07/22/1957 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. -giesberg and Drs S1MT11071Sy was askeci to speak. llr. Jones said that he coul.d not say much, but that it was unheard of to subject a worthy ma.n of God to such questionss Asked if he thought Rev. simmons was a worthy mi.nister of God, Mr. Jon.es said that he didnt t care to answer.. Ma,yor Endress then read a letter from the Cleveland Chttrch Fecleration, stating that the Rev. Simmons tias unknohn to thern; that no backing had been received from their office or fron Drm Robert French, and that neither had talked with Rev. Simmons; that they could find no reference in,the 1957 year book of the Independent Funda.rientalist Baptist Denomination with offices in Forth Worti., Texas or Springfield, Missoitri. Rev. S;mnons had previously stated that he was connected with this organizationm Rev. Sunmons was again asYed about this matter and stated that he did not say that he had the backing of th.is organization, that he had c ontacted some one-in I?r. French's office My phone and asked to be called back and nothing came of itm Yira Strater and i4re Falk then took Rev. Simmons to tasl: by telling him that they had heard him say that he did have -the b4cking of -the Cleveland Church Federation. TvIrs: Bro-?,m. confir°med their sta-tement. Yir. Strater then told Rev. Simmons Vnat he had been asked a lot of questions but none had been answered up to the presento Revo Simmons then read an article from the Hillci^est Sun Press, stating that he built and sold churches, and told Council that this was an untruth. Mr. Fa1k said that this article was based on a statement before the Zoning and Planning Coirnnission, in which Reve Si-nmons had said triat he built churehes, kept receipts, and was reimbursed. "This", said Mr. Fa].k, "is n?y interpretation of selling churches." Mr. Jones then tried to break up this interrogation bv insisting that the question was wheti-ier Council would permit an Independent Baptist church to Ue built on the Wiesberg property. 111r, Reed then read an article frorn a Cleveland neTerspaper, referring to the building oi a shopping center by a church near Alcron, whose finances were closely controlled by four men and said that this we did not want in our Village. Nlrm John J. Ze119 a real estate man who had negotiated with r?lre Wiesberg anct Rev. S1.rnmons then brouoht up the Ca-tholic and Lutheran religion and asked how they got s-tarted and where their capita3 ca.me froma Nrm Strater said that tne;r did not have any capital, that they were God fearing men. Mr. Reed then told Council that the Zoning and Planning Comrv.ssion ha,d slipped in not h.ving evidence that Rev. Simn-ons owned this propes•ty in question, that in tne pa.st, the Zoning comrdssion and the Village had been • put to all sorts of trouble and expense, on1.y to have everythi.ng fall through because the interested parties cculd no-t secure the property in question. Y'r. Jones was then asked if there wa.s a bone fide sale and said he understood that there was a land contract but did not lrnow. lre Reed then aslsed that Eounci7: terminate consideration until proof of sale cotzld be secureds Mr. Jones then pleaded with Council to make an immediate decision. Mr. Stra-ter countered by saying that he had been praying°to God for guidance in the matter, but just could not decide because of so many evasive answers to legitimate questions. -•60