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The Geftakys Assembly Outreach in Oakland, Illinois

The Tuscola Assembly began a Geftakys Bible study outreach in Oakland, IL, in 1973. The Houks, the Fredricks, the Chris Millers and others who lived in Oakland traveled to Tuscola for Sunday worship until 1988.

The Fredrick family left the Tuscola Assembly in 1988 when the Mathias's, Middletons, and McCumbers left. Mike Houk believed he could make a difference in Tuscola by staying. The Geftakys ministry did not tolerate disagreement. Not surprisingly, George publicly railed on Mike at Midwest Seminar in 1989, and within a few months, in 1990, the Houks, the Millers and everyone else from Oakland left fellowship, about thirty people altogether. They began meeting for Sunday worship on their own in Oakland, apart from the Geftakys ministry.

The gathering in Oakland wishes to make the following statement about their status, via Brenda Houk:

"Just to be clear, Oakland was never an Assembly started by George. Oakland had a Bible Study outreach only all the years Houks were in the Assembly in Tuscola. The fact that they decided some time after they left fellowship to meet together on Sunday mornings was not Geftakys-associated.

"The Houks are very upset that the websites lists the existing Oakland Assembly as though it was started by George. It does not in any way support nor welcome any association with George or anyone involved in the existing Assemblies.

"Even though they decided to have a basic worship style similar to what they had in Geftakys Assemblies, their Bible teaching is quite different. Not only that, their leadership, structure, meetings and day to day living are nothing like Geftakys teachings."

Chris Miller is a leader in this 'New Testament style' church that currently exists in Oakland; Mike Houk does not wish to be designated as a leader. The Miller's daughter Krista is married to George Ochenjele (son of Samuel Ochenjele) who was a medical student in Illinois. Chris runs a Father Son Camp, where Richard Fugate, author of What the Bible Says about Child Training, spoke in 2006.

Our concern is that fundamentally, leaders and influential members in the current Oakland church were trained for fifteen years in the doctrine, practice and leadership principles of the Geftakys ministry. The current Oakland gathering has not made clear specifically which points of teaching and practice they have revised, and why; and conversely, which have been retained and why.