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of 28
Circa 1978
The Community
of Gods Love
Covenant Servants
Weekend & Prophecies
The Covenant Servants sprang out of the Thursday night Prayer Meetings in
Christ the King Chapel on the campus of the College of Steubenville,
Steubenville, OH in 1977. A group of 40, most worked for, attended or were
somehow associated with the College. All had been, baptized in the Holy
Spirit and were part of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal which had been
introduced 10 years earlier at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.
This document desribes a community conference that occurred during the
time period of 1977-80. The community has just made overtures to the Word
of God Covenant Community to receive formation and training. Fr Michael
Scanlan, TOR the President of the College and the Senior leader of the
community has delivered a prophecy urging them to do so.
The documents describe a second set of uninitiated members going through a
set of teachings known as Foundations I. The last page of the document talks
about offering them, some sort of pastoring or care. What will soon follow is
the adoption of shepherding and discipleship, a system within the
community where people come under other members to discern how to
grow into mature Christians. Over the next 12 years the system of pastoral
care will grow in depth, intensity and control over members lives. It will do
both good and harm to its Catholic members. It will become, the primary
way God works in the life of the member. This writer will years later term it
the 8th Sacrament.
In the last segment I have attached a group of prophecies that were given by
Covenant Servant members over the years 1977-79. It is not exhaustive or
complete. However what it presents mirrors two streams of thought. The
first is what the prophets of the Word of God had been saying since the 1975
Rome prophecy by Ralph Martin. That prophecy and others are here. The
second stream is simply about how much God loves these people. It is - in
retrospect- the more accurate of the two streams in the authors opinion.
These documents describe a group on the verge of a major step in their life as
a Christian, charismatic community. They have not yet yielded their identity
over to the Word of God (which in 1982 becomes the Sword of the Spirit), but
soon they will do so. They are a group of people standing at a fork in the road,
about to make a decision that will take them in a direction away from their
true nature.
That decision will substitute their unique identity as a body for a group
identity shared across continents. They will become in a few years just
another null set in the dictatorship of Steven B Clark. They will change their
names from Covenant Servants of the Community of Gods Love to Servants of
Gods Love to Servants of Christ the King, a Branch of the Sword of the Spirit.
And in the end after the loss of many members, much pain and turmoil, they
will return to their true identity as the Community of Gods Love.
But before that happens, good people who have been members of the
Covenant Servants (one mentioned in the document herself) will be told they
do not fit into the new community formed under the Word of God/Sword of
the Spirit and forced to leave. The Thursday night prayer meeting that
nurtured and gave birth to the community will be deprived of its mission and
relegated to just a time of praise by its old leaders. The Covenant Servants
under the Word of God will walk away and the prayer meeting will fade and
die. The communitys vision of being a Catholic Parish will come to pass. It
will in fact be given parochial stature as a Fellowship Parish in the Diocese of
Steubenville, but its hidden, dual submission to the Word of God and the local
Bishop dooms it in the end.
On this date in the last 1970s, this little community is standing on the verge of
going it alone and maintaining their identity or submitting itself to the Word
of God. It still has a chance for a different life. Looking back 38 years later the
author is left with a poignant sense of grief and loss, knowing what is to come.
C. John Flaherty, 2016 Grand Island, Nebraska.
COVENANT SERVANTS WEEKENDProphecies, Scriptures, Teachings
Satu.~da~ .m~r:..ingmy children, with all of my strength and with all of my
power, I have brought you to myself, and it is not in vain,but it is to accomplish my will, to build my Kingdom fullX onearth. I have not labored over you in vain, but with all mylove and all of my power, not only have 1 brought you to myself,but with that same power and same love, I have equipped you.Now seek my face and receive my vision. ~ithout my vision, youwill surely stray. Without my vision, you will surely perish.But you have access to my heart. Come, see my face. Come,share my heart.Psalm 27Jeremiah 33:14-22
***
*** A spirit of expectancy was very present during Father Michael'steaching.FR. mICHAEL'S TEACHI~G: 4 POINTS OF LEAR~ING THAT ENcomPASSWHAT COORDfFATORS THI1\[KIS !30Il\JGTO HAPPEf\[Ar,!DDEVELOPTHROUGH THE WEEKEND:
21) LIVING BY THE ~ORO OF GOD) LuHAT IS BEFORE US f',!OUJ:where we are at the present time,
alternatives and choices we are called to make as a group,as a Body
34) HO:AlDO ~IJERESPOf,iDAND mOVE FORIJJARDHi GOO'S JJORO ?) WHAT IS THE VISION WE BELIEVE GOO HAS PUT INTO OUR HEARTS
AS TO WHERE WE ARE GOING - A VISION TO BE TESTEDLIVING BY THE ~ORO OF GOD---Deut. 8: 1--6
In.8:31-32James 1 :21-25
WHAT IS BEFORE US ?Cr~t~caI time; we are being called to move in a direction,to take another step.Interim - suffering due to tension between expectationsand reality.
**Two choices: 1) reduce expectations, or2) fill out the structure with the viability
of our livesFour levels of living within the community now:
1) Basic evangelism program: individual contacts, Intro-duction Seminar, Life in the Spirit, Foundations I
2) Prayer Meeting Celebrations3) Limited Shared Life / Covenant meetings4) Teachings of Growth
Foundations IITeaching Board
HOW DO WE RESPOND ?Eph. 4 - Body wIth all its gifts, builds itself up in love.Authority - two attitudes
1) everyone has authority and should be respected in that;each called to exercise that authority as servant,freely
2) all have to come under authority more than now - desireto stand under authority freely
Covenant Servant Group must be a primary group, the primaryorganizing principle of our lives. Family is included inthis, and for religious, it is not a violation of prior com-mittment.Resources - financial
VISIm,'Test: The Lord is calling us to be a parish, a faith
community which pastors in a parish, with the covenantservants taking responsibility for giving directionto the life of that parish.
?aturday AfternoonIsaiah 42:6-9
my people, I have called you to be a people of faith. Ihave built on you a firm foundation, and now I call you tobuild on that foundation. Rely not on your own power, but knowthat as surely as you have breath, surely as you live, my poweris at work within you.***
***During this time together, we received a word about FAITH.As the word continues to be turned over, discussed and clarfffed,we need to have an attitude of faith. Tom encouraged us to havethis attitude of faith, and to call forth that faith in one an-other.
