Salvation Colony

Chapter Seven

33 Salvation Colony: Sequel to No Way to Die Chapter Seven Dennis Nunqam Ndendemajem S o much happened that was of very little interest to me. For one thing all of it, the singing and praying sitting and standing, sitting and standing, were entirely new to me. They sat and rose at disorderly intervals. The last church I attended was the catholic mission where I knew when to sit down or stand. In the case of ALCA I felt not only lost but in severe pain. I think the main reason I had problems following was because I had my mind fixed on my own mission, to ask God or to be led to God to ask for forgiveness. Once when the pains in my body were coming back again, I folded my hands and placing my head on them on the back rest of the pew in front of me I dozed off. When I woke up I had missed a lot. The pastor was on the sermon which he had introduced as STANDING FOR JESUS. Pastor Shrapnell was at his best, and it seemed impossible not to like him. His voice and conviction behind it was not only extraordinary but enigmatic. His knowledge of the scriptures and his own personality were overwhelming. His physical appearance from any angle, projected enormous magnetism. When he spoke everybody nodded, be it the rich or the beggar from the streets. I saw in him and everybody saw no less, that he was nothing else but the pure, devoted man of God sent to save from eternal damnation, those like myself who listened and were ready to follow him. 34 Linus T. Asong He quoted extensively from the Bible, but he did not as much as open it throughout the sermon. He would jump down from the dais and virtually touch the listeners to emphasize his point. When he spoke everybody listening seemed to receive the message as though he spoke to him or her directly, personally. “Let nobody fool you,” he was saying when I came back to my senses. “Whether you are blind, deaf, lame, short, or fat, you are the salt of the earth. You are each of you, a spark of the Divine, struck off on the anvil of creation, given life and identity in God the Father, mother of all things, E-i-men,” he said. “E-i-men!” we all responded. This time I pronounced Amen like the others: “E-i-m-e-n.” I stared at him speechlessly, dazed with amazement and admiration. The preacher continued: “And only you alone must fan this spark through the fire of your own experience, until that day when conscious awareness of the God presence within you is attained. “Do not ask yourself, ‘but why am I like this? Why did God make me so different from other people?’ You are an expression of the Godhead. God is infinite and so, man, created in his own image, must be infinite. That multiplicity of differences is a manifestation of the infinite nature of God. So, thank God for making you what you are, E-i-men,” he shouted. The congregation shouted “E-i-men.” “Thank you so very much,” he said. “Standing for Jesus, means sacrifice,” Pastor Shrapnell began. “When you have made the choice to follow Jesus, there should be no turning back. For no man having put his hand on the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of heaven.” I nodded and looked slightly to my left. Many other persons had joined me in that row. The man sitting next to me was also nodding. 35 Salvation Colony: Sequel to No Way to Die “The life of Saint Francis of Assisi,” he said, “is an example which we must emulate, in a world obsessed with money power. The real name of the man we call St Francis of Assissi was Giovanni Bernadone,” Pastor Shrapnell said, “the son of a prosperous merchant. Many of us are sons and daughters of the rich. His rich father spoiled him just as we rich parents do. Giovanni lacked nothing and squandered lavishly on friends and women. Who of you will not, who has more than he needs, more than he can ever spend, if he or she is young, handsome, beautiful and rich? “Once as he rode abroad he was approached by a leper. If there was anything...