A History by Rheaviana Beam

Long Street Tabernacle – Hoyt Street, Laurel Tabernacle
15th and New Jersey, Wings of Deliverance Inc., People’s Temple
10th and Delaware – church moved to 17th and Broadway

Brazil – orphanage – he bought the children their first shoes. There was a caste system and these children ate out of garbage pails. Jim would bless the food that we had to feed the children, and there was always enough for every child. We made clothes for them and provided all the necessities.

Under the caste system they were beggars and on their own at 7 years old. The orphanage started one day when Jim suddenly felt that he had to go to the top of a mountain. Jim and some others went to the mountain, and found 6 young children standing around their dead mother. The oldest child was nine years old. All they had was one rooster who was under a box, and all the children were crying. These children were the first children in the orphanage.

The first month they were in Brazil 1300 children dropped dead on the street from a disease – gastroenteritis and shishkamosis (a worm that goes up in their feet and sucks all the blood out). The babies were on the street begging as young as 4 & 5 years old.

There was no sanitation.

When Jim was providing the free kitchen in Indiana four babies were abandoned, and adopted by some of the workers there.

1226 Windsor Street – Jack [Beam] was in Indiana three days and then he was instructed to come to California. 6 weeks later we brought our family to Hayward and live there 2 ½ years before Jim & the church family started to come. Jack came out in March 1963 and Rheaviana came April 28, 1963. We live there until July 15, 1965 and then moved to Ukiah. Incidentally, Ukiah was recommended by the doctor to help Ellie Mae get over her asthma, and she had only one more asthma attack after we arrived.

Met at a Baptist Church on Henry & Bush in Ukiah for a short time. At this time a house caught fire and Jim and Jack went through the flames and rescued a baby and a dog. There was never a mark of fire on either of them although they had gone directly through the flames.

Then we met in different homes, then we were invited to Ridgewood Ranch real estate for two or more years.

Then we met in Jim’s garage, and then at the Swinney home outside in the open air while we were building the church. In the open air one day it was raining, and Jim felt that this rain would interfere with someone’s healing, so he put his hand up, and the rain stopped, although it was still raining all around us, the sun was shining on our gathering for the rest of the meeting.

February 2, 1969 we moved into the current People’s Temple for the first meeting