Part X :: Outcasts and Rogue Pastors
“The Ellen White that they preach is not our Ellen White.” I had read virtually every book written by Ellen White and I wanted to believe that. Countryside was a brotherhood of believers. They had one thing in common. It was the fact that they did not fit in anywhere else. This place gave them a sense of community that they never had anywhere else. Albert likely knew that. He likely took advantage of that fact. Many of these people were outcasts. Freddy had been disabled at an early age and moved out to the wilds. He hated the city. So did many others. Many had no family, or they had children who walked away from Adventism (do you blame them?). Some stated that they tried to preach at Deer Park and other churches and were turned away. Some tried to hand out Bill Hughes books, but pastors shut them down. Each of these people wanted to be accepted somewhere, but society as a whole, and even the SDA churches
would not let them in. Albert gathered them all and placed them under his wing. He accepted them. Not even God did that. In essence, it appeared that Albert had lifted himself up higher than the good Lord Himself. The subject of God’s love was strictly off limits.
Yet, the place and acceptance that Albert gave each of Countryside’s members spoke for itself—just as long as the members behaved themselves and went along with the rules.
Every other church did something wrong in the eyes of Albert. Deer Park refused to preach "present truth" and was under the umbrella of the corrupt general conference. The nearby offshoot believed in the 2520 prophecy (I still don’t know or care to know what that even is). Other churches were infiltrated by Catholics, used the wrong hymnals, and had pastors who preached from the wrong Bibles. They also didn’t follow the health laws strictly enough. None of them had Bill Hughes. A sign, prominently displayed in the dining room proclaimed what the church and its members believed. Certain ideas were off-limits for anyone to talk about or believe. We believe.. it began. Below was a list of the doctrines that Countryside held true. If you went along with this and didn’t question the leadership, you would fit in just fine.
Although many were poor, paying tithe was still an integral part of membership. To rob by not paying the tithe was to rob God Himself. Adventism loves the tithing system, and it has made the church quite rich. Albert no doubt saw this and proclaimed the same message that tithe was to go to Countryside. How else would Bill Hughes be able to fly out? Many members dropped ten percent or more of their SSI check into the offering plate. Even I returned an offering to Countryside, believing that I would be blessed by giving if my motives were pure.
One of my family members asked me how Albert could make money from his church. But if you have 30 to 50 people paying 10% of their income, and each person makes $1500 a month, then you have $4,500 for 30 members and $7,500 for 50 members. Add to this the offering and the fact that some people return a double tithe. Also, many people make more than $1,500 a month. In addition to other offerings made for church upkeep, and visitors, as well as the possibility of books and literature being sold on the side, an independent “self-supporting” ministry can make a good deal of money.
Let's say there are 5 people in the church who make $5,000 per month. There are 10 people in the church who make $3,000 a month. There are 10 more who make $2000 a month. There are another 10 who make $1,500 a month. That’s $9,000 in tithe alone if each of those 35 members pays a tithe. One high-earner who makes $7,000 can bring in a nice chunk of change. A devotee who pays 3x their tithe covers 3 people. Those who pay a big Christmas offering or believe that they will be further blessed by their giving can help tip the tithe plate. Then you have the offerings. The idea that offerings should be given adds an incentive to throw in an extra $20 bill each week. Some will write a nice-sized check to pad the plate.
When these souls without a family to call their own pass on to the next world, many will leave their inheritance to the church. After all, it was the church that was the vehicle to get them into the gates of Heaven. One’s fear response is highest near death and the only thing that a devotee who has been taught works-based fear knows is atoning for sins in any way possible. Money and land can easily be relinquished at this time. Others, who have families, are likely to leave at least 10% of their estate, and sometimes much more, to the church. As you can see, there’s a lot of money to be made. Many of these rogue pastors know exactly what they are doing. One hundred thousand dollar donation every few years when an old parishioner passes on can really make the work worth it. Remember, Countryside and these such churches are full of older people who are inching towards the grim reaper. It should also be noted that I tithed the money that I received from my student loan living expenses, out of the belief
that God would bless my future career. While I no longer believe this, nor would I do this
again, it is something that I am likely not alone with. People will do strange things in order to fit in or be right in the eyes of God.
