[Letterhead of Camarillo State Hospital]
March 2, 1972
To Whom It May Concern:
I have known Reverend Jim Jones for more than 1 year and have found him to be a dedicated, trustworthy, sincere parson who is endowed with an ability and talent possessed by very few. He practices exactly what he preaches, has helped numerous individuals obtain cures believed impossible and all the while being a considerate, understanding leader of men.
It was with pleasure that I attended his services and witnessed his utter, complete involvement. He has saved many from disaster and started them on a meaningful path of constructive well adapted behavior
If any additional information regarding my personal feelings is desired, I will answer all letters directed to my address.
/s/ I.M. Perkins, M.D.
I.M. Perkins, M.D.Program Director
Drug Abuse Program
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[Letterhead of the Disciples of Christ, Northern California-Nevada]
May 22, 1973
Re: Church Support of FREEDOM OF THE PRESS,
The Power of a Single Example…
Dear Editor:
In this time when the First Amendment is subject to recurring attack, so far only the media has been waging the defense. This past weekend, however, a very significant event occurred to show that other institutions in American society will come to the assistance of the press in this fundamental battle to preserve the Constitution. This has resulted from one powerful example.
What 1 refer to is a resolution adopted by a 4 to 1 majority, following extensive debate at the 1973 Annual Conference of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for the Northern California-Northern Nevada region, a brotherhood of 80 churches.
This resolution calls on individual congregations to make cash contributions, speak publicly and contact elected officials for the purpose of insuring a FREE AND RESPONSIBLE PRESS — opposing any action which infringes upon the First Amendment.
The resolution, submitted by the First Christian Church of San Jose, followed the example last January of the Peoples Temple Christian Church of Redwood Valley. Prompted by the personal championing of “Freedom of the Press” by their widely known Pastor, James W. Jones, this congregation gave $4400 to 12 newspapers, a news magazine and a television station. This action received international attention at the IAPA Conference in Panama in February, 1973.
Inspired by the remarkable Pastor Jones (a Disciples-ordained minister), this congregation initiated a precedent that subsequently influenced the entire convention. We feel that such action will have a snowball-effect, arousing our entire 1.4 million-member denomination to the DEFENSE OF A FREE PRESS.
Enclosed is a photocopy of that resolution, together with:
1) An article from the Modesto Bee of this past Sunday, May 20, 1973, entitled “CHURCH MEET DELEGATES BACK PRESS FREEDOM, “and
2) Articles on the Peoples Temple Christian Church by the Inter-American Press Association and the San Francisco Chronicle supporting the First Amendment.
As President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Northern California and Northern Nevada, it gives me great pleasure to announce our joining with you, the press, in your battle to save the First Amendment and hence the fabric of American society.
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MEMORANDUM
April 22, 1974
(On April 1 and 2 I visited Peoples Temple Christian Church in Redwood Valley, California. The following are a few observations and opinions of what I observed.)
Eight years and ten months ago Jim Jones and 174 members of an Indianapolis church moved to Redwood Valley, California and started a new church that now involves more than 10,000 persons in Redwood Valley, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, California.
This extended parish is governed by a board of 44 persons (men and women, black and white) who are primarily responsible for financial matters. Major policy and programmatic decisions are determined by a large weekly night business meeting which is generally attended by 500 to 700 persons. Its format is one of participatory democracy.
Peoples Temple Christian Church is heavily oriented toward a Social Gospel ministry. It is integrated with perhaps half of its members from the black race. The church attendance in Redwood Valley is approximately 40 per cent black and this has caused many problems which have led to threats and some acts of violence against Jim Jones and the church. For this reason there is considerable concern for the safety of Jim and at night a watchtower at the rear of the church property and overlooking the parsonage is manned by members of the congregation.
The church building in Redwood Valley is ample testimony of the unusual character of this congregation. The building is one large room that houses a heated swimming pool, the community center and the church. Folding chairs are used for services but when I visited the church it was only a large room with the swimming pool being occupied by a number of younger boys.
I was informed that one of the social concerns of the church is helping to cure drug addicts. To date over 175 persons have been cured from serious drug use. I talked with one of these persons who gave me ample proof of the effectiveness of the church’s program in this area of ministry.
A singularly unique program for this congregation is a ranch known as “Happy Acres” where 15 mentally retarded young-men and women live. These “guests” are between the ages of 16 and 26. The home is licensed and is staffed by members of the church, two of whom are Jewish. Numerous persons from the church involve themselves in this ministry and their effectiveness is proven by the fact that several of the young men have shown remarkable progress and have been able to work productively in the community.
Happy Acres consists of 40 acres of land, 7,200 grape vines, a large animal shelter, an organic garden, three cottages and a mobile home that is used by two caretakers. Like all of the other homes operated by the church, this one was a model for cleanliness and efficiency.
There are eight (I visited only three) homes which are occupied by older men and women who need help. In one home I talked with three black women who had formerly lived in a Father Divine institution. One was almost 100 years of age.
