Sixty or seventy years ago in the 1930s, ten or twelve thousand bodies regularly crowded into Rockland Palace in New York City to thrill to the ringing Words of FATHER DIVINE'S Sermons. Not only did their bodies vibrate to hear HIM Preach Deliverance from their woes, but their hearts and minds and their very souls shook as well, with the result that they went their way rejoicing, confident that FATHER DIVINE was their Savior.
MOTHER DIVINE at the Divine Tracy Hotel
On September third, 2000, in the spacious Banquet Hall at the Divine Tracy Hotel in Philadelphia at 6 p.m. to partake of a Holy Communion Banquet with FATHER and MOTHER DIVINE was a gathering of about 500 persons. To open the Service, MOTHER DIVINE spoke these quickening Words:
"Peace, FATHER Dear! Every time we come together it is a Mountain Top experience, because we celebrate always the actual presence of GOD among us. We have the Belief not only the Belief but the Knowledge that GOD has a Body! What I arose to say is, that these are our 'Holy Days,' and we are commemorating all the Wonderful Events that have taken place in this latter Dispensation."
This Holy Communion Banquet was the introduction to the "Holy Days" of the Peace Mission Movement in the year 2000. Just one week later, on September tenth, at The Mount Of The House Of The LORD, Woodmont, another Holy Communion Banquet was served to a number of eminent guests and the followers. At one point in the Service, after a song, MOTHER DIVINE arose to speak thusly:
"Peace, FATHER; Peace, Everyone! It is a wonderful, wonderful Privilege to be living in this Day and in this time and to think that we have entered into the Millennium the period of time that has long been prophesied by the Sages and Seers. Jesus taught us that the former Dispensation was the Dispensation of the Son but THIS Dispensation is the Dispensation of the FATHER. All Power was given unto Jesus when HE went unto the FATHER. So the Fathership Degree is the Degree of Power over all the adverse and undesirable conditions that plagued man, and over all of the limitations that have kept us down."
After Jesus had risen, HE said to the eleven Disciples on the mountain in Galilee:
'All Power is given unto ME in Heaven and in earth." Matthew 28:18
The remarks of three guests at this Banquet Service illustrate how the Peace Mission has enlarged its borders qualitatively. Mrs. Geraldine Walker is an old friend of the Peace Mission, having come several years ago to assist the cooks in preparing food along macrobiotic practices, with no additives, preservatives, chemicals, white flour or sugar. She said:
"I have been here and at the Divine Tracy quite a few times but I think tonight I can really feel the Power of the Words that were sung Words that are put before the public. Everyone's spirit here tonight was actually transformed within the hour! When the songs really got going and the food got going, the Spirit just shifted from what it was when we first came in. It's just Beautiful so Powerful, so Powerful! Thank you!"
The Transformation Mrs. Walker referred to could not have taken place in the Dispensation of the Son, because the Spiritual level of the Peace Mission had not risen to its present level in this Third Millennium, the Dispensation of the FATHER. Two testimonies similar to the above came forth next.
Mr. John Arndt and his wife Nancy live on the Main Line, the exclusive suburban area west of Philadelphia. They are associated with the Main Line Night School. Mr. Arndt spoke as follows:
"Peace, FATHER; Peace, MOTHER! We were listening to every word that was sung tonight. What I think is so beautiful about the singing is not only the words but the Presence! There is a Presence within this whole Community and it's Genuine, and it's a Beautiful Presence. For that, we thank YOU very much not only for the Words, but for us being a living experience of the Words! Thank YOU!"
Nancy Arndt echoed her husband's remarks by saying:
"Peace to everyone here tonight; Peace, MOTHER; Peace, FATHER! I am very honored to be here tonight. I would like to thank you. I think I have had the best seat at the Table. I was looking at the Rosebuds the whole evening, and at the expressions on their faces as they were singing smiles so full of Love, so full of Joy! I would just like to especially thank you for singing for us this evening!"
