Thoughts from the Heart

2008-02-17T10:04:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS
* Radio program begun by the Rev. Dr. JC Stanley (ordination name), Heggelund, "Brother Joseph", our Senior Pastor, on WNLC in New England while he served as a contact chaplain for the armed forces during the Vietnam War. This was a critical time for him as he was taken prisoner in the Soviet Union before the Iron Curtain fell, for giving out Bibles translated in Russian, after being a guest at the University of Moscow.
PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES
(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)
International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846
(202) 251-1693 (24/7)
goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Brother Joseph (center) seen next to ROTC volunteers for the Salvation Army. served as Chairman of the Red Shield Club for the Salvation Army in New London, Connecticut, almost thirty years ago, and continues to minister to others in need to this day as his health permits through our outreach of food and clothing to the needy in our mission outreach to the coal miners . Brother Joseph will celebrate his 70th. birthday this year.

Scripture verses:
"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." (Psalm. 37:25, King James Version).

Thoughts: The life experience of the righteous.

Prayer:
Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of hope and comfort of Your Word which transcends the ages. Today as we lift up our senior pastor, Brother Joseph, to You in prayer, we thank You for Your continued sustaining grace in his life and ministry. We remember today's verse from Your Word which Brother Joseph's grandmother in Norway wrote to him while he was a student at Zion Bible Institute. We praise You for that promise having been borne out in his life and ministry even in the depths of tragedy and adversity, and for how You have allowed that grace to be extended through him to the life of Brother Thomas after his loss of three family members in one household, and to many others at tragic times in their lives. We praise You for how even a word "fitly spoken" by the direction of Your Holy Spirit can be a life raft for a troubled soul, for such has been the experience of many who have been ministered through Brother Joseph by Your Spirit. We pray that Your grace will rest upon his life in ever greater measure this year as he celebrates his 70th. birthday, and that each of us will come to find that same grace as our personal life's story. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.

Music offerings: "The Lord Is My Shepherd, No Want Shall I Know."

2008-02-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

* Radio program begun by the Rev. Dr. JC Stanley (ordination name), Heggelund, "Brother Joseph", our Senior Pastor, on WNLC in New England while he served as a contact chaplain for the armed forces during the Vietnam War. This was a critical time for him as he was taken prisoner in the Soviet Union before the Iron Curtain fell, for giving out Bibles translated in Russian, after being a guest at the University of Moscow.

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES

(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)

International Interfaith Ministries
2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777
Washington, DC 20006-1846
(202) 251-1693 (24/7)
goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Left photo : Brother Joseph in prayer and Scripture southeast of the Pentagon, Nov. 2001
Center photo: Brother Joseph sharing some of our weekly devotionals during his recent recovery from a heart seizure.
Right photo: Brother Joseph preparing to bring donations, a check for financial assistance toward diapers, medical needs, for abused child found in closet with “duct tape and malnourished. “, June 2004. Child was subsequently placed with loving grandparents.

Scripture verses:
" Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men." (II Corinthians 3:2, King James Version).
" Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. " ( II Corinthians 2:14, King James Version)

Thoughts: Living epistles.

Prayer: Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of Your compassion demonstrated and taught by Jesus. We honor and lift up to You in prayer our senior pastor, Brother Joseph, whose ministry of hope and compassion have taken him to over forty nations, and continues to be a blessing to others even today in his ill health. Today we remember in particular and thank You for the favor of Your Holy Spirit which many years ago enabled us to minister in inspiration and song to the otherwise closed community of the Santo Domingo Pueblo north of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

We pray that Your Spirit will continue to favor Brother Joseph in his ministry to those whom he encounters where ever he goes, and bring through his kindness and outreach Your word of hope to many who might not otherwise know, see, or hear Your word. Help all of us who are believers to realize that the only word many will ever understand is the word revealed through us when Your kindness is revealed through us in actions of compassion. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Who, the Word made flesh Who dwelt among us Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offerings: Fugue in E Major, Volume 2 of the Well Tempered Clavier, by J.S. Bach.

2008 Good Faith Ministries

2008-02-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)International Interfaith Ministries
2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777
Washington, DC 20006-1846
(202) 251-1693 (24/7)
goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Brother Joseph's rendition of the 'Sunrise on the Ocean' , depicting the sunrise of the Son of God's salvation and mercy upon the world, mercy expressed in deed and in healing power, evoking that verse from Malachi 4:2: "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings"

Scripture verses:
" 'But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.' 'Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?' And he said, 'He that shewed mercy on him.' Then said Jesus unto him, 'Go, and do thou likewise.' (Luke Chapter 10, verses 33-37, King James Version).

Thoughts: Compassion in action.

Prayer: Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of Your compassion demonstrated and taught by Jesus. Today we honor the compassion of our senior pastor Brother Joseph who on many occasions has personally demonstrated compassion in action to those in need. There comes to mind his saving the lives of two teenage girls from drowning in the Rockaways in New York, He saved the life of a little girl ( daughter of one of Pat Robertson's cameraman) from being sucked into a whirlpool drain atop the Radisson in Austin, TX, and saved my life, again at risk to his own, at our retreat house in Texas in 1995 when I had been bound hand and foot by a former volunteer to our ministry. We pray Your guiding, protecting, and healing hand to be upon Brother Joseph in his two medical consultations this coming week. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Whose Name means 'Yahweh rescues' Amen.

