My First Experiences with the Way

I first took "Power for Abundant Living" in 1962, live, under Dr. Wierwille at the first Summer School offered by The Way International. Since then I have been involved at times at nearly every level of the ministry from leadership under Dr. Wierwille prior to the first Way Corps, to leadership under the Way Corps, to leadership as Way Corps, and as a local follower.

My Cultural Background

My parents were Mennonite and subscribed to the tight moral codes of such ultra conservative groups. Dad considered himself a liberal by attending churches other than Mennonite and allowing his children to attend public school. However dancing, smoking, swearing and movie theaters were strictly forbidden. Bible reading and prayers before bed were the routine. Consequently, we children were raised in conservative churches such as the Missionary Church and the Alliance Church founded by A. B. Simpson, one of the pioneers of the modern missionary movement. We attended churches in Swanton and Delta, Ohio. Eventually, I attended the missionary college of the Alliance in Nyack, New York, from 1968 to 1971.

My Parents Found the Way

My parents were introduced to The Way Ministry by a friend, Ross Owens, father of a classmate, who had been listening to the Vesper Chimes Hour on the radio. He wrote to Dr. Wierwille about his Bible class. Dr. Wierwille responded with a suggestion that if he wanted to take the class in Swanton or Delta, he should gather 12 students and Dr. would come up to our area and teach it. My parents agreed to be two of the twelve for a Swanton class.

Dr. Wierwille occasionally spoke of "even teaching a PFAL class in a bar!"  He was referring to my parents class taught in the fall of 1961 at a VFW hall on Main Street in Swanton, Ohio on Friday nights for 12 weeks. The bar/hall was divided into two rooms with only a paneled partition between the meeting room and the bar.  Dr. set up the teaching platform with his back to the partition. Through every class he heard the TV, laughter, and clinking glasses. More than once, someone had to go into the next room and ask them to keep it down. Televised football was on Friday nights then.

I Found the Way

About half way through my parents class in the fall of 1961, one of the "grads" invited me to go with him to The Way Headquarters. We met in the basement of the Weirwille home. The meeting was attended by 40-something people, with Dr. Wierwille leading and teaching from the corner of an L-shaped room. That's when I heard speaking in tongues for the first time (that I can remember). Some girl spoke in some French dialect which I mostly understood being in my second year of French in school. When she spoke English, I knew she had given the correct meaning of the French part.

After the meeting several "grads" introduced themselves to me and asked me what I thought about the manifestations.  I had to ask what they were talking about. They meant the speaking in tongues and prophecy. Oh, that; well, the girl speaking French was right, I replied. I didn't know what else to say but that ended those brief intros with a look of surprise, then each grad would turn and walk away. I did ask one guy what languages he spoke. I thought every one there must have understood some one speaking in tongues. I thought that was the test of the validity of it all: someone understood the tongue and would know if you messed up the English part - that would keep everybody on their toes. It would be months before I knew that not only did the speaker not know the language but usually no one else did either!

First Way Family Fellowships

At the end of the Swanton class, Dr. Wierwille encouraged the class to meet regularly and review the syllabus, to retain the teachings. My father volunteered his house and I began to meet Way believers every Friday night. We met in our basement around a huge drop leaf table that could seat over 22 people. We reviewed the syllabus line by line for the next six months.

Those meetings were not always study sessions around the table. Eventually we finished the syllabus and went on to "Studies in Abundant Living" or the little 25¢ booklets. Sometimes grads would do presentations of a booklet. Other sessions were more like revival meetings or even "singsperations" with a lot of prayer and ministering healing.

Those meetings eventually evolved into more formal gatherings where we sang songs and some one would bring us up to date on headquarters events (announcements). Then we would just listen to a grad present a teaching, often their own study of a Sunday night teaching. Since the moderator installed the AV equipment at headquarters, we had access to tape equipment for occasional use to hear the latest teaching from Dr. Wierwille.

It was in those meetings that I first saw some one minister healing. The most amazing thing! No one told that man what was wrong with that lady but he knew and commanded it to go away. She got healed. Wow! This Bible stuff is real!

