The theocrat. [volume] (Zion City [i.e. Zion], Ill.) 1914-1949, 1914-04-04
rhe Rock Island Daily Union

The Rock Island Daily Union.
Wilbur Glenn Voliva, overseer of Zion City,
and successor of the late Alexander Dowie, as
the head of the church founded by the elijah, :"
came to Rock Island and Moline yesterday and
delivered two addresses. The first was deliver
ed at the Illinois theater in this city in the after
noon and the other at the Moline theater in the
evening.
At both of these meetings he addressed au-
diences that taxed the capacity of the theaters
and at the afternoon meeting number were un-
able to find seats and were turned away.
"Zion in Rock Island and Moline" that has
been the objective point of the hosts of Zion
City for some time, and two men, who are term
ed "evangelsts" in the church economy of what
Dowie was pleased to term the Apostolic church,
have been at work in the two cities for several
months. The coming of Volva yesterday was
to give a new impetus to the work that has
been done in this community by his messengers
and to give the people an idea Of the doctrines
and teachings of the church of which he is the
head.
Voliva understands human nature pretty
thoroughly as did his predecessor in the work,
and he has surrounded himself with much of
the pomp and ceremony that makes his church
attractive In his trip to the twin-cties he was
accompanied by vested choir of 20 voices and
it was good choir. The singing was excellent
and their appearance on the stage in their vest
ments made pleasing impression
Scattered through the audience as ushers
and standing at the doors distributing the lit
erature of Zion City, were others Of the faith
in priestly robes and mortar board caps or in
the uniform of the guards of Zion City, that
resemble in every detail the uniform Of a SOL
der
Voliva himself resplendant in white sur
plice covered by black robe of silk which
brought out his magnificent physical manhood,
came on the stage at the psychological moment,
and took seat, while venerable father in the
faith," with flowing beard and long hair, also
in robes of black and with a magnificent voice
that was we'll controlled conducted the pre-
lminary devotonals.
By the time that Voliva arose to speak he
had his audience worked up to that point of ex-
pectation where they readily paid close attention
to what he had to say and the overseer has a
way of saying things that holds the attention of
all
NOT A SENSATIONALIST
In his addresses in the two cities yesterday,
at least, W1lDur Glerm VOl1Vd was NOT a SenSa-
tionalist His utterances were as orthodox as
those of any minister in Rock Island, except
when he defended his faith in divine healing and
his objections to physicians and drugs, sur
geons and the knife Yet in these things he was
moderate in his utterances and contented him
self with quoting Scripture in his defense and
citing examples of healing as proof of his con-
tentiont
THE MINISTRY AND THE CHURCH.
In his address at the Illinois theater yester-
day afternoon, he spoke on the Ministry of the
Church" The two things he emphasized was
that the ministry must be called of God, and that
the church is divine institution clothed with
authority to reveal to the people the will of
God.
Harking back to the Apostolic age, he quoted
the commission given by Christ to the II apos-
ties.
"There was time" he said, Sin the Methodist
church and in the Presbyterian church, when a
minister was looked upon as a man called of