The homes for the aging were well cared for and staffed by members of the church. They were exceptionally dean and comfortable. A typical home was Hilltop Haven that housed 14 men. Food was prepared in a common kitchen and eaten in a very pleasant dining room. A catfish pond and numerous ducks and geese made the entranceway lively and interesting. This house won a state award several years ago for its excellence.
One of two cottages near the church houses single people who live in a supportive relationship that borders on communal living. In one of these I met a teenage student who before coming to the house was failing in school. However, now he is an honor student with straight A grades. In this same house there also lived a math tutor (an extensive community tutorial program is carried on by the church), a construction worker, an artist, a social worker, a saw mill laborer and some staff from the church.
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Twelve Greyhound buses (two have over 1,000,000 miles on them, I was told) are parked at Redwood Valley. A large garage facility is being constructed to house these buses.
The buses are used to carry members of the church back and forth between the three communities (Redwood Valley, San Francisco and Los Angeles) where the church’s members are living. They also take members on vacations at no cost to those who go. And last summer the caravan of buses drove through the south on the way to the nation’s capitol. One of the interesting sidelights of this tour was that in Mississippi a white man, after observing the tour members at rest stop, came to one of the tour leaders and in his presence tore up his KKK membership card.
In front of the bus garage is an Operational Center for church activities. It houses a recording studio where Jim Jones tapes sermons and messages that are broadcast from Los Angeles to Canada and in the state of Ohio. The Center also has a printing and publishing business which is now in the process of printing a coloring book for teaching. Nine people were working in the print shop when I visited it late at night.
The Center also has several offices for staff who handle answers to mail that comes in at the rate of 200 to 400 letters a day. Many of these people are volunteers and it was in one of the offices that I met Jean Brown who is a niece of Barton Hunter.
Behind the Peoples Temple Christian Church is a very modest ranch style parsonage where Jim and Marceline Jones and their nine children live. Marceline is a registered nurse and works for the State Welfare Department as a convalescent home supervisor. Eight of the Jones’ nine children are adopted. Two are black, one is Indian and those that I saw or met seemed to be well adjusted normal teenagers.
Behind the Jones’ house is another shelter for animals. It houses Mr. Muggs (a chimpanzee who attends all business meetings and rides the buses between Redwood Valley and Los Angeles), numerous dogs, goats, chickens etc. This shelter exists for all unwanted animals as a part of Jim Jones’ concern is a “reverence for life” quite similar to that of Albert Schweitzer.
In addition to the social programs and concerns mentioned above, the church helps support approximately 150 young people in colleges and universities. It even owns several houses at state schools where some of these students live.
The church also operates two thrift stores, gives endless relief to people in need (at home and overseas), provide medical assistance to those who cannot afford their own, and makes available counseling service to people who need this kind of help. It even provides lawyers and social workers for this purpose and I was told that many of the 80 to 100 calls that Jim Jones receives a day are asking for assistance of this nature. Many times the church has helped get bonds for persons in trouble with the law. It then has assisted in their defense and rehabilitation.
Finally, the church has several long range plans or programs. One of these is to buy land overseas to grow food for relief of starvation in the world. The other is to start a free medical clinic in San Francisco. This latter program is going to necessitate doctors and the church plans on educating several young men for this cause.
Now before ending this report I want to talk about Jim Jones as the church is truly led by this charismatic man. He met me in the church. A mackaw was sitting on his shoulders at the time, and for an hour or more he talked about his work, the healing he did, his theology, the church and its people. In many respects I found him to be very liberal in his theology and especially as to the social work that he promotes and helps to administer. He appears very humble, unpretentious, self-sacrificing, completely dedicated and committed to the fulfillment of the Gospel as he understands it.
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CONCLUSION
The Peoples Temple Christian Church does not follow in the traditional Disciple mold of what a local church should be like. It is very different and in many respects proved to be an enigma to me. Many questions were left unanswered by my short visit but this was perhaps because I failed to raise them and the answers did not seem to be obvious. However, from my numerous contacts with members and staff of the church, I can say that they are the most committed and dedicated group of people I have known in any church anywhere.
There is no doubt that this congregation would be far less effective in its ministries if it tried to conform to what may be called the “traditional pattern” of Disciples churches. Because of this, I would be one who would discourage the effort. This difference, however, will always cause many well intentioned persons to look with disfavor on this congregation and be suspicious of its successes. But, as long as it is identified by choice with the Disciples of Christ, I believe that it is good to foster this relationship for the mutual good that can be done for both Peoples Temple Christian Church, the regional and national manifestations. Perhaps this church is a very unique demonstration of the wide diversity that can be practiced in a denomination that stands for unity among all persons who walk after the way of our Lord.
Wade D. Rubick
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[Letterhead of the Methodist Church in Ukiah, California]
April 29, 1975
Religion in American Life
475 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Dear Sirs:
I am prompted to write by a recent newspaper article which stated that Religion in American Life had designated Jim Jones, the pastor of Peoples Temple in Redwood Valley, as one of America’s leading clergymen. I simply want to thank you for honoring my friend and neighbor in this way. I have known Jim for almost five years and in that time my knowledge of him and my gratitude for his ministry among us has been an ever growing thing.