In the Dispensation of the Son, many non-followers felt something unusual, warm and comforting, as they fellow-shipped with FATHER and MOTHER DIVINE and Their followers, but they could not put their finger on exactly what it was. But these three non-followers, Mrs. Walker and Mr. and Mrs. Arndt, not only experienced this mysterious Presence, but in this Dispensation of the FATHER, they identified It as the Sweet Presence of GOD, and as the penetrating Power of His Words. Truly, FATHER DIVINE is appearing in the lives of His followers and others!
The Peace Mission has progressed through several stages of Grace since its inception each step marking a period of Spiritual growth. The Quality of Spirituality during the earlier stages would not have brought forth the revealing remarks of these three guests, but the present Quality or level of Spirituality was sufficiently luminous to evoke their fine comments.
The Ark of the Covenant
MOTHER DIVINE had contemplative thoughts concerning this September Season which SHE expressed in the Holy Days Sermon which SHE delivered on September third at the Divine Tracy Hotel, as follows:
"Our 'Holy Days' is a solemn Occasion and it's a Spiritual Occasion. It's an Occasion for great Reflection and deep Appreciation, but it's also a time when we really should rejoice. We really should rejoice that GOD has taken the veil from our eyes, so that we know that Life is Eternal in these bodies, if we bring our bodies into subjection to the Law of the Spirit that was in CHRIST JESUS."
SHE went on to say that FATHER told us that sin is the cause of death. Many people are walking in darkness because they have not been awakened to this Light of Understanding which we enjoy every day. MOTHER cheered us by saying that even if we feel "down" and that we are not winning the Victory, we should be of good Courage! It gives us Faith to tell ourselves these things, and that we are contributing to the Evolution of Man by so doing. SHE continued:
"We are in this Great Ship of Faith. We believe in what is unbelievable to the mortal mind. It is so real to us; it is so practical; it's so logical that we can rest in that Faith and we don't have to ask anybody to believe it, or try to convince anybody. We just enjoy this Wonderful Understanding!"
MOTHER referred to Abraham having such Faith that whatever his GOD told him, he was ready to obey. He was ready to act on it; he didn't question. Abraham just believed, and he did what GOD said. GOD was pleased with that Consciousness. GOD was so pleased that HE allowed Abraham to go to the brink of slaying his son before GOD had the Angel stay his hand.
"That is so inspiring that Mind, that Obedience, that Consciousness that GOD wanted to nurture, so that mankind would progress. . . . It's such Faith in the Body of GOD that brought Woodmont into manifestation as The Mount Of The House Of The LORD. . . . And that is why it is the House of the LORD because it was not built by hands. It was built by the Faith of the Children in the True and Living GOD."
MOTHER'S concluding Words were:
"It's a time of deep rejoicing I mean DEEP rejoicing because the Price has been paid! The Victory has been Won! It's only a matter of time when all that is undesirable will no longer be in existence. Then we can go on to Higher Heights and . Deeper Depths and a Glorious enjoyment of the Actual Presence of GOD! I thank YOU, FATHER!"
Moving forward again to the Occasion on September tenth at Woodmont, FATHER and MOTHER rang the dinner bell at the beginning of the Service, after which MOTHER addressed FATHER as the Host, and welcomed the many guests who had accepted Their Invitation to participate in our Holy Days Celebration.
These Days are Holy because they mark the Anniversary of FATHER dedicating Woodmont in 1953, relinquishing His Body on September tenth, 1965, the completion of the Shrine To Life in 1968, the completion of the Portal Of Life Eternal in 1970, and the National Park Service designating Woodmont a National Historic Landmark in 1998. All of these events evolved around FATHER DIVINE. It was because of His Wonderful Work and Ministry, that they came about. Therefore, September tenth is observed as FATHER DIVINE'S DAY, when we Honor HIM for His miraculous achievements.
MOTHER DIVINE again spoke of the many guests who were present. One of these was Mrs. Tamara Tarasiouk, whose husband, Integrative Practitioner Dr. Ivan A. Tarasiouk, established the Center For Integrative Medicine in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. They came from the Ukraine. She spoke as follows:
"We are grateful for being present at this really great Banquet, sitting together with all these nice people. We are brought from earth to Heaven to the Real Heaven which the Peace Mission Movement has already built on earth. Thank YOU, MOTHER DIVINE and FATHER DIVINE for having us. For us who came from a Country where our Spiritual world was closed for everyone, it is really a great experience. Thank YOU!"
