Patricia Beall Gruits, remembered

Pat Gruits

Patricia Gruits was a 25-year-old wife and mother of a young boy when the Latter Rain revival poured down in December 1948 at the church pastored by her mother, M. D. "Mom" Beall.

That church, Bethesda Missionary Temple, experienced intense revival for almost four years (you can read more details at this link) and went on to be one of the largest churches in the Detroit area for decades. (It is currently known as, Bethesda Christian Church, and its 3,000-seat sanctuary is situated on a lovely 92-acre property in Sterling Heights, Michigan.)

As the Latter Rain revival blazed on at Bethesda, Sister Pat and her husband, Pete, had two more little boys (one in 1950 and the other in 1951), but she made time to assist her mother in the ministry. In 1951, the church started a monthly publication called the Latter Rain Evangel and she was the editor.

The Gruits added a fourth and final son in 1956, and in the decades that followed she left an indelible ministry legacy that included writing a catechism, Understanding God & His Covenants (with over one million copies in circulation), as well as, the founding of a mission in Haiti, RHEMA International.

On Saturday, June 15, Sister Pat passed from this life into the presence of the Lord she so dearly loved and faithfully served (Charisma News' obituary for her can be read at this link). She was 96 at her passing.

Although the highlights of her ministry have been previously presented on this blog (at this link), a tribute about her on Facebook seemed to capture her essence in a way that a mere recitation of events cannot. The author of that tribute, Ruth Simpson Betley, has graciously given her permission for it to be published here as well.

Here's what Ruth wrote:

"Prior to leaving Michigan, I traveled with Sister Pat as her unlikely companion and she became like a mother to me.

"There will never be another like her. She was truly a General. She carried an 'unsolicited' God-given authority that was recognizable everywhere we went and made people automatically treat her with the respect reserved for someone of great importance, even though they may not have had the vaguest notion of who she was.

"This godly woman truly lived what she preached. She read her Bible daily and spent time with her God in prayer. First, she would enter His court with praise and thanksgiving, then she would unselfishly petition Him about certain situations or for the needs of those she was bringing before Him - and she always spent that quiet time listening to what He wanted to say back to her. What a wonderful and personal relationship she had with Him. She truly spent her life putting Him first and serving Him.

"Her mother had taught her that when asked to go to churches to speak, never go out with a message that had been given at another place and time. We called it 'Yesterday's Manna'. She was always to seek God for a fresh Word for that particular service and those particular people and not use a previous message unless He told her to do so. Sometimes, prior to a speaking engagement, her office would be contacted by the church or group wanting to know what she would be speaking on so they could put it in their bulletin. Her staff would always say that she would be bringing an anointed Word. Many times we would go out and she would not have the Word God wanted her to speak. We would be in the hotel room the night before she was to preach and she would start feeling the pressure because He had not yet given her the message. All of a sudden, God would wake her in the middle of the night and tell her what He wanted her to say. The Word would end up hitting to the depths and would apply to everyone in the service, even though all of them had different situations and needs in their lives. They would be weeping before God after dropping to their knees at their seats or going forth to kneel at the altars. It was incredible how He used her to reach and minister to people.

"Oh, and what a teacher she was! Sitting in her classes, the students, whether they were young or adults, would be mesmerized by the anointed Word she was teaching from the books God had given her to write.

"We prayed together, laughed together, and she loved to share the wonderful stories about her life with me. She kept a treasured binder with a transcription of every prophecy that had been spoken over her, in the order they had been given. Periodically, she would have me sit in her home office and read every one of them to her so she could once again hear them being spoken aloud. She would listen intently, and as they were read, the words of the prophecies would become just as powerful and anointed as the day they were spoken over her. She would then celebrate every Word and rejoice in what the Lord had done in her life, thanking Him for being faithful to the promises He had made to her, the ministries He had called her to, and for faithfulness to her family. I can see her now as she would laugh and rejoice with her hands held high.

"Folks, Reverend Patricia Gruits was the real deal!

"Goodnight Mother, we'll see you in the morning."

*** Another tribute to Sister Pat, written by one of her daughters-in-law, Joy Gruits, can be read at this link.

Patricia Beall Gruits tells her story (30 minutes)

The late J. Peter Gruits and Patricia Doris Beall were married June 15, 1946. (Photo provided by Joy Gruits)

Patricia Beall Gruits, daughter of M. D. Beall, was entrusted by the Lord with a wide-ranging ministry. In addition to the 30-minute video interview above where she tells some of her and her family's stories, here is a chronology of Patricia's life and ministry:

• Patricia was born February 22, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan to Harry Lee Beall and Myrtle Dorthea Beall. Mrs. Beall would later write in her memoir, A Hand on My Shoulder, "I never had a little sister, and if Patricia had been a little boy, I would have been terribly disappointed for that reason. I always thank God that he gave me a little girl baby to make up for never having had a little sister. Patricia and I have always been more like sisters than mother and daughter."
• On June 17, 1934, her mother opened a Sunday School on Detroit's eastside. That Sunday School grew to be a church with a membership in the thousands (Bethesda Missionary Temple).
• She married J. Peter Gruits on June 15, 1946. Her parents had married on that same date 26 years earlier.
• She gave birth to a son, Peter Harry, in April 1947.
• She gave birth to a son, Harry Lee, in October 1950.
• When Bethesda launched its monthly publication, Latter Rain Evangel, in July 1951 she was the editor.
• She gave birth to a son, Patrick Joseph, in October 1951.
• She became Bethesda's Minister of Education in 1952.
• In 1955, she taught her first youth catechism class. The material she prepared for this class would later be developed into the book, Understanding God. Her brother, the late pastor James Lee Beall, wrote in his book, Your Pastor, Your Shepherd: "When my sister Pat first proposed to instruct our church children in basic Bible truths by means of a catechism, I was sure we would be taking a turn for the worse. The word 'catechism' had a strange feel. I had always associated it with Catholics, Lutherans, and other liturgical groups. But as we looked into the meaning of the word, we discovered that it described an old and reliable method of teaching - as old as the church itself. It uses a series of questions and answers to instill doctrine in an orderly and sensible fashion. And its use among us has brought great blessing to our church and given us a heightened sense of unity."
• Sister Pat, as she is known affectionately by many, was ordained to the ministry in 1956.
• She gave birth to a son, William Stanton, in May 1956.
• She was the founding dean of Bethesda's Minister Candidate School in 1958.
• In 1959, she taught her first adult catechism class.
• The first edition of Understanding God was published in 1962. Eventually, over 1,000,000 copies of Understanding God were distributed. In later years, she also wrote two other books, Understanding the Master's Voice and Understanding Yourself. One of her daughters-in-law, Joy Hughes Gruits, has written both a study guide and a leader's guide for Understanding God. [UPDATE: Sister Pat's fourth book in the Understanding series, Understanding the Winds of God, is now print.]
• Her father, Harry Lee Beall, died on April 26, 1973.
• In 1973, she spent time teaching foundational truths to the large congregation at Church on the Hill in Toronto, Ontario. The church was pastored by Jim and Mae McAlister and had experienced tremendous growth (a couple thousand people) because of the Jesus Movement.
• In 1975, she and her husband, J. Peter Gruits, were called to found a mission project in Haiti. RHEMA International's efforts in Haiti continue to this day. You can see two of her sons describe the ministry's many facets at this link.
• Her mother, Myrtle Beall, died on September 18, 1979. In the eulogy she delivered at her mother's memorial service, Sister Pat told about how she had asked her mother to bless her three years prior. She sought this blessing because she wanted to be equipped for the ministries the Lord was bringing her into. She said, "... as we prayed all heaven came down, and I remember she laid her hand on me ... 'God make of thee a strong prophetess as he has made me. May he give you power over the power of the enemy; power to comfort, and power to know the will of the Lord.'"
• Her husband, J. Peter Gruits, died on May 27, 1989.
• She received an honorary doctorate of divinity from Southern California Bible College (currently known as, Southern California Seminary) in 1990.
• As she had with several churches in the course of her ministry, Sister Pat spent time in 1990 and 1991 at the large Christ Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Christ Church was founded by L. H. Hardwick and his late wife, Montelle. The current pastor, Dan Scott, wrote in his book, Let the River Run: How God Used Ordinary People to Do Extraordinary Things, of Sister Pat's efforts, "Pastor Hardwick and Montelle loved the Bealls, especially loved Patricia Gruits, Ma Beall's daughter. They invited her to Nashville to catechize the hundreds of new people who had come to Christ Church because we too needed a firm foundation for our congregation."
• Sister Pat went to be with the Lord on June 15, 2019. The obituary posted on the Charisma News website can be accessed at this link.

Two newspaper clippings follow - the first announced her as the guest speaker for a Pennsylvania church's anniversary in 2005 (and has a good summary of her ministry), and the second is J. Peter Gruits' obituary that was printed in the Detroit Free Press on May 31, 1989. [UPDATE 6/19/19 - A 13-minute video of Sister Pat talking about her father's miraculous healing has been added to the bottom of the page.  UPDATE 6/29/19 - Two tributes to Sister Pat have been posted online:  Joy Gruits' tribute can be read at this link, and Ruth Simpson Betley's can be read at this link.]

Good summary of Patricia Beall Gruits' ministry · Wed, Aug 31, 2005 – Page 3 · Tyrone Daily Herald (Tyrone, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com J. Peter Gruits obit · Wed, May 31, 1989 – Page 24 · Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Michigan) · Newspapers.com

Bethesda celebrates its 75th anniversary

Bethesda's original building

Seventy-five years ago, in an old tire store on Nevada Avenue in Detroit, a mother of three started a Sunday School for her children and others in the neighborhood. The date was June 17, 1934.

Tomorrow - more than 3,900 Sundays later - what has become the Bethesda Christian Church will celebrate all that God has developed from such humble beginnings.

M. D. "Mom" Beall was the mother that started the Sunday School. She wasn't looking to pastor a megachurch, but that's what grew from her efforts. Over the decades, what was then known as Bethesda Missionary Temple, grew and grew without the help of church growth methods many advocate today. (A picture of Bethesda's congregation that was published in LIFE magazine in June 1958 can be seen here - after clicking on the link you will need to scroll down the page to see the photo).

September 21, 1979

According to her obituary in the Detroit News in September 1979:

"Membership in the tiny church, with Mrs. Beall as pastor, 'just exploded,' said her son, James. When the church grew out of its tiny quarters, Mrs. Beall's husband, a builder, joined the project.

"'Dad was the builder; mother the pastor,' her son recalled."

Today, Bethesda is a suburban church in Sterling Heights, Michigan, seating 3,000. It is non-denominational and can be characterized as Pentecostal or Charismatic (if by Pentecostal one means, practicing speaking in tongues, and if by Charismatic one means, operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit; in this case, nothing more is implied by the usage of those labels).

After revival broke out in North Battleford, Saskatchewan in 1948, Mom Beall traveled to Western Canada to see what it was all about. Specifically, she went to meetings in Vancouver where the revival had spread as well.

She returned ablaze with revival fire and her church in Detroit became one of the centers of what became known as the Latter Rain Movement. Other cities with prominent Latter Rain churches were Portland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Memphis, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Cleveland, New Orleans, Houston, and, of course, Vancouver.

Noted Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan says, "The Pentecostal movement was at a low ebb in 1948, with a growing dryness and lack of charismatic gifts.  Many who heard about the events in Canada believed that it was a new Azusa Street, with many healings, tongues and prophecies.  A large center of the revival outside of Canada was the Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan pastored by Myrtle Beale [sic].  From Detroit, the movement spread across the United States like a prairie wildfire."  An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit (Chosen), p. 35.

Another important Pentecostal historian, Allan Anderson, adds, "This movement emphasized the restoration of the 'ministry gifts' of apostles and prophets to the church, spoken prophecies, and the independence of the local church, tending to shun 'denominationalism'. Many of the independent Charismatic churches that constitute a large portion of Pentecostalism in North America today have roots in the Latter Rain movement." An Introduction to Pentecostalism (Cambridge University Press), p. 51.

As has been seen in far too many Pentecostal revivals, pernicious error crept into some of the Latter Rain churches. The most pronounced of these errors was a doctrine called, The Manifest Sons of God. One of the things that proponents of that doctrine taught was that it did not matter what they did in their mortal bodies because they had been spiritually glorified. Mom Beall and her children, who all followed her into the ministry, were grieved by such erroneous teaching and withstood it completely.

Veteran pastor Ernest Gentile, who first experienced the revival in 1950, also notes that, "Within a year of the start of this move of God's Spirit in North Battleford, there were a number of strange happenings throughout North America also labeled 'Latter Rain.' Many visitors to North Battleford, and [other] influential churches across the United States, caught the excitement of what was happening, but missed the basic truths and experience. Thus, as in every movement, characteristics were attributed to the Latter Rain movement that were not part of the original." Your Sons & Daughters Shall Prophesy: Prophetic Gifts in Ministry (Chosen Books).

James Lee Beall, the son quoted in the obituary above, gave some specifics:

James Lee Beall

“Some years back, a group of ministers whom I knew well fell into the trap of believing that the grace of God was license. One of them supposedly received a revelation from God based on Romans 8:10: 'And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.' This meant to him that if a person was in Christ, the body was dead in the sight of the Lord and whatever the body did was of no consequence. This opened the way for drunkenness, adultery, homosexuality, and what have you.