Brother Joseph
Brother Thomas

Music offerings: "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"

2008 Good Faith Ministries

2008-02-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES (An arm of International Interfaith Ministries) International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846 (202) 251-1693 (24/7)

goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Museum piece Bible printed in 1678, acquired in Israel not far from the Dead Sea scrolls, where Brother Joseph personally toured and visited the museum of ancient manuscripts there, as well as the tomb that Jesus had been laid in. The Holy Land was one of many regions around the world which Brother Joseph visited during his worldwide tours of ministry in over forty nations .

Scripture verses:
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, 'Thy God reigneth!' " (Isaiah Chapter 52, verse 7, King James Version).
Thoughts: God's Word of good news and peace in and to a troubled world without a source of hope.
Prayer: Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of Your Word and its wellspring of good news, peace, and hope. We thank You for the grace of Your Holy Spirit Who is able to use mortal human beings to plant His immortal word of hope in the hearts of people. We lift up before You in prayer Brother Joseph, who even to this day in his struggles with ill health is used of Your Spirit to bring hope and wise counsel to those whom he meets in his everyday life. We pray for Your guiding and healing hand to be upon him in the coming weeks in his medical consultations and preparations for surgery in recovery from his recent stroke. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, the great physician and healer, Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offerings: " How Beautiful Are the Feet of Them" from Messiah by George Frideric Handel

2008 Good Faith Ministries

2008-02-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES (An arm of International Interfaith Ministries) International Interfaith Ministries
2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777
Washington, DC 20006-1846

(202) 251-1693 (24/7)

goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Pottery restored by our senior pastor, Brother Joseph, who while doing graduate work at Princeton Seminary studied sculpting under Joe Brown, who did the sculpts for the Philadelphia Stadium. Brother Joseph's works have been on display at Hartford National Bank in the late 1980's, and at Rider University Library, where he did 'The Glossalalia' and at the Political Science Department where he did ' The Political Ethos' .

Scripture verses: "Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it." (Jeremiah 18: 3,4, King James Version).

Thoughts: God at the "potter's wheel" of a person's life, remaking and restoring it inside and out.

Prayer: Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of Your Word of You as the potter, and look today with the eyes of faith Your persistence in making those who yield themselves to You into all that You have meant them to be. We praise You for the gift and grace You have given our senior pastor, Brother Joseph, for restoring not only pottery and works of art, but also as an instrument of Your restoring the brokenhearted, the traumatized, and the suicidal in the ministry of compassion You have placed in his life in the midst of his own brokenhearted-ness. We pray that Your grace and power will be upon him all the days of his life, bringing Your ministry through his life to full completion. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, the "author and finisher of our faith." Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offerings: " Something Beautiful." "Have Thine Own Way, Lord."

2008-01-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES (An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846

(202) 251-1693 24/7

Mission prayer cross, bestowed in honor of our senior pastor's volunteer ministry and forty-five years of ordained service to the traumatized, victimized, and disabled.

Scripture verses:

"But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10, King James Version).
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19, King James Version)

Thoughts:

An ongoing ministry to others, born and refined out of personal tragedy and adversity.

Prayer:

Father, we thank and praise You for the vast revelation of Your truth in Your Word. On this day we commend to Your grace and anointing our senior pastor Brother Joseph, who out of his personal experiences of tragedy has through Your Spirit's grace transmuted his suffering to help others in spiritual and material need, and who even in his daily struggles with ill health, extends Your compassion to others, wherever Your Spirit leads him. Today we remember in particular Your Spirit's grace on that occasion in which he assisted a woman who was unable to afford her pharmaceutical expenses, as well as the many other occasions before and since in which Your Spirit has led him to be a blessing to others. We pray that Your goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life, even as he continues to demonstrate Your goodness and mercy to others in need in tangible ways, through his own outreach and through the outreach of the ministry he founded. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Who taught and exemplified the compassion of the Good Samaritan. Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offering:

Amazing Grace “ Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come;’tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

Please pass this on with prayer. There is healing power through the sacrifice of Christ's shed Blood and through His Word by the "laying on of hands." ("He sent His word and healed them." Psalm 107:20a). "...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:18b) This message of faith is prayed for. Fold it in threes, top to bottom, left to right, with faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and put it in pockets, under pillows, in letters, in schoolbooks, library books, wallets, or in whatever your loved one or friend uses. Your faith may bring healing, inspiration, and guidance. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrew 11:1).

2008-01-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS*

Radio program begun by the Rev. Dr. JC Stanley, (ordination name) Heggelund, "Brother Joseph", our Senior Pastor, on WNLC in New England while he served as a contact chaplain for the armed forces during the Vietnam War. This was a critical time for him as he was taken prisoner in the Soviet Union before the Iron Curtain fell, for giving out Bibles translated in Russian, after being a guest at the University of Moscow.

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES

(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846

(202) 251-1693 24/7

Goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Our retreat house Bible front cover illustration of Jesus saving Peter.

Scripture verses:

"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, 'Lord, save me.' And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, 'O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?' " (Matthew 14:30, 31, King James Version)

Thoughts: The saving arm of the Lord Jesus in the midst of life's storms.