The august Philadelphia Country Club is just across the road from the Woodmont Estate. Mr. Stanley Engle is its President, who said:
"I happen to be President of the Philadelphia Country Club a neighbor of MOTHER DIVINE and Woodmont. I would just like to say, I hope we can be as good a neighbor to you as you have been to us. You have been very generous and kind to us. We really appreciate that, and we value our relationship with you."
Miss Elizabeth Christman has many friends in the Peace Mission. She now works with Mr. Pat Buchanan of the Reform Party. She was Vice Chair of the Reform Party in Pennsylvania before she moved to Washington. She said that she was happy to be present with MOTHER and the followers, and to hear FATHER'S Words. Her favorite song is "Come Home, America," which the Rosebud Choir sang. Some of its words are, "Come Home America, to your Documents; Come Home to Righteousness; Come Home to the Laws of GOD." She said:
"I wish we could live the words of that song. If we could do that, we could fulfill the Destiny of America. As MOTHER said, America can't be blessed until she is worthy of the Blessing. It's an honor to be here and share these Holy Days!"
The former Montgomery County Commissioner, Mr. Mario Mele, said that it was a Privilege to be here to participate in this magnificent Occasion. He commented that the food was beautiful, but the most beautiful food was the Spiritual food spoken by the Rosebuds, who did a superb job. He went on:
"Each day becomes more challenging or confusing, particularly for the young people who do not know what Truth really is. What do we look up to? We can't look up to some politician, that's for sure!
"Obviously, we have a challenge, and it is very important that we partake of events like this, to remind us of the Words spoken by FATHER DIVINE in the last fifty or seventy five years, or the Words that our LORD spoke 2000 years ago, and of course, the Words GOD gave to Moses many thousand years ago. It's the same Message Love your neighbor, Love GOD. If we could practice that today, we would have a tremendous world of Peace and Understanding. Thank you for including me today!"
A few years back, one of the Churches of the Peace Mission Movement located on 128th Street in New York City was purchased by the Christ Temple of the Apostolic Faith, whose Pastor is Bishop James I. Clark, Jr. He spoke thuswise:
"I am so happy and delighted to be here for the simple reason that I value the compatibility of what I understand about the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST with the Message of FATHER DIVINE and with what the Rosebuds have been singing about today. In the Pentecostal tradition, much of the emphasis is upon the Spiritual, and it is considerably emotional, and I find a social dimension to the Gospel. When I met MOTHER DIVINE and this Community ten or eleven years ago, I found that they have a similar interest.
"I have been able to use the property sold to us to advance that program about the Love of GOD, and about Justice, and about Righteousness, which is not very easy these days. So it's nice to sit here and listen to the Rosebuds sing about it, and to have people focus in on the very thing to which I have committed my life. I believe that the Reign of GOD has to do with bringing Righteousness and Justice to the earth."
Later in the Service, the Bishop's wife, Mother Clark, arose to say:
"We are happy to come once again. We certainly have enjoyed ourselves tremendously, and we are so grateful. The words of the songs that were sung are so meaningful. If we just put them into practice, this certainly would be a better world. It's our desire to strive for Peace among all men. The world is full of so much conflict, so much confusion. This is Peace Time! We are looking for the Oneness of man. Please keep us in your prayer." Release Of The Atom's Energy
"With the splitting of the Atom, releasing that Power, FATHER said it was just a parable of the Spiritual Atoms that have been split the awakening that has taken place in the minds of the children of men. Invention of the computer also is just a parable of what is in man. We have been blessed to see the great transforming process that has been going on in the hearts and lives and the affairs of the children of men. A Great Transformation has taken place.
"Oh, how Wonderful it is to know that if we just bring our hearts, our minds, and our bodies into subjection to the Law of the Spirit of Life that was in CHRIST JESUS, all of the negativity that we are plagued with will be dispelled. That's why FATHER stresses so much the Consciousness of GOD'S Actual Presence.
