of our young ladies where they watch their hemlines and don’t wear capped sleeves.

I wish I had elaborated a little on this. Capped sleeves are the ones that go just past the shoulder. Previously, I have stated, “Don’t wear extremely short sleeves.” This is where ambiguity comes in. What is short? If we gave a precise length, there would be appeals. We don’t want to become unnecessarily encumbered. When the young ladies’ group sang, there were two who I wish had worn longer sleeves. However, these young people are not doing drugs. Most of them are under twenty-one, and they are ahead of where I was at their age.

A year or two ago, we did have a challenge. Of the whole orchestra and choir, there was one young woman who wore sleeves that were way too short. Lo and behold, she was featured as a soloist. When I saw this, I about died, thinking, God help us! Of the one or two hundred musicians on the platform, this will be the one who people notice online. We dealt with the situation by removing the first half of that service from our website and showed only the sermon. I didn’t have the heart to tell the young lady.  

Continuing again . . .

If in doubt, we request that one not participate until that doubt is removed. We know that nobody wants to draw attention to themselves.

Thanks very much. I’m sure every single one of these musicians wants to honor this global work with their carefulness.

We put the burden on them. We tried to appeal to their desire to draw closer to God. These are smart kids. Hopefully, they will think about what we have said. Most of them do.

With respect to modesty, there is one other thing to mention—a woman can be completely covered and still be immodest, in skintight apparel. We do our best to instruct, but modesty must come from the heart.

Question five: A typical complaint we receive from people who view our live webcast is that our orchestra has a percussion section. They might write something like, “I watched your service online and it didn’t seem like an Apostolic Faith service. Why does the Portland headquarters use drums?

In Portland, we have a symphony orchestra. All the instruments are needed to comprise the selections we play. This is not the case for congregational singing, so we eliminate some of the percussion for that. Our voices are instruments too, and we want to hear them. During congregational singing, that is the instrument that inspires.        

Not every church has a symphony orchestra, so a percussion section is not needed. I’ve been very specific with West Coast and Midwest pastors in the U.S. that if a certain instrument of music (a trap set) does not exist in their church, they are not to add it.

If you do have a strong percussion section in your church, please temper it. Don’t put a twelve-year-old on the drums. It will give people a headache in church. They won’t be able to hear or think. The bottom line is that worship should glorify God in a respectful manner, whether or not drums are used.

Closing Remarks

Thankful for immigrants

We thank God for Apostolic Faith ministers and workers who immigrate to North America. We want to assimilate them into our work if they’re spiritually qualified and come recommended. We have particularly benefited throughout Canada and the U.S. by families moving here from Africa. 

I was told that if these camp meetings were being held in some of the African countries, hundreds and thousands would be getting saved. Those coming to Portland from other countries could get discouraged, thinking, Where are all the converts? However, we are not done yet. We are still praying, so let’s be encouraged by that.

Dismissal

I promised we would end at 4:30, and I’m going to keep my promise. I originally planned to take some questions, but time has run out. Let’s stand. Sister Antonia, will you come up and dismiss us in prayer?