Prayer:

Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of Your truth in Your Word. By Your Spirit Who is able to open our spiritual eyes, help us to look above the storms of life that are all around us and to Your Son Jesus, and in earnestness to call upon Him when the waters of life's storms are threatening to sink us. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, at Whose spoken word the storms of the sea and the storms of life are stilled. Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offering: " I Need Thee Every Hour"

Please pass this on with prayer. There is healing power through the sacrifice of His shed Blood and through His Word by the "laying on of hands." ("He sent His word and healed them." Psalm 107:20a). "...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:18b) This message of faith is prayed for. Fold it in threes, top to bottom, left to right, with faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and put it in pockets, under pillows, in letters, in schoolbooks, library books, wallets, or in whatever your loved one or friend uses. Your faith may bring healing, inspiration, and guidance. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrew 11:1).

2007-12-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

* Radio program begun by the Rev. Dr. JC Stanley, (ordination name) Heggelund, "Brother Joseph", our Senior Pastor, on WNLC in New England while he served as a contact chaplain for the armed forces during the Vietnam War. This was a critical time for him as he was taken prisoner in the Soviet Union before the Iron Curtain fell, for giving out Bibles translated in Russian, after being a guest at the University of Moscow.

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES

(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)

International Interfaith Ministries
2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777
Washington, DC 20006-1846
(202) 251-1693 24/7

Goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Our retreat house Bible’s painting of “ Christ Teaching on the Mountain”

Scripture verses:

“And His fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and He healed them. And there followed Him great multitudes of people …” (Matthew 4:24, 25a, King James Version).

“And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: And He opened his mouth, and taught them…” (Matthew 5:1-2a, King James Version)

Thoughts: Jesus: The teacher Who heals His listeners.

Prayer: Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of Your truth in Your Word. May we this in this coming New Year discover firsthand in Your Son Jesus the river of healing for our whole beings, and a new direction for our hearts and minds as individuals and as a nation. We pray also that our witness to others of Your truth will be heralded by the flow of grace and healing to all we come in contact with by Your Holy Spirit‘s power, just as it was through Jesus‘ earthly life. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Jehovah our salvation. Amen.

Brother Joseph
Brother Thomas

Music offering: " There is a Balm in Gilead ”

Please pass this on with prayer. There is healing power through the sacrifice of His shed Blood and through His Word by the "laying on of hands." ("He sent His word and healed them." Psalm 107:20a). "...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:18b) This message of faith is prayed for. Fold it in threes, top to bottom, left to right, with faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and put it in pockets, under pillows, in letters, in schoolbooks, library books, wallets, or in whatever your loved one or friend uses. Your faith may bring healing, inspiration, and guidance. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrew 11:1).

2007-12-25T14:56:00.000-08:00

Born with a Caul on his face and a Divine Call on his life.

Recent photo of the Rev. Dr. Joseph C. Stanley Heggelund, 1974 Princeton Seminary graduate, President and Founder of International Interfaith Ministries, Inc., sharing our weekly devotional materials.

Today on this Christmas Day, we wish our president and founder, the Rev. Dr. Joseph C. Stanley (ordination name), Heggelund (family name), "Brother Joseph", a happy birthday celebration today.

He was born on Sunday, Christmas Day, in 1938. His is a story of miraculous survival at the time of his birth.

When he was given birth to, a caul (membrane) was wrapped around his face. His dad, on his way with the three older brothers to worship at the Norwegian church in Brooklyn, called on the doctor. The doctor arrived at their home and found the mother crying over what she thought was a dead baby. The doctor revived him by pulling the caul away from his face and cutting the umbilical cord that was wrapped around the neck.

The birth was announced in church that day by the doctor, and the child, Joseph Clifford Stanley, named after the doctor's first name which was Joseph. The doctor, being Jewish, did not record the birth until the following day, December 26.

Years later, Joseph Clifford Stanley's son, Clifford would be born with his umbilical cord knotted around his neck.

This Christmas Day near-tragedy and deliverance would be one of many near tragedies and moments of deliverance for Brother Joseph who to this day has followed the call of God on his life, transmuting his pain and tragedy into helping others; like Joseph of old in the Bible, who said to his brothers who had once tried to kill him, " You meant it for evil, but God meant it unto good." (Genesis 50:20), and went on after many years of suffering and imprisonment, to become the Viceroy of Egypt under Pharaoh to the salvation from famine both to the Egyptians and the Israelites.

Brother Joseph, who with many near death experiences, survived being fired upon in a drive-by shooting in Vidor, TX, while on a mission, has himself been a savior to many in their times of peril. He saved the lives of two teenage girls from drowning in the Rockaways in New York. He saved the life of a little girl ( daughter of one of Pat Robertson's cameraman) from being sucked into a whirlpool drain atop the Radisson in Austin, TX. At risk to his own life, he threw his crutches aside which he had after a recent injury, jumped into the whirlpool and extricated the girl's arm out of the drain.