I First Spoke in Tongues

I learned the PFAL class in those Friday night sessions. I learned about speaking in tongues. The moderator tried to lead us kids into it during a special session on a school night. I hesitated and told him that I would when I was ready, and went to bed. However, I told God that I would in the morning. The following morning I was getting ready for school when I heard a "shout" in my head that said "you are supposed to speak in tongues this morning" so I responded with "thanks" and started to speak in tongues and did so constantly for two weeks before I told my parents. I was barely fifteen years old.

That experience led to "conversations with God" which seemed perfectly natural and normal to me but when I shared this with my parents, they would just stare at me and say nothing. I must confess that I did most but not all of the talking. I guess Mennonites don't think of God as that personal or friendly.

My First Summer School and Foundational Class

When I heard about The Way's first Summer School, I begged my parents to let me attend. What better way to get away from that farm community and my parents for awhile! How could they object to two months at the Way? But object they did! They said Dr. Wierwille smokes, drinks and swears. If I went, I had to promise not to be influenced by his liberal and sinful ways. I promised, and promised.

Summer School opening on Sunday night was the first session of PFAL, often a public session for the classes then. The next morning, I reported for work. Dr Wierwille was my work coordinator! There he was, the Bible teacher and man of God, in overalls sitting on a bucket, leaning back against the tool shed door, smoking a non-filter Kool. I had never seen preachers act like this!

Our first project was to finish cleaning up the barn so we boys (five of us) could move in. What? Where was the boys dormitory? Live in a barn? All summer? I thought I was going to the headquarters of The Way Ministry, the great Biblical Teaching Center. I had just spent the night on the floor of the BRC dining room and now a barn? Well, we did, and I did live in a barn all summer. The girls (seven of them) lived in a refurbished corn crib, another of our work projects.

My summer was divided among work in The Way Woods (after the barn and crib were done) in the morning and classes in the afternoon with Dr. Wierwille teaching at night. I met Dr. George Lamsa (Aramaic scholar), Bishop K.C. Pillai (Orientalisms expert), and the Powells (speed reading teachers). But the night sessions were the real highlight!

After the Foundational Class followed two summer camps, for which I served as staff, helping Kai Eshelman with administrative errands and Mrs. Stork with crafts. I never did take to "devotion with motion" taught by Jan George. That seemed too oriental, too mystical or too much like dancing for this farm boy.

By then I had reneged on my promise to my Dad. Stephanie Wells had tried to teach me dances at a party; the "hully gully", "twist", and "mashed potatoes."  I didn't get any of it. I felt so awkward and embarrassed.

Dr. Wierwille's brother, H. E. Wierwille, whom Dr.'s children called Uncle Harry, (as did the rest of us kids) loaned us his cadilliac to go to the movies. We had to borrow a couple of other cars to get all 12 of us to the drive-in to see Bob Hope in "Bachelor in Paradise", a comedy about a vacuum cleaner salesman. I had been to a dance and the movies; I was surely in trouble now.

Dad and Mom came to HQ, between camps, to see how I was doing. So I told them what I had been doing... all of it. Dad and Dr. Wierwille got into a fight about sin and corrupting the youth. Dad tried to pull me out of summer school but Dr. fought to keep me there. Dr. swore at my father and accused him of being a religious bigot and reneging on his commitment to send me to summer school. My Dad boiled but I stayed. I did have to go back to the barn and unpack my things. We had another week of camp, a couple of weeks of work and classes with Dr. teaching various subjects in the evening and then came the "Advanced Class".

My First Advanced Class

Dr. Wierwille had announced two weeks before the Advanced Class that anyone who wanted to take the class had to see him personally about enrollment. I thought summer school included the Advanced Class, but I asked for an appointment in his office anyway, instead of bringing it up on work time. He granted me a time two days later.

The time arrived after lunch and Mrs Wierwille announced my arrival and showed me in. Dr. asked me what this was all about. Jeez, I thought this appointment thing was his idea. So I told him that he announced that I had to see him if I wanted to take Advanced Class. He sat a moment starring at me with his face turning red. Then he put his hands flat on his desk a slowly rose to his feet without losing eye contact. Good Lord! I must have done something really bad. He then began to pace the room for 45 min. on a tirade about how costly summer school had been. Harry had to float most of the bill; I didn't know how to work; how could I be so lazy; I was fat and had pimples, etc., etc. I was shaken, confused and nearly in tears. He finished behind the desk leaning over me staring into my face when he said so what have you got to say for yourself?  I couldn't think of thing in my defense so I repeated my first question, You haven't answered my question. Can I take the Advanced Class?  His face invented a new shade of crimson. Then he just fell back into his chair and spun it around to face the window and said Yes, now get the hell out of here!  (I could swear he was grinning as I left.) I took the Advanced Class.

