Reality behind the scenes

In the short time period in between when The Beatles recorded Let It Be and had not yet broken up, Village Voice journalist Howard Smith was able to get John Lennon and Yoko Ono to sit down for an interview in Toronto. The tapes of the interview are going up for auction later this month and contain Lennon’s displeasure with the process of recording the album and the “myth” of The Beatles. From Telegraph:

“We were going through hell. We often do. It’s torture every time we produce anything,” Lennon revealed.
“The Beatles haven’t got any magic you haven’t got. We suffer like hell anytime we make anything, and we got each other to contend with. Imagine working with the Beatles, it’s tough,” he said.
“There’s just tension. It’s tense every time the red light (in the recording studio) goes on.

It also contains interesting bits like Lennon’s thoughts on The Beatles touring again:

“If The Beatles would split open the group a bit and have Yoko, Billy Preston, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Elvis Presley in the group I might be interested. But there’s the Fab Four and I’m not personally interested in going out like that.

Sometimes reality can be diametrically opposed to ones perceived reality. That is why I have added the above scenario.

Here is a recent email I have gotten from someone who was deep into the ministry of Shekinah Fellowship under pastor Brant Baker:

(Name withheld by request)
 

David, our story is the same as most who still are hurting and chose to remain silent.

I started attending Shekinah Fellowship a few months after I got saved (with Billy B. Not real name). Not knowing anything, Billy and I remained and got involved. We shared a house with another guy whose name escapes me ($25 a month each). One of the elders soon after told me that I was "not trusting God" by working full time. So, I quit my job.

After a year or so, I met my wonderful wife and were married. We were pressured into moving into a 5 bedroom house with 4 other couples (all of whom were deacons). We all lived on mostly zucchini and squash (which I loath to this day).  I painted houses on and off, to pick up some money, but mostly we went hungry. We (my wife and I) were fortunate if we ate once a day, although the "head deacon" and his wife were supported by Shekinah. (Something I would find out later).

I played drums, so I was recruited into the band. Also, I had a VW bus, so we were given gas money and hauled equipment and personnel to all the "outreaches." The other band members were supported by Shekinah but I wasn't. (Guess I wasn't important enough?). So, at almost all outreaches my wife and I went hungry. (I found out latter that we (and most others) were going hungry while Brant paid himself as much as $70,000 a year - 1972-73 dollars).

In late 1974, I had reached a point of deep depression; so deep, I had thoughts of suicide. Here we were, "serving the Lord," telling others about what a wonderful life it is in Christ (which it is, by the way), and yet I was feeling this way. For the longest time, I blew it off as "spiritual attack."

My wife was pregnant with our first daughter, so we moved in with another couple who were pregnant also. (I was still painting here and there to provide some income, but was under constant pressure to attend every meeting and event, so working full time was impossible).

Some of the highlights of being involved in Shekinah were:

Meetings where we (the deacons) would be kept up at night while the elders took turns yelling at us.

Meetings where Brant would yell at everyone involved behind the scenes before a service, and then go out on the stage and put on his show.

Having to paint the inside of Brant's house.

Being told that I was squandering the money God gave me, so I did not have enough money to pay my rent (that particular month, we received $10 in an envelope - our rent was $25. I put the money towards the rent. The couple we lived with paid the rest of our share).

Being forced to make appointments with other church pastors to invite them to the "Easter Ingathering" at the Long Beach Auditorium. We were expected to make at least 20 appointments a week and have a success rate of at least 90%.

Brant standing and yelling at me face to face because I did something he did not like (I cant even tell you what it was).

Counting the offering with two of the elders, seeing thousands of dollars being given, all the while being unable to support my wife, pay my rent, and eat because I had to the Lord" while 

My wife (Derdra Genson , Not real name) was in charge of scheduling people to give their “testimonies of healing” each week. It was next to impossible because without question, almost everyone she called had “lost their healing.” (I have often wondered how someone does that). My wife was put under such intense pressure to get someone to “testify” that she would cry herself to sleep at night. One week, after being rebuked, she asked (Samson Boykin, Not real name) who was an elder at the time, to call the people. He too, and a very difficult time. The next week, he gave the responsibility back to her. (Samson and I have since reconciled. He is pastoring and has had a wonderful change produced in his life by the Lord).