On a personal note, he has been a minister to me following my trauma of losing three family members in one household, defining then and over the years since the practical compassion of the Good Samaritan. It was his heroism that saved my life years later from a "horrific" death at our retreat house in Liberty Hill, Texas, on December 18, 1995, where a former volunteer had me bound hand and foot with telephone cords, threatening me with three ways to be killed, while he robbed the retreat house. During that eight hour ordeal of being tightly bound to a high back chair in a remote part of the retreat house, I prayed earnestly for Brother Joseph's safety. Brother Joseph, while ministering through donations of food in Austin, was experiencing the tug of God's Spirit warning him that all was not right at the retreat house. Providentially he was not only led back to the retreat house, but also delayed in his return from coming too soon as well as too late (missing a highway exit that he normally took to get to the retreat house). Upon his return that night, he jumped the retreat house fence, and ran to the door, feeling the handle was warm on that cold winter night. Sensing danger was near, he cut the telephone cords with the machete that was lying nearby, ending up in a pool of blood that night, and drove us both to safety at the local hospital. Were it not for Brother Joseph, I might not be alive today to be sharing this Christmas Day message with you.

Even as I write, donations of pastries, including pecan pies, donuts, pumpkin pies, vanilla cakes, loaves of whole wheat bread, and chocolate cakes, received by Brother Joseph on behalf of our ministry, are on their way with our volunteer worker, Brother James, to our mission to the coal miners in Pennsylvania 250 miles away, which he has been doing for seven years. Our donations of food and clothing to the needy have been a blessing there to many for seven years now, enabling some to have funds left for their medical expenses (one was a woman suffering from cancer), and furnishing others with new clothing.

The Caul over his face was many years ago, but the call of God upon his life has continued to this day. Brother Joseph's call has taken him to over forty nations as a minister of good will, from the island of Tonga in the south Pacific where he was hosted by the King of Tonga, to the Holy Land, to the island of Savonga off the coast of Siberia, to the Netherlands where he placed his hand of blessing on Queen Juliana during the dedication of the museum in Den Hagg; as a contact chaplain to the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War; to the White House on two occasions, during the Nixon and Carter Administrations as a professor and leader of students where he was hosted in the Oval Office.

His prayers, as a minister of music in his teenage years at the bedsides of dying patients on Welfare Island, New York, over the radio in his Faith for Today program on WNLC in New England during his work as a contact chaplain to the military, in his ministry to thousands over the pulpit and in his worldwide travels, and in person to those he meets as the Spirit of God leads him, have healed and given hope to so many over the decades, even to this day.

While he was meditating at our retreat house today, three eagles hovered over our retreat house and above him. As he looked up he was impressed with their majestic beauty, evoking that great verse from the Old Testament in Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

It reminded him of what years earlier was unbeknownst to us was a providential escape from the assailant who had robbed our retreat house in Texas. This was but a year and a half after the ordeal in Liberty Hill, Texas. A nurse had come to help us prepare for our relocation to the Washington, DC, area, where we subsequently joined in the fight for IRS reform which passed both houses of Congress 99-1. While she and her sons assisted us in our packing, she and Brother Joseph saw a host of doves circling them overhead, bringing to both of them the Bible's symbolism of the Holy Spirit. She not only offered to donate a kidney to him for his survival in possible surgery for his diabetic condition, but handed him a Visa card to assist him in funding our trip to the northeast. Months after our move, we learned from our attorney whose office was within walking distance to our Austin location, Chris Jones, that this assailant had stopped by his office.

One of Brother Joseph's recent blessings has been a minister friend whom he has known for over half a century who donated the funds for the implants needed in his oral surgery. He was touched to tears by this donation. We are trusting God for the funds to provide the crowns.

This Christmas Day we also remember the late Ruth Hayes, advisory board member to International Interfaith Minstries, and Rehoboth Beach, DE, Bandstand director for forty-two years until her untimely passing on June 28, 2005. It is a particularly personal remembrance for Brother Joseph, who was a "beloved friend and companion" to Ruth, ministering to her daily in prayer and counsel as she tirelessly orchestrated the music programs that blessed thousands of visitors to Rehoboth Beach over the years, working as much as eighteen hours a day, carrying on the great musical tradition begun by her husband, William Joseph Hayes, who passed away in 1994. Her words to us when we communicated with her, " I pray for you all the time."

Prayer requests are accepted at goodfaithchapel@aol.com, and love offerings of any and all amounts to International Interfaith Ministries, Inc. are accepted at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777, Washington, DC, 20006-1846. You can also support this pilot program by sending donations to our local arm, Good Faith Ministries, at our mission chapel at 421 N. Rock St. in Shamokin, PA, 17872. Shamokin is in the heart of the coal mining area, near the burning hills of Centralia where many homes have been destroyed.

On many occasions I had the privilege of accompanying him on the piano and the pipe organ as he shared his Helden Tenor voice to bless people around the world, including our tour of ministry in the Southwest, and in recent years at the Union United Methodist Church in Federalsburg, Maryland, on the Muller organ in that sanctuary.

Brother Joseph's Helden Tenor voice has been heard at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Clark Air Force Base in the Phillipines, Fort Dix Air Force Base, at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, the Chapel on the Thames, and Shepherd of the Sea Chapel at the Naval base in Groton, CT. A rabbi in Hartford, CT, who heard him sing told him he had "one of the most valuable voices in the world." One of his musical inspirations has been the world famous tenor Luciano Pavarotti, whose singing has inspired Brother Joseph.