TOM'S TEACHING: UNQUALIFIED COmmITmENTffThi-only thing that God requirem to build is committedmen and women."
Luke 14: 27 - Counting the cost of buildingA. Our understanding of commitment and building is different
from the Lord's1. We must be tied into His ~ord and plan so as not
to go in different directions.2. Eph~sians - God wants to build on a small number of
people He can count on.3. We need-an attl-tude of commitment that goes beyond
anything else - then God has something to build on.8. The word "commitment" is a word for people;
the word "fai thful" is a word forGod.1. He alone is faithful~-a-faithfur-Iover.
We are not a faithful people.2. Commitment is the road to faithfulness;
a desire, and in mY-wIll, I commit myself to mybrothers and sisters.
3. Our wills are imperfect***4. ~~9!:!...alified"~o_~_itment:
we need to make it overwills are imperfect.Fundamental option to love God, to love one another.*** "Without this basic building block of unqualifiedcommitment, God is limited in what He can do with us."
5. Thus far, our commitment has included: household meet-ings, Covenant meetings, service in the Body, minis-tries, authority and direction for our lives.
6. "Deeper commitment at this time means knowing less of what's ahead."
unqualified commitment doesn't ask what its goingto mean, doesn't need to know before the commitmentis made.
- commitment is not contingent on the specifics ofthe vision.
C. Our name - The Community of God's Love1. We have the deep callto be the community of God's Love.2. Call of brothers and sisters to speak the truth to
the extent that we love one another; to be the kind
and we fall short.constant decision to love;and over again because our
of people that epitomizes God's heart; to be God'sown loving heart to His people.- there is no areater call; the commitment that we
call forth from one another is for building eternallove relationships. -.------
- our----atlltude"'-andcommi tment has to change in reIa-tion to this call; All limitations have to go; withthe support of one another, we can do this.
Q. Specific Poi~ts on Unqualified Commitment1. 00 you desire community? or Do you desire to ?ui~d
community?- reality vs. exoecattions
desire to build community is a willingness to workto achievethe~-end, not pressingto closethe gapbetween reality and expectations; taking time andwaiting on the fulfillment of God's plan.
2. Question is not whether we work things out, butHow do we work thln-gS-through ?,:,,-whatcan I do to right a wrong?- bring situation to the right person (s)
3. Sacrifice or security?4. Choice: Being for God? or for Self-Ambition?
- are we for God, for His glory?- ~hy are we in the Renewal, in Covenant Servants?Let the Spirit bring light, check hidden motives.
E. The heart of unqualified commitment is in the Scripture:Eph . 3: 14 ff
That is why I kneel before theFather, from whom every familyin heaven and on earth takes itsname; I pray that He will bestowon you gifts in keeping with thethe riches of His glory; may Hestrengthen you inwardly throughthe working of His Spirit. mayChrist dwell in your hearts throughfaith, and may charity be theroot and foundation of your life.Then you will be able t~ graspfully, with all the holy ones,the breadth, the length, theheight and the depth of Christ'slove, and experience this lovewhich surpasses all knowledge,so that you may attain to the fulnessof God Himself.
- God is building eternal family, eternal love relationships.- ~e can attain to the fulness of God- The concept of eternal family: root of Covenant Servants- Brothers and sisters with unqualified commitment, willing
to work through anything, that there is nothing that willseparate their love: that builds eternal family, and webegin to approach the faithfulness of God.
- in the overwhelming power of this call, we pray Eph. 3: 20f To Him whose power now at work in us can do immeasurably
more than we can ask or imagine, to Him be glory in theChurch and in Christ Jesus, through all generations,world without end.
MilEf'~!
.S,ll t u.;:e..'!~ !':~!'9ll!:I have called you by name, my people; I have called you by
name to be here, to celebrate this new covenant which I am draw-ing up among you. I have called you by name to be part of myplan, my plan for this community, my plan for this group of peo-ple, this people that I have called to myself, that I have calledto myself that they might be my ~ord, that they might be my hands,my feet, my mouth. my people, my people who are sent to do mywork - this is what I have called you for, my people.
Shortly after this prophecy, the Lord gave us an exhortation:to continue in our resolve to keep our eyes fixed on Him.
The Lord's mantle of protection was extended to us this night.Ephesians 6: 10-18 was prayed and acted upon. Together as a Body,we knew the Lord's power and presence with us as we stood againstevil, and prayed orotection and deliverance. ~e were called topray specifically for one another that the Lord would surround uswith His shield and mantle of protection.
Since the beginning, I have asked my Father for you, thatyou would be my inheritance, that you would be my birthright, thatI, first-born from among the dead, would have you as heritage andblessing from my Father. And so, you have always been called,always been prepared to be my people. And now, you have chosen me,and in the security of that bond, that I have chosen you, that myFather has given you to me, and that you have chosen me and theFather - in the security of that bond, children, you are safe.In the security of that bond, children, you are whole. There isno one, and there is no power that can take you from me. Children,you are mine. Your "Yes" to me has sealed you in my arms, sealedyou in my heart. My children, I am yours and you are mine - nowand always.
Father Michael spoke the following word from the Lord."I beleive the Lord is calling us forward, not to go backwards,and that He's calling us forward that will take us to the edge offire; He's calling us forward that will take us to the front linesof battle; calling us forward that we will walk along the edge ofthe cliff, that we've got to walk in faith, that we've got tostand firm in His power, and that we will be tested by Satan aswe haven't bee, tested before; that we have all we need, that weare conquerers in Him. ~e need not look back for Him, that we canuse the authority He gives us, but that we have to be willing tostand when before we could run; that we have to be willing to walkt'orward when before it was alright to retreat back; that if we're-to-cro-rhe mission He's given us, it's going to take strength, andthat our eyes have to be on the strength He gives us, the strengthwe have on Him rather than on our own weakness. And this is goingto take some change. It's going to take greater drawing on thefaith He gives us and He want us, when we leave here, to know thatthis is a new call, and that our patterns of before need to bechanged in so far as they don't conform to th~t; and we have to bewilling to be front-lined people in the common."
The ~ord given to us through Fr. michael was confirmed throughavisiiJn,.:Cindy Teynor shared, and two Scripture passages.
