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DEAR BROTHER MIKE,
.  I WOULD LIKE TO WRITE A FEW THINGS ABOUT SKIP.  ALL OF US IN FACT WERE BLESSED THROUGH SKIP MORE THAN WE KNOW, WHETHER WE KNEW HIM OR NOT.  I WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK IN TIME NEARLY 27 YEARS AGO TO 1972.  SKIP WAS THE FIRST REAL SHEPHERD WHO TOOK CARE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF LAMBS THAT WERE COMING AROUND TO 137 AT THAT TIME, OF WHICH I WAS ONE.  I REMEMBER ONE MEETING IN WHICH SKIP ASKED, "WHO ALL ARE LAMBS HERE?"  DESPITE MY YOUTHFUL PRIDE THAT DID NOT WANT TO BE CALLED A LAMB, I GRUDGINGLY RAISED MY HAND.  BEING A LAMB WAS REALLY
EXCITING IN THOSE DAYS.  THERE WERE A LOT OF US.  SKIP DISPLAYED THE
TRAITS OF A REAL SHEPHERD, UNLIKE STEWART, WHO MANY OF US CONSIDERED SOMEWHAT STRANGE.  THROUGH HIM, GOD DREW US IN AND GAVE US MANY OF OUR INITIAL FEEDINGS IN THE WORD OF GOD.  HE WAS SO FREE, SO CONFIDENT, SO COOL, AND YET HE DID NOT BUST ON PEOPLE.  SKIP ALWAYS HAD A DIPLOMATIC WAY OF SAYING THINGS TO DIFFUSE PROBLEMS BETWEEN PEOPLE. HE EXHIBITED PEACE AND GOD'S PEACE WAS UPON HIM.  IT WAS MY VIEW IN THE EARLY DAYS THAT SKIP WAS THE LEADER ALONG WITH STEWART.  UNFORTUNATELY, WHAT SO MANY OF US HOPED FOR WAS CRUSHED BY THE SHEER FORCE AND VIOLENCE EXHIBITED BY STEWART TOWARDS THE VERY IDEA OF SHARING THE RULE WITH HIM.  SKIP SUDDENLY BECAME THE BAD GUY, THE GAME PLAYER, AND THE HOLD OUT.

NOW, NONE OF US HAD THE INSIGHT TO KNOW IF THE THINGS THAT STEWART WAS ACCUSING SKIP OF WERE TRUE.  BUT SKIP SIMPLY RESIGNED HIMSELF TO BE UNDER STEWART'S AUTHORITY AND WITHDREW. I BELIEVE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HIS EQUAL NOT NECESSARILY IN TERMS OF TEACHING, BUT AT LEAST IN TERMS OF SHEPHERDSHIP.  STEWART HAD A ROLE IN MIND FOR SKIP, BUT WAS IT THE ONE THAT GOD HAD ORDAINED FOR HIM?  SKIP WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SENIOR PASTOR OR HEAD SHEPHERD OF MANY SHEPHERDS, IF YOU WILL.  OTHERS LIKE ED BURKEHART, RAY RICHARDS, PAUL GALANTE, JOHN GRIFFITH, AND BOB HILLENBRAND WERE BEING RAISED UP AS SHEPHERDS AS WELL ,WHO WOULD LOVE AND CARE FOR GOD'S SHEEP.  STEWART WAS TOO COLD, TOO ARROGANT, SHOWED LITTLE COMPASSION, AND OFTEN GOT AGGRAVATED AND UNKIND WITH THE SHEEP.  HE WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT THE SHEPHERD.  THE IDEA OF SHARING THE RULE AND ALLOWING A CROP OF "GOD RAISED UP SHEPHERDS" TO GROW UP AND LOVINLY RULE THE SHEEP AS
EQUALS ALONG SIDE OF HIM WAS UNTHINKABLE.  HIS ROLE AS TEACHER, ALWAYS TO BE HONORED, ENTRUSTED WITH A GOD GIVEN VISION FOR THE FELLOWSHIP'S FUTURE, WAS SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH FOR HIM.  HE COULD HAVE BEEN CONTENT WITH THE ROLE GOD HAD FOR HIM, NOT TO MENTION THE ROLE OF BEING A GOOD AND LOVING HUSBAND AND FATHER.  SUCH MUNDANITIES DID  NOT  HOLD STEWART'S INTEREST.  HE WANTED ALL THE MARBLES OF POWER IN HIS BAG, SO SKIP WAS A NECESSARY CASUALTY. "WHERE JEALOUSY AND SELFISH AMBITION EXIST THERE WILL BE DISORDER AND EVERY VILE PRACTICE." (JAMES)  WE ALL SENSED SOMETHING WAS WRONG AS STEWART TORPEDOED SKIP, BUT WE DID NOT HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO QUESTION ANYTHING. SKIP WAS NEVER THE SAME. "HE SHOOTS IN THE DARK AT THE UPRIGHT IN HEART.  THE HAPLESS FALLS AND SINKS DOWN BY HIS MIGHT." (PSALMS)   HE WAS WILLING TO TAKE HIS PLACE AMONG THE OTHER "LEADERS" OF STEWART'S "ORDER", BUT NOT WITH THE SAME EXCITEMENT.  GOD USED HIM GREATLY IN STARTING THE CENTER UP IN WORCHESTER, MASS.  HE WAS NEVER, HOWEVER, WHAT HE WAS REALLY SUPPOSED TO BE, HAD GOD HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO RULE BY HIS SPIRIT IN THE EARLY FELLOWSHIP.

