Shekinah Fellowship of Long Beach California
'''Rev Brant Baker of Shekinah Fellowship'''
Brant
Baker was a Christian man with an anointing from God similiar to
Kathryn Kuhlman's in the early seventies on the West Coast of America.
His meetings could be called a sensational healing revival. He came into
the spot~light in a strip mall located on 7th Street in Long Beach CA.
His fellowship was best known for the healing meetings on Saturday
nights at Pastor Billy Adams' First Foursquare Church in Long Beach
CA.Pastor Billy Adams and his wife can be seen here:
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Shekinah
Fellowship eventually acquired the old West Coast Theater across the
street from the Convention Center on Ocean Boulevard . Some say that the
Marquee out front had Brant's name in large letters above the name of
Jesus Christ in smaller letters. It read, "Rev Brant Baker appearing
with Jesus Christ."
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This somehow reflected the slow decline of his ministry as he was falling back into his past at that time. http://www.cinematreasures.org/theater/1971/
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Brant's
life has been ex·punged from the records by Christiandom possibly
because he died in 1985 of aids. Brant was introduced to Jesus Christ by
Lonnie Frisbee who also died from aids.
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A documentary of Lonnie's life has been put together by David Di Sabatino http://www.Lonniefrisbee.com
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This
is not verified but some say that in the late sixties Pastor Chuck
Smith of Calvary Chapel fame would hold bible studies in Brant's
mother's home in Newport Beach before taking the helm of Calvary Chapel
of Costa Mesa located on Church Street in Costa Mesa CA.
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Brant
had a clothing store located on 17th Street in Costa Mesa across from
The Builders Emporium hardware store. Brant gave away all the clothing
to the Jesus People who were living in some of the communal homes of
Calvary Chapel before going into the ministry. His Bible studies became
noted for the moving of the Holy Spirit in powerful ways. As the study
continued to grow it became known as Shekinah Fellowship.
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Brant
told in testimony of how he was involved in the Hollywood scene before
his salvation experience. He told of how he hung with the rich and
famous of that crowd during the many parties that he would attend. He
experienced the emptyness and the futility of that life. He told of the
darkness and the allurement that he experienced during this period of
his life.
Brant would attend every meeting at the Shrine Auditorium in LA that Kathryn Kuhlman had there.
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After
those meetings he would sit outside on the steps and plead with God for
the same type of an anointing upon his ministry. He would cry for hours
afterward, saying, "God I have got to have that anointing or I will
die!". One day as Brant was praying for people God started to heal them.
And as word got out that God was moving at Shekinah Fellowship through
Brant, people started coming from all walks of life.
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As
Shekinah grew in reputation Brant shaped and molded the ministry after
Kathryn's. He had catcher's who stood behind people as he prayed over
them because just like in Kathryn's meetings they would fall over
backwards under the power of the Holy Spirit as he lightly touched them
on the neck. He had a magnificient choir and several musicians in the
fellowship. Brant had "workers" who moved in the word of knowledge who
would be scattered throughout the crowd to prompt people who were healed
during the meetings to go up and share the story of their healing.
Today at Benny Hinns meetings you can observe somewhat the same format.
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As
Brant continued to pattern his ministry after Kathryn's he rented out
the Long Beach Municiple Auditorium. It was full of people who had come
to see God work. Brant continued to rent adutoriums in CA, holding
healing type meetings where people were getting healed of all types of
afflictions. His popularity continued to grow and churches started
inviting his ministry to visit them.
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Shekinah Fellowship
got the attention of TBN the Christian television station. Paul and Jan
Crouch invited Shekinah to their program. So Brant started to garner
more followers as viewers became aware of his ministry. Brant was on his
way to filling the space vacated by Kathryn...But such was not to be.
Today no one at TBN will hardly mention Brant's name. Even Benny Hinn
who eventually became Kathryns apparent replacement has not been told
about Brant by TBN... not until Pastor Schumate of Shekinah Fellowship
told the Brant Baker story to Benny Hinn at a Christmas party recently
(Christmas 2005).
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Just like Lonnie Frisbee who passed
through the land like a modernday John the Baptist, Brant passed through
the land like Jesus the healer. But strange as it may seem, no one
wants to talk about Brant. Why? Because just like Lonnie, Brant died in
1985 from aids which can possibly be an embrassment to the fundamental
evangelical mind set.
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Brant's life radiated the love of
Jesus Christ for a few bright fleeting moments before dimming out in his
unexpected death. People were stunned and devastated! Many of the
workers in his ministry backslide or just wandered away in deep
dissapointment. Some who recovered still hold fond memories of those
magnificient times in the Lord when the ministry functioned like a well
oiled machine.