Yet, the worldly success of the Countryside folk was not as high as those at the Deer Park church. When comparing both groups, there was a socio-economic component that was obvious. The wealthier Deer Park church was full of younger individuals who had careers, families, and had more or less made it in the world. Some were doctors, others owned their own small businesses. Many lived in town. Many had local connections with city and county government figures. To the Countryside folk, it looked like they had one foot in the world and one foot out. The difference in lifestyle was stark. The haves and the have-nots. The younger people lived in a different world, many with intact families that went to church together. Success in business, family, and overall good health only worked to make many of the Countryside folks outliers. I wondered, were the people at Countryside used to abuse? Did they hail from broken families or broken homes? I looked at some who had battled intense poverty. There had been grave abuse in my father-in-law’s past, and as a result, he had struggled with abuse himself. As a result, I discerned that it was hard for him to accept
Christ’s free forgiveness, but instead, he saw that he was more comfortable in a works-obsessed* environment, which Countryside provided. Yet, when I learned more about Freddy’s past, I began to realize that there was no way that the message of doom and conspiracy that Albert peddled could ever meet his deep need for Jesus’ healing power. Yet, I would later learn the Countryside message was something that Freddy craved on a deeper level. Maybe that was also the case with Stephen. Generational abuse at its finest.
*Note: I always found it interesting that abused people search for what is familiar — namely the same kind of abuse that they are used to. This can be from a similar relationship or something familiar. For Freddy, an abusive and controlling church fulfilled the void that was left behind when his father passed away. Freddy’s father had taught his son that he was not worth loving. The message he got at Countryside was one and the same.
Any good cult has three things going for it. The first is a form of secret
knowledge that is not shared by the rest of the world. This was once known as
Gnosticism. While the Seventh-day Adventist church had Ellen White, who provided a level of so-called “insider knowledge”, the Countryside Offshoot had combined her books with the knowledge of various conspiracies that the rest of the world was not aware of. Moreover, it was asserted that the Seventh-day Adventist prophetess, Ellen White, had been corrupted and was not the true Ellen that they had. Corrupted Bibles, insistence on using only the King James version, and being a small group that knew about the Jesuit order's mission to infiltrate the church and take over the world added to the secret knowledge of this gnostic club.
The second thing is a brotherhood of believers. As stated above, Countryside had a tight-knit group of people. They referred to each other as brother and sister when speaking. I once was known as brother J. The love and fraternity they provided for each other during shared meals, as well as during holiday events, helped them feel like a family. Albert acted the part of a loving father for those who followed the rules. For those who deviated, he was a stern father who didn’t mind shunning the bad kids. The third thing required for a cult is for the group to think with one mind. If people think too differently, the cult may fall apart. The list of beliefs displayed in the dining room right before one entered the sanctuary was the perfect example of this. It is one thing to state the beliefs of an organization, and most churches are not shy about
sharing their beliefs. However, to proclaim what one does not believe seems to be more in line with the idea of thought control. It also put the power right in pastor Albert’s court. Unlike most churches, the Countryside Offshoot was a stand-alone church that not only got all the tithe and offerings for itself but also did not have any organizational structure or accountability. From the top, self-proclaimed “pastor” Albert had placed himself in the position of lord, or even god, over the church. By establishing what people did and did not believe, he could, in effect, shape the thoughts of all those who came into the building and fellowshipped with him.*
*Note: After I published Disrupting Adventism, Albert had discovered it, and brought attention to it. An example was made of me. Every good cult needs a scapegoat. As a result, I was deemed lost by the church. Moreover, it was said that I was a Jesuit, and the enemy. Another much needed scapegoat to work for the benefit of the power structure of the cult.
At one point, Bill Hughes was a fetish of the Countryside Church. He was a nice diversion set aside for a special occasion, like a Christmas gift. You could not expect him, but when he showed up he was something to be savored. Now Bill Hughes was becoming a mainstay in the church. Every couple of months, Bill Hughes would make the arduous trip from Florida to Washington state. Albert would host him at home, and he would come to speak three sermons at Countryside on the Sabbath. Bill Hughes's mental and literary resources were extremely valuable to the church. He was one outsider who traveled a long distance to grace this small group with his star-like presence. Not even Deer Park could get Hughes. Heck, they couldn’t even get a pastor at this point. At this point, Pastor Harry, who was accused of murder by Countryside, had left for Michigan. That church had sealed its fate by rejecting Bill Hughes’ guiding books. All that was left for them was their corrupted Ellen White books that they passed out in the foyer and a bunch of worthless hymnals with Catholic-inspired songs to Mary. Now, arm and arm, it was time for Albert and Hughes to guide Countryside further down greater avenues of conspiracy and fear.
