For the edification of all my brothers and sisters in Christ and His church in our fair city, I write: An Open Letter to Anonymous Pastor (editor's note: Anonymous only here. The pastor was originally named, but has been omitted here to avoid possible legalities):

You have come into my well established Christian community and spake at my church house. You, that day, surrounded yourself with twelve individuals (your so-called disciples) unknown to me or the other brothers in attendance, who were indiscriminately scattered throughout the auditorium. To me, and at least two other brothers present, these individuals, with the exception of one gentle appearing black man carrying a Bible (the only Bible among them), more nearly resembled a group of strong armed hoods from skid row. They, in our opinion, were there for the sole purpose of striking fear into the hearts of those who would, without temperance, interfere with the design and purposes or your presence here.

When you solicited questions from the floor and I responded by asking questions, each time you cut me short in an arrogant and un-Christlike manner. After hearing your response to my questions, not one (no not one) of the other 20-25 brothers present asked a solitary question for the remainder of the entire day.

You represented yourself, or subsequently by agency, as the rightful authority and controller of events at my church house and scoffed at me as an intruder, further suggesting that I go elsewhere to worship.

You represented yourself, or subsequently by agency, to be an apostle of God likened unto the Apostle Paul, with the authority to reestablish His church here, which by your inference was established by improperly discipled heathens in 1948, and all that has transpired in that church house over the past forty years has been in error.

You represented to me, or subsequently by agency, that the entire Permian Basin of West Texas is void of the Spirit of God, i.e., Christ's church does not exist here - and can only be established here through your discipleship program.

Further, you have disquieted approximately 100 to 150 other God-fearing, Bible reading, church going, faithful Christian believers and caused them to forsake the assembly at the church house which they founded, built and funded.

Concerning your apostleship, Peter made it abundantly clear that apostles with the authority and power of the Twelve no longer exist when he stated in Acts 1:21, "Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us (v. 22). Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection." (Emphasis mine)

Further concerning your apostleship, Jesus told John to write to the angel of the church at Ephesus and say (Rev. 2:2), "I know thy works, and thy labors, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars."

It is my prayer that every Christian believer from here to your home in Marshall, Tx. to Stillwater, Okla. to DeRidder, La. be made aware of the strife, division, frustration, heartache, disillusionment, disappointment and despair that has been thrust upon us by you and your disciples here in our town.

Have a good week!

My deepest sympathy to the family of Jim and Ann Heath, May God Bless you all.