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and leader of the Church at Stanberry had been outvoted from the
Presidency by one vote. He had then combined with a leading member
at Salem, West Virginia, to form what they called "The
Reorganization of the Church" with "The Bible Form of
Organization." This consisted of a totally misapplied form of what
they termed "the Twelve, the Seventy, and the Seven."
The "Oregon Conference" went in with this Salem, West
Virginia Church. In August, 1933, I completely gave up the $3
per week salary from the "Oregon Conference." One week later, the
PARENT "PHILADELPHIA ERA" Church was raised up, with 19 members,
resulting from six weeks of six nights a week meetings I had held
at the one-room country schoolhouse eight miles west of Eugene,
Oregon. This Church consisted of four or five former California
members, and the rest were all my own new converts. I then
continued holding services six-nights-a-week at a larger school-
house at Alvadore, some 15 miles northwest of Eugene, adding
fifteen new members. By April of 1934 -- after the broadcast
(January 6, 1934) and The PLAIN TRUTH (February, 1934) had started
-- the Church at Eugene, following the "Oregon Conference," decided
to cooperate with (but not as members of) the Salem, West Virginia
Church. They claimed world headquarters at Jerusalem, where there
were no members, so far as I knew. But their active headquarters
was Salem, West Virginia. By now, April, 1934, the WORK OF GOD,
which was started in January, 1934, by the EUGENE Church raised up
by me was well under way. That is, before we even began this
cooperative fellowship with the Salem organization, we became
incorporated as The Church of God at Eugene, Oregon. The Salem
organization counted me as one of "the Seventy" leading elders.
I worked with them, in cooperation. I even went so far
in cooperation as to send in regular ministerial reports to Salem,
even as their ministers did.
But I was not a member of this Salem organization, nor did
they pay me any salary. The only organization I was a member of
was The Church of God at Eugene, Oregon. Later we incorporated
as The Radio Church of God. We had started VERY small -- 19
members. The members paid their tithes direct to me, and I paid
radio bills, and "publishing" costs (mimeograph). We in the WORK
and Church of the "Philadelphia era" were not yet large enough to
be organized ourselves. That is one reason I did not learn till
later God's teaching on church organization.
Meanwhile, I continued to act as pastor of the "Sardis"
church at Jefferson. Let me make clear the way finances were then
handled. As I said, our own members handed their tithes to me.
Most members at Jefferson did the same, as individuals, though some
sent their tithes to Salem. I received NO salary or remuneration
of any kind from either the Salem or Stanberry organization. Nor,
so far as I remember, from any "Sardis" members other than those
I served as their minister, preaching every Sabbath.
One dissenter, disfellowshipped at Pasadena, I am told,
is claiming I misrepresented in saying I never received
remuneration or salary from either the Stanberry or Salem
organization. He claims he can produce a cancelled check proving