The parking lot was already beginning to fill up when Paul Brown and Brandon Hayes pulled in. Paul's wife, Karen, had stayed home with the kids. Carla Minger and her three had come over to spend the evening with them as well.
It was good to see Kevin and Rebecca Farnham drive in as they were getting out of the car. He really seemed to have a change of heart since rededicating himself to the Lord during the Sunday morning service. He was excited about getting back into the church and wanted to the Sunday morning service. He was excited about getting back into the church and wanted to 16, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” was, he told Paul on the phone, his new motto.
Despite the short notice, there was a good turnout. The Krankoviches and the Davidsons were already there along with Willie Sykes and Dr. Minger. Though no longer members, Pastor John and his wife Andrea were there with his sister, Julie Morgan and her husband, David. They had just arrived from Maryland an hour earlier. Bill and Janet Bartlett arrived a few minutes later along with Dan Logan. It was a tribute to Brandon Hayes' and Chuck Krankovitch's hard work on the phones all afternoon that so many were there.
Paul stepped up to the pulpit at 7:00 PM and called the emergency meeting to order. After asking his uncle to open in prayer, he briefly outlined the various materials that Pastor Williams had left in the safety deposit box. While he spoke, Willie Sykes projected digital photos of some of the items on the screen alongside Paul. Sykes had taken the pictures earlier and loaded them into his laptop, which was plugged into a video projector.
There was a collective gasp as the picture of Wildwood with an inverted red pentagram came up on the screen. Using a small laser pointer, Paul pointed out the various points and line intersects as he reviewed some of the incidents associated with each area.
Zeroing in on the center of the pentagram, Paul recounted the story of Pastor Hayes and the hole that swallowed up his son and a neighbor boy in the woods behind the church. Brandon Hayes and himself, he pointed out, were the direct descendents of Pastor Hayes son, Thomas, who had managed to escape the hole.
“According to Pastor Williams, the men covered the hole with a thick wooden cap, buried it under several feet of dirt, and set some sort of marker on top of it as a memorial.” Paul paused before continuing. “Pastor Williams did not know what the site was marked with. Neither did we, until today. Willie...”
Willie Sykes tapped his computer and a picture of the fallen ginkgo tree with caution tape around it filled the screen.
“Hey!” someone called out from the back of the room, “What happened to that tree? That's on record as the oldest ginkgo tree in Summit County. My grandfather said that was the first ever planted in the Western Reserve. Early 1800's, he said.”
“Yes,” agreed Paul, “I remember writing a report on it when I was in college. However, I now believe that this tree was the marker placed over the site of the mysterious hole that Pastor Williams wrote about.”
The picture changed to a close up of the upended roots and the scooped out pit under them. Bits of rotten wood stuck out awkwardly from the soft dirt in the hole.
“The recent rain must have softened the ground around the tree. The leaves have hardly begun to wilt so it could not have come down too long ago. More importantly, you can see the remains of the wooden cap that was buried under it back in 1811—.”
“How do you know that's the same hole?” interrupted Dan Logan.
“Well,” answered Paul, “Let me tell you what happened there this afternoon.”
A stunned silence filled the auditorium as Paul related how his son and Dr. Minger's had nearly fallen in. Several people expressed concern for Dr. Minger's son who had nearly been swallowed by the pit. Dr. Minger reassured everyone that his son was a little sore but otherwise seemed to be none the worse for the experience. He cautioned them that it was only through the power of God that Matt had been freed from whatever it was that had gotten a hold of him.
“Consequently,” concluded Paul, “That is why we called this meeting. We are faced with a grave situation here. We have reason to believe that the hole represents what occultists and New Agers refer to as a shamballah opening. It’s supposed to be a direct opening to the dwelling place of Lucifer and the Masters of Wisdom. Of course, the 'Masters of Wisdom' are nothing more than fallen angels or devils.
“The idea, however, is that the opening provides direct access to the wisdom and power of Lucifer, who they consider to be the true God. It’s all a part of the lie of the Devil, though. We know that Satan is, according to 1 Peter 5:8, walking about 'as a roaring lion…seeking whom he may devour'. It would also explain why this area has been a center of demonic activity throughout its history.
“I believe that we, as a church, need to confront what amounts to a satanic stronghold right in our backyard. It won't be easy, though. The Devil never likes to give up territory. That is why I am calling on you, and me, as a church to covenant together in prayer and fasting between now and Wednesday evening.”
Paul paused while the lights were turned back up and Sykes turned off the video projector. “In the meantime, I would like to open this meeting up for discussion and questions. Afterwards, for anyone who would like to stay and pray with us tonight, we'll keep the church open for as long as we need to.”
The questions and discussion started almost immediately. While many expressed worry and fear, Paul reminded them of God's promise in 1 John 4:4: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Another group wanted to head out into the woods right away. They were ready to storm the very gates of hell and take on the devil himself. Paul cautioned them against taking such rash action by reminding them of the inability of the disciples to cast an evil spirit out of a young boy in Matthew 17. “Remember, Jesus said '...this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.'”