First Time I Led a Foundational Class

While at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, I was "exploring" spiritual matters. I visited churches and went to any meeting that seemed to have something on the ball. I frequently visited Grace Bible Church where I met Dr. Merrel Unger who authored the "Unger Bible Dictionary". He was a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary where a few of my army buddies attended after discharge. I went to Dallas one weekend and sat in one of his classes. I did have fun arguing speaking in tongues with him. I also demonstrated tongues with interpretation and prophecy for those same army buddies. Their Grace Bible Church taught that it went out with the apostles. They were very disconcerted at what I did so they went to their pastor. He was shocked because I practiced it exactly as he understood it from the scriptures. He nearly reversed his position on the subject but that would have ended his leadership of Grace Bible Church so he backed off of the subject saying that perhaps their position should be reconsidered.

That was as close as I got to sharing what I knew of the holy spirit field until I heard two guys talking late one night outside the barracks. I turned around on my top bunk to see out the window and saw one man I recognized from the barracks across the street. These two men were talking about speaking in tongues. It seems one had once and was trying to convince the other that he should seek it. I made it a point to introduce myself the next day.

That led to many talks on the subject and I showed them what it was and how it was inspiration, not a gift. I eventually led them into the same fluency that I had. Then they wanted to take that Power for Abundant Living Class. I had no idea how that could happen as I was the only Way believer for two thousand miles!

I wrote to Dr. Wierwille that I had two army guys interested in the PFAL class. I requested tapes and books so I could present the class to only two students. I never thought about a minimum number of students. It didn't occur to me that my request was anything unusual. I received a prompt reply as I expected and was told that the tapes, books and other materials were on the way.

I received a set of 12 reel to reel tapes, two sets of syllabi, collateral booklets and set of "how to" instructions on running a PFAL class. We arranged to play tapes four nights per week for three weeks. We used a barracks room since one of the guys was a barracks sergeant and had a private room. Since I had led them into tongues already, I wasn't worried about session 12; however, getting through 36 hours of tape was going to be a challenge. We started and did it. Only about a month later I was discharged and left these two on their own. They did as I had learned: reviewed the syllabus, line by line. Eventually they could not contain themselves and wrote to headquarters for another set of books and tapes. They had four new students...and so a new fellowship started!

My First Leadership Opportunity

I had dropped out of Bible Seminary [another essay] and wrote a letter to Dr. Wierwille volunteering to do anything he needed in the ministry. He wrote back that we would talk about it at the Rye, New York Advanced Class he was going to teach soon.

When the appointed time came after one of the sessions, he asked me if I was serious. I said "YES!"  He then asked me to take over the North West Ohio Branch. As he put it, "That girl up there is driving me crazy, she has no sense!" I was to contact her and ask for the money she was holding to use for moving expenses. And so I did. She had $2,250.00 of the ministry's money in a checking account. She sent me only $600.00 instead of all of it as Dr. requested. When I got to Ohio and asked her why so little, she said, "It was God's money, not yours or Dr. Wierwille's..." Then I understood Dr.'s frustration. I have no idea how or where she thought she was going to deliver it.

When I arrived in Ohio, I moved in with my parents until I could talk to Howard Allen for instruction about what to do next. He told me to get the rest of the money from that girl and rent a decent house, get some furniture and set up a small office area in the house.

I rented the upper floor of an historic carriage house in Maumee. I got a table and chairs and two swivel base bean bag chairs. I did have some furniture; I brought from New York an inflatable couch and chair and end tables made of pasteboard boxes and contact paper. The tiny front alcove office was furnished with a secretarys desk and chair, a file cabinet, and a touch tone-phone. (I paid extra for that service!) Having done this in two weeks I was ready to function as the North West Branch Leader for The Way Inc. -whatever that meant. Now I was ready for "the fray" to follow, but that's another essay.