At the Detroit Conference '75, Cindy saw a vision of God's people.The people of God were poor, dressed in rags, but happy people, fac-ing in one direction, not looking at one another. There eyes werefixed on a super-imposed picture of the crucified and victorious Lord.The people were like a great army for the Lord, a people formed intoHis people, based on the Sermon on the mount. ~hat was alive to Cindywas our need to relate to both the crucified and risen Jesus, notconcerned with our own poverty; the need to keep our eyes fixed onJesus, who suffers, yet is victorious.
The confirming Scriptures were: 2 Chronicles 20: 15-22 andPsalm 27.SR. BETSEY'S TEACHING
Is. f:G: 1-Z----God is calling us to a great deal of responsibility and
accountability for His ~ord.Sr. Betsey first shared with us the word from the Los AngelssCharismatic Conference which she had recently attended.Los Angeles Conference:-----'::--concerned-W-Itfi--Ule,\lordof God and its effect in our 1ives;
- the Lord asks, "JJhat can you do for me?" "llhat do you havethat I haven ot already given you?"
- "The one I approve, in whom I can find a resting place, isthe man who trembles at my ~ord."
- God is not like we are; we have different levels of speaking;when the Lord speaks, His ~ord brings life.
- Is. 56: Every word that God utters brings"'-life.- lieneed to hear His lIord and allow it to resonate and deep-
en within us.Sr. Betsey then stressed five points concerning the Mord of Godl
1.) Praise brings forth the ~ord; we till the soil of ourhearts in praise.2.) God 1~~~~king to Hi prophets: "I am geeking a dwellingplace for ffiyWord, and I will be restless and I will berelentless until my jJord finds a dwelling place."Refering back to Isaiah 66, 30d can find a dwelling placein the man and woman who trembles at His ~ord.
:3.) :Jveare to DO what the 1l0rdOf- God requires, not just hearit.4.) The lIord of God to us is directive; it is a directiveword preparing us to move-.---------
There are two things ~Jn:rchthe lIord of God is calling usto and directing us to: holiness and purity.- Holiness - to be set apart for God; the ~ord of God
sets us apart as a distinct preparation.- Purity - to be single-hearted, single-minded, to bepure of heart; a straight arrow which hears the ~ordof God and does it.
Unless we Xield to that ~ord, there is going to come atime when WBLUfll no lonoer hear it as individuals; we'llbecome less sensitive and attentive to what God is saying.~8 must keep striving, asking forgiveness when we fail,but always striving to hear and respond in holiness andpurity.
~;) Every word uttered is not necessarily the ~ord of the Lord.- the word has to be tested by the community- the word has to be confirmed by the community- once the Body confirms the word as the Lord's word,
then we are responsible for it, to carry it out.}Jeneed one another to live out the lIord, to 9.the :Alard.
During our April Covenant meeting, the Lord spoke His Word throughSr. Getsey. Sr. Getsey went through the prophecy with us. (Eachone has a copy which you might wish to refer to as you pray aboutab08t this session.)The Propecy says two things:
1) ~e live in the power of the resurrection2) Through that power we can unbind, set free, and deliver
from bondage.- To live in the power of the resurrection is to live as
a people of joy and victory.- Out of that power, we can heal one another by settingone another free.- Since the Lord has told us we have these powers, we
are responsible for usino them.-----~ ...---.....- . -- =:;
We need to learn how to use them responsibly.To men - primary call to"-guard lhe community from evLl .io~~omen - primary call to nurture life-'-'-::'-'heseare not exclusive calls; we all have a responsibilty .
.- The Lord is charg..,ingus with this responsibility.- We need to unaersE-and much more deeply what it means to
guard from evil and nurture life.Guarding from evil--~r-f~-~i~~;h-'-'--
3 in deliveranceScriptures regarding the call to guard from evil:Eph . 4: 14-321 Tim. 6: 11 and following1 Tim. 3; 4: 1-5
- primary call to take authority over evil and to knowwhat the truth is, where the right teachers are, theright books and tapes; sort out error.
- live in the Light- stand in truth, stand in love- responsibility for doing this in community- know the truth and find freedom.
Call to Nurture Life---bal-:"~5:--r9-------'- .Col. 3: 12 and following
avoid dissention, rivalry, envy, anything that destroyslife.
- need to grow in nurturwng life;- confirm the life going on in one another;- do it in truth, not flattery; we need to be purified,
not expecting a return.- sensitivity and compassion can nurture life; danger:
of becoming extra~sensitive and withdrawn; we thenwithdraw life from the community.
- the Lord is charging us with the responsibility tonurture life; to watch for the life within each person.
- As men and women, we are charhed with the responsibility ofthis W~rd; as a Body, we are responsible for accepting it,embracing it, committing ourselves to it in the Body; we willfail, but we can always start again.
- We will be built up in power as we guard from evil and nurturelife.
~.'
- Time is short; we must prepare now for the darkness.~ - Matthew 22: 34-40
The whole Word of God is in the two commandments writtenthere.Through this prophecy, the Lord is calling us to thissecond commandment; in fulfilling it, we give Him honorand glory.
- Let us prepare for the coming darkness by putting our time,energy and resources in loving and caring for one another,in building one another up.
- There will be difficulty, but with unqualified commitment,there will be reconciliation and preparation for what is ahead.
After Sr. Betsey's teaching, the ~ord she spoke was confirmedby Deuteronomy 30.Deuteronomy 30: 11-14 was also the word that was continuallybrought forth during the Conference in Los Angeles.
_Sunday !Yl0r~.!.!l...9.As we came together to pray, the Lord spoke to usthrough the fol-lowing Scriptures~
John 14: 10-26Eph. 1: 3-6Rom 8:28-30
The Lord's ~ord to us in prophecy was:Once again, I call you to a deeper faith, a deeper faith in
me as Lord and as Saviour, a faith that is not based on feeling oremotion or on reason, but a faith that is based on me as the ~ay,and the Truth, and the Life.
Psalm 46 and Col. 3:12-17 were then shared.
****** Following this time of prayer, different individuals from theBody spoke in response to Sr. Betsey's teaching from the night before.Personal views, sharings and concerns were brought forth.
At this time, we received a strong word from the Lordp show-ing us where we were as a Body, and calling us to repentance. ~ehad become fragmented by individual concerns.
