Rev. Baker

I love good movies, the best being the one's critics say aren't any good. My rule of thumb is that if a critic pans a film I usually love it. Car chase movies are the best, most notably those from the 70's like Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, Vanishing Point, Gone in 60 Seconds...I'm a die hard Mopar Freak, meaning I have a love affair with Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth automobiles. I just got a 2008 Charger Daytona R/T, and you wouldn't believe how many Mustangs want a piece of me, lol. It's like the chase scene out of Bullit starring Steve McQueen. I'm a movie junkie, it's television I don't like...commercials annoy me.

Rev. Elkins, Congratulations to you!!! I was just as excited to recieve mine, even more so to recieve my license from the state. However, my mother, a self proclaimed prophet, considered it blasphemy and doesn't recognize me as a minister. She claims that God spoke to her and told her that I did not know Jesus because I didn't follow the proper channels to obtain my ordination. This was a blow to my excitement and it got me down a little, but it didn't keep me down. I don't understand her anymore. She claims that she knows all and I know nothing. She has prophesied to people and to date, (13 years) not a single prophecy has come to pass. she then blames it on their lack of faith. I pray that when your ordainment is tested, and it very well may be, that you NEVER allow anyone to make you think it is NOT of God and NOT valid. I just felt the need to share that with you, God Bless, and again, Congratulations.

Why I Became Ordained By The Ulc? Since I was 13 years old I have wanted to be a minister. I have been in and out of many different churches since then and found that my faith was actually being damaged by the many different aspects of those officiating many of those churches. For the most part preachers would teach from their own opinion and not focus on the word of God in its literal meaning. I had spent a lot of time in churches that practiced healing, the kind where they lay their hands on people and claim to heal cancer and all sorts of diseases. The problem I saw was that these people that were getting healed were not regular members of the church and you never saw those people after the services where their afflictions were taken away by God, supposedly. They would claim to have travelled many miles and to have been led by God to the place where they were healed. It was immediately after these "Miracle Ralley's" where large sums of money would be asked for and it just seemed so phony to me. I do believe that God can heal diseases, that I have never questioned. However, what I did question was the authenticity of these churches where this type of service was practiced. I have inquired about becoming ordained to which I was sent down the typical path of learning to be what I considered to be training in how to be a salesman for God. To me, it isn't and shouldn't be about money. I understand that a church is sustained in large part by those in the congregation supporting the church financially, you know, the tithing aspect. Everyone should tithe, I have no issue with that. What I do have issue with is beating people over the head to give beyond their means. The concept of "paying for your salvation" troubles me greatly. I asked myself many times over the years, Why is it that God has taken a back seat to profitability? Shouldn't faith not be based on money but rather the spirit of God? For instance, who ordained Jesus? It wasn't man, it wasn't a human system that ordained him. he wasn't forced to jump through hoops and spend a load of money learning a system that was run by men who basically teach you to go from church to church being little more than a well educated fund raiser for God. Recently I had hit a brick wall and started to question if there was even a God at all. I questioned that inside me that has led me to live the way I was, always holding firm that I was a believer and based many decisions on my faith in God. I started to wonder that maybe I was wrong and might be missing out on many joys that I could expereience if I weren't a man of faith. Then one night I was surfing the web and did a search on how to become ordained, and I found the ULC website. I read through and began to realize that everything I had saught after for years was right here. Now, I can't say that I agree with many of the things I see going on here because they simply don't follow what I have lived my life for or how I see a proper relationship with God to be, but who am I to judge anothers faith system? I would be no better than those I have learned to avoid if I were to try and force MY views and beliefs on another. I believe what I believe and the great thing about the ULC is that it is founded on that same exact system. I don't want people judging me because I don't share their beliefs and I won't judge others for theirs. I don't want others interfering with my right to worship however I see fit and I won't interfere with those who differ in their faith either. I will share my opinion and I will welcome opinions of others in healthy discussion. I will not engage in arguments about faith though, that's unproductive at best. As far as the so called "Establishment" not recognizing a ULC minister as being truly ordained I will simply ask them this question, "Who ordained Jesus Christ, the man by which your entire ministry is founded on?" They'll claim it was God, but then deny that Jesus ordained me as well as he ordained them. It isn't the school that makes them ordained, it's is the spirit that does. Isn't that what Rev. Kirby founded the ULC on? I would have loved to have met Rev. Kirby, he is an inspiration to all faiths and the architect of the answer I spent half my life seeking.