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Brant's story is just as inspiring as other
generals of the faith. He forged new territory when everyone else was
involved in "cookie~cutter~christianity." As other churches were
stressing correct theological and doctrinal foundations to the neglect
of the supernatural side of God, Brant presented a Jesus Christ who
loved everyone and demonstrated that love by healing the afflicted and
making His presence known.
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Brant's sermons always
presented the person of Jesus Christ. Brant's Christ's presence
transcended words in a sense. In his first letter, apostle John expanded
on that, saying that He was the Word of life that they heard and saw
and touched. It was Christ's physical presence that sealed it for them
and for us all.
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Those who followed Him experienced Him. They heard, saw
and handled the word of life in human flesh as Brant presented Jesus to
the people in a powerful "preaching" way. Brant never read from notes as
he spoke. His voice would go from being soft and intimate to loud and
authorative during the course of his sermons. It was an identifyable
moment when the Holy Spirit would come in and take over the service as
Brant was preaching. At that point Brant would start to call out the
healings taking place around him.
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The lights were dimmed
when Brant would speak. There would be a bright spotlight on him. He was
dramatic to watch, almost like watching a stage performance. Brant
Baker had the anointing upon him. If you stood face to face with him.
you became aware of the childlike innocence he projected during
ministry. There was that glowing sensation of the presence of the Holy
Spirit that surrounded him. He was young, good looking,tall and thin,
and always well dressed. He won over many people just by his likeable
presence.
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Shekinah's choir could have been rated with some of the finest
around.
Towards the end of Brant's life he had dyed his
hair blond and did not seem to care that anyone was aware of his return
to some of his past short comings.Anyone who had the privelege of
sitting under Brant's ministry would tell you that of a certainty God
had anointed this young man of God inspite of his personal struggles.
The Jesus People would bring the hippies from the streets to Brant's
meetings where they would receive salvation. Some would come in vans
full of hippies from as far away as Laguna Beach CA.
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Over
time other churches started speaking against Brant's ministry and would
publicly do so from their pulpits. This was hard on Brant who was very
emotionally sensitive to what was being said. Like most sensitive people
Brant often needed to be by himself to recenter his focus.There are
those who are still struggling to recover to this day because of the way
that Brant died from aids.
Anyone with a Brant Baker
Video, audio tape, testimony or pictures of Brant or Shekinah Fellowship
who would like to share in the telling of Brant's story...Please contac
us at:
david.surfer51 AT gmail.com
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Here is a sermon video of Brant at Google (No longer here):
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We
at Shekinah Fellowship are currently attempting to put together the
story of Brant Baker. We call it "The Brant Baker Project." Brant's
story will not be told unless you help. Pastor Tilson and assistant
Pastor David located Joe Ellen Baker, Brant's mother in the Palm Springs
desert in the early nineties. Joe Ellen had all the video tapes and the
audio tapes of Brant stored in an outside storage locker. She refused
to release any of the material for a documentary about Brant. It has
been reported that Ann Hume now has the archives. We do not know her or
how to reach her so...
( note:Have received videos from Ann)
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Perhaps now that the story
of Lonnie Frisbee has been told by David Di Sabbatino, others will
reconsider allowing Brant's story to be freely told by us...no profit
motive...just restoration of the historical record.
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For
a short period of time Joe Ellen Baker tried to continue the ministry
that her son had started in Long Beach CA. Dr. Michelle Corral came out
of this fellowship. Here is her site:
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This is my website where you will find pictures of Shekinah Fellowship and Brant Baker:
Surfer51 (Note: no longer in existence)
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2 comments:
lauren west3/15/2013 7:47 PMI would encourage you to be very transparent of the sad truth that Brant was hiding behind. There were signs of the time that hinted towards his homosexuality, which as you alluded to, leads many to question his ministry today- not the miracles, just the struggle of light and darkness in him at the time. I would make sure not to gloss over this, however, the Lord still worked through him to lead many to Christ. Sadly, his story is to similar to many church leaders today. Preaching while hiding some dark sin.ReplyDelete
Lauren,ReplyDelete
As a few others have acknowledged, Brant Baker was no angel.
We know.
There is no gloss over, not here.
The story of Brant Baker and Lonnie Frisbee have been told.
And yes there are still others who to this day are in big well known ministries who are hiding deep dark secrets of sexual sin.
When I first tried to contact Randy West for his take on these things through a third party he sent back the message to me, "I do not want anything to do with you, leave me alone."
It was my first and only attempt to contact Randy. A knee jerk reaction from him that was very telling when I connected the dots.
So I quickly learned that something indeed was amiss. Now, today, I have learned what it was.
The story still should be told...and only those who were in the actual ministry and not just attendees are the ones who can truly tell it, don't you think?
Dave