Through Ezekial 37:3 and following, and also through Acts 2with the account of Pentecost, the Lord called us to return to Himas a Body, a united Body, ready and expectant to hear the comple-t i on orrii s W0r o'TOr---US"7
Jeremiah 3:11-15 and Zeph. 3:9-13 were brought forth from theBody; the Lord was convicting us, calling us to repentance, andoffering us His mercy. As a Body, we turned to Him, begging forforgiveness, sincerely repenting from our rebellious actions andrebellious spirits. We came to Him as lowly, as weak, as sinners.He then spoke this Word to us:
I proclaim you clean and holy.Bride. I desire to be your husband,you, to walk with you, to build you,that I have desired a long time thatyou are pure now. walk as my bride.
As a Body, we received that Word in praise and thanksgiving,with rejoicing hearts.
I desire to take you for myto nurture you, to protectto make you into the peopleyou would be. You are clean,
one-our
John 15 and 1 Cor. 13, 14:1 were shared.The Lord then called us to make a practical agreement with
another, to take a definite step toward building the unity ofBody through the following simple agreement:
Lord Jesus, we ask you to bless this agreement, andthat we will have your grace to live it out; that wemake it in sincerity and truth, and that it be bless~ed by You and your love. We do it now, in the powerof your Spirit, according to your Aordf
-.'" - -I - r-
1) 00 you agree to speak only what upbuildsthe brothers and sisters here?
2) 00 you now make an agreement not to speakslander, gossip or calumny against thebrothers and sisters?
j)Do you agree that when you hear any brotheror sister here speaking gossip, slander orcalumny, that you will stop them and speakthe truth in love?
Father, we offer you this agreement now, and askthat it might bind us more closely together inliving out the Gospel.
FR. MICHAEL' REFLECTIO~S ON PARISH AND THE RESHAPING OF OUR-~-cTIiTEfr):\fJrA""G.g EEmE~JT
PARISH:1~Cr-eating a faith community so that you can belong to it
and not another parish.2) Pastor/pastoral authority would be directly responsible
to Bishop; we would be creating a direct relationshipwith the bishop.
3) We would have to assume parish responsibilities for thepeople who belong to the parish= education, whole sac-ramental system.
4) ~ot strictl~ a territorial parish;non-territorial parish: parish in which membership ismade up of a defined group of people that can be pre-dicted according to some association other than wherethey live.
5) Realistic possibility for us: establishing Christ the KingParish- parish, college related- specifically for the Community of God's Love and people
of the College of Steubenville- Community of God's Love could be sponsoring pastoring
body of that parish; necessarily be fully opened toservices of everyone related to the College.
- Lay/clerical pastoring; Bishop would want one personaccountable.
- ~e could develop our structure for pastoring the parish.~e need to pray and test this vision; get our minds clear
so that when the new bishop comes, if this is the direction weare moving, then we bring him a specific proposal.
6) Financial responsibilities would have to be assumed.Is the Lord calling us to parish?
It is a reasonable direction to go if we believe that's whatthe Lord is calling us to.Advantage: first organizing principle that puts together howwe're Covenant Servants within the Community of God's Love,containing religious priests, sisters, laity, families, etc.~e need to make a decision this summer.We should be decided by August.lJJe~us..!:.have the bishop's approval.
FLA~OR AND ATTITUDE OF COVENANT IF ~E CONTINUE TO AFFIRm WORD:-...--...----~.-----.~-.---.---.'" - If our commitment is unqualified, then our Covenant has toexpress this unqualified commitment.
- To be in Covenant is to be a builder; it is not whether towork things outp but how to work things out; it is to choosesacrifice and to be foE-God ..
- ~e are moving toward reshaping the Covenant and calling forthleadership. Basic pastoral plan thus far has been toward shap-ing the households, getting pastoral gifts morking there, andrelationships developed. Concern now for the people havingcompleted Foundations I. What kind of care can we give thosepeople? There is a way for Covenant Servants to be pastoringand caring for them. .
PROPHECY RECEIVED IN PRAYER AT THE CAmALOOLE5E HERmITAGE 12/28/77
The Body of my Son is broken--it is broken, scattered, rivaling,lost in a myriad of divergent cares. This is the central realityof today--the Body of my Son is broken--it is broken into factionsand within each faction it is broken into warring elements andwithin each element it is confused and lost as to identity andpurpose. The Body of my Son is broken and what is an outrage isthat in my name people go about caring little about the centralreality of life. I have called a halt to all of this. I havestepped in and said NO mORE. Until my people put first thingsfirst, until they come back to this point of desiring first intheir hearts to live as a reunited body, until they put asidetheir.cares and projects and come into my concern, I will with-draw my hand of support. I will let them experience the realityof their condition--from the smallest group and parish to thelargest movements and denominations, all will experience the real-ity of Sa~an's attacks, the reality of man's materialism and ar-rogance, the truth of sin, and the effects of sin. This is goingto be a terrible time of war and collapse, of persecution andoppression, of brother turning against brother and group turningagainst group, but I will be vindicated and all who gather inthe name of the Lord to seek His mind and do His will, will bestrengthened by my power and will emerge as one body, the Body ofMy Son.
PROPHECI.C';S
December !t : -' . '-'..
.. "*
KnOw bhat ' I am your God', that I amyour King, that I am calling. you forth to proclaim JYIy word" that I am callimg you forth to beJYIy people, the people I have chosen, the people whomI have collected,the people whomI am preparing. KnooMypeople that I am your
.. ' s'av.i.or, And lmowMy"people that -I am your God. AndlmowNy peoplethat I amyour' strength and that 1 give you power. AclmowledgeMe,']\.1Y -people. AckncwLedgeMebefore -your brothers and sisters. Callupon Me, rely upon Meand lmowthat I amyour Lord and I amyour God.
You are fruitful, you are blooming because right, now I am-showering you with lciylove; I amehcwerdng you with Mymercy; Iam showering youwat.h Ny healing; I am showering you with 1'Jypower;I am showering you with Myfavor; I am,showering you with righteous-ness so that you will bLoasom,"so that. you will be fruitful. Whenyou cometo give thanks for MySon, your l'Iessiah amongyou, youshall do it as a fruitful people, as a .holy people, asa redeemedpeople. You, I amprospering. You, I amb.Lessang; You I amcausing to bloom into fruit now, children.
