TELL THE TRUTH LIKE IT IS

THE ALLEGATIONS

On 22 July 2012 bro Quintin brought allegations of dishonesty and financial mismanagement against bro Twynham. The deacons and elders were conducting the inquiry because they have the authority to do so as per the scriptures and the Message. Bro Twynham promised to give his full cooperation with the investigation, but he made a complete about turn after meeting with bro Pillay on the same day. What happened is for bro Twynham to answer. On 29 July 2012 bro Twynham made the allegations public from the pulpit without the investigation being completed and without him cooperating with the investigation. On this day he rejected the allegations without there be any investigation whatsoever! This is contrary to the teachings of the scripture and the Message. On 5 August 2012 he "dismissed" the Deacon and Trustee boards unconstitutionally and contrary to the Message.

According to the teachings of Bro Branham, the pastor has no power to dissolve any board or dismiss a member on any board. The teachings of the Message are quite clear that only the Church as a whole can vote out an elected church official and the pastor would only have a single vote. This is what bro Branham says:

1.1.1 Baptism of the Holy Spirit 58-0928M

" If you don't like your pastor, and there's two or three people gets something against the pastor, they can't raise up. If they're deacons, trustees, they just… Or what officer they are here they just got one vote; that's all. If he's assistant pastor, he's just got one vote. He's just like the lay member sets back there. The whole vote of the church settles the matter. No deacon board put a pastor out, or no pastor put a deacon board out. The church does that in a general vote of the whole thing. "

1.1.2 A Super Sense 59-1227E

" In our church, it's the sovereignty of the church. The church moves, or puts in the trustee, the church moves the pastor, or puts in the pastor, whatever it is, it is the church in all. That's apostolic. That's the way it was did in the Bible time. Therefore, we feel that no one person then is a dictator or something in the church. We don't want that. Every man, every person, myself in voting in anyone, has just got one vote, just like any other person of the church here, just one vote. It isn't what I say; it's what the church says (See?) what the church says in the body. You like that? Oh, I think that's just Scriptural. That's the way it should be. "

1.1.3 Hebrews Chapter 7(#2) 57-0922E

"We have no bishops and overseers, and boards and so forth, moves this one in and got a lot of authority. There's nobody got authority here but the Holy Ghost. That's right. He does the moving. And we take him as the majority of the people, the way the people go"

Now you decide. Is the Message correct or is bro Twynham correct? Bro Twynham's attempt at the dismissal of the deacons and trustees was therefore substantively and procedurally incorrect and therefore remains invalid. But what could be the underlying motive for such an act? Is it to divide and conquer? Is it to ensure that an investigation is stopped in its tracts? No board, no investigation!

GOING TO THE LAW

On Sunday 26 August 2012, at a Special General Meeting held at West End Community Centre, the church decided that bro Twynham be suspended from his pastoral duties with full pay, pending the completion of the investigation into the allegations brought against him. On 28 August and 29 August 2012, bro Twynham was served a pre-suspension and a suspension letter respectively. The letters were on the church letter-head and not from any lawyers. On 30 August 2012 he decided to take the law route and wrote us a lawyer's letter refusing to abide by the suspension resolution. Bro Twynham was now completely contrary to 1 Cor 6:1 that states:

"Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?"

We chose the saints (deacons and elders) but bro Twynham chose the law . Therefore, reluctantly, we had no choice but to consult an attorney. On Sunday 2 September 2012 he announced that a new trustee would be elected, once again unlawful and contrary to the Message. On 6 September 2012 bro Twynham was requested, through his lawyer, to stop the election of a trustee. He refused. On Friday 7 September 2012 we brought an urgent court application to stop the unlawful election of a new trustee, amongst other reliefs sought. (The Main Application). The courts ruled in our favour to stop the election of a trustee pending the finalisation of the matter. The law dealt with the lawless as the scriptures demand.

BACKGROUND OF THE MAIN APPLICATION

The hearing of this application has been stalled because bro Twynham was adamant that a forensic audit first be conducted to prove the veracity of the allegations of dishonesty and financial mismanagement against him. To date this audit report has not yet been produced, this despite all records made available to him through the courts. Bro Twynham remains completely silent about the whereabouts of this report. We are all aware that SARS, via the prosecuting authority, has brought a criminal case against bro Twynham for tax fraud after a very extensive investigation of over 6 months. This was after bro Quintin reported bro Twynham to SARS on 13 August 2012 for possible tax evasion. The theft charge of church monies was added by the NPA, the prosecuting authority. The latter charge was later dropped by the NPA after representations from bro Twynham's lawyer. As a result of this unlawful conduct of bro Twynham, the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) brought a successful court application against him for a Restraint Order to seize his assets. The AFU acts when a potential crime has been committed. They make sure that crime does not pay.