"We are so proud of FATHER DIVINE, because HE demonstrated this GOD Consciousness I mean such Goodness motivated by Love, free from all barriers of race, of nationality, of class distinction always honoring that of GOD which is in everyone. That's why HE would bring together the high and the low, the rich and the poor, because HE knew the Reality that rests within each person."
President Gerald Ford appointed Mrs. Georgianna Sheldon Sharp to be Deputy Director of the Peace Corps in his Administration. She said:
"MOTHER DIVINE, I can't tell YOU how pleased I am that I was invited to come here this evening to pay Homage to FATHER DIVINE, and also the opportunity to meet YOU a Very Special Lady! It makes me proud that I have had this opportunity. Thank YOU!"
Mrs. Sharp is a friend of Mr. C. Dudley Brown, who arose to say:
"I am not usually at a loss for words, but after all these marvelous remarks and certainly the presentation of the Rosebud Choir it is difficult to say anything really appropriate. But I want to agree with my friend, Georgianna Sharp, by saying that it is the greatest Privilege to be here.
"My life is Historic Preservation old buildings and the people who are in them. It's the greatest of all possible pleasures. In our industry, we love to see great houses like this one become schools, and become all sorts of other things. It's a great experience to see a magnificent building like this serving a function as The Mount Of The House Of The LORD. It's very impressive to all of us. Our thanks to MOTHER DIVINE for continuing to preserve this excellence and for inviting us to come and participate this evening. Thank YOU!"
Mr. Brown is a good friend of architect Robert Skaler, past President of the Philadelphia Victorian Society. MOTHER DIVINE credits Mr. Skaler as one who has promoted the preservation of Historic Architecture in Philadelphia, and as being a good friend of the Peace Mission.
"It is my pleasure to be here with you tonight. MOTHER'S remarks reminded me of something I said probably a year ago about a song that Johnny Mercer wrote I found out that Johnny Mercer attended one of FATHER DIVINE'S Lectures, and that Lecture gave him the inspiration to write his much celebrated song, 'Accentuate The Positive And Eliminate The Negative.'
"The other thing I would like to mention is that I am putting out a book on West Philadelphia. I am pleased to have the Divine Tracy and Unity Mission at 41st and Westminster in the book, and give the history of those buildings and the fact that FATHER DIVINE was involved in them. I'll let you know when it comes out."
Mr. Skaler then introduced Mr. John Simonelli, President of the Victorian Society of America, by saying that he is doing a great job in presiding over all
Victorian Society Chapters. Mr. Simonelli said:
"Peace Everyone! Like many in the Victorian Society, I came here a number of years ago, having an interest in preservation, because this was indeed an old building. And like others in the Victorian Society, once they came here, I was changed and probably changed forever by the Spirit of the Place, the Serenity, and I must say, the Joy that one finds here. It is just incredible to have Love coming back. I hope you will have me again, Thank You!"
MOTHER then introduced the Wood Family, the ancestors of whom built Woodmont over one hundred years ago. Mr. Alan Wood IV, responded as follows:
"Peace! I guess I need to say something about the past. I studied the history of our family. It goes back to times that we don't remember. There is no one alive that knew the person who built this House. I just get a feeling that what transpired since YOU have been here, MOTHER and FATHER DIVINE, is exactly what he would have wanted. We thank YOU very much for including us. We were thrilled to get Your Invitation."
Mr. Wood's son, Crosby Wood, was next to speak. He said:
"Peace to everyone! I appreciate Your Invitation, MOTHER. Being here has been lovely. This entire experience is awe inspiring. This is my first and I hope it will not be my last. I thank everybody. I appreciate it!"
Mr. Stanley Walker is Mrs. Geraldine Walker's husband. She spoke at the beginning of the Service. Mr. Walker expressed himself at length. Here are excerpts from his remarks.
"Peace, Everyone! Thank YOU, FATHER and MOTHER and Rosebuds! I have been dealing with food for twenty five years, trying to raise the consciousness with people all over the world about the importance of eating biological food which means no additives and no chemicals, but really strong, dynamic food. Lots of the vegetables that you received today are 'biological vegetables' organic, non- chemicalized, non-processed. They came out of the garden here on these grounds. Everyone knows that if you eat chemicalized, processed, artificial food, you will have weak quality blood, and cause your organs to degenerate.