Please join us this Christmas Day to extend birthday best wishes to Brother Joseph, that all the hope and peace birthed by the Savior's entrance into the world will be upon him today and all the days of his life.

Faithfully this Christmas Day,

Rev. Alex Thomas Nicotra, Executive Director of International Interfaith Ministries, Inc.

2007-12-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES
(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)
International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846

(202) 251-1693 24/7
Goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Our retreat house illustrated Bible’s painting of “ The Nativity”

Scripture verses:
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His Name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, King James Version).

Thoughts: Jesus, “Jehovah our salvation.”

Prayer:

Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of Your truth in Your Word. May we this Christmas season discover Jesus firsthand as the One Who saves us from our sins, and leads us despite ourselves into the path of Your will for us as individuals and as a nation. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Jehovah our salvation. Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offering: " Gloria in Excelsis Deo ”

Please pass this on with prayer. There is healing power through the sacrifice of Christ’s shed Blood and through His Word by the "laying on of hands." ("He sent His word and healed them." Psalm 107:20a). "...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:18b) This message of faith is prayed for. Fold it in threes, top to bottom, left to right, with faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and put it in pockets, under pillows, in letters, in schoolbooks, library books, wallets, or in whatever your loved one or friend uses. Your faith may bring healing, inspiration, and guidance. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrew 11:1).

2007-12-16T06:23:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES
(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)
International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846

(202) 251-1693 24/7
Goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Our retreat house illustrated Bible’s painting of “ The Annunciation” The angel announcing the miracle to come of Jesus’ birth to Mary, above whose head the Holy Spirit, symbolized by a dove haloed in light, hovers.

Scripture verses:
“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS.”
“ Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:31, 34-37, King James Version).

Thoughts: The birth of Jesus Christ heralded by Heaven’s proclamation of God’s power to accomplish the humanly impossible.

Prayer: Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of Your truth in Your Word. May we, as Mary did, find the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ with us on earth heralded by the demonstration of Your power to accomplish the humanly impossible in our lives, through Your Holy Spirit Who works to bring about Your will here on earth. May we, by Your Spirit at work within us despite ourselves, be found “Willing in the day of Thy power” as the Psalmist of old proclaimed. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Who is called Emmanuel (“God With Us”). Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offering: " O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. ” (hymn based on a 15th. Century processional tune)

2007-12-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES (An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)
International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846
(202) 251-1693 (24/7)
goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Retreat house cross engraved with the Lord's Prayer.

Scripture verses:
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16b, King James Version).

Thoughts:

The power of prayer; the believer's supernatural means of cooperation with the mercies and will of the sovereign God.

Prayer and testimony:

Father, we thank You for your intervention and grace on behalf of our senior pastor, Brother Joseph, during his near fatal heart seizure this past week, and for allowing us to be reminded of the power of prayer as You have revealed it in Your Word. Our senior pastor's physician, upon seeing him, remarked that he was lucky to be alive under those circumstances, and asked me if I prayed during that crisis, which I did. We are reminded today of how You miraculously spared Brother Joseph's life many years ago during his evangelistic ministry when he suffered from "the Devil's Grip", and how he was healed from that excruciating affliction after being prayed for by a prayer group in Tennessee. We also remember how You used him to pray for the recovery of his physician's brother, who was spared from certain death. May each of us use these occasions to renew our faith in You, and to turn to You in prayer in accordance with Your will. We pray also that also that our faith will never rest in the power of our prayers, but rather in the power of the One Who hears and answers prayer according to His will, His wisdom for what is best, and His timing. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Who "ever lives to make intercession for us" (Hebrews 7:25). Amen.

Brother Thomas

Music offerings:

" What a Friend We Have In Jesus "

2007-11-25T13:45:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES

(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)

International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846

(202) 251-1693 (24/7)

goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Our senior pastor, Brother Joseph, placing food for the needy on our Pennsylvania mission's community exchange table during Thanksgiving week. Our mission center there has distributed food and clothing to the needy in that community since 2000 under the auspices of our senior pastor, who is president and founder of International Interfaith Ministries.

Scripture verses: "He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour." (Psalm 112:9, King James Version).

Thoughts: The practical compassion of the godly.

Prayer: Father, we thank and praise You for the eternal sacrifice of Your Son Jesus on the Cross, the greatest of givers, for all of our sakes. We thank You for the compassion of Christ expressed through those who follow Your Spirit in ministering to the needy. We lift Brother Joseph up to You in prayer today as he ministers in comforting word and in tangible ways to those in need he meets. We pray Your grace and peace will be upon him in abundance this Christmas season and all the days of his life. May our hearts be inspired to thanksgiving for Your grace toward us, and express that gratitude in practical compassion to the needy that we encounter around us. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Who is the Bread of Life. Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offerings: " Now Thank We All Our God"

2007-11-18T10:12:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES
(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)

International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846

(202) 251-1693 24/7

Our retreat house Bible front cover illustration of the Cross as the Rock of Ages being clung to by a desperate seeker.

Scripture verses:

"And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." (I Corinthians 10:4, King James Version)

Thoughts:

Christ as the 'Rock of Ages': the believer's source of security and of spiritual sustenance.