The verbal abuse that we (most) suffered was, looking back on it, was beyond comprehension. It really was almost unending. There are so many things I have put out of my mind, trying to remember them is difficult.

I woke up one morning and literally could not get out of bed. I told my wife that I wasn't going anywhere. I stop attending and did not leave the house for 6 weeks, all the time reading my Bible. I finally was able to attend, and it was like being in another land. I could see the emptiness and shallowness that was in the eyes of most of the people (like my wife and I).

The next day, we left. I got a job and we moved into an apartment with money her parents loaned us. I suffered a “breakdown.” I had difficulty speaking and sleeping. Many nights were nightmares. Within a few weeks, another couple left. They told us that Brant got the entire group of people who were involved and berated us for leaving. We had “left the Lord” and our salvation was questionable. Brant was furious that anyone would dare leave. We lost all our “friends” and were completely shunned.

I made an appointment with Chuck Smith and went to see him. I broke down in front of him, telling him that we had left Shekinah Fellowship. He was an encouragement, telling me that he believed that God had called me to the ministry, and to take some time to rest, which we did. We stopped talking about our experience at Shekinah Fellowship because all it did was bring back horrible memories. For years we did not speak about it to anyone.

The truth is this:

Almost the whole time we were there, Brant was involved in a homosexual relationship. I invited a guy to help us make flowers for the Easter Ingathering over at the Shekinah House. When I introduced him to Brant, Brant lit up (evidently, Brant thought he was handsome). Brant soon made him his driver and clothed him in very expensive cloths and even bought him a Cardigan full length coat. He left, claiming that Brant tried to “seduce” him.

Brant moved repeatedly, never staying in an apartment or house for more than a few months. We all wondered why, and the rumors of homosexual activity and involvement were constant.

Shekinah Fellowship left the Foursquare Church because Pastor Adams dared to challenge Brant about the way he treated people. Again, Brant was furious and spent the whole night yelling at the elders.

Brant spend thousands of dollars on himself, yet berated almost everyone else for “not trusting the Lord.”

He insisted that the spotlight (literally) was on him the whole time. He would “give glory to God” as long as the spotlight was on him. When it wasn’t, he was livid.

He even convinced my mother that I was “unbalanced” and had walked away from the Lord.

When he was finally exposed for what he was, the “ministry” imploded, destroying the lives of almost all who served there. Most marriages failed. (Roger, not real name and Marsha, not real name) soon returned to CCCM and we reconciled and are good friends to this day (they are one of the few couples still married today). Joe Dollar, not real name had his difficulties as well. We also reconciled and remain friends. Joe was one of the few who was there for (Derdra, not real name) and myself, although Shekinah Fellowship took a toll on his life as well. Kacie, not real name and Lilac, not real name are still married and are doing well. We reconciled and remain friends.

Was Brant anointed? No, I don’t believe so. Was he gifted? Yes. He was a charismatic showman who knew how to play on the emotions and sympathies of others. Were people healed? Not near as many as people are led to believe. Very few, to be sure. Just ask my wife.

Over the years, I have served as a Pastor to two different churches as well as associate pastor, helped start a couple of churches and have had Bible studies in our home. It has taken years to heal.

I saw a blog a couple of years ago called, “Shekinah Fellowship,” praising Brant as an anointed healer. I responded, sharing only part of our involvement and remember getting a response from you that was rather harsh, if I remember right? Are you still involved with “the revival” of Shekinah Fellowship? I see that there are still video’s of Brant on the site.

You are entitled to your opinion. The difficulty I have is with extolling Brant knowing all the while what he really was.

I agree that God uses flawed people. However, he changes them into instruments of righteousness. At best Brant was a hireling, like Balaam. He prostituted himself for his own profit and gain. Balaam wanted to “die the death of the righteous;” yet he died by the sword. Brant died a very horrible and painful death (I am told). (His brother, Keyvan,not real name, died the same way, having been arrested as a male prostitute several times. My wife and I were good friends with Keyvan, not real name. He was very troubled). I pray they both sincerely repented.

sincerely

Ramond Slipson, not real name.