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Official Notification of God's Word
16 November 2004Last week two parishioners of the New Life Community Church in LeClaire, Iowa, 80-year old Helen Talbot and 73-year old Clarice Mizer, filed harassment complaints against their pastor, Rev. Tim Groves, who "hounded them" in phone calls and visits over their support for John Kerry. Groves, who caught media attention last month for erecting an anti-abortion sign so graphic that police had to place warnings along the roadway, said that the parishioners had violated church policy by taking their complaints to the police rather than trying to resolve them in-house, and sent them letters informing them that they were under church discipline and their voting rights had been suspended. To Mizer, Groves wrote, "'You are being officially notified that you are in violation of God’s Word in handling conflict within the church, according to Matthew 18.'" LeClaire Police Chief Jim Pfeiffer has now issued a second warning to Groves to stay away from Talbot and Mizer, and said the next complaint would bring an arrest. "'You get our attention with children and the elderly and when there’s a problem there, we’re onto it like four coats of paint.'" Groves is also being monitored by state Assemblies of God church leaders who are troubled by letters Groves has sent to church members detailing a meeting with the devil.
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