Still others, however, voiced a different plan. Led by Bill Bartlett, much to the chagrin of his wife, a small but vocal group asked if it would be better to just relocate the church elsewhere. After all, Bill pointed out, Dan Logan knew that Narsch Industries was looking for a location to build their new distribution facility. He was reasonably sure they would be willing to pay a fairly substantial amount of money for the church property due to its desirable location.
When Bill called for a vote on the issue, Logan seconded it. Several others nodded their agreement. Paul balked on bringing such an extreme measure to a vote on such short notice. Fortunately, most of the rest of the church voiced their opposition strongly enough that Bill retracted the motion.
Logan, angered by the congregation's refusal to vote on selling the church to Narsch Industries, jumped to his feet. “You'll regret this!” he snapped, “That thing in the woods is bigger than you are. You'll never beat it. You people are too stupid to know when you've been defeated. If you'd get your collective heads out of that dumb Bible of yours long enough to think straight for once in your life you'd realize how duped you've been. I've had enough of this charade!”
He grabbed Bill by the shoulder. “This isn't working! Let's get out of here”
Bill looked momentarily confused. He looked up at Dan and then at Paul. A look of resolve came over his face as he turned back to face Dan again. “No,” he said quietly, “No, I won't.”
Logan's face became beet red. The sinews of his neck stood out like taunt piano wires as he glared down at Bill. Clenching and unclenching his fists slowly, he looked like a bull getting ready to charge. Then, abruptly, he spun on his heel and stomped furiously out of the suprisingly quiet room.
Shocked, the congregation stared after him in disbelief. The whole room flinched involuntarily as the door slammed behind him. A few moments passed before someone spoke. It was Kevin Farnham.
“Bad day at work?”
The meeting went on for a few minutes more before breaking up at about 8:20 for prayer. Mr. Davidson came forward and led the congregation in “Onward Christian Soldiers.” They sang tentatively at first but gained strength as they reached the chorus:
Onward Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!
Encouraged, they turned back a few pages in their songbooks to “Faith Is the Victory”:
Encamped along the hills of light,
Ye Christian soldiers rise,
And press the battle ere the night
Shall veil the glowing skies...
The Holy Spirit seemed to move among the congregation as they sang, lifting and encouraging them. The impromptu songfest continued for several more minutes. Buoyed by the spirit-filled singing, they all but forgot the bizarre spectacle put on by Dan Logan earlier.
An hour or so later most of the people had to head home and the prayer meeting began to break up. Still, nearly a third of them, including Bill Bartlett, stayed to pray awhile longer. Paul did not turn the key in the front door to lock up until nearly 12:30 am.
“Quite a night, huh, Uncle Brandon,” observed Paul as they headed home.
“I'd have to agree with you. Especially that episode with Dan Logan. He sure had us fooled. Apparently he was a Narsch plant all along.”
“Apparently.”
They drove along in silence for a few minutes.
“Wonder if he'll keep his job?” mused Paul.
They pulled into the drive behind Brandon's house and walked tiredly into the house. Karen was the only one up. Ben had gone to bed an hour ago and Alex was curled up on the couch with the cat. Carla Minger and her kids had left about an hour and a half earlier.
They could hear the phone ringing inside as they stepped up onto the back porch. Karen met them in the hallway as they came through the door with the phone in her hand. She looked concerned.
“Paul, it’s Bill Bartlett. He wants to talk to you. He sounds concerned.”
Paul took the phone and stepped into the kitchen. Karen had a kettle of hot water on the stove and motioned to ask Paul if he wanted a cup of tea. He shook his head no while he said hello into the phone.
Paul's eyes narrowed as he listened. “Slow down, Bill. What's going on?... Where are you now?... I see.... Uh-huh.... Alone?... Okay.... Alright... Goodbye.”
“What was that about?” asked his wife.
“Apparently Dan Logan wants to apologize for his behavior tonight. He's feeling kind of ashamed of himself so he called Bill and asked him if he would pick me up and meet him for coffee at the Stage Stop. It’s the only 24-hour place in town. He'll be here in a few minutes.”
Karen frowned disapprovingly. It had been a long day and she knew her husband needed to get his sleep. Still, she knew the ministry often made demands on him at odd hours. Besides, he had an amazing ability to bounce back with only a few hours of sleep.
“What's the hurry? Can't he wait until morning?” she asked looking at her husband reproachfully.
“Well, not really. At least not considering how things went tonight.”
Paul and Brandon filled her in on the evenings events. When they got to Dan's outburst she shook her head. “You know, I thought there was something about not quite right with that man. I know Janet was concerned that he was having a bad influence on Bill. I'm glad Bill finally stood up to him.”