Prayer:

Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of Your truth in Your Word, and for Your Son Who in a world of crumbling sources of security is the ‘Rock of Ages.’ By Your Spirit at work within our hearts and minds, lead us all to earnestly and wholeheartedly embrace the risen Lord Jesus Christ as our source of security and sustenance. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Who is the foundation and Chief Cornerstone of the faith. Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offering: " Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee..."

Please pass this on with prayer. There is healing power through the sacrifice of Christ's shed Blood and through His Word by the "laying on of hands." ("He sent His word and healed them." Psalm 107:20a). "...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:18b) This message of faith is prayed for. Fold it in threes, top to bottom, left to right, with faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and put it in pockets, under pillows, in letters, in schoolbooks, library books, wallets, or in whatever your loved one or friend uses. Your faith may bring healing, inspiration, and guidance. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrew 11:1).

2007-11-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS
* Radio program begun by the Rev. Dr. JC Stanley (ordination name), Heggelund, "Brother Joseph", our Senior Pastor, on WNLC in New England while he served as a contact chaplain for the armed forces during the Vietnam War. This was a critical time for him as he was taken prisoner in the Soviet Union before the Iron Curtain fell, for giving out Bibles translated in Russian, after being a guest at the University of Moscow.

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES

(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)
International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846
(202) 251-1693 (24/7)
goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Photo taken of our senior pastor when he visited NASA. He served as a contact chaplain to the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War, as Lecturer, teacher, ambassador of good will and minister in over forty nations worldwide during his missionary travels. Currently he is International Interfaith Ministries' contact chaplain to universities, hospitals, fire departments, prison ministry, legislatures.

Scripture verses:

"For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." (Hebrews 6:10, King James Version).

Thoughts:

The Lord's remembrance of the services of those who follow Him, and minister to other believers and to other people in His name.

The services of the men and women who have served in our nation's armed forces remembered this day.

Prayer:

Father, we thank and praise You for the eternal sacrifice of Your Son Jesus on the Cross for all of our sakes. We thank You for the services of those Who have ministered to us in Your Son's Name. Inspire us by Your Spirit to minister to those around us, with Your remembrance of all of our work done in Your Son's Name as a source of encouragement to us. We thank You for the sacrifices of the men and women who have served to keep our nation safe. Help us as individuals and as a nation to honor them in word and in deed. This day we honor our senior pastor for the ministry You have wrought through him as a contact chaplain to our nation's armed forces, and as a minister to so many others even now in the midst of his daily struggles with his health. We pray Your grace, favor, and blessing, to overflow upon him today and all the days of his life. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offerings: Fugue in D Major, Well Tempered Clavier, Book 2, by J.S. Bach.

2007-11-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

Radio program begun by the Rev. Dr. JC Stanley (ordination name), Heggelund, "Brother Joseph", our Senior Pastor, on WNLC in New England while he served as a contact chaplain for the armed forces during the Vietnam War. This was a critical time for him as he was taken prisoner in the Soviet Union before the Iron Curtain fell, for giving out Bibles translated in Russian, after being a guest at the University of Moscow.

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES

(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)

International Interfaith Ministries

2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777

Washington, DC 20006-1846

(202) 251-1693 (24/7)

goodfaithchapel@aol.com

March 6, 1989 police photos (first three photos) of our senior pastor's car which was damaged in a driveby shooting in Vidor, Texas, in which he was shot at by unidentified assailants to be killed while he was on a mission. Our senior pastor sharing our weekly devotional materials (photo on far right).

Scripture verses:
"I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD." (Psalm 118: 7, King James Version).

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." (Psalm 34:19, King James Version).

"And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. " (2 Timothy 4:18, King James Version).

Thoughts: The Lord's deliverance experienced in life by those who trust and follow Him.

Prayer: Father, we thank and praise You for the gift of Your grace and our source of hope in life and in eternity bequeathed to us Your Son Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the Cross. We thank You for how You have brought our senior pastor Brother Joseph through great tragedy and trial and transmuted those experiences to help others who have experienced tragedy. We pray Your Spirit's presence and anointing on him all the days of his life, and that each of us will discover for ourselves the "anchor" of hope that You offer us in this life and in the life to come This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Who is "afflicted in all our afflictions" and "personally saves us" Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offerings: Amazing Grace (verse 3) "...'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home!"

2007-10-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES

(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)
International Interfaith Ministries
2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777
Washington, DC 20006-1846

(202) 251-1693 (24/7)

goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Sunbury Pennsylvania's Daily Item news article covering our ministry's donation of a home for life to a paraplegic in the coal mining regions of Pennsylvania. Shown above is our senior pastor, Brother Joseph, signing the deed of that property on behalf of our ministry.

Scripture verses:

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." (Matthew 25:40, King James Version)

Thoughts:

The King's identity with those in need; our form of gratitude to Him: compassion in "deed and in truth" to those He identifies with.

Prayer:

Father, we thank and praise You for the gift of Your grace, unconditional love, and good will expressed through Your Son Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the Cross. We thank You for those through whom that compassion is expressed in tangible ways to those in need. We lift Brother Joseph up to You in prayer, and thank You for all that Your Spirit does through him in his daily outreach to touch the lives of those around him where ever he goes. May we never think the ministry You have given to each of us too small in scope or too humble to be noticed by You, but rather to remember the words of the King Who remembers each and every act of kindness to others done in His Name. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, Who taught and demonstrated the value of a single human individual. Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offerings: " Aria" from The Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach.