I PERSONALLY LAMENT THE SUBTERFUGING OF GOD'S WONDERFUL ORIGINAL PURPOSE FOR SKIP BY STEWART. I CAN ONLY GRIEVINGLY IMAGINE HOW DIFFERENT THINGS WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT, HAD SKIP AND THE OTHERS WHO WERE PREORDAINED TO LEAD THE FELLOWSHIP,  WOULD HAVE BEEN, BUILT UP BY STEWART AND NOT TORN DOWN AS A THREAT.  STEWART WOULD HAVE HAD SOME ACCOUTABILITY, WHICH IS SOMETHING HE ALWAYS HATED, BUT WHICH AS THE EVIDENCE LATER PROVED, HE NEEDED VERY BADLY.  "IN THE ABUNDANCE OF COUNSELORS THERE IS SAFTEY." (PROV.)  THE VERY VERSE HE OFTEN THRUST UPON US IS HIS INDICTMENT.  WHEN THE EYE SAYS
TO THE OTHER MEMBERS, I HAVE NO NEED OF YOU, VERY TERRRIBLE THINGS
HAPPEN, AS WE ALL ARE WITNESSES.  I SHOULD ALSO SAY THAT GOD WAS RAISING UP OTHER "EYES" WHO WOULD TEACH AND ELUCIDATE GOD'S WORD POWERFULLY BESIDES STEWART.  HE WAS RAISING UP BROTHERS WHO COULD SOUNDLY WATCH OVER THE CHURCHES FINANCES IN MIKE THEODOREDUS.  THE POURING OUT AND DISTRIBUTION OF GOD'S GIFTS WERE PROLIFIC AT THAT TIME, BUT AS EACH BROTHER ROSE OUT OF THE EARTH IN HIS GIFTING, STEWART WAS THERE WITH HIS SLEDGEHAMMER. RATHER THAN LAYING ON OF HANDS TO STRENGTHEN EACH BROTHER IN HIS GIFT.  SKIP WAS THE FIRST OF MANY TO GET THE SLEDGEHAMMER OR "SAUL'S SPEAR."!  HE WAS IN MY MIND THE ULTIMATE TRADEDY, WHICH PLAYED ITSELF OUT OVER MANY YEARS.  GOD'S IMMENSE GRACE OUTWEIGHED STEWART'S IMMENSE WICKEDNESS AND KEPT SKIP DESPITE MANY FALLINGS.