A few minutes later Bill Bartlett knocked on the front door. Brandon opened the door while Paul grabbed his coat and pocket Bible on his way to the door. “Be back as soon as I can. Pray for us!”
It was nearly 1:15 in the morning when Paul and Bill walked into the Stage Stop restaurant. Dan was sitting in the back and waved sheepishly as they headed his way. A waitress came up to them as they sat down, offering menus.
“Just coffee, for now,” they said.
“Thanks for coming to see me,” began Bill apologetically, “I really do want to apologize for my behavior. I had no right to say what I did. It's just that I've been under a lot of stress at work lately. I thought if I could convince you to sell the church property to Narsch Industries it would help get my boss to ease up on me.”
Paul let him ramble on for several minutes while he emptied three packets of sugar and three creamers into his cup. He knew he should cut back on the sugar but it was late and the first cup always tasted better when it was a little creamier and sweeter. He also felt guilty ordering the coffee when he was supposed to be fasting. Maybe he would just hold it and stir it instead. Besides, there was something not quite right here and focusing on his coffee helped him concentrate better.
“The least you can do is pay attention to me!” Dan said peevishly, “Instead of sitting there playing with your coffee!”
Paul looked up from his coffee. “I have been paying attention, Dan. To every word. And, the more you have talked, the more I am sure what the problem is.”
“Tell me.”
“I don't think you’re saved. I think your boss sent you to undermine our church.”
“What?! You're crazy!”
“Am I? The Narsch family has wanted our property ever since Simon Narsch, the First, arrived here in the 1880's from Prussia. They've been occultists all along and, lately, new age environmentalists as well. That's what that whole Gaia Society of theirs is all about. I think that they want our property because they think they can tap into the soul of this planet and the power of a bunch of demons masquerading as øThe Masters of Wisdom.’”
Dan stared at him blankly with his mouth partly open. Bill looked extremely uncomfortable, not quite knowing what to say.
“Listen, Dan, I only met you yesterday. Apparently you claim that Pastor Williams introduced you to the Lord a few weeks ago. But the Bible says in Matthew 7:21, 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.' If you are really saved then why don't you tell me how it happened.”
“Well, you know how it goes...”
“Humor me. Pretend I don't.”
“Um, well, Pastor Williams got to talking with me one day. Right here, in fact. I was having lunch at the counter when he sat down next to me. He started talking about God, heaven, hell, stuff like that. Told me Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and came back from the dead three days later.”
“And?”
“Made sense to me so I repeated the prayer that he told me to say. Satisfied?” “Not quite. It's one thing to simply repeat a prayer. I did that myself, three times, before I finally trusted Jesus Christ as my Saviour. That prayer Pastor Williams had you repeat was not a magic formula. You can say it a hundred times with your mouth but if you don't mean it and believe it in your heart it won't do you a bit of good.”
“Hey! I believe in God!”
“Good for you. The devil does too. James 2:19 says, 'Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.' They even recognize that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. There are several instances in the New Testament where unclean spirits recognized His divinity.”
“So what are you saying? Is it possible to believe in Jesus but not be saved?”
“Exactly. It is more than just believing the gospel story. It is believing that Jesus went to the cross willingly to shed His precious Blood and die just for you.”
“What do mean?”
“I mean that you need to accept the fact that it is your sin that nailed Jesus to the cross. You need to admit to God and to yourself that you deserved to hang there instead of Him....”
Paul paused and got out his pocket Bible. Turning to the book of Romans, he continued. “Look here... Romans 6:23, 'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' See, there's absolutely nothing you can do to save yourself! Jesus did it all for you. That's why it’s called 'the gift of God'.”
“So, let me guess, your telling me that it’s just like if you offered me gift. I can believe it all I want to but if I don't reach out and take it then it won't do me any good.”
“Right.” Flipping over to First Peter 3, Paul pointed to verse 18. “See, here's the gift. 'For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:'. God the Father punished Jesus Christ—God the Son—for your sins on the cross. Jesus Christ paid for your sins and until you reach out and accept it by faith you cannot be saved.”
“Just repeating a prayer isn’t good enough?”
“No. Look at Romans 10. See here in verses 9 and 10... 'That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.'—”.
“My, my... How touching.” A cold, condescending voice interrupted Paul. “Faithful to the end. How's that passage go? Oh yes, 'But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.' But then, I feel compelled to ask you, Mr. Brown, are you ready to be offered, for the time of your departure is, if I may paraphrase the Sacred Writ, at hand.”
Startled, Paul looked around to see Arnold Narsch standing behind him. “In the flesh, my dear boy. And yes, I know what you are thinking…there is a lot of it.” “M-M-Mr. Narsch!” stammered Logan jumping to his feet, “I didn't notice you come
in.”
“Yes, well, I am here and now its time to go. Gentlemen,” Arnold waved his hand at
Paul and Bill, “If you would be so kind as to accompany my employee and I to my car.”