Rejoice-,I say, for I am come. I 'amcometo the past, I amcometo the present and lam cometo the future. Rejoice, Mypeople,for I am comebefore you and lam comewithin you. Openyour hearts,Hy people. Let fileestablish l-fykingship within you. Let MebeLord of the past and the hurts and the sin and the problems of thepast. Let Mebe the Lord of the present. Let filebe the Lord ofyour every action, and then, l.f;y people, I will establish Mykingshipin your fut.ur-e, -Rejoice, l-1ypeople, for I amc ome, T am comebeforeyou and I am comewithin yeu.
James 5 - patience of farmer planting seedsPsalm 65 '
Zephaniah 3
December11
The Lord said to me that Hewas trying to prepare us so thatwe could see the misery and effects of sin and the oppression andthe darlmess in the world and deal with that and be in the midst0-: that - all the while being firmly in the grasp of His victory.
He showedme a valley where there was two sides of the valleyand the whole and both sides of the valley were covered withdarkness. AndHe asked me to listen to the cries of despair anddistress and misery that wer-egoing on in that valley.
Andthen He said to me, "v.]hatdo you see? Andwhat do youhear?" AndHe said, "I want you to be able to hear the shouts of'Hosanna. ' I want you to be able to knowthe power of zy- victoryamidst all of that turmoil." And then He asked me to look againand I saw tiny lights that were beginning to emerge on both sides
' -!,
. ,
of the bill of the valley. And He told me these lights werelights of His people that He was calling forth .just as we had beencalled forth from the dar kneas , And that He wanted to make theselights into SUG:ha pure 'and such a totally dependant on Him"fitness.t.hat they would eventually merge together .i.nt.o a light .t.hat wasbright as the sun.
And then He asked me to listen. And as I listened' it seemedas .though '.I, heard. the sould of footsteps. He to.ld me those foot-
, steps .rer-e the sounds of people who were committing their .Li.vesto Him and f.ormingan army. And at one end of the valley it wasas' though there .rer-e people coming over .mt o the valley that werejust as bright as gold. And He said, "These are people that havebeen purified. These are people who .can ~alk into the fire and singpraises; who can sleep' at peace v,ith Him in the middle' of the storm."And the Lord said to me that. He wants to do in my life and the lifeof this cOnl.'1lunity:andmany.others like it that kind of a purificationwork, that kind of.a building, that kind of a,redeeming work.
.. And He said- He .rants us to be so pure, so transparent that thelove that is in us that He plants there in, fact brings about theimagery'of the city of God in revelation.
~'.{
You have given yourselves over to the fire of My Spirit Ikeep it and I protect.it . Give yourselves ,more deeply to the fireof My Spirit~ Do not hold yourselves back Be spent~in the workthat I do .nowin your .midst. Lend yourselves over to He and I willgive.you peace and the' deepest joy and the Father's love .
He "Jill continue to show us the big picture and He's going tocontinue to. show us what t s ahead; .Het s going to continue to showus the reality of the situation in the world and in the Church. Heis going to continue to prod us on. But that most of all, what Hewant-ed me to say is how pleased He is. Host of all, what He wantedme to say is to encourage you and that its a joy in His' heart - thebreaking that is coming to new life, the dying that is coming to newlife, the increased generosity of life, the sharing, the caring forbrothers and sis.ters, the increased desire to know His word and beformed by it, the increased enthusiasm in giving to His praise andHis worsh.ip , And this really delights Him and that I heard Himtelling me very directly that He wanted me primarily to tell you'His love for you and hOVI He cherishes you. That's the primary "'JayHets looking upon us this day. But Hets not going to stop showing'15 all the other things moving us into the great work Her s doingin the world.
M1EN
Jan. 8, 1978 PROPHECIES and Themes."You say that you want to love Me and so I see that you do. You saythat you want to serve Me and so I see that you do. And yet my penpleI have'much more for you to love. I have much more for you to serve.-1 call you to move forward, to continually be yielding to My grace inyour lives. Know th~t each time Y9U are purified a small bit~ that,that pain is a source,pf joy because you are being ,freed in my Life.Know that each time 1 prune you a small bit, each time My Fatherwalks through the garden of your life, know that, that pain, knowthat what you face is a source of joy, Know My people that 1 havemuch more for you to love and I have much more for you to 'ser;ye.1call you to yield y,ourself to My action in your life".
Ephesians 6110-17.
J~nuary 15t 1978" e- that everything you want, that everything you desire is found inMe. Seek Me first in what changes around you. Do not turn away fromthe Call I have given you. Seek Me so that 1 may bless you abundantlywith what you need to stand firm for the days ahead. Seek Me my child-ren for I have much to give you. 1 have much to teach you. Seek mewith your whole hearts. Seek me so that whatever may change around youmay not turn you from the fact that I am the Lord your God and you areMy people. Seek Me".
"The Lord i5 saying that He really wants us to know that He loves us.He knows that we know He loves us but He knows we don*t have it to thefullest in our hearts. And He knows that we don*t have it so strongand so powerfully before us that in the face of anything we would'runto Him than some other choice such as anxiety or fear. And He wantsus to know He loves us down deep inside of'our.hearts. He wants us tobe able to receive the fullness and the Presence of Him in a way thatwe just don*t know or imagine. He wants us to just be open to thatbecause He wants us to grow and have that consuming fire Of His Loveinside of our hearts".James 3 it3.
January 22, 1978Scripture ?. r~ trust in the Lord and do good that you may dwell in theland enjoying security. Take delight in the Lord and He will grant youHis hearts request. Commit to the Lord your ways. Trust in Him andHe will act. He will make ju:ticedawn for you like the light bright asnoonday will be your vindication. Leave it to the Lord and wait forHim I~'.
-. -oj
I.,i
1I
"The Lord wishes us to'camewith praise and thanksgiving Thanksgivingto Him and thanks for one another for the gifts He has given each ofus. Thank and praise Him for all the gifts He has given to the Bodybecause the Body is trully being build up to become unified with HisLove and His Glory". '
I'.,
-please turn over---
-2-
Anointing in application to above prophecYI"The Lord instructing us that we are now going. to be blest out ofproportion to where we are. Like it is not going to be the evolution,the struggle, than just one step further. But now we are going tobe blest sujes tanti.aLky because of Him and not because of us. v~hatHe wants us to do is be high in our expectations. He wants us nowto do what.at other times He might cuation us. He wants us toexpect. He wants us first to expand our mind so His vision canfit into it. He wants us to exp8.ndour hearts so His love can fitinto it. He wants us to o~n our Spirit so that His Power can flowthrough our spirit. He wants us to be prepared so we will not missthe invitation of His Word, of His Call. This is a very specialmoment in our growth. He knows how much weve struggled individ-ually, He knows how what it has to benefit us to trust at this .point. He knows what it is taking for our efforts to .be togetheras a Body. And He is saying I am going to bless you our of propor-tion to your efforts. I am going to multiply My blessings for you.~ut open your mind to see the vision, open your heart to receive theLove, open your spirit for the empowerment. If you do these things'ou will at this time of visitation and you you will under5tand theword that was spoken to you in this pight.