"The beautiful thing here tonight we have all eaten this very powerful,
strong food, that is cooked with so much Love. What makes a Family? People
who are together who have the same quality blood. We all ate the same food,
and we have the same blood. Isn't this a beautiful Family? I say my prayers
every morning. I ask GOD to continue to bless me, and make this day a better
day than yesterday. This certainly is turning out to be the best!"
Dr. Leonard Norman Primiano is a long standing friend of the Peace Mission. He is Professor of Religion at Cabrini College in Radnor, Pennsylvania. He remarked that Religion is not to give you answers, but Religion leads you to GOD, to the Transcendent, to the mysterious Ultimate. It is not like a detective novel where there is an answer at the end. He went on.
"That is why it is so difficult to reach a certain Consciousness, even in the Peace Mission. FATHER DIVINE'S Ideas are the most challenging Ideas possible, Spiritually. Woodmont exists as the Symbol of Perfect Consciousness to the members of the Peace Mission, who strive to be as Perfect Spiritually as this Place. They try to live up to this Standard in their daily lives.
"The greatest experience in coming here is to touch that Perfection. It is Symbolic. It is a Consciousness. Even when dining at the Keyflower Dining Room at the Divine Tracy Hotel in Philadelphia, one is aware of the impact of this Spirituality, eating the organic fruits and vegetables grown on the Holy Ground of Woodmont."
It is obvious that this was an extraordinary gathering of like minded spirits,
representative of the full spectrum of Life. When they came onto the Holy Grounds
of Woodmont, and into the Great Hall of the Manor House, they came under the
spell of the Unifying Power of FATHER and MOTHER DIVINE'S Great Love for Mankind.
A certain Chemistry was generated among these beautiful spirits that melded
them together into One!
MRS. M. J. DIVINE, MOTHER DIVINE, Bride of the Lamb, stands with FATHER DIVINE at the Helm, the Rudder, of the Ship Of State known as the Peace Mission Movement. Everyone who knows HER feels the transcendent strength of Her Spirit and Mind. Everyone who knows HER recognizes HER as the Great Lady of the World! Dressed in black on this Hallowed Day of Days, Her Magnificence was unmistakable. Toward the end of this Holy Communion Banquet Service, MOTHER DIVINE addressed the enchanted gathering with these glowing Words of Wisdom.
"Woodmont stands as a Beacon Light for all the world. It stands to let people know that the Moral Law is the Law that should be practiced. I tell the sisters and brothers here that we are in 'Law School,' the Law of Life. In Reality, we are learning the Laws of Life the Laws that bring us out of personalities where there is nothing but confusion.
"We are learning the Law of Economic Security and Economic Abundance by knowing that GOD is the Source of all supply, and that there is afull and aplenty for everyone, if we abide by that Law. I often think of how GOD created all things without our personal consideration. Laughter ensued! If we can just get back to that Consciousness, we will be free from the hassle of every day living, and we can enjoy such as you are enjoying tonight.
"You are all here and have come from all walks of life. You are all enjoying that which we all have in common. You are relaxed. You are enjoying the beauty, and you are enjoying the Spirit. You can testify and name what you are enjoying. This is what we have to look forward to, because GOD is a Reality and HE is going to have this world the way HE planned to have it with or without any one of us. Like the Spirit that moved out upon the face of the deep and brought all things into manifestation, that same Spirit is working to create Heaven on Earth.
"The Spirit of CHRIST since the time of Jesus, went forth to establish the Rights of man that were finally legalized in the Constitution of the United States the basis of this great Country that welcomed everybody, so that we could be a real melting pot, in which all our differences are melted down, so that we might produce that which would be best for us all.
"It is Wonderful that America is the Birthplace of the Kingdom of GOD on earth for that very reason. It is here that we must work out our differences, and we must bring into Reality what the Millennium is all about the Reign of GOD on earth the Reign of Love and Peace and Righteousness for one and all!"
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