The October 1989 editorial of our magazine, Take a Closer Look, was entitled: WE’VE COME A LONG WAY - since then Concerned Christians Growth Ministries Inc. has come even further.

Concerned Christians Growth Ministries ‘officially’ commenced in October 1979 with the purchase and sale of 5 books (Counterfeits At Your Door - a helpful book on Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses), two donations totalling $60, the rental of a Post Office box at North Perth, and the purchase of some rubber stamps. This inauspicious financial beginning with an income for the month of $70 and expenses of $43.70 gives no indication of what really led to the formation of CCG Ministries and its involvement in crisis intervention and preventative education. The foundations for the Ministry had an earlier beginning.

In 1959 our Founder/Director, Adrian van Leen, as a teenager, accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour at the Billy Graham Crusade. This was followed with baptism and joining Churches of Christ at the Bassendean (West. Aus.) congregation. He became interested in studying the Christian faith and alternative religious groups, and began to collect information and resource materials. In 1965 he felt called of God to enter theological college in Melbourne, and train for pastoral ministry. He commenced his pastoral ministry with the Church of Christ in Collie, W.A., in 1969. In 1974 Adrian entered teachers’ college and commenced a part-time ministry with his former home church, the Church of Christ at Midland. After completing his teachers’ training course and teaching for a couple of years he took up the part-time pastoral ministry with the Church of Christ at North Perