Editor's note: This story contains descriptions of physical and sexual violence.
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Rev. William Branham stands before a large crowd of people there to hear him preach. Branham gained international fame in the '50s for his faith healings.
Joseph Branham
Although William Branham died in 1965, millions of people worldwide still follow his teachings. The sect has expanded, in part, through more than 1,200 recordings of his sermons.
A crowd gathers to listen to Rev. William Branham during a tent meeting in Mexico City in 1956, according to Voice of God Recordings.
Weaver
A Wollensak reel-to-reel tape recorder with a William Branham tape sits in a recording studio at Voice of God Recordings office and production facility Jan. 15, 2024, in Jeffersonville, Ind. Branham was a ‘50s-era healing revivalist who was believed to be a prophet. His voice is heard over speakers in the background: “God is still omnipotent, and he still performs the miraculous,” Branham preaches.
The Branham Tabernacle at 804 Penn Street in Jeffersonville, Ind. is pictured on Jan. 14, 2024. The church used to be pastored by Roy E. Davis, but the building burned down in early 1933. Davis left the state and gave Branham his congregation. Branham rebuilt the church, laying the first cornerstone later in 1933 and officially naming the building the Branham Tabernacle, according to the Branham Tabernacle website. Critics dispute that date. Today, the Branham Tabernacle's congregation meets in a larger building but still has some smaller services and prayer meetings in this building.
Rev. William Branham at his home in Jeffersonville in 1954.
Reverend Jim Jones outside the International Hotel in San Francisco's Chinatown, on Kearny and Jackson Streets, during a rally to save the hotel in January 1977.
The Bride. End Times. Serpent’s seed. These are some of the words and phrases you’ll hear if you attend a Message church.
Rev. William Branham preaches in San Jose, California in 1959.
John Collins, an ex-Message member and researcher, holds up his book, "Preacher Behind the White Hoods: A Critical Examination of William Branham and His Message," in his home in Jeffersonville, Ind. on Jan. 12, 2024. Behind him are the computers and other equipment he uses to record the William Branham Historical Research podcast.
A picture of the late Rev. William Branham, who was believed to be a prophet, hangs on the wall during a service at Church of the Open Door in New Albany, Ind. on Jan. 14, 2024.
The site of what used to be a Message trailer park commune in Prescott, Ariz. is pictured in October 2023.
Deborah Daulton-Thibodeau looks through the trees surrounding the neighborhood she lived in for most of her first 14 years. The trailer park community used to be a cult called "The Park," she said. Daulton-Thibodeau and other children were routinely subjected to arbitrary beatings as children in the commune in the '60s. She chronicled these abuses in her 2022 memoir, "The Serpent's Tail."
Bergen
Booklets about the late Rev. William Branham’s life and some of his sermons are seen on a table after a service at Church of the Open Door in New Albany, Ind. on Jan. 14, 2024. Followers of a religion called “The Message” believe Branham was a prophet.
A photo of the late Rev. William Branham, right, is seen on the wall next to a photo of Jesus in a lounge area at Voice of God Recordings’ office and production facility Jan. 15, 2024, in Jeffersonville, Ind. The space, which also has a foosball table, is often used for youth groups to gather.
Maintenance worker Shepherd Kitchen, 19, updates several “Agapao” tablets before packaging them for international shipping at the Voice of God Recordings production facility in Jeffersonville, Ind. on Jan. 15, 2024. Produced entirely in-house, the tablets contain the Bible, all sermons of the late Rev. William Branham, children’s games and other resources — all translated into the language of the recipient.
Worker Christopher Wenger, 28, prepares and packages online orders for booklets containing sermons of the late Rev. William Branham at Voice of God Recordings’ production facility in Jeffersonville, Ind. on Jan. 15, 2024. Voice of God Recordings’ mission is to spread Branham’s message worldwide. The nonprofit used to do that primarily through the distribution of printed booklets, but changed to mp3 players and then to tablets, which are its focus today.
Voice of God Recordings at 5911 Charlestown Pike in Jeffersonville, Ind. is pictured Jan. 15, 2024. The nonprofit’s goal is to distribute the sermons of the late Rev. William Branham around the world. Its facility is massive with a lobby area, multiple office spaces, recording studios, a kitchen area, a lounge space, a small chapel, multiple warehouses, a packaging center and a production facility that creates computer tablets with Branham’s sermons pre-uploaded. Branham, a ‘50s-era healing revivalist who was believed to be a prophet, died in 1965 but has millions of followers to this day.
A pastor, Nathan Bryant, delivers a sermon at a Message church in New Albany, Indiana on Jan. 14, 2024. His congregation believes Branham is their prophet. Bryant preaches about love and forgiveness.
Arne Petersen talks about being a believer of life and the importance of looking toward the light and not the darkness while he hikes through Sabino Canyon, 5700 N Sabino Canyon Road, October 17, 2023. Petersen is a longtime believer of the Message. He said his mother saw Branham's power of discernment firsthand when Branham spoke of an ailment with her teeth that he couldn't have known about.
Contact reporter Emily Hamer at emily.hamer@lee.net or 262-844-4151. On Twitter: @ehamer7
Contact columnist Tim Steller at tsteller@tucson.com or 520-807-7789. On Twitter: @timothysteller
