For those that left the UPC...

[Falla39]

Originally Posted by pelathais

There are a lot of different dynamics at work in different families. I wasn't raised in the UPC either but joined up as a teenager. My wife was born and raised into it by a set of parents with several generations of Oneness background - and they were very zealous for all of the new "holiness" stuff that was being introduced at the time.

My wife's mother stopped trimming her hair and her oldest girls' hair in the mid 1960's. My wife was young enough that she had never had her hair cut or trimmed. All of this was a new thing for them even though my mother-in-law's uncle was a disciple and successor to GT Haywood himself.
The UPC Ladies' Auxiliary Presidents from the 1970's and 1980's were both cousins to my MIL. Despite all of the "old fashioned holiness" appeal found in their publications and pics, they were all raised in godly Oneness Pentecostal homes without even a hint of the "uncut hair" teaching.

My in-laws took to the new stuff (Three Stepper "Water & Spirit" salvation, no pants on women and no uncut on women) with all the zeal of new converts. But every time the old family picture books came out there were many inevitable questions. I especially like the pics of the church picnics where all of the Pentecostal ladies are wearing slacks and have trimmed bangs. Then I'd pull out a recent Pentecostal Herald and see the same ladies, older now and with their hair done up in beehive fashion.

My paternal grandmother, her mother, (48 yrs a charter member of the
Methodist church), my mother, her mother, all received the Holy Ghost
in the 30's, 1933 on .. There was no UPC, yet they were relying on the
Spirit to lead and guide them..just like the Bible said, HE the spirit of truth
would do. To date, there are those that still follow the leading of the Spirit
and they have no problem with wearing their hair uncut. Un-cut hair didn't
start in the 1950's. I remember when some ladies in the church of Christ and
Methodist church, didn't cut their hair. I remember when most ladies in the
FBC, in our city, (over 150 yrs old, that wouldn't have been seen in pants IN
church, although they wore them to work, home, etc. The un-cut hair teach-
ing may have begun for some in the 50's but not for others. Life didn't start
when we were born. It isn't and never has been about us. It ALL about HIM!
There is nothing new under the sun!

Many didn't and still don't do a lot of things the world did/does. For years
women that worked out of the home would call me to see if I knew of any
of our ladies that would keep their children while they worked. But they
didn't want their children hearing about their faith. We trust you to take care
of our children but we don't want them hearing about your belief. Some even
let their children come to church until they got old enough to become con-
cerned about their souls. Then they were told they could go to any church
and get baptized but not the Pentecostal church.

I believe we could be in a generation much like the one Jesus spoke of when
he walked this earth. No wonder Jesus told those women in Jerusalem, "Don't
weep for me. Weep for your children. He addressed MOTHERS to weep for
their children. MOTHERS WILL LISTEN WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR CHILDREN"!
It is their GOD-given nature! I could say a lot more here but won't for now!
He knew what was going to happen in the not too distant future. The dest-
ruction of their city, Jerusalem. He wept over it and compared His love for
her as a mother hen doth her chicks. BUT you (Jewish fathers) would not! So
the mothers MUST weep! It was the religious fathers that didn't hear His
Voice. Mothers were not allowed to speak up. But they were following Jesus
and weeping for HIM. His disciples went and hid after His crucifixion for fear
of the Jews. The women had to go tell the disciples that Jesus was risen.
I wonder if mothers and fathers would weep today if they could see into the
future, a generation. Would there be weeping and wailing and gnashing of
teeth! Many are already weeping over their children and grandchildren. May
God have mercy upon all, in Jesus Name!

Falla39