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WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
March 19, 1979
NEWS SUMMARY
WORLDWIDE EDITION
BRETHREN MAKE UNIFIED STAND FOR THE CHURCH
Last Monday, March 12th, Judge Title unexpectedly reimposed the receiver
ship upon the Church, College and Foundation. This receiver was given
the same unjustified and extraordinary powers ("to take possession and
control of the Church") the former receiver had over the Church from
January 3rd until the first receivership was suspended March 1st by
order of Judge Title. The original receivership was to have been re
placed by an injunctive order which, as it turned out, was excessive
in its demands and unconstitutional, and in effect turned many of the
powers of the receiver (a supposedly neutral tool of the court) over to
the office of the State Attorney General.
Several possible receivers were named in court and the judge said that
both sides would have to agree to one of the men named. Judge Title,
later in the same court proceedings, announced that the receiver would
be David L. Ray, 49 y,�ars old and an attorney and certified public
accountant. Out of all the candidates for the job, Mr. Ray just happened
to be present at the rear of the courtroom throughout Monday's hearing.
He met informally with the press afterwards.
Unlike the former receiver who had never been a receiver before (partly
explaining Weisman's ineptitude while in office), Mr. Ray has 15 years
experience as a receiver. He might be expected to act more business-like.
When asked by the press if he had ever been a receiver in a church be
fore, he replied, "I would rather not answer that •.." This reporter over
heard him commenting to one newsman that a receivership is "something
you can't pass up, but once in it you wonder why you did it."
"Ecclesiastical Lock-Out"
Unlike the "sit-ins" we hear about in the media where people assemble
in public or private facilities without permission, brethren were called
Monday night asking if all who could, without jeopardizing their jobs
or classes, would come the next day at 9:00 a.m. for special church
services in our own administration building.
Seven hundred and fifty members attended Tuesday's peaceful and orderly
"ecclesiastical lock-out." Folding chairs were brought in and neatly
aligned for the morning preaching service and songfest. This show of
solidarity of loyal brethren who could come was similar to the one in
January when ex-judge Weisman locked out all employees and brethren from
the Hall of Administration and other campus buildings, including Data
Processing and Accounting, by having the locks changed in the middle of
the night. His purposes were thwarted by loyal brethren who occupied
our own buildings and turned the tables on him. This, as you will
recall, led to his backing down and moving out of his office on the
executive floor of the Hall of Administration.
This time the brethrens' presence in services, it was hoped, would
forestall the receiver's attempting to take control of the premises, or
tampering with the records before the Church could comply with a
stipulation in the court order that would keep the receiver from dis
charging his responsibilities. Jucige T_
itle wrote into his order that