Stephen Jeffreys, the

NZ Truth, Issue 1202, 13 December 1928, Page 7

Stephen Jeffreys, the

"We knew her simply as the girl with the withered arm," he said. "I never knew her name." That a co-pastor should for two years be m close enough contact with a member of his flock to know that her health remained good, and yet never know her name, is another odd little point. More mystery arose at the interview concerning the advertisement quoted. Although it dealt wholly and solely with Jeffreys' labors, and implored ail and sundry to go along v to the Pentecostal Church, Pastor Hewitt, vehemently denied that either Jeffreys, he himself, or anyone connected with the mission inserted the advertisement. "I was 'aving tea with Brother Jeffreys," said the good . pastor, whose picturesque English is one of his charms, "and we saw the advertisement together. We was filled with awe." . Asked what all the awe was m aid of, Hewitt replied: "We was pleased to think that anyone should give us such a good ad. We don't know who put it m, but it was very kind of whoever did." It was Indeed. Large and conspicuous advertisements are not printed for nothing m this wicked world. That being the case, it seems strange that a large and unctuous portrait of the ."healer" appeared several times m connection with advertising m the dailies. And that an advertisement of so intimate a character, and so positive m its assertions, as that reproduced m "Truth" to-day should be published without the knowledge' of the Pastor, is passing strange. , , However, Pastor Hewitt, .though he seems nervous of accepting .re- , sponsibility for the advertisement, is^ still a staunch supporter of his brother evangelist. That the Assembly of God (a sister branch of the true Pentecostal Church, and working together with that body) has ample faith m the glib-tongued Stephen is demonstrated by claims printed m the last issue of its church magazine "The New Zealand Evangel." This interesting little literary effort, which is sold at sixpence a time, gives names and addresses of several cases "cured" by Pastor Jeffreys. One of the most striking was that of a Mrs: Ching, resident of Hawera, who used to enchant the villagers with a contralto voice until a goitre interfered with her melody. Mrs. Ching was so easily cured by Jeffreys that it seems that the mere

tioned m the advertisement, it was difficult to the point of impossibility for "Truth" to unearth any case where cancer had been improved, let alone cured, by the aid of Brother Jeffreys. "I can't give you any case, exactly," sad Pastor Hewitt. "I wouldn't Know the names." This m spite of the fact that cures from adenoids upwards were entreated to testify to Jeffreys' healing power 3, and the names of the "saved" entered m a large Bible at the Pentecostal Church. A story, however, is going the Pentecostal rounds concerning a cancer victim who attended one of Jeffreys' meetIngs In company with her nurse. In the course of the meeting, the nurse is said to have risen and testified to the fact that her patient was cured. We should very much like to meet

any nurse who could, without medical assistance and internal examination, say authoritatively whether or not the dread disease of cancer had quit the body of its victim. But it seems that our desire is not to be grained, for, although members of the Assembly are quite sure that such an incident occurred, none of them can give the address of eitner nurse or patient, and the "Evangel" steers strangely clear of this, Jeffreys' major triumph. A case was mentioned by Pastor Hewitt of a little girl, totally blind m one eye, whose sight was fully restored at Brother Jeffreys' gifted hands. Here, at last, was something concrete to enquire into, and "Truth's" representative made haste to visit the: address given; only to find that Pastor Hewitt's claim isn't such a bonanza as he would have us to believe. Eileen Burkheart is nine years old,