Gary Cooke's ex wife is remarried and is a state legislator in SD, mother Alice Cooke left group died in 2003. Niece Chris still in group in Lake City. Brother John in AZ brother Alan in Sioux Falls. Hope this helps

> I have heard that Charles Meade is in a fancy nursing home now. Is this true?

I have no idea, but he is approaching his 92nd birthday.

> does that mean that the man who has never been sick or taken an Aspirin a day in his life is now losing his faith?

First of all, never an aspirin is an over-statement. Secondly, I wouldn't recommend taking pleasure in another's difficulties. I have HUGE issues with what Meade has done, but I won't gloat at his downfall. The man was once my friend.

> Does anybody know anything more about them, or about any Cookes (with an "e")?

Someone already answered about Gary Cooke, but there were two other Cook or Cooke families. The only news I have is something that was posted earlier here: That Gay Cook has passed away. (Very sad, she was a sweet lady.)

The aspirin comment is from a direct quote from Meade himself. You can hear him say it on the 20/20 feature from 1992. I am not gloating in his difficulties so much as I am pointing out the inherent hypocracy of the movement. If you have faith, you will never get sick. Unless you happen to be "the prophet", and then the rules change. Very convenient.

I forgot about the Gary Cookes, which would be the more famous ones. They are not my relatives. My closest relations would be Lanny and Peggy Cooke (now both deceased from having not enough faith), and June Clemens (also deceased). I am not sure about the names of my relatives that may still be living. We were one of those families that all had weird nicknames, so now I've grown up not knowing for sure their real names. And who knows what the females' last names would be from marriages that I don't know about. But I'm thinking there is a Dean Cooke. That is the only name that comes to mind at the moment.

> The aspirin comment is from a direct quote from Meade himself. You can hear him say it on the 20/20 feature from 1992.

Wow, okay. "Never" would include a lot of years in Muncie, IN, when he was not some paragon of religious ethics.

> I am not gloating in his difficulties so much as I am pointing out the inherent hypocracy of the movement.

No prob, I'm probably a bit sensitive to such things. As for the hypocrisy of the group... OH MY GOD!! They have utterly turned their back on many things they said they believed in the old days. For a guy like me who was there, it's still stunning.

> If you have faith, you will never get sick. Unless you happen to be "the prophet", and then the rules change. Very convenient.

The fact that he claimed to be their great leader is utterly contrary to things he preached in the old days. Massively. Astonishingly.

Ah well.

Don't think I knew any of the folks you mentioned. Maybe they arrived late.

i have a question... what are the meade ministries beliefes, doctrines, laws, how are so many people fooled into believing such things... how would someone "get into" this "cult"... why do they get so stuck into it.

please, anyone, if you have answers please reply...

thanks

curioso

See [www.culteducation.com]

This is an archive of information about Meade Ministries.

Hi Curioso!

I am not a member of Meade Ministries, but have had very close contact with several families and was in there houses for several years.

One reason I could give you for the reason the 30somethings and under are "stuck into it" would be because their parents were the original ones to join (maybe 99 % of cases, I don't know for sure). And most of them were born into it, really knowing nothing else and believing this is the right way and they and their parents are the ones who are right. They grow up to marry "end-timer" men or women and have children, sometimes many. They have MANY family members who belong to it. Their brothers, sisters, moms, dads, aunts, uncles and cousins and so on. Sometimes all of their family will be in it (except for the grandparents or great GP who never joined and came to Lake City) If one person decided to leave the group they would almost lose everything. Most of the time even their job, which was probably given to them by someone in their family or a member of the church.

I also think a lot of them like the lifestyle they have. Meade has drilled it into their heads that God is going to have a perfect group of people like no other to walk the earth and that it is them. I have known a lot of the younger ones in their 20's and they don't follow Meade's strict teachings like the much older members. Even the married ones with kids that are not rebellious teenagers do many things against their religions "code of rules" so to speak, that I am sure their parents might not even know. I'm not sure if you live in Lake City or not, but if you did you would know what I mean about their lifestyle. Most drive really nice cars, most cadillacs. Everyone tries to get a Cadillac because that is all Meade has ever driven. If you see a big group of Cadillacs parked outside TCBY (an ET owned business), you know they are there! Most of them dress REALLY nice and dress their families really nice. Name brand clothes and all that. They don't look like your average Lake City family who pretty much doesn't care most of the time what they look like when they go to the grocery store. So for the small percentage that are Lake City natives and have joined, I would say there is somewhat an element of glamour that probably drew them to it. I am not an endtimer but I would love to have their lifestyle. All the vehicles and nice clothes!