Sensed the Lord to say:Be ready for the Lord. Abraham was ready when God asked of HimIsaac. Abraham responded. to the needs of the 3 men when the Lordcalled on him. This is the time the LOrd wishes to bless us aoundantly.The Lord wants to empower us in so many ways that will be surprising tous. No need to be afraid that like Abraham we will be called to givea sacrifice. When the Lord visited Abraham through the 3 men pronounc-ing that Sarah would bear a child and she did)Abraham and Sarah couldhave gotten complacent with those blessings. What the Lord wantedthat they would give them up totally so that the Lord could bringforth a nation through Abrahtamand through.Isaac. And what He gavethem in blessings He wanted them to ~se, so through these blessingsHe could bring forth a natbn)and so the Lord wants to empower usthrough His blessings so He can build that Kingdom, that army.
Sensing a springtIDenow in the midst of winter----the Lord wishesto bless us and make us strong not for ourselves but for His Plan.Receive His blessings now.
PROPHECIES -'SCRIPTURE - THEMESFebruary 5, 1978
"My people you have heard it said that there will be timesof trials ahead. You have heard it said 'that there will bebuildings shaken and struciures that will fall. My people youmust see that these things will be shaken and they will fall.All things will be shakened and will fall that are opposed toMy Word, that stand in stubborness against My Love, that standand shake thei~ fist in rebellion against My peace. My peopleyou are r60ted in My Love, You are rooted in My peace. You arerooted in the joy of your relationships with one another that arefounded in Me., When the time of shaking comes, when the time offalling comes, you My people will ride the wind of My Love. YouMy people will float over trials and obstacles because you willmove with Me. You will not be in rebellion against Me. You willnot shake your fist in anger and doubt and despair. Instead yuuwill be caught up in the cloak of My Love and you will fbat withMe into the gbry of My Father."
v. .The Lord 1S teach1ng us-----saying that this kind of blessing istrue, but the key to it is to continue to be servants of theFather's House, of His Love. The servant gets the blessing ofthe family. The servant partakes of all the riches of the house-hold serving there. The basic thing God is saying is that we arestill in the time of special blessings_ The key to receiving Hisblessings is to hold onto being servants. A servant freely eatsthe Master's food----kind of a speei.a l. blessing. So too we willpass through problems and difficulties. God wants us to hold ontothat we are servants.
February 12, 1978Acts 10: 17Peter's visitation------------visit from Ann Arbor.2 Cor. 6:14-18.2 Cor. 7:1.
Sense that the LOrd would have us be transient people. Peoplewho aren't rooted in permanent fixtures, permanent f'ound ations----saw many small tents in a large tent. Seeing a brother(1tJord ofGod Community) miles away out east brought strength because of ourspecial commitment----there is a special bond.
- OVHt-
February 19, 1978"Children you are a people of victory. And to the victor fear
has no place. Drive fear from your midst. Whatever it might be,fear of the future, fear of the past, fear of your+own sinfulness,fear of entering deeply into covenant, whatever it is, fear has noplace among you, because you are a people of victory. When youturn your back on fear, when you run from fear you triple itsstrength. But I tell you face the fear, -----face the fear. Youare equipped to deal with it. Because I love you, you are equipppedto deal with it. Becaus I have equipped you with my weapons ofspiritual warfare you are equipped to deal with it. Because, thetestimony of all who have preceeded you in my Church is that I willnever, never abandon My Church. Through every war, through everypersecution, through every tribulation, that has come upon MY peopleI.~am fai thful. The testimony of all of your bnihers and sisters infaith is that I will never give up on My Church. I will never giveup oni'i1ypeople. Therefore fear has no place among you. Drive itout. Drive it out. Minister victory to each other. And than be-cause you are a people of victory, because you are a people whohave ~o .fear, than those in the world around you who are enslavedby fear will see that you are fearless. They will see that you arevictorious. They will see that you are a poeple of peace and power.And than they will come too, to seek that victory, to seek thatfearlessness, to seek that power that I have given you. Childrenyou are a people of victory. Fear has no place among you. Knowmy victory and rejoice in it. ~ou are a people of :victory."
The word' for us is a call for us to a living hope. (1 Peter 1).We must suffer trials so that the faith we have i~ like fire triedgold. We, as God's people h~e very little comprehension of howpFecious we are to Him. We believe it for others, but when it getsdown to our lives it is hard to realize how precious we are. 'tryto grow in realizing how precious we are to Him. "You are preciousto Me. I cherish you. Can you believe how much you are worth toMe?" As gold, a refining process has to take place in us in orderto make us strong. To realize how precious we are to Him we needto come individually to Him in our prayer time and ask the Lord toreveal to us our worth in His eyes. As each of us grows His Lovewill bring truth and light which will transform us drawing us intoa solid Body, as gift to ~ach other, golden gems, the glory of God.We will be ready for those He will send us.
Sense-------out of ashes comes life. O'lt of the empty tomb comeslife. Man created out of earth, out of chaos, out of nothing-----brought into being as life out of dust. He brought victory out ofthe tomb. At the beginning of Job, he was sitting in ashes andthrough trials he was blest.
Sense the LQrd saying I do.not have time to let you work throughyour fears 1n a nDrmal fashion. I've got to bless you so fastand so strong, so than you can be build up in the right way andbe a bulwark, and be a refuge to brothers and sisters.
