Sommers:
This morning we’re happy to have with us Pastor Richard Smith, Senior Pastor of The Congregation in Central Park Church. Pastor Smith, welcome!
Smith:
Please, call me Rick.
Sommers:
Of course, Rick. What brings you to our studio this morning?
Smith:
Leslie, I’ve heard nothing but good things about your coverage of the events surrounding Mtembo’s miraculous gift. We needed to get some information out to the public, and I couldn’t think of a better way to share it.
Sommers:
Well, that’s very kind of you to say, Rick. What is it that people need to know?
Smith:
First, I want to address the unfortunate situation yesterday with Mr. Weston. I believe your station had him on camera?
Sommers:
That’s right. Mark Jacobs interviewed him live in Central Park.
Smith:
I’m very sorry that we couldn’t find some way to help him. When he asked Mtembo to pray without using the name of Jesus, Mtembo really didn’t know what to do. He laid his hands on Mr. Weston, but nothing happened. He said the words without the phrase, “in the name of Jesus,” but nothing happened. He then told us that God’s instructions to him were to lay his hands on a person and repeat the words, “It is the Father’s good pleasure to make you home, in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit.” He’s been faithful to use those words and everyone he’s touched has been healed. God didn’t seem to want to move in any other way.
Sommers:
Does it seem reasonable that God would insist on a specific formula to heal people?
Smith:
I don’t want to speculate too much on that, Leslie. I prepare 30 to 45 minute sermons expounding on possible interpretations of Biblical texts that everyone can read and study. I didn’t hear what God said to Mtembo, and God didn’t grant me a vision explaining what He was thinking. Trying to interpret the events in a short studio interview will probably create more confusion than anything. All I can say is that we genuinely want to help anyone who comes to us. For now, there seems to be only one way to do that.
Sommers:
Anyone at all?
Smith:
That’s right, Leslie. Mtembo wasn’t told to refuse anyone. We aren’t asking any qualifying questions. We aren’t even asking people if they need healing, although I think we can assume they aren’t waiting in line for any other reason. When you get to Mtembo, he will lay his hands on you and repeat his phrase. When he does, God will heal you. There are no questions asked, no conditions to be met. We see this as similar to Salvation. It is a gift God has given to all. All you have to do is come receive it.
But Mtembo only knows one way to do what he’s been called to do. We have too many people waiting in line to experiment with options. And we meant what we said. If Mr. Weston comes back, we will take him to the front of the line.
Sommers:
Does your Church preach that homosexuality is a sin?
Smith:
We don’t want this to be about our Church, Leslie. We’re not evangelizing. We’re not advertising our services. We don’t even have a sign with our name on it by the Lawn. We don’t want to focus attention on anything other than what God is doing. God is doing amazing things, and that’s what people need to pay attention to.
Sommers:
What kinds of things?
Smith:
I believe you saw the veteran who had his foot grow back. One woman said her throat was cured of cancer. Last night she called the Church and told us that the doctors found her tonsils, which she’d had removed when she was five. They were right there in her throat functioning normally. A man with kidney problems who had to go through dialysis on a regular basis not only had his kidneys healed, but his appendix was restored. It had been surgically removed, but the doctors tell him it’s back. When Mtembo says it’s the Father’s pleasure to see you whole, he doesn’t just mean healed of whatever you came for. Your body will be restored the way it should be. That’s the story. The focus is on God’s miraculous work, not our Church, not Mtembo, not sin.
Sommers:
You said you had something else to share?
Smith:
Yes. Leslie. We’re still struggling with the best way to let Mtembo touch as many people as possible. His endurance amazed all of us, yesterday. He saw more than 1,000 people before the day was out. He’ll go as long as he can today. He wants to be able to heal as many people as possible. We know some people were unhappy at having to lose their place in line when we stopped last night, and we’re trying to figure out what to do about that. We also know people were unhappy when we let the ambulance patient go to the front of the line. As far as we knew, if he had waited he would have died. So we decided to let him go to the front, and he lived and nobody else died because of that.
Today we will have a licensed medical professional talk to everyone who believes they need to be pulled to the front of the line in that way. If he thinks the situation is dire, we will let that person go to the front of the line. We appreciate how this makes those who are waiting feel, but we ask that they all understand that some situations are literally life and death. If you can wait, we will get to you as soon as we can. If you can’t wait, we will let you go to the front of the line. We will do everything we can to treat everyone we can. Please be patient and understanding and we will get to you.
Sommers:
Thank you, Rick. Do you have time to answer a couple of questions for us?
Smith:
I’ll do my best.
Sommers:
Will Mr. Nkoba agree to an interview?
Smith:
He’s said he would rather not. If he has time and energy, he wants to be healing. Maybe after this gift is gone he would be willing to talk with you. I don’t know. But for now, he doesn’t want to take time away from the people he can heal.
Sommers:
How long will he be have this gift?
Smith:
We don’t know. Mtembo was told that he was to heal, “until you can no longer.” God didn’t explain what that meant. So we know this will end at some point, but we don’t know how that will work.
Sommers:
It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Rick. Thank you for taking time to talk with us.
Smith:
Thank you for letting me come by, Leslie. Give my regards to Sam when you see him next.
Sommers:
I will do that. And now with a look at this morning’s commute...
Sommers:
Mark, what’s the latest from Central Park?
(Cut to Mark Jacobs - Live feed)
Jacobs:
Leslie, things are not as peaceful today as they were for most of yesterday. Police asked people to leave the park at 1 a.m. when it closed. People formed a line on Park Avenue and waited all night. At 6:00 this morning, when police let them in, they rushed to the barricade for the Church.
There was grumbling that people were not able to keep the same place the had in line when they left last night. One man who was very near the front before being asked to leave by the police is very near the end this morning. As you can imagine, he is very unhappy. One woman was knocked aside in the rush for the barricade. Some people stopped to help her gain her footing, but others rushed past her to get a better place in line. The general sense of camaraderie that seemed to be prevalent yesterday isn’t here this morning. There’s more of a competitive feel.
Mr. Nnkoba took his place just before 9:00. Amazed and happy people started coming out almost immediately. No matter how much they may grumble in line, nobody is upset after Mr. Nnkoba has done his work.
(Cut to split screen, Studio and Live Feed)
Sommers:
Pastor Smith mentioned this morning that the Church is aware of the issue of people losing their places in line. Is there any indication they have a solution.
Jacobs:
Not yet, Leslie. Church members have been here throughout the night visiting with people and offering to pray with them. At one this morning they brought in a box of blankets as the March lows can be pretty cold. It’s clear they’re trying to be sensitive to the needs of the people in line. But it’s difficult to make this large a crowd happy, and it’s only going to get worse as the news of what Mr. Nnkoba can do continues to spread.
Sommers:
How are the police responding?
Jacobs:
Their presence was very low-key all day yesterday. I don’t see that has changed today. I think their desire is to allow this to be a Church activity as much as possible. So far the crowd is allowing the Church to get its act together, but it appears their patience has limits.
Sommers:
Thank you, Mark.
Jacobs:
Mark Jacobs, WNYC Live.
until you can no longer.
Ominous foreshadowing.
I can imagine members of a certain religion (or two or three) objecting explosively to healing in the name of Jesus.