A Brief Testimony

Curt2 · 10-02-2010, 06:14 PM

I am a former local church member who met with the local church in San Diego from 1974 to 1986. The elders there during that time were John Smith, Les Cites, Roger Beck, and Willy Samoff. This is a testimony of my experience.

I was born again on May 23, 1974 in the kitchen of an upstairs apartment in San Diego. The apartment was being rented by a couple who were meeting with the local church in San Diego at the time. The next night, Friday, I attended my first meeting of the local church. The speaker was a small Chinese brother by the name of Witness Lee. I didn’t understand much of what he said, but it seemed to make sense.

After the meeting, some arrangements were made for me to move into a brothers house. The next morning, some brothers stopped by to help move me into a house near the Naval Training Center in San Diego occupied by thirteen brothers and a couple who ran the house. That night there was a love feast at the meeting hall. Some were saved and I was baptized along with them (the meeting hall was formerly owned by the Baptists and had a built in baptismal). The next day, being Sunday, there was a message meeting in the morning, and that night I had my first Lord’s Table. Thus began thirteen years in the local church.

I recall being eager to get to each meeting: prayer on Tuesday, message meeting Friday night, service groups Saturday morning, love feast Saturday night, message Sunday morning, and Lord’s Table Sunday night. Additionally, there were guest speakers, weekend conferences in Anaheim, and the bi-annual ten day trainings. There were countless times of building with saints from around the world, some of whom we would only have contact with around training time (pre-internet e-mail days).

Then, in 1985, I began to notice a difference in the church life. There were still shouting, happy, smiling saints at the meetings praying, singing hymns and spiritual songs, sharing messages and giving testimonies, serving on service groups, etc., but all the activity seemed now to lack any “weight” or “energy” behind it. I felt my walk with the Lord becoming weaker and my closeness to Him becoming more distant. I did not realize that other saints, both in San Diego and other localities, were having these same feelings. After fighting these feelings for about a year, in 1986, I left not only the local church, but abandoned my walk with the Lord altogether.

I immediately returned to the life of alchohol and marijuana in which I had been immersed before my salvation. This led to my eventual separation and divorce from my wife in 1991. As the years went by, I sank deeper into alchohol and marijuana. This led to the ruin of my career, and ultimately an extended period of unemployment, the loss of my life savings, and homelessness in August of 2008.

Then, by the Lord’s mercy, in November of 2008, He brought me back to Himself. I began to read the Bible and pray once again. In March of 2009, I began to sense the need to fellowship with saints on a regular basis once again. Through a series of divine arrangements, I was able to get in contact with John Smith in May of 2009. He put me in touch with Ron White, who was meeting with some saints near where I was living. Ron had been with John in San Diego until 1973, when he and Max Rapoport and some others moved to Anaheim. So on May 22, 2009, I began to meet with saints on a regular basis once again.

During the last two years, the Lord has blessed me greatly both spiritually and practically, and has delivered me from homelessness, providing me with a job and a place to live. I have some things to share with you all concerning the local church, the oneness, and the end times which I hope to post soon on the board titled “General Discussion” under a new thread. I look forward to fellowshipping with you on this website.

Love in Christ,

Curt

10-02-2010, 06:14 PM	#1
Curt2 Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 3	A Brief Testimony I am a former local church member who met with the local church in San Diego from 1974 to 1986. The elders there during that time were John Smith, Les Cites, Roger Beck, and Willy Samoff. This is a testimony of my experience. I was born again on May 23, 1974 in the kitchen of an upstairs apartment in San Diego. The apartment was being rented by a couple who were meeting with the local church in San Diego at the time. The next night, Friday, I attended my first meeting of the local church. The speaker was a small Chinese brother by the name of Witness Lee. I didn’t understand much of what he said, but it seemed to make sense. After the meeting, some arrangements were made for me to move into a brothers house. The next morning, some brothers stopped by to help move me into a house near the Naval Training Center in San Diego occupied by thirteen brothers and a couple who ran the house. That night there was a love feast at the meeting hall. Some were saved and I was baptized along with them (the meeting hall was formerly owned by the Baptists and had a built in baptismal). The next day, being Sunday, there was a message meeting in the morning, and that night I had my first Lord’s Table. Thus began thirteen years in the local church. I recall being eager to get to each meeting: prayer on Tuesday, message meeting Friday night, service groups Saturday morning, love feast Saturday night, message Sunday morning, and Lord’s Table Sunday night. Additionally, there were guest speakers, weekend conferences in Anaheim, and the bi-annual ten day trainings. There were countless times of building with saints from around the world, some of whom we would only have contact with around training time (pre-internet e-mail days). Then, in 1985, I began to notice a difference in the church life. There were still shouting, happy, smiling saints at the meetings praying, singing hymns and spiritual songs, sharing messages and giving testimonies, serving on service groups, etc., but all the activity seemed now to lack any “weight” or “energy” behind it. I felt my walk with the Lord becoming weaker and my closeness to Him becoming more distant. I did not realize that other saints, both in San Diego and other localities, were having these same feelings. After fighting these feelings for about a year, in 1986, I left not only the local church, but abandoned my walk with the Lord altogether. I immediately returned to the life of alchohol and marijuana in which I had been immersed before my salvation. This led to my eventual separation and divorce from my wife in 1991. As the years went by, I sank deeper into alchohol and marijuana. This led to the ruin of my career, and ultimately an extended period of unemployment, the loss of my life savings, and homelessness in August of 2008. Then, by the Lord’s mercy, in November of 2008, He brought me back to Himself. I began to read the Bible and pray once again. In March of 2009, I began to sense the need to fellowship with saints on a regular basis once again. Through a series of divine arrangements, I was able to get in contact with John Smith in May of 2009. He put me in touch with Ron White, who was meeting with some saints near where I was living. Ron had been with John in San Diego until 1973, when he and Max Rapoport and some others moved to Anaheim. So on May 22, 2009, I began to meet with saints on a regular basis once again. During the last two years, the Lord has blessed me greatly both spiritually and practically, and has delivered me from homelessness, providing me with a job and a place to live. I have some things to share with you all concerning the local church, the oneness, and the end times which I hope to post soon on the board titled “General Discussion” under a new thread. I look forward to fellowshipping with you on this website. Love in Christ, Curt