I REMEMBER THE DAY SKIP LEFT THE FELLOWSHIP FOR THE LAST TIME. I WAS AT HIS APARTMENT. HE ARGUED WITH STEWART ON THE PHONE OVER WRONGS HE SAW IN HIS BEHAVIOR, AND THEN RESIGNED HIMSELF TO LEAVING THE FELLOWSHIP FOR GOOD.  IT WAS STEWART'S GAME, AND THERE WAS NO PART IN IT FOR HIM.  DESPITE THE MANY YEARS SKIP SPENT BACKSLIDDEN, GOD'S GRACE DREW HIM BACK.  SKIP AND PAM'S BREAK-UP WAS ESPECIALLY PAINFUL FOR THOSE OF US WHO KNEW THEM. I BELIEVE THAT TOO WAS A PARTIAL RESULT OF THE VIOLENCE DONE TO HIM.  AFTER HE REDEDICATED, MANY OF US REJOICED AT HIS EFFORTS TO GET BROTHERS AND SISTERS TOGETHER AT THE PICNIC THAT HE HELPED SPONSOR EIGHT YEARS AGO.  HE STARTED A NEWSPAPER IN WHICH BROTHERS AND SISTERS COULD WRITE AND
SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES.  HE HAD AN INVENTION THAT WAS HOPEFULLY GOING TO EARN A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY FOR HIM, AND HIS GOAL WAS TO GET SOME KIND OF FARM WHERE BROTHERS AND SISTERS COULD LIVE AND WORK TOGETHER AGAIN.  THE MONEY DID NOT COME THROUGH, HOWEVER. HIS DESIRE TO RETRIEVE SOME OF WHAT STEWART ROBBED FROM HIM OF WAS APPARANT, NAMELY HIS DESIRE TO SHEPHERD MANY PEOPLE.  HE TRULY HAD THE ABILITIES TO DO SO, BUT WHEN YOU ARE NOT GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY AT THE TIME GOD IS GIFTING YOU, YOU ESSENTIALLY LOSE THE OPPORTUNITY. IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT IT IS YOUR NATURE TO BE WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN.  WE SEE SKIP'S NATURE IN THOSE ATTEMPTS HE MADE TO GATHER US ALL TOGETHER.  IF ONLY HE HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO DO SO!  I BELIEVE WE WOULD NOT BE SEPARATED AND SCATTERED TODAY AS WE ARE.  WE ALL SHARE IN THE RESULTS OF THIS TRAGEDY, DESPITE GOD'S GRACE TO ALL OF US.
 

MANY WILL WRANGLE OVER THE ISSUE OF HOW POORLY SKIP WAS DOING IN
HIS FAITH, WHEN HE WAS TAKEN HOME.  THE SCRIPTURE SAYS "EVEN THE LAME
WILL TAKE THE PREY."  HE DID SEE HERMANN AND SPEAK A WEEK BEFORE HIS
DEATH ABOUT GOING BACK TO CHURCH AGAIN.  HE HADN'T ATTENDED CHURCH FOR 2 1/2 YEARS AS I UNDERSTAND. WE ALL KNOW GOD MUST HAVE BEEN WORKING IN HIM TO BRING HIM TO THE PLACE OF SEEKING FELLOWSHIP AGAIN.  REMEMBER, NEARLY EVERYTHING IN LIFE WAS A LOSE LOSE SITUATION FOR SKIP BECAUSE OF BEING ROBBED OF HIS MINISTRY.  TO BE KEPT BY GOD IN HIS GRACIOUS MERCY IS ALL THAT CAN BE EXPECTED OF THOSE WHO SUFFER SUCH VIOLENCE.  I  LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING SKIP WITH OUR LORD WHO SAVED HIM NOT ONLY FROM SIN, BUT FROM THE DISAPPOINTMENT AND PAIN OF NOT FULFILLING GOD'S ORIGINAL PURPOSE FOR HIM, THROUGH NO FAULT OF HIS OWN.  THE GOD WHO SKIP HOPED IN WILL MAKE ALL THINGS RIGHT SOMEDAY AND EXPOSE THOSE THINGS SHROUDED IN DARKNESS. "NOTHING IS HIDDEN THAT WILL NOT BE REVEALED."  AND SO I ASK YOU, FELLOW COBU/FF'ER, LAMENT WITH ME OVER SKIP, THE ULTIMATE TRAGEDY.  WE HAVE MUCH TO THANK HIM FOR.  GOD THROUGH HIM, INDESPENSIBLY WITH STEWART, SET IN MOTION THE WORK THROUGH WHICH WE CAME TO KNOW GOD.

                                                                            Chris Blaise  December 15th, 1998