COMMERCIAL CRIMES COURT (CCU) JUDGMENT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

Brother Twynham has been found guilty of 8 counts of tax fraud on 4 December 2015 in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court (CCU) Port Elizabeth. Surely a criminal record such as this scripturally disqualifies anyone from holding the office of a pastor. Unquestionably such a situation demands of any group of message believers to answer the question of Bro Branham namely: "Congregation, do you want to change your pastor?" Most definitely bro Twynham's advisors and followers cannot be that blindly loyal as to not even question his suitability to hold the office of pastor given his criminal record?

It is for this reason, "Congregation, do you want to change your pastor?" that bro John Adriaanse on behalf of the Concerned Believers of PE Tabernacle, brought a Joinder Application wherein he simply asks that we be allowed to vote on the matter. It is abundantly clear that bro Twynham was not willing to subject himself to any local church authority, once again contrary to the scriptures and the Message. Bro Twynham opposed this joinder application unsuccessfully. The courts granted bro John's motion to be joined to the Main Application. In this application Bro John cited the disciplinary process to be followed as advocated by Bro Branham.

STATUS OF THE MAIN APPLICATION

The Main Application was finally heard in the High Court on 3 December 2015 after three years of delaying tactics by Bro Twynham. The judge was very impressed with Bro Branham's procedure for dealing with allegations against an elder. He described the honourable Reverend Branham as a fair man. This is EXACTLY the process the deacons and elders followed in July 2012 when bro Twynham stubbornly refuse to subject himself to this Biblical process. The only thing still outstanding is to bring the matter before the church and thereafter for the church to decide through a voting process, if they want bro Twynham to continue to be the pastor. That is apostolic!

Judgment in the Main Application was handed down on Tuesday 9 February 2016. Judge J. Smith ruled in our favour and made it a Court Order that there will be a General Meeting where members can discuss the misconduct of bro Twynham and vote on whether they still want him as pastor. The judgment is now a public document available to anyone. It will remain a puzzle to us that a simple process to resolve a dispute such as this in a message church was so strongly opposed by the incumbent pastor. We as the concerned believers had to ask the courts to help us implement the message of our beloved prophet. What has happened to true leadership?

Has the gesture of Sarah Branham in an open letter to all message believers come true when she admonishes: " I believe that the return of our Lord is very near. The things which are not right amongst God's people must be straightened out immediately. If we are not willing to do so the law will have to do it for us ."

UNTENABLE SITUATION OF PE TABERNACLE

All of us who proclaim to follow the Message should be willing to straighten out the things which are not right amongst God's people. Bro Branham expects of us to do so.

In the message: Book of Hebrews Chapter 7(#2) 57-0922E pgh 292

"Now, if there's anything wrong in the church that you ever know of, some individual or some person or anything, you are duty bound and will answer before God if you don't clear that thing out; you, the church. Now, remember, it's not on my shoulders. It's on yours. And anything wrong in the church, God will make you answer for it."

The end of an untenable situation brought upon us by failed leadership is in sight.

Speaking the Truth in love

Concerned Believers of PE Tabernacle

The disciplinary procedure and action advocated by Bro Branham and referred to above is spelt out below for your reference .

"If you want to move the pastor, tell me why. Has he done anything?

"Yes, we caught him drunk. Or, we caught him doing this, or doing something wasn't right."

"Have you got three witnesses of it?"

"Yes we have."

"Them witnesses must first be tried. "Don't receive an accusation against an elder 'less it be of two or three witnesses, let them first be proved; against an elder." Then you have to swear to it, that they saw it; and prove it, they saw it.

And then, if you did, then that sin is rebuked openly, that, "its wrong." Then say "Congregation, do you want to change your pastor?"

And if the congregation votes, "Forgive him, and let him go on yet," that's the way it has to stand. See? That isn't that fair enough the way to run a church? That's what the Bible said. We have no bishops and overseers, and boards and so forth, moves this one in and got a lot of authority. There's nobody got authority here but the Holy Ghost. That's right. He does the moving. And we take him as the majority of the people, the way the people go.'

(Book of Hebrews Chapter 7(#2) 57-0922E pgh 283-289; 1 Tim 5:19-20)