Please pass this on with prayer. There is healing power through the sacrifice of Christ's shed Blood and through His Word by the "laying on of hands." ("He sent His word and healed them." Psalm 107:20a). "...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:18b) This message of faith is prayed for. Fold it in threes, top to bottom, left to right, with faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and put it in pockets, under pillows, in letters, in schoolbooks, library books, wallets, or in whatever your loved one or friend uses. Your faith may bring healing, inspiration, and guidance. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrew 11:1).

2007-10-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

FAITH FOR TODAY* SCRIPTURES AND THOUGHTS

PRESENTED BY GOOD FAITH MINISTRIES

(An arm of International Interfaith Ministries)
International Interfaith Ministries
2000 Pennsylvania Ave. # 2020-777
Washington, DC 20006-1846

(202) 251-1693 (24/7)

goodfaithchapel@aol.com

Pottery restored by our senior pastor, Brother Joseph

Scripture verses: "Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it." (Jeremiah 18: 3,4, King James Version).

Thoughts: God at the "potter's wheel" of a person's life, remaking and restoring it inside and out.
Prayer: Father, we thank and praise You for the revelation of Your Word of You as the potter, and look today with the eyes of faith Your persistence in making those who yield themselves to You into all that You have meant them to be. We look to You today as the one Who sees beyond the present condition of a person's life, and sees the completed, perfected work of what You are molding it into. By Your Spirit within us, help us to fix our faith on You accordingly, and to persevere in yielding ourselves to You.

We praise You for the gift and grace You have given our senior pastor, Brother Joseph, for restoring not only pottery and works of art, but also as an instrument of Your restoring the brokenhearted, the traumatized, and the suicidal in the ministry of compassion You have placed in his life in the midst of his own brokenhearted-ness. We pray that Your grace and power will be upon him all the days of his life, bringing Your ministry through his life to full completion. This we pray in the Name of Jesus, the "author and finisher of our faith." Amen.

Brother Joseph

Brother Thomas

Music offerings: " Something Beautiful." "Have Thine Own Way, Lord."

2006-11-05T21:15:00.000-08:00

Medical doctor blessed by visit from International Interfaith Ministries’ clergy.

Advocates for the disabled, traumatized, and victimized oppose recent suspension of doctor from Nanticoke Memorial Hospital.

SEEN IN PHOTO: The Rev. Dr. Joseph C. Stanley (ordination name), Heggelund (left). Medical doctor and Delaware 39th. District Congressional Candidate Dr. Richard Sternberg (right) during a recent visit to Dr. Sternberg’s office

Hospital regulators in the State of Delaware should be informed that Nanticoke Hospital has allowed its policies, non-medical, to separate needy dying patients from the skillful hand of a surgeon to assist and relieve their suffering.

This hospital has a reputation "of not being sensitive at times to basic human needs over the years."

The above mentioned doctor recently said of the new CEO, "though he was not pleased with their previous CEO, the present one makes him nostalgic for his predecessor."
With the patient’s permission, the doctor had a news reporter come to report on and take pictures of surgery, something which is done the world over and dates back to the time of Freud and French medical specialists (by artists who came in to do sketches and paintings of the procedures), and is done today on TV for medical research. This could reflect off CNN’s medical correspondence, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who talks to the nation daily about medical procedures.
Our senior pastor, while doing graduate work at Princeton University and Princeton Seminary, in conjunction with the University chief of staff at the Princeton University Medical Hospital and renowned President of the American College Health Association, did research and reviewed the essence of faith and medical practice being jointly useful as a tool towards recovery and the assuaging of patients’ suffering.

The Reverend Stanley was at the scene of the fatal accident and by the side of Dr. Sarah Dykstra, prayerfully comforting her and her distraught husband Dr. John Dykstra, near our retreat house on Cedar Lane, where she was struck by an SUV driven by an off duty patrolman. The patrolman hit her after skipping into the side lane where she waited to cross in her triathlon runner technique to face the traffic. He ran over a road side work sign, which had been put there since the flood damage, and blew two tires. Sarah Dykstra was thrown 90 feet in a 45 mile an hour zone, which led to her death..

The EMS specialist was giving her CPR to regain her heartbeat, while Rev. Stanley prayed and administered spiritual help. After ministering to Sarah and her husband as she lay dying by the roadside, he had to go through state troopers and policemen for permission to offer spiritual support at the hospital. While in the counseling room he was interrupted by a state trooper and an off-duty nurse. This happening reflects poor management at the hospital. The world over, ordained spiritual leaders have the final entrance in ministering to the suffering and needy.
Reverend Stanley’s primary care physician from Seaford has told him from his experience of operating on thousands of heart patients in Washington, DC, how the chief of staff found from records that the recovery rate was greater for those who prayed and were prayed for. The Reverend has a medical history of recovering from near-death experiences, namely a ruptured appendix, deathly viral pneumonia while on the mission field, a truck-auto accident and drive-by shooting which took place in Vidor, Texas, a dog-bite by a rabid dog that died subsequently (which took place during his work with the Oklahoma City bombing victims), Lyme Tick Disease which left him with Lymphadema, for which a noted disease specialist at Scott and White in Temple, TX, gave him a month to live in April 1997. He was stung by a ground hornet in San Antonio near their mission, and taken to the trauma center for recovery. The prayers of his associate Reverend Thomas and other members of the ministry, plus his faith constituents around the world, who also prayed for his recovery from Legionnaire’s Disease contracted in Philadelphia, where he pastored a renowned Congregational Church in Glenolden, in the Philadelphia area.

