The former senior teacher Franz Kraus from Fischbach composed a report in 1987 about the events that took place then, titled: “Der Anfang der urchristlichen Gemeinde in Koblenz". (The beginning of the early Christian community in Coblenz) According to the messages received by Johannes Greber, Franz Kraus established a community by the name of “Urchristliche Kirche e. V.” (Early Christian Church) in 1963. He ran this Church well into his old age. He writes: “A boy by the name of Erich Zimmermann was born on the 5th of November 1904 in Coblenz. He only had an average scholarly talent. This is why his parents sent him to Coblenz to absolve a commercial apprenticeship and not to the gymnasium. This boy had however been born with a strange characteristic. When his mother asked him in early childhood to repeat the evening prayer after her, little Erich babbled each word of the prayer and when his mother had finished, the little boy continued the prayer with a number of astonishing sentences. Their contents sounded as if a grownup, clever man has spoken through him. When Erich attended school, his teacher and his evangelic priest also noticed this characteristics. But neither of them knew what to do with the phenomenon. Only after Erich came to Coblenz to absolve his commercial apprenticeship and after the lore of his inexplicable characteristics had gradually spread through the neighbourhood, did an evangelistic, pietistic couple hear about it. As pietists they knew about “spiritually induced prayers” from some of the circles they were acquainted with. This couple was Maria Ulrich and her husband. Mrs. Ulrich got to know the apprentice Erich personally and she invited him to devotions at her house the following Sunday. The apprentice Erich and another evangelistic, pietistic couple turned up for devotions on the said day. After the usual course of the devotional evening, both pietistic couples prayed, and Erich finally also began to pray. After a number of Erich’s own sentences, the prayer was continued by an eminent, wise unknown entity through Erich mouth who then proceeded to give a fundamental indoctrination to those present, he then advised Mr Ulrich to invite his best Catholic work colleague to attend the next devotions at his house. The so instructed sorrowfully answered that his work colleague, a very pious and very religious Catholic, would with certainty not come to a pietistic devotion at his house. The eminent, unknown spirit very resolutely answered: ‘God will take full responsibility for all his commands. You have to obey. Your Catholic work colleague will certainly come!’ – And this is exactly what happened. The Catholic work colleague came with his wife to the devotions, intensely listened to the orations of the unknown spirit and was so emotionally affected by this that he succeeded in inviting another pious couple to attend the next devotions. These four couples became the foundation of the Coblenz Early Christian Community. Maria Ulrich functioned as its leader. Of their own volition, the Pietists as well as the Catholics proceeded to invite more of their friends to these devotions and they did this so eagerly that this community soon grew to around 30 people. The eminent unknown spirit talked through Erich mouth on all of these devotional meetings. This eminent spirit observed the private lives of his listeners throughout the week. Without mentioning names, he unsparingly let loose with his criticism at these Saturday evenings. He demanded absolute adherence to God’s Commandments from these people. Those that could not tear themselves away from sinning, in spite of repeated admonitions by the eminent angel, were partially or completely excluded from participating at these devotions. This eminent angel was so consequent in his demands for the ethical uplift of this group of people that the number of people participating at these devotions shrank from around 30 down to 12 to 14 people. Only now was a pleasant climate for a productive continuation of their work guaranteed. This eminent angel now asked the first Catholic work colleague of Mr Ulrich to also invite the Catholic priest Johannes Greber from Kell near Andernach, to join their devotions in Coblenz. What ensued from there can be read in Johannes Greber’s book. I personally knew Mrs Ulrich as well as the last six, advanced aged people of the Coblenz community and the writing medium, the ‘farmer’s boy’ from Kell, Carl Gasper.”
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