Welcome to Call to Decision
Subject: Help: church seized for refusing to incorporate.
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:45:12 -0700
Greetings Ms. Dutton,
Recently I received by email a video clip of your interview
with Dr. Richard I. Fine and was encouraged by the
information he gave there concerning the disqualification
process for State Superior Court Judges in California.
Although similarly in the past I have had my hopes raised
only to be let down, the matter here to which this letter
appertains is simply too important for me not to write and
tell you about. Also, whether or not such a remedy as
Dr. Fines' would be applicable in other jurisdictions beyond
California I do not know.
In 1996, after many years of conventional pastorate ministry
as a 501 (C) (3) state licensed member of the clergy, I
purposely allowed my license to run out as the Lord
instructed me to do. My intent was to avoid any
affiliation with or obligations to the secular state so that
my ministry in the future could be performed solely under
the Lordship of Christ in accordance to the Holy Scriptures,
and as additionally provided by the First Amendment.
In 1997 my wife and I spent our life's savings to purchase
(cash free) a 107 year old, 18 room Victorian manor house on
2+ acres in Salem, New Jersey. During the first year
we made every quarterly property tax payment on time.
However, one year later when we attempted to established a
local community ekklesia there, the city commenced a
five year campaign of persecution against us - not for
failing to render subsequent property taxes, but rather, as
they later stated for the record, for refusing to
incorporate under the state.
Finally, on 03-24-05, under provisions of The Patriot Act, the
church at Salem was seized by Salem County Sheriff John
B. Cooksey and Counter Terrorism Agents of the New Jersey
State Police. As a result of the seizure we literally
lost our home and everything we spent our lives working for.
From the time I renounced my 501 (C) (3) unequal yoke with
the state, I chose instead to retain my right to repent unto
Christ and to identify in Him as His actual and
literal ambassador, and as a member of His Holy ekklesia
rather than as a civilian member of the secular body
politic. As a result, I do not nor cannot perform
under civil law as others do. While this means I
cannot appear in civil court under the jurisdiction of
another sovereign, it also means we do not have access to
the courts to seek redress when we are wronged by those who
do. Consequently, because we've made the matter of our
status and true lawful identity in Christ abundantly clear
to the City from the very beginning, they have attacked us
with impunity having no fear of retribution for doing so.
As a result of what most of our family and friends (and our
four adult children) consider to be a foolish squandering of
our former wealth, there remains to this day a cloud of
sorts and an uneasiness over those once joyful and treasured
relationship we had. Since the seizure, nothing in our
lives is the same.
After the seizure we posted our website, www.thechurchatSalem.info,
and produced a three hour DVD documentary titled, Seized
for Refusing to Incorporate - The Story of the church at
Salem. So far, we have given away, free of charge,
about 350 copies of our documentary - which I previously
duplicated one disc at a time on our Apple computer until it
crashed six months ago. Fortunately, we still have 40
copies left and it is also viewable on the server which
hosts our website (although the video and audio are slightly
out of sync).
With no expectations other than to hold him accountable for
the knowledge thereof, we sent an Open Letter to President
Barack H. Obama explaining to him in very clear terms
everything he would have needed to know in order to set the
matter right. Despite our sending of regular and
numerous copies to the White House, naturally, our letters
and the copy of our DVD are ignored. The link to the
page on our website where the letter appears is
To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time in the
history of America where a church has been court ordered to
be seized for refusing to incorporate her Sovereign, Jesus
Christ, under the state. Regardless of the ongoing
hardship my wife and I continue to suffer, for the aforesaid
alone this monumental miscarriage of justice cannot go
unchallenged. In fact, since the seizure, the focal
point of my ministry has become the telling of our story to
all the world through whatever channels of opportunity the
Lord, by His grace and mercy, may provide for that purpose.
After all, I can think of no more important subject than
proclaiming the actual and literal
Lordship of Christ over His church?
If you or anyone you know might be aware of any lawful
remedies - even international if necessary - through which
we might seek redress; that would not threaten nor obligate
the ekklesia as an autonomous body politic in and
under Christ; I would certainly appreciate the opportunity
of hearing whatever wise counsel you (or they) might have to
offer.
I thank you for taking your time to read about this most
important matter and for giving it whatever attention you
believe it deserves.
Most sincerely yours in Christ Jesus,
William Raymond: pastor & ambassador for the Christ