After brother Harrison died, Westmoreland Chapel found itself struggling for existence. There was disagreement about and among the leadership. Without Harrison’s strong ministry, people began to leave. We attended a retreat hosted by Floyd Police's Spark-style group, where we met the Madduxs, the Youslings, and the Hartmans, and began attending the weekly Bible study at Tom's house in the San Fernanado Valley.
In the fall of 1969 Bakht Singh from India was invited to hold special meetings. It was hoped that his visit would bolster flagging spirits. Bakht Singh was a very well-known Indian evangelist and church planter. The Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship website tells the amazing story of his huge ministry.
He visited the USA once a year to visit and encourage Indian assemblies across the country, and often came to Westmoreland Chapel. George and Betty Geftakys had attended those meetings over the years, and came in 1969, where we met them for the first time.
Bakht Singh's message to Westmoreland in 1969 was not encouraging. He told the elders they should all step down. After he left, the elders decided against taking his advice. George and Betty made regular visits to Westmoreland Chapel after Bakht Singh left. They sat right up front so that George could get a good shot at speaking. (It was the practice at Westmoreland to allow any brother to get up and speak without prior consultation with the elders.) When George spoke, he generally took up the whole time, preventing anyone else from speaking.
The message that convinced me to listen to George was one he preached from Ephesians on unity, in which he applied T. Austin-Sparks' and Watchman Nee's concept of unity to the situation at the chapel, saying that the brothers were not spiritual men because they were not in agreement among themselves about certain things. Looking back now, I know now that it was a misinterpretation of Scripture. But at the time, it looked like George was right and the elders were wrong, especially in light of Bakht Singh's advice.
Within a couple of months George began insisting that the elders let him bring ministry all the time and basically take over. Of course, the elders refused to give him that unique position, since this was contrary to their deeply-held practice of allowing any brother who was so led of the Spirit to get up and speak. George was incensed.
One of the last messages George gave was from Ezekiel 8. The passage speaks of God’s judgment upon the elders of Israel for their idolatrous worship. Although he didn’t come out and say it, everyone knew who George was talking about. As the elders of Israel worshipped their heathen idols, so the elders of Westmoreland must have some idolatrous practice in their lives, otherwise the blessing of God would be on Westmoreland. And as the elders of Israel refused to listen to God's servant, Ezekiel, so the elders of Westmoreland had refused to listen to Bakht Singh, and were refusing to listen to God's servant, George. When the elders asked George if he was applying the passage to them, he simply said, "If the shoe fits, wear it." The elders refused to accept George's teaching on unity and their supposed idolatry.
Steve and I were already feeling restless with the state of things at Westmoreland. We believed George, that "God's glory and presence had departed" from Westmoreland Chapel. We decided to leave and follow "God's true servant" as he preached at various Plymouth Brethren assemblies.
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