Jacob Winters, the son of Craig Winters, died on January 13, 2002. Jacob would have been 25 in May. He had Addison’s disease. This is a deterioration of the adrenal system. His system kept creating adrenaline and pumping it into his stomach causing nausea and severe vomiting. He basically starved to death. I was angry about this because he could have taken steroids to live a healthy life. I spoke to him several times before he died and he said his dad told him he shouldn’t be taking the medicine but should rely on God to heal him. He was a very close friend of ours and was like a brother to my husband and I and a favorite uncle to our kids. I can’t go into all of the details about how his death changed our lives–it is far too lengthy. But it did.
In June I almost died myself. I had a fibroid tumor that caused severe hemorrhaging. In one day I lost so much blood, my hemoglobin went from 11.5 to 4. When they took my blood it looked like Kool-Aid. I was told that I needed an operation to remove the fibroid which was the size of a baby’s 10cm head. It was on the outside of my uterus pushing it inside out through my cervix. They sent me home for a week to wait for shrinking and surgery. The following Thursday, I started hemorrhaging again and this time, went in straight away. When they X-rayed the tumor this time, miraculously it was inside of my uterus and there was no damage to the other organs. It was coming out on it’s own. They put me under a general anesthesia and all they had to do was catch it. They never had to lift a scalpel.
I was very distressed about using a hospital at all for any of this because I believed that Christ’s stripes were for our healing.1 However, I asked God to just direct the doctor’s hand and bless the outcome of the entire procedure. I would say He did that and more! However, when I tried to relay this to Craig Winters in an email, he responded with: “When was your ‘miraculous’ healing? Before or after your blood transfusion?!” When the congregation wanted to send me a get well card, the local elder, Jeff Greaser,2 would not allow it. He claimed that he wanted to see the outcome of “all of this” first. Since when do we wait to see the outcome of any situation when sending encouragement? This really hurt me because one year previous, they sure sent the deacon’s wife a get well card when she had the same thing done and they did have to use a scalpel on her!!
While all of this was going on, I was really beginning to study Gerald Flurry’s writings for the first time since 1993. I was determined, after Jake’s death, to get closer to God. In doing so I discovered why there is death all around in that group. God is nowhere near them. For all of their accusations of other congregations being Laodicean, they are the most loveless and judgmental group out there. I can’t believe the abominations that go on inside of PCG. So much so that they are expecting the state to move in and take over. Flurry has no business being allowed to have that much control over people’s personal lives.
But if you question the new “Christ in the flesh” [GF] you are put out of the organization and told that you have a “government problem.” His behavior is very dangerous. How many times does he have to say “Rally around God’s man”; “Find God’s man”; “God works through one man”; “Back and support God’s man”; “There’s only one man on earth doing God’s work.” God says “Let no man take your crown.” Flurry thinks he needs to use this word over and over on one page.
After all is said and done and watching the actual behavior of the local ministry, I know my husband and I have made the right choice to leave. We have had more blessings since leaving than we ever did staying in there. Rather odd. If you are considering joining the PCG, read your Bible first and RUN like HELL in the other direction. It will ruin your life, your marriage, your relationship with God, and your kids’ lives! I am relieved to be an ex-member.
By Evelyn
December 20, 2002
Recommended Letter:
Jake Winters a Victim of Abuse
Related Material:
Philadelphia Church of God Healing Doctrine
“Members to Develop the Faith to Face Death” (April 24, 2007 PCG letter, which included 2001 fax from PCG headquarters.)
How Did WCG Instruct Ministers to Deal With “Health and Medical Problems”? (These policies were taught to the ministers of WCG to “avoid prosecution.” How much are PCG ministers following these today?)
Footnote by ESN:
1 PCG members are taught that they must trust God for all healings. This has led to ongoing illnesses and even deaths to many of the members. Referring to the verse in Isa. 53:5: “…and with his stripes we are healed,” the late J. Vernon McGee takes us to I Peter 2:24 which says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the cross, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” Then he asks the question, “Healed of what?” He goes on to answer, “Peter makes it quite clear that we are healed of our trespasses and sins.” Jesus came to be the Great Healer–but the Great Healer heals of sins. (Vol. 3, p. 314; Vol. 5, p. 695)
2 Jeff Greaser later died.