AS a member of the Emmaus Christian Fellowship, I was doubly disappointed with the article in the Guardian of September 27.

First to learn that the increase in recent attendance was in part due to the Guardian secret agents and secondly that a bitter ex-member felt cheated of their adolescence due to long established Christian practices, namely withdrawal from worldly pollutions (1 John 2 v 15) and intermarrying with non-believers (2 Corinthians 6 v 14). These principles are practised in the Christian Church worldwide including the major denominations.

"Speaking in tongues" is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12 v 10) and again is common practice and shall continue until the return of Jesus Christ bodily to the earth (1 Corinthians 13 v 8-12).

Finally, although the tone of your article suggests our Fellowship is cultish, we are actually Bible believing Christians, who have one leader only and that is Jesus Christ. H. B. WILLIAMS, Hall Road, Woolston.

Editor's note: I was more than disappointed when members of the church attempted to assault a Guardian reporter and photographer. Unfortunately I couldn't find the appropriate passage in the Bible.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.