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Marriage, Children, and a Pastorate |
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In 1944, David met and married Jane Miller, a
dedicated member of the Alliance church in Sherman Oaks, California. Daughter, Linda, was
born a year later, followed by son, Paul, in 1947. With a growing family, it was no longer
possible for David to continue traveling with his mother, so he applied for a pastorate,
and in late 1948 began ministering at a small Christian and Missionary Alliance church in
rural Arizona. Two more children, Jonathan and Faithy, were born during this time.
Throwing himself into his new duties with gusto, David built a new church and encouraged
his largely white congregation to integrate with the Native and Mexican-American
population of the community, to whom he opened the doors of the church. The church board
members were outraged, and in early 1951 he was abruptly forced to resign his pastorate. This was a trying experience for David. He later recalled: "I started bringing Mexicans and Indians into my church in Arizona, and that's what finished me off! [The other members] said, 'We don't want those ... dirty Indians in our church, in our nice new building you built for us!' That was the end!" [12] "By this time, I was already convinced of the ineffectiveness and unscripturalness of the church system, and its corrupt politics I had witnessed as a young pastor, together with the overwhelming hypocrisy of its leaders and members! This final act of cruel injustice and ingratitude, and their unconcern for the welfare of one of their own little pastors and his tiny young family made me so furious, embittered, and sick of the whole hypocritical church system that I nearly became a Communist!" [13] |