30 YEARS                                                           

                                          By:  Retha Garten

      Roxanne and I were hopelessly lost.  We had driven around for a couple hours and could not find anyone who knew the answer.

      The moving van people finished late in the evening packing the contents of Roxanne Brant Crusades’ office complex and Roxanne’s household furniture in Naples, Florida, and the driver started his overnight, seven to eight hour drive north to O’Brien.  It was December 31, 1976.

     Every time Roxanne and I had visited O’Brien, we had flown into Gainesville, been picked up at the airport by the then property caretaker.  Thus, we had never driven to Northern Florida nor paid attention to directions for getting to our new property, Northern Florida Christian Center.

      After the loaded moving van left Naples on its way north, it was late when Roxanne and I drove to Alachua,  a town about 40 miles south of O’Brien, and spent the remainder of the short night in a motel.  The next day when we continued our drive to O’Brien, we wound up in Lake City, Florida.  Nobody we asked knew where “Smith Road in O’Brien” was!  They would give us the direction to drive toward O’Brien, but since in early 1977 there was not even a road sign for Smith Road,  (only ‘the locals’ knew how to find Smith Road) we rambled about looking for our new home! 

      When we finally did reach what was to become Northern Florida Christian Center, most of the household furnishings had already been unloaded.   I would advise against moving over a New Year’s eve/New Year’s day time frame.  The only person who made it to the Center to unload was the van driver.  All of his helpers had opted out to attend a New Year’s Eve party in Naples.  Rox and I became his unloaders, along with an older couple who showed up.  At that time, the church building was not completed and Rox had scheduled a seminar for mid-January.  We had about seventy people who had already registered and on their way to the Center from various parts of the country. 

     Our Naples office single mom bookkeeper decided not to move to Northern Florida...and for good reason we soon found out.  We hired a new bookkeeper from this area, but the former Naples bookkeeper would not turn the ministry books over to the new one.  After pressure was exerted, she admitted she had not been paying the bills but had embezzled ministry money.  After a full audit, the books were back in order, explanations made to our creditors, and a dear ministry friend from Nebraska a couple months later paid back what she stole.  (After that, we carried theft insurance in which we would be  fully repaid by the insurance company and they would then deal with the embezzler.)

      Things did not get a whole lot better as the month progressed.   The seventy people came for the seminar during the week the temperature dropped to 14 degrees.  As I recall,  a record low.  Water pipes froze, commodes didn’t work...the attendees were cold...but having a great time.  We had no ministry kitchen in those days, so stoves were used in various homes for  cooking and baking.  Little Bernice Thomas (now in heaven) did a marvelous job of getting food together for all of us...with almost no money.  She reported later than she bought big sugar cookies and cut them into fourths! 

      Roxanne went on the road alone to fulfill previously booked crusades, leaving me here to unpack the house and get the office set up.  I took her to the Gainesville airport and remember crying all the way home. Can I be real honest?   I thought to myself, “Dear God, where have we come and why am I here?!”   It seemed that almost every problem that could happen, happened the next few months.  But...I wish to report that God was always faithful in finances, great staff, wonderful ministry supporters, dear friends, Spirit-anointed services and strength and wisdom to do all we needed to do. 

      As I look back over these past thirty years, this newsletter - and not even many more newsletters - could contain all the marvelous things that have happened here and how God has blessed us, this Center and our outreaches.

      For years we had to travel over an unpaved road, eating dust in the summer, enduring mud when it rained,  and dodging ruts in the county road leading to the Center.  It was only a few years ago this road  was finally paved resulting in much rejoicing from us.

      From the time we moved here until Roxanne’s untimely death in 1986,  she held teaching/healing crusades in scores of church all across America.  Only eternity will reveal the deliverances from sickness, depression, and, yes,  oppression of the evil one, and glorious salvations in our crusades in Bogotá and Medina, Colombia; Puerto Rico; Costa Rica; Panama and Canada and America.

       I remember Roxanne’s interpreter telling her about a woman who attended the Bogotá crusade.  He was so excited as he pointed, “See that woman standing in the roped-off area of the arena?  When you called for people to receive Jesus as their Saviour, she just prayed the sinner’s prayer with you.  Roxanne, she has been a well-known, practicing witch...until tonight!”

      Testimonies go on, even now.  Recently, I received a note from someone living in Wisconsin.  This is what she said about her husband, “Ron had a wonderful healing in one of Roxanne’s meetings many years ago.  Most churches are now just ‘worldly social clubs.’  How we long for spiritual services!  People are starving.  God bless you, each one.” Carol

     For years, we sent an abundance of free encouraging  Christian books and teaching/preaching cassettes and literature to hundreds of precious missionaries in scores of countries.  With access to the Internet and many missionaries’ able to read and receive material online, after several years, we felt we did not need to continue this outreach, but would focus our efforts elsewhere.

      During these past thirty years, we have held numerous seminars and retreats here at the Center.  The outcome has been salvations, physical, mental and emotional healings, encouragement, spiritual renewal and guidance.

      For the past eighteen years, our elder, John McGuire, has hosted a free community-wide men’s fellowship and breakfast every month here in our fellowship hall.  The men enjoy a delicious breakfast and receive spiritual food through anointed speakers.

     Throughout the years, we have held women’s retreats here on a regular basis with women speakers from across the nation.  There is no charge for attending, plus the attendees are treated to a free lunch and special gifts.   We have had women from as many as fourteen different churches  in one retreat.  We also have women attend who are affiliated with no church.  The salvations,  healings and miracles which have happened in their lives are known  only by heaven!

      When Roxanne held crusades in the States, it was usually in churches with attendance in the high hundreds or thousands.  Because people attending loved her, they gave their financial gifts to her.  However, all financial offerings went into this ministry’s account and she, to the day of her death by her choice,  was paid only a small salary.  (That is the same principle by which I, too, have been paid since coming with this ministry 31 years ago.)

     When Roxanne died, I wanted to leave the ministry.  I was depleted in every way, having traveled with Roxanne as administrative assistant  virtually every month for more than eleven years. I knew  I was to stay here, but sometimes the flesh wants its way, huh?   The Lord spoke to my heart as clearly as I have ever heard His voice and He said, “You are free to leave, but if you do, you will be out of My will.”  If we are really truthful, isn’t living a God-centered life hard enough without being out of God’s will?  Who wants that!

      After being appointed by the Trustees as President of Northern Florida Christian Center and, a bit later, pastor of the church here, I stood over Roxanne’s grave and had a conversation with the Lord.  I said, “I will stay but You will have to provide because I will not beg people for money nor will I use gimmicks to get money.”   He has and I haven’t!

      Obviously, with Roxanne’s death, the crusades stopped immediately and so did the funds that came in from them. However, I do want to emphasize God’s  faithfulness in providing for every financial need...and the needs are sizeable to keep this 240-acre Center running...plus He has also met every one of my needs:  spirit, soul and body.  Sometimes in my morning quiet time, I just sit and sing to Him, “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, My Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee, All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided, Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”

      As I said, this newsletter certainly cannot contain all the years’  happenings.  In future newsletters this year, as we celebrate the Center’s 30th birthday, I will update you on more recent happenings here.