The Reverend above most people, has a reason to support the power of prayer for the sick and needy. There is no one who would be more sensitive to the importance of a hospital’s and doctor’s and clergy’s teamwork in ministering to the suffering needs of the disabled, traumatized, and victimized. He miraculously recovered from Walking Pneumonia while in college, his first near death experience, at the hospital at Oyster Bay on Long Island. He felt his body leave hold of his soul and spirit, when he came back and reclaimed his body while people prayed and the nurses feverishly resuscitated him with the help of respiration equipment.
Ordained almost fifty years ago in Hyannisport, Massachusetts. He often claims himself to be an "old time Methodist preacher." having served the two largest Methodist Churches in the northeast United States, in Haddonfield, NJ and in Manchester, CT, and opening in song the weekly prayer services at the Methodist campgrounds in Pitman, NJ.

A graduate of Rider University, Princeton, and student at Harvard, Yale, Rev. Stanley served as Assistant to President Ray Robinson at Westminster Choir College in Princeton. He served the military as Contact Chaplain US Navy, Air Force and Army during the Vietnam War. He was a guest aboard the USS Eagle in the United States Coast Guard where he had the Admiral‘s quarters.

He served as President of the Evangelical Ministers Association in Connecticut, and participated in the Billy Graham Crusades, traveled over forty nations as a minister and lecturer. As a professor and leader of students he was a guest in the Oval Office twice (under the Nixon and Carter Administrations). He was noted and cited as Citizen of the Year by Jaycees in Groton, CT.

He is the senior pastor of our local arm of Good Faith Ministries, which ministers weekly in sermon through its ‘Faith for Today program, founded upon a radio program begun by Rev. Stanley on WNLC in New England while he served as a contact chaplain for the armed forces during the Vietnam War. This was a critical time for him as he was taken prisoner in the Soviet Union before the Iron Curtain fell, for giving out Bibles translated in Russian, after being a guest at the University of Moscow.

Another unfortunate disruption of his hospital ministry occurred when the Reverend wanted to visit his beloved friend and companion Ruth Hayes at the Peninsula Hospital, brought there though she was in perfect health. He, an ordained minister, was refused entrance, while an un-ordained chaplain was allowed to roam the halls of the CCU. The doctor who admitted Ruth stated she did not have a heart attack, but wanted to do a prophylactic procedure to keep her from having one. He and a nurse wheeled her off to the CCU beyond the Reverend’s reach. Ruth died in two days after they did their procedure. She went into cardiac arrest alone in the Reverend’s presence and his associate on June 28, 2005 . He still suffers the lack of closure on this loss. Ruth was an advisory board member to our Interfaith Ministries, supported our retreat house in Nanticoke Acres, and provided for food and medical care to our animals at our retreat house. Ruth Hayes, Rehoboth Beach Bandstand Director for forty-two years, was a dear friend to Attorney General (now Judge) Jane Brady, to Governor Ruth Ann Minner, and to the late Senator Roth with whom Interfaith Ministries worked for IRS reform in 1997 and 1998. Good Faith Ministries erected a beautiful memorial and fountain in memory of Ruth Hayes at the retreat house on the Nanticoke River.

What institution has the audacity to suspend a bona-fide, great, and qualified doctor who serves our community? This administrative action separates him from his patients at the hospital who need his surgical experience and skill.

It sounds like the CEO of the hospital and his staff have an egocentric problem in which they want to show authority over medical doctors. They could not have a hospital without the doctors; they need to respect their earned medical expertise as the key to being a professional medical facility.

A recent meeting with the doctor revealed how this has trouble him, as has the cronyism that prevails not only in the political regime where he is running for office, but also in the medical world and in the community.

Both I and our senior pastor, on behalf of Sussex County Medical Center Dr. Aguillon’s getting an extension to build a surgical building in Blades, spoke before the state’s medical board at the college in Georgetown. Accompanied by Mike McGroerty, attorney for Dr. Aguillon, we prevailed. Dr. Aguillon himself does not have a relationship with the Nanticoke Memorial Hospital.

Suspension of a doctor (particularly for the reason on this occasion) is an academic discipline overruling medical care to the needy. In this case a patient’s prerogative, that of giving permission for the reporter’s presence, was overruled. It is a war between the business direction of a CEO with his staff, and the vital life giving care of a physician. Not even the police can interfere with the medical care of a patient even if that patient were a criminal. To their credit they will not violate human and patient rights, nor interfere with humane care of a human life.

It is not a first for bad publicity against the priorities of the Nanticoke Hospital, in our opinion. In this case the Nanticoke Hospital set its own self-interests against the wishes of one of its patients, one of its doctors, and against the well being of other patients.

This message is a reflection of a non-partisan advocacy group of local taxpaying citizens registered under Good Faith Business Association, registered in Sussex County, Delaware.
Submitted by Rev. Thomas, staff writer for International Interfaith Ministries