"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When did the Re-enactor's Missions for Jesus Christ (RMJC, Inc.) start?
A. We started ministering to the WBTS re-enacting community in 1984
Q. Why was the RMJC, Inc. started?
A. It was a move of God to fill a void of spiritual need in the re-enacting community
Q. Does the RMJC, Inc. minister to only the WBTS re-enacting community?
A. No. The RMJC, Inc. ministers to re-enactors of the 2nd Seminole War (1835) at the Dade Massacre held in Bushnell, FL. It also ministers to the spectators who show up to witness the re-enactments as well as all Civil War enthusiasts.
Q. How does the RMJC, Inc. minister to these re-enactors, spectators and enthusiasts?
A. By supplying exactly re-printed Gospel tracts of the period (1835 or 1861-1865) The RMJC, Inc has re-printed over 100 titles, both Union and Confederate. It has also reprinted a Union and Confederate New Testament. It's founder, Dr. Alan Farley. also started the only museum dedicated to the work of the chaplains, Union and Confederate, white or African-American, Protestant, Jewish, Baptist or Catholic, as well as the work of the United States Christian Commission. He brings many of the relics he has collected over the years dealing with the chaplains and the USCC to display at these re-enactments.
The RMJC, Inc. also conducts a nondenominational worship service at the re-enactments it attends as well as giving talks on the work of the USCC and chaplains during the War. Chaplain Farley is a requested speaker at Civil War Roundtables, SCV Camps, UDC Camps as well as Christian Schools.
Q. Has the RMJC ministry seen any persons come to Christ?
A. Yes we have seen, since 1984, over 3,000 souls come to Christ. God has been very faithful and mighty to save.
Q. What does the RMJC ministry do for those who ask Jesus Christ into their heart for the saving of their soul?
A. After leading a lost soul to Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour we, of course rejoice with them. We then give them a Bible, if they don't have one, and a "New Convert" booklet we wrote. We explain what is in the book and how to fill it out. We then ask them if they are in a Bible believing, Bible preaching, Fundamental New Testament church and if not would they like us to contact one in their area to come visit them. We then pray again with them and give them our contact information in case they have any questions or concerns.
Q. Who runs the RMJC ministry?
A. Ultimately God Himself but He used Chaplain Alan Farley to start the ministry. Chaplain Farley and His wife Faith preform all the earthly functions of running the ministry, directed by the Holy Spirit through prayer.
Q. What does the RMJC Ministry believe?
A. STATEMENT OF FAITH
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
• We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Ephesians 4:4-6.
• We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-4 and 1:29; Acts 1:11 and 2:22-24; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-4 and 4:15.
• We believe that all men everywhere are lost and face the judgment of God, that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, and that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ results in regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Luke 24:46-47; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Ephesians 1:7 and 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7.
• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling enables the Christian to live a godly life. John 3:5-8; Acts 1:8 and 4:31; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Galatians 5:16-18; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 2:6-10.
• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved unto the resurrection of eternal life and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation and eternal punishment. 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Revelation 20:11-15.
• We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ and that all true believers are members of His body, the Church. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; Ephesians 1:22-23.
• We believe that the ministry of evangelism and discipleship is a responsibility of all followers of Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:9-15; 1 Peter 3:15.
• We believe God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female. Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9.
• We believe that we must dedicate ourselves to prayer, to the service of our Lord, to His authority over our lives, and to the ministry of evangelism. Matthew 9:35-38; 22:37-39, and 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:9-15 and 12:20-21; Galatians 6:10; Colossians 2:6-10; 1 Peter 3:15.
• We believe that human life is sacred from conception to its natural end; and that we must have concern for the physical and spiritual needs of our fellow men. Psalm 139:13; Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 22:37-39; Romans 12:20-21; Galatians 6:10.
In an ongoing effort to further educate the public on what we affectionately call Civil War Re-enacting we answer this often asked question. This is one of the most frequently asked questions by Civil War event spectators.
The following was copied from the April 2009 issue of the Camp Chase Gazette.
Schools of the Civil War Re-enactor
By Thomas R. Fasulo: 37th Iowa Volunteer Infantry
One of the many questions spectators often ask re-enactors is:
Question: “How do you know when to die?”
Answer: “We go to dying school.”
Actually, the proper name is School of the Dead, but usually we just call it Dying School. This school is held at most major events, but slots fill up quickly. This is one of the reasons most Civil War re-enactors preregister for events up to a year ahead of time. Most never commit the faux pas of registering at the last minute, or just showing up on the first morning of the event (walk ons).
At dying school, students are taught how to die according to the various projectiles. There are separate courses on Rifle Balls, Solid Shot, Shell, Canister, Grape-shot, and others. Until a re-enactor has a basic certificate from dying school he or she is not allowed to die in a re-enactment. If someone without a certificate dies, and is caught, they are punished by being immediately transferred to a cavalry unit or to Brigade staff, as no one is ever allowed to die in those units.
Once a re-enactor has learned to die alone, he or she then moves on to the final course required for the basic certificate from the school of the dead. This is the ever popular “die in a bunch” course.
Some hardcore re-enactors take additional courses at dying school and receive an “Advanced Certificate” from dying school. These courses cover dying from diarrhea, heat stroke, starvation and that famous cause of so many southern deaths- “a high cholesterol heart attack”.
Graduates of the first advanced course have the right to wear stains on the back of their trousers. They wear these stains as a badge of honor. The advanced course on high cholesterol heart attack is becoming more popular as it permits re-enators to die in garrison or in camp anytime they wish to without having to wait for a shot to be fired.
There is even an advanced course for officers. This is called the “I just tripped over my sword again so I might as well lie here and let people think I did it on purpose” course.