The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-09-23
BY DON ROBERTS
NEA Service Writer

Copyright 1880. py NEA service. me-
IT OS ANGELES, Sept. 23-Less
IL than two years after she land
ed here in a broken-down auto and
began her campaign to save souls,
Aimee Semple McPherson-evange-
list extraordinary and business
woman de luxe-had builded her
81 ,5O0,O00 Angelus Temple and was
boss of a religious institution with
cash and property assets valued at
nearly 100000.
The great temple, seating more
than 5000 persons, had (and still
has f1fty-odd departments and
hundreds Of salaried employees.
No big business" institution ran
smoother; everything was carried
out on a grand scale, from book
publishing department to radio sta
ton KFSG, which hurled the tenets
of Aimee's -Four Square Gospel" to
the world from its tall steel towers
above the temples domed roof.
Running the show was Sister
Aimee" with the aid of Ma" Ken
nedy, her mother and first assistant.
1t was an admirable combination
Sister designed. planned, and
visioned. Ma did the hiring and
firing and saw to the details.
THOUSANDS attended Sisters
i services, and at times there
we're huge overflow meetings, con-
Quoted by assistant ministers.
There were hundreds of CONVEX
sions, baptisms, healing of the sick
that appeared to border on the
miraculous, charity and relief work
on big scale, and all sorts of side
lines from three church bands that
furnished music for the tWenty-one
services held each week to dreams
of building chain Of "Soul-Saving
Stations" across the United States.
Apparently indefatigable, Sister
Aimee preached at most of the serv-
ices with dynamic, driving flow
of words and catchy figures of
speech.
Then, as now, her congregations
laughed aloud at a particularly
humorous ancedote or applauded
loudly some emphatic statement or
picturesque challenge to the devil.
Few preach like Sister Aimee.
Picture a rather looking, red
haired and white-robed woman
shouting and gesticulating drama
tically in the pulpit of a crowded
auditorium-her voice at times ris-
ing almost to a shrek and again
lowered to the mellow cadence of
a piteouS plea-and you have it.
THE -Four Suare Gospel?' The
a inspiration, explains Mrs. Nc
Pherson, arises from the vision ac-
corded Ezekiel, four faces signify
ing the fourfold purpose of Christ.
Il stood still and listened Aimee
explains gripping the pulpit, tense
ly) shaking with wonder and joy
and then (the expression Of per-
pleXity on her face quickly flashes
into a joyous smile) I realized that
it was the Four Square Gospel! The
-Four Square Gospel! 1t had burst
from the white heat of my hearth"
Dramatically, her arms are raised
toward heaven, her head thrown
far back and the last words come
almost with a shriek.)
That's a fair picture of Sister in
action.
DUT while Sister Aimee swayed
Id the thousands that congregated
nightly at the temple in those early
days, Ma Kennedy was being showed
farther and farther into the back
ground.
That, as has been mentioned pre-
viously, was the start of the first
row that threatened to separate
mother and daughter.
The famous kidnapping" episode
Gin which Aimee mysteriously dis
appeared from the bathing beach
at Ocean Park one Sunday and later
reappeared, explaining she had been
held prisoner in a desert shack had