I was especially grateful for his personal support of my administration when I was president of the Ukiah Ministerial Association. I wanted to do something different on the occasion of our Community Thanksgiving Service and came up with the idea of holding the service where commodities were, distributed to the poor. It seemed to me that the wealth of America’s harvest should provide a fitting backdrop for a service of thanksgiving. The arrival of the Peoples Temple 90 voice choir assured us a good event. This actually was one of the highlights of my year as president. In a letter I wrote to the paper at the close of my term of office I publicly thanked Jim for his support and then went on to say: “I sure wish that even a few of my members liked me the way his love him!”
Just this last week, at a time of deep personal need, there came a message of encouragement from Jim to help me when I needed that help. He did this completely unsolicited which makes me feel that he has unusual psychic powers. However he does it – he does have a loving concern for his fellow humans and that even includes a brother minister.
I shall forever be grateful for having my ministry blessed by association with Jim Jones.
Warmly,
/s/ Dr. E. W. J. Schmitt
Dr. E. W. J. Schmitt, Pastor
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[Letterhead of Regional Office of Northern California-Nevada – Disciples of Christ]
April 30, 1975
To whom it may concern:
Regarding Reverend Jim V. [W.] Jones
Pastor of Peoples Temple Christian Church
I consider it a privilege to be acquainted with, and to have the opportunity of working with, Reverend Jim Jones, the Pastor of Peoples Temple Christian Church. As the President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Northern California-Nevada it has been my happy experience to work with Mr. Jones in a number of different ways. I’ve always been impressed by his integrity, his courage, and the very selfless way in which she commits himself and his congregation to serve people in need.
Pastor Jones has a great organizational ability. He has been largely responsible for the establishment of a large congregation of everyday human beings from all walks of life binding them together in a truly extraordinary commitment to human service. The ministries of this pastor and his congregation are staggering in scope and effectiveness. They include a very excellent drug rehabilitation program, a 40-acre ranch for mentally retarded boys, senior citizen’s homes which have been cited for excellent care, emergency food and housing relief in three local communities, college scholarships for young people, and free legal counsel for the poor. These programs result in a very close knit group of people who really do carry out the admonition of Jesus as found in Matthew 25. You will remember the words there – feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and minister to the sick and the imprisoned.
Pastor Jones is really committed to the very basic Judeo-Christian tradition which believes that the highest worship to God is our service to fellow man. He not only believes this; he lives this admonition.
The Peoples Temple Christian Church is a joyous congregation of human beings. The meetings are serious in purpose and yet children and old people enjoy real places of honor. I do, for one, covet for all churches the vitality and the spirit of this group of people.
There is an additional aspect of this extraordinary ministry which is just now getting underway through an extensive agricultural mission in South America. Thirty different crops have been planted there to help alleviate hunger in that part of the world.
I am aware that many other people have written to express appreciation and support for the practical and genuine Christianity practiced by Pastor Jones.
In summary, let me say, that Jim Jones is a very compassionate and dedicated human being. I am grateful that our paths have crossed and that we shared together in the ministry of Jesus Christ. It is a pleasure and a privilege to write this letter of commendation and reference.
Very sincerely yours,
/s/ Karl Irvin, Jr.
Karl Irvin, Jr.
Regional Minister-President
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[Letterhead of Carlton B. Goodlett]
August 15, 1976
To whom it may concern:
This letter will introduce the Medical Staff of Peoples Temple. I am the Medical Doctor in charge of their treatment and examining facilities and oversee and consult with their staff as needed.
Peoples Temple presently plans to establish a medical facility and hospital at an outpost mission in South America which will be staffed with Medical Doctors, Family Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses and Licensed Vocational Nurses, a Physical Therapist. Certified Respiratory Therapist. Medical Equipment and supplies for this facility need to be purchased in the immediate future.
We are presently in need of available information, including prices, on such equipment and would appreciate whatever booklets or other information you might have on hand so that the Financial Committee and Board of Directors can formulate a proposal for the purchases to be made.
Your courtesy in this matter is sincerely appreciated.
Very truly yours
/s/ Carlton B. Goodlett
Carlton B. Goodlett
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[Letterhead of National Newspaper Publishers Association]
October 1976
Dear Editor;
Recently we ran a story in the Sun Reporter about a man, Jim Jones, who is accomplishing remarkable things in the black community through his ministry, Peoples Temple.
Many of the programs in this church serve as models of how to effectively deal with the most critical problems Hack and minority people face today. The article brought an unusually good response from our readers.
This is a story that is certainly deserving of attention, and thus I am enclosing it with camera-ready pictures for your consideration.
Very truly yours
/s/ Carlton B. Goodlett
Carlton B. Goodlett
P.S. I would appreciate being sent a copy of the article as it is run in your paper should you choose to use it Please send it to P.O. Box 15023, San Francisco, CA 94115