Prophecies Scripture Themes
March 5, 1978"Know that I am laboring in you, that I am laboring diligently
in you. You have accomplishe~ My will and My purpose in you. Knowthat r am faithful in all that r have said to youi that I am causingyou to blossom, to be renewed, to be fruitful people. r feed youwith My Word. I wa~h you and give you drink in the waters of yourBaptism and the Blood of My Son.
r have nourished you and strengthened you with the life of MySpirit. r have abandoned you and let you alone, but r*ther havemade you My people. And r have labored diligently to accomplish inyou all that r have said. Now is the time for you to blossom and tobear fruit9 because the world is stricken with the paralysis thatcannot bear fruit. The time for all that is attificial, the tim~ forthe products of satan who has tried to imitate My kingdom, the timefor these things is at an end. No longer can these things produceeven bad fruit. They are sterile and empty. Only My people shall,only My people shall be fruitful and I am faithful to you and youmust be with Me. Children, the time is a time of crisis, but it isa time in which the world, whether they will or will not, is a timein which the world will See my glory. Children be as faithful anddiligent with Me as I am with you."
Personal reflections---Th~ Lord is giving us the strength similar to that of a cougar.
We will come against satan and sin and division. We must be prudentin the use of the strength that He giveffius. We must be willing tolet the chaff grow with the grain and come against the dead, dry woodbecause We have His pow~r.
Numbers 32As the Israelites were to ctoss the Jordan and wanted to stay on
the east requesting of Moses not to cross -the Jordan ... Mosesencouraged them to come to the inheritance. The Lord wanis each of usto cross the Jordan and to inherit the land. ~ach of us is called fora special destiny, the Kingdom
God's faithfulness for us is unchangeable, building a newness in us.Psalm Ill.Psalm 115.
2. '
March 12, 1978
Zac h , 8.
cci . 3.
Isa. 54Another similar text confirm~d this (text not given)o
Nahum 2
!tyou are my people and I love you. You are my peopLe and I am soproud of you. You are my people and you have stood for My Love. Youstood in th~ midst of trial. You stood in the midst of injustice. Youstood for My Name and I have seen you. I have seen you stand and haveSeen satan fall and I am proud of you, My people. I am proud of theway you lookea at Me. I am proud of the way you kept looking at mewhen trials and tribulations sur~oundea you. I am proud of you Mypeople as a lather can take pride in his Sons and Daughters. I takepride in you. You have stood the test. You have stood th~ testvaliantly and I am a proud God."
**
Personal reflection----Sense the core of it all-----thure's been a great growth in our
lives. We haVE: interacted spritlilallynaturally.,------the new senseof being spontaneous, sunportive of one another. There is a realstrength here which God is pLe aaed with, a strength that can support.What is new is that there is a core within all of us, a strength thathas so much more, so powerful to support som~thing that might go wrong~or deal with some personal difficult Yo
5/20/79I am really pleased with so many of the things that have happened in
your lives; Being more rooted in me being free of selfishness greaterorder in your relationships and loving one another better and that you'vemade deeper commitments to be formed by my word and have that as the standardfor your life rather than your individual feelings and preferences. You're ina position where I can bless you so much more - and I want to bless you. Iwant you to stir up a sense of expectancy so that you will receive thoseblessings. .
There are two things that I want you to be particularly expectant of;I want you to expect that when you intercede with your brothers and sistersit will happen Expect obstacles to be removed and situations to be changedsimply because you've joined together and prayed that way
But also be expectant to receive my word Expect more to hear myword not only in your gatherings, but in your lives and in your small groups.I want you to spend more time searching out my word, asking me for it, waitingupon it, and expecting to receive it.
But I also expect that when things don't happen exactly as you prayfor them, you will trust me and know there's something better that I havefor you - a greater plan and factors you don't see. I want you to trustme and praise me all the more 3ven when it doesn't come about. You willbe blessed abundantly and I'm initiating this time of blessing because I'mpleased in how far you've come.
6/17/79I no longer speak to you in parables, but I speak clearly. Servants
of God's Love I pray for you, that you may be one as I and the father areone. I pray for your unity. And I tell you this night that the source of allyour needs, the source of your growth, the source of your place in thechurch is that you be one.
Bear with one another and love one another. Give yourselves fullyand completely. Lay down your lives for one another. Don't be childrenof the twilight, but be brothers and sisters of one another. Be one. Commityourselves to being brothers and sister9' Commit yourselves to doing all thosethings that will bring you closer together.
Don't judge; don't rival; don't compete. Seek and search as to howyou can give more fully to each other. Seek as to how you can be more Qfie in yourfamilies and pastoral groups, and the community as a whole. for when youare one, then I will give you greater and greater wisdJm. When you are one,I will give you individual holiness - the holiness that you desire. The morethat you are one, I will give you outreach and ministry that will really servethe church and act asa foundation for the church.
I ask you to make this commitment now and to get rid of fear andanxiety. I ask you to stretch out your hands and stretch out your hearts andminds further than you have done before, and I will give you the unity youneed. This night I ask you to commit yourself to a deeper unity, to adeeper oneness - tbe kind of oneness that I and my father have. And I prayfor you, Servants of God's Love,that you will give yourself to this unity.
10/29/78Ny children, I aIR telling you this now, to put it in your spirit and
to remember it six months from now and a year from now. Remember that Ihave told it to you.
When I led Joshua and my people into the promised land, I told themto remember who gave them that land and I told them to remember the covenant.It wasn't their own merit and strength that gave it to them. I told them toremember who was their first love and \IIhohad led them into the desert. AndI tell that to you now. I am your first love and I give you the wordsthat are Spirit and Truth. And I ask you to accept them and I ask you tobase your lives upon my word because there is no other word that is life.There is no other word that \IIillprotect you from the world, flesh, anddevil.
And I give you an admonition and a challenge to you prophets to listento the word, to purify it and proclaim it to my people. And I tell youteachers and those \IIhominister to the \IIordto take your vocation seriously.I tell you pastoral groups- remember that I am in your midst and \IIhenyoushare, you share me. I am your first love. I am your first love. I amyour first love. And I tell you not to abandon me. Take seriously whatI have given you. You are about to enter into a new stage. In a sense, youare about to enter into the promised land. You are about to reap thefirst fruits of the big harvest. You are about to know new growth. Youare about to know new holiness. And you are about to see \IIorkscome forthand activities come from you.
But for God's sake, realize that it comes from me. Remember that Iam your first love. I am the lord of your hearts. I am the lord of yourteachings. I am the Lord of your- works. I am your first love.