Now, you may be wondering if Pastor Albert was ordained as a pastor or
if he had any seminary training under his belt. I do believe that there is a place in
society for pastors who have not been educated in the seminary (and it may be better than some are not indoctrinated into a denominational way of thinking). Also, some who do not go to seminary can think more creatively than those who have been institutionally educated. The subject of Ellen White, for instance, becomes law once you step foot into the halls of the Adventist pastor factory. For Albert, there was no talk of seminary training. There was a vague mention that he had many family members who were pastors around the world, but proof was not supplied.
In California, Albert had a ministry called “Truth and Nature Ministries." Yet, little is known about this ministry other than it's a vehicle for publishing DVDs and pamphlets. Given his distaste for and anger towards the General Conference, which was shared by Bill Hughes, becoming an Adventist pastor in the traditional route would probably not be a possibility. Yet, Albert had found some kind of place in the role of a pastor. While I do not know if he believes what he preaches (for example, not all Seventh-day Adventist pastors believe that Ellen White is an inspired messenger of God, yet they preach it because it’s their job to do so), the fact is, if he is doing it for money or power, he does a good job of hiding it.
“You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved…Brother will rise against brother. Your family will turn on you. Some will turn you in to the authorities. Some will have you locked up. Killed even.” I looked around. Many of the members of this church no longer spoke to people in their families. Many had sons or daughters who had not understood the faith and had departed from it.
“This is the price of following Jesus,” Pastor Albert said.
“It is a solemn statement that I make to the church, that not one in twenty whose names are registered upon the church books are prepared to close their earthly history, and would be verily without God and without hope in the world as the common sinner,” was one of Albert’s favorite Ellen White quotes, and he made sure to use it often as a point to keep his church in line.
I thought to myself, this man has incredible, unchecked power. There is no
overseeing organization that watches over these offshoots. This person has power over families. I looked at my in-laws. Surely, they would believe that I spoke out against this group, they would see me as departing from the faith, a sheep who had left the fold, or worse yet, a Jesuit.
It was brought to our attention that the members of the Countryside cult would be going to hand out materials next week, and we were invited to join them. I had no desire to hand out Bill Hughes books, so politely declined. Kathleen brought me a pamphlet for an orphanage in Kenya and showed us who the church was helping as a mission. “We have already sent them many books.” It made me think of Bill Hughes sending loads of books to Africa. I took a look at the orphanage, with the rows of schoolchildren lined up. Many were smiling. “This is our mission,” Albert said. He stood tall and grinned widely. I looked around the room slowly. I saw many people now talking amongst each other, or going back for more food at the vegan potluck. Some walked very slowly. One
man was hunched over. The poor guy could barely get his own food. His son rushed over to help him. Another slowly made his way to the restroom. I saw a group of people far too old to do much mission work in the field. The only way for this church to support missionaries was to give money to some other organization. Not much was said about what was given. Just books? I didn’t know. It was better that I didn’t. All I knew was that there was no way that these people were going to go to Africa. And to be 100% honest, I knew that there was so much fear of the world that to get them on a plane and into a foreign land would have been too much for them. Africa was seen as an easy target. Full of people that were ready to accept whatever some rich white pastor threw at them. As long as he said he had a connection with God and was from America, some would eat it up. At least that was the thought process. Sadly, many seemed to do just that.
People were hungry for Hughes. Africans loved that man and Hughes was not shy about telling it to the world.
Could these Bill Hughes books really change the world? What present truth is there in the idea that Jesuits sunk the Titanic? How does that help poor Africans learn about Jesus? What good does it do for an African school child to believe that the September 11th terrorist attacks were orchestrated by Jesuits? How does that give one any hope in Jesus? The end of the world may be coming, but what hope does that give a person trying to learn and grow today? How does any of this give hope to a young African schoolchild building a life for his or her future?“We have this hope that burns within our hearts…”
The hope of what? Of Jesuits coming and destroying the church, and proving you right?*
*Note: Mention of Jesuits making gains upon the church was greeted with both anger and joy. Anger for the fact that the word “Jesuit” made Countryside members’ lips curl and mouths foam like rabid skunks. Joy because it meant that Jesus was coming back in His celestial Mercedes Benz, and He was coming especially for their rag-tag group of Spokane’s and Stephen’s County castaways. When Jesus rolls in off Hale Bopp, He will sweep into Countryside Sabbath Fellowship, hand out golden crowns, and usher everyone up to Heaven to shake hands with Ellen White. All in a day’s work!
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