"When I heard what they were teaching, I confronted some of the men. But they were evasive. Some weeks later I received a visit from one of the men whom I had known for years. He asked me if he could conduct a series of meetings at Bethesda.

"I answered, 'Not until we have a few things straight.' Shortly, and to my horror, I learned that all I heard was true. I denied him the meeting, refused to bid him God speed, and made it clear that neither he nor any of his friends would be welcome in the church or in the homes of any of the flock." Your Pastor, Your Shepherd (Logos International), pp. 60-61.

Two well-researched books chronicle the history of the Latter Rain Movement. Richard Riss's The Latter Rain Movement of 1948 (Honeycomb Visual Productions) is currently the only book solely devoted to the topic. Winds from the North: Canadian Contributions to the Pentecostal Movement (Brill Academic Publishers), edited by Michael Wilkinson and Peter Althouse, devotes two chapters (D. William Faupel's, "The New Order of the Latter Rain: Restoration or Renewal?" and Mark Hutchinson's, "The Latter Rain Movement and the Phenomenon of Global Return").

Balanced Biblical teaching and spontaneous, anointed praise and worship have been hallmarks of church life at Bethesda. In fact, the late Judson Cornwall, known for his teaching on praise and worship, stood in Bethesda's pulpit once and told the congregation he was not sure why he had been asked to teach there because the first time he had ever heard the kind of praise and worship that he talked about he was listening to a tape recording of Bethesda. The beauty and harmony of Bethesda's spontaneous worship has been compared to a "heavenly choir" by many that have visited the church.

Bill Hamon further explains, "During [the Latter Rain] movement a new expression of worship and praise flowing up and down like rhythmic waves of gentle ocean breezes and then rising to a crescendo of melodious praises that is best described by the Book of Revelation as 'the sound of many waters' (Rev. 19:6) .... In the 1950s, the praise service would flow continuously for 30 minutes to three hours. Most Charismatics of the 1960s and 1970s came into the Latter Rain type of worship more than the Pentecostal ways of worship [which Hamon describes as shouting 'praises for two or three minutes']." The Eternal Church: A Prophetic Look at the Church - Her History, Restoration, and Destiny (Destiny Image Publishers), chapter 24: The Latter Rain Movement.

Vinson Synan confirms that this expression of worship came to be part of the Charismatic Renewal, as well. John Miller, an instructor at Elim Bible Institute reports, "Vinson Synan stated that the Catholic Charismatic Movement experienced the same heavenly choir phenomena, resulting from its earliest interaction with the Bealls of Detroit, Michigan. Students from Duquesne University (a private Catholic University in Pittsburg [sic], Pennsylvania) and the University of Michigan (a public university in Ann Arbor, Michigan) encountered the Holy Spirit at the Bethesda Tabernacle [sic], and later experienced similar expressions of the heavenly choir in the Catholic Charismatic Movement." "New Order of the Latter Rain: A New Perspective," in The Pneuma Review, Fall 2013, Volume 16, Number 4, p. 71.

As noted earlier, Mom Beall passed away in 1979. Her eldest, Patricia Gruits, is in her 80s

Patricia Beall Gruits

now, but remains active in teaching and missions ministries. Her book, Understanding God, is a best-seller that has been translated into several languages.

James Beall went on to become one of the most sought after speakers in the charismatic movement in the 1970s. From articles in the Logos Journal to speaking at major events like the World Conference on the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem to teachings delivered to Roman Catholic charismatic audiences, James was in the thick of things. He wrote several books, including Laying the Foundation, a methodical teaching on the Christian life using Hebrews 6 as its springboard. He assumed both the pastorate of Bethesda and the microphone of the national radio broadcast, America to Your Knees, from his mother. After decades in Bethesda's pulpit he retired from daily ministry in 2004. Today, the church is pastored by his daughter Analee Dunn. [UPDATE June  2016 - Analee Dunn has retired, turning over the senior pastorate to Patrick Visger.]

Harry M. Beall

The youngest of the three, Harry M. Beall, was for years Bethesda's minister of music in addition to ministering the Word there and in congregations throughout the United States. Now retired from Bethesda's ministry, he lives in Arizona.

I salute and thank Bethesda, its congregation and ministers for 75 years of faithful service. Enjoy your celebration tomorrow!
A video commemorating the 75th anniversary can be seen here.

M. D. "Mom" Beall and Harry L. "Pop" Beall