I could tell you alot more, but I'll stop there. So if you have any specific questions just ask!

Also, anyone out there that is curious about family that they have not seen or heard from I know a good amount of families and how they are doing. Some more than others, but I don't know if I should just post all the last names of the families here on the forum!

BTW, a lot of families don't completley shun the family members who didn't join and are still up north. I have seen many pictures on the frig of grandparents and GGP who have came for a visit! (Even though I don't think they are supposed to talk to them)

I hope to post some new information tomorrow. I have worked with Channel 12 news out of Jacksonville, and they will be running an investigative piece tomorrow night that talks a lot about the SD origins.

I have been out of state lately and will get caught up answering some of these questions. I can confirm that Meade does visit the VA Hospital and the Lake City Medical Center wwhere he is escorted in and out of side doors and pays cash for treatments. This I know.

Post more tomorrow.

SH

Here is some of the information on Channel 12 out of Jax, including videos.

If the Petersons are reading this, I would like to do anything I can to help.

[www.firstcoastnews.com]

A brief history of Charles Meade and his followers:

PART ONE

I’m in the mood, and I may be the only one who knows some of these facts, so I’m going to write them. Some parts of this are rather obviously my interpretation and judgment, and I’ll rely on the intelligence of the reader to divide properly.

Charles Meade born on December 24, 1916 near Paintsville Kentucky, at a place called Bear Mountain. His mother’s name was Julia Howard. I don’t recall the father’s name, but he was considerably older than Julia. Julia was very devout. It was a large family, one sister of which (named Clara, I think, later married to a kind and cultured man named Brown) remained close for life.

During Meade’s childhood, the family was strongly influenced by Dored Williams, an itinerant Pentecostal evangelist. There are dramatic stories of Williams and healings from the time.

The family was poor, and young Charles traveled to Ohio to work with migrant farm crews. One pivotal experience for him was seeing a Chrysler New Yorker stuck in the mud, and helping to push it out. The driver was from New York and impressed young Meade. (This was in the depths of the depression.) Meade looked at his fellows and said, “Boys, some day I’m going to have one of those Chryslers.” Old group members will recall that Meade always chose the New Yorker as his car. Only later did he move to Cadillac. (After, I think, the New Yorker had ceased being made.)

Meade then entered the US Army and spent three (as I recall) long tours of Europe. He was wounded. He tells stories of his mother’s prayers and divine protection.

After the war, he ended up in Muncie Indiana with his wife Marie. He worked at Ball Jar, was a union steward, and they had two children, Bob and his sister, whose name eludes me at the moment. Both Charles and Marie developed serious health issues through the 50s and 60s. Marie had several heart attacks and was clinically dead on an operating table at least once. They were not devout and lived some level of middle-class existence.

In about 1967, Marie had a conversion experience and began attending church. (They ended up at a Four Square church in or very near to Muncie, though I’m not sure that was the first one.) Charles resisted Marie’s efforts for him to follow suit. But, approximately nine months later, Meade was converted during an evangelical service at the Four Square church. (Some of Meade’s later followers who attended Northern Illinois University knew this evangelist.)

Following this, Charles and Marie renovated their lives and attended church continuously. It was at this point that Meade began having visions – some in the church pews. At some point, they left the church and joined with Hobart Freeman’s Faith Assembly group. (We are into the early 1970s now.) Meade was eventually asked to conduct meetings for Freeman in Muncie, but the two fell out some time thereafter and Meade began conducting his own meetings. I’m not sure if the first ones were in his garage in Daleville, IN, but they soon were. This occurred in about 1973. The group was small but devoted. The most dramatic event from this time (1974) was a meeting at a place (perhaps a home) they called “the Burfangers.” (That’s phonetic and it was a family name.) Many dramatic healings were reported.

At this time, a group of bright young students were gathering at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. One of them, Mike Carrendar, was from Indiana and his mother was involved with Meade’s group. Carrendar brought tapes to the group from both Freeman and Meade. (The others included Chris Shaheen, Gary Cooke, John Linton and John Lofstrom.) They were enamored with both Freeman and Meade and an Evanston group began to form.

After some time, Cooke went home to Sioux Falls, SD and started passing around tapes and gathering like-minded friends. Linton did similarly in Billings, Montana. All quit school, with the exceptions of Carrendar and Lofstrom.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2008 02:50AM by Refugee.