June 30th, 2009
Wagga City Council in Australia have granted planning permission for a new Exclusive Brethren Meeting Room but with some unprecedented conditions and stipulations.
There are components of humor in some of the terms, particularly to ex-members of the cult. For example, the Exclusive Brethren are only allowed to have 6:00 am Sunday communion services for a trial period and following the trial, the earliest allowed time of service will then be 8:00 am. The ridiculously early Sunday morning communion service was invented by the American James Taylor Junior, cult leader from 1960 until his death from alcohol-related illness in 1970. Needless to say, a 6:00 am Sunday meeting was unpopular to most. It will be most interesting to see if the Exclusive Brethren succeed in lifting the condition after 6 months.
Wagga City Council also demanded that the EB place windows on at least two sides of the proposed structure – the council stressed that the Exclusives were to give the building ‘street appeal’, even to the extent of placing a door ‘real or false’ to assist the effect. A modern Exclusive Brethren Meeting Room is probably one of the least attractive buildings you’ll ever see – windowless, a large front door, surrounded by high security fencing, security lights and a padlocked steel-barred gate. Even the sign is unwelcoming. Inside, the carpet is normally green and the ceiling light-blue and the usually black-upholstered chairs are arranged in a series of circles – the men sit in front, the women at the back.
The council also restricted the maximum number attending any service to 50 and demanded that lighting only be used when services were being held.
All in all, the Exclusive Brethren may have received the planning permission they wanted, but it was at quite a cost!
It is unknown whether the residents plan to query the tax-exemption for the new Meeting Room. The news article for the Daily Advertiser states that the building is designed to be a public place of worship. As all who have attempted to attend an Exclusive Brethren service know, this is easier said than done. Both gates and doors are locked during services and visitors would have to endure screening visits and interviews following a request to attend one of their meetings.
We wonder whether to residents of Bourkelands fully understand that they will be subsidising this structure as a tax-exempt building – a building which will do exactly nothing for the general community although defined as a ‘public place of worship’.
In avoiding public scrutiny while stating that “we are in the testimony” this cult is not ‘walking in the light as God is in the light’ and for that reason cannot fellowship with those believers walking with God.
Pressure on the dam normally brings release.
May it take place soon for many in the shackles of misplaced authority.
‘Let my people go that they may serve ME’ says the Lord .
Exclusive Brethrenism is practised by many of its schismatic groups all falsely claiming to be ‘faithful to the Lord’ whose glory is veiled by those sad people implying that the few thousands,often merely hundreds of their number are the group alone approved by the Head of the Church thereby demeaning His efficacy by refusing to meet with others of the Body of Christ with gifts given by Him alone, for ALL.Their crying need is to break through in honesty of heart and study, for months, in deep searching ,the implications of John chapter 17.
Desist from studying Scripture as you think and let Scripture examine you- oh Corinthian children and be blessed with opened eyes and follow where the Eternal Redeemer is leading. Listen to Him Frosts, Rentonites, Jimmies, Strang group, Rogers and Croydon, London and other divisive believers and bow in dust and ashes.He will bless again and again for He cannot deny Himself.