Embrace me. Repent for not hearing my \IIords. Get dO\llnon your kneesfor taking my \IIordlightly. Get dO\llnon your knees for not listening tomy \IIord. Reach out your hearts and accept me because I am the Lord and Ilove you and I am your first love. I am_ your first love, and I willal\llayslove you, and I \IIillal\llays go \IIithyou. But I am your first lovenO\ll,and \IIhenyou are larger and \IIhenyou are more famous- I am your firstlove. Fly people, accept me.5/13/79
I want the people \IIhoare called by my name, the people \IIhoare mine,to be clear that they follo\llme. They do not follo\lla plan, they do notfollo\lla program, they do notleven follo\lla good idea for community; butonly me.
Take your eyes from yourselves and your self concerns and even fromthe gifts I have given you and even from one another, and put them on me,because I am the Good Shepherd and I go ahead of you. I kno\llevery step ofthe way and I \IIantyou to get your eyes on me. The \IIay ahead is goingto jat more narro\lland grow more dark. If you don't have your eyes on me,\IIhenI turn a corner or take a sudden detour, you \IIillmiss me and the \IIayI would have you go.
I \IIill only show you the next step. If I sho\llyou my \IIholeplan, yoursin and your \IIeaknessand your desire to control \IIouldenter in, and I donot \IIantthat to happen. I want you to follo\llme my way. I \IIantyou to seethe glory of your God and the \IIorldto see the glory of your God. Keepyour eyes focused on me and you \IIillsee it.
t
SERVANTS OF GOD'S LOVE COMMUNITYFINANCIAL REPORT
JULy '77 - FEB. '18RESTRICl"ED BOOK ALBUM NEWSLETTER DONATIONS 1 TImE MISC. TOTALFUNDS $fi;lS SALES COLLECTIONS .,~'~1;, :!(~
JULy $17 $130 $115 $10 $225 " ~$19 ,$516"
.;,AUG. $230 $20 $20 $215 r.-ffl ,- $485
SEPT. $466 $3334 $4828 $1078- $9706{-: ,OCT. $10 $80 " $81 $2 $465 $1083 $189 $1910 '.NOV $95 $15 $9 $258 $1516 $434
r+". DEC. $240 $110 $5 $302 $899 $10JAN. $36 $195 $156 $1396 $188 $1970FEB. $15 $76 $30 $32 $385 $832 $2175 $3545TOTALS $413 $1107 $$3789 $34 . $$6424 $7244 $3015 $22024----------------------------------SASU-~E.2~S----------------------------------------- - - - - - --~- -- C"ASHDfsBURSEMENTS- ~- -- - -- - ~
EOUIPMENT BOOKS TRAVEL NEWSLETTER SUPPLIES 1 SERV.I MISC. TOTALPOSTAGE SALAR.
JULY $77 $121 $40 $24 ",$; 62AUG. $55 $28 $126 $69 $$278--JSEPT. $$3330 $508 $293 $122 $600 $805 $5658OCT. $310 $94 $121 $1189 $1177 $295:!"NOV. $261 $217 $116 $120 $23 $479 $706 $1922DEC. $64 $163 $J.24 $'709 $450 $1510JAN. $510 $131 $98 $130 $25 ($936) $664 $2494FEB. $204 $99 &76 $10 $441 $818 $1648TOTALS $4871 $933 $840 $864 $58 $4394 $4715 $16723-------------------------------.-------.--------------------------------- ..--------------Total Receipts - $22024, Total Disbursements - $16723, Total Balance - $5301
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SERVANTS OF GOD'S LOVEAt the turn of this decade, the roots of the Servants of God's Love llIere
established.It llIasDecember 1969 when several friends of Fr. IVlichaelScanlan traveled to
Loretto, Pa., to attend a retreat being given by Ralph Nartin at St. Francis Seminary.Fr. iVJichaelhad invited the group to the weekend, having known them during his daysas academic dean at The College of Steubenville in the 60's. One of those associates,a fellolllFranciscan, llIasbaptized in the Spirit during that llIeekendretreat and re-turned to Steubenville a renellledman.
Upon his return in January 1970, he invited tlllOmarried couples in the area tojoin him at the College chapel to pray together. All four received the release of theHoly Spirit in their lives and from that night on, there llIerellIeeklyprayer meetingsin the chapel. Over the ensuing years, this prayer group doubled almost annually,grolllingto over 450 by 1975. Finally in August of 1977, 50 of these persons made aspecific commitment to put their lives into building a Christian Community llIiththeguidance and support of The ~Jord of God community from Ann Arbor, jlijichigan.
Servants of God's Love is totally Catholic in membership IlIhichnOIllnumbers 88adults and 45 children. There are 23 married couples, 22 single 1lI0men(4 of IlIhicharEcelibate), and 20 single men (5 of IlIhichare celibate). Almost 80% of the membersmoved to Steubenville from some othe~ area (over 30 cities in 12 states), IlIhichis no~seen as God's hand in preparing them to live in community.
The vast majority of the community members are in one of three kinds of livingarrangements: residential households (single adults living llIitha family), nuclearfamily units, and single men's or women's living situations. The entire communitygathers together once allleek for \IIorshipand teaching. On another night of the llIeeksmall men's and \IIomen'sgroups meet together. This netlllorkof small groups (4-8people) provides a system of love through \IIhicheverybody gives and receives care andsupport. Being a Catholic Community; the celebration of the sacraments is also at th:center of our life together. The Sunday eucharistic liturgy at The College ofSteubenville is pastored OJ Fr. fvlichaeland attended by most of the community members.The Sacraments of Matrimony and Baptism are celebrated by the \IIholecommunity frequenilYe The sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick have also been thesource of much healing and pO\lleramong the brothers and sisters.
Part of the commitment that members of the community make is to care for thematerial and physical \IIelfareof all the brothers and sisters as \IIellas the needythat llIemeet. This is essentially carried out by tithing, almsgiving, and resourcesharing.
People in Servants of God's Love are involved in a variety of services relatedto the community. Hany take responsibility for the administration and operation ofseminars, retreats, \IIorkshops,courses, and special events. Others care for thechildren of the community through things like youth outings, Christian teaching pro-grams, and a day-care center. For those IlIhoare so gifted, the music group and thesound and taping crellloffer channels of service to the community. fijanyothers areinvolved in some kind of pastoral care, teaching, or leadership role. Still othersserve by their hospitality to visitors to the community. Two special services of thecommunity are to su ort the renelllalof The Colle e of SteUbenvllle and to serve theprayer groups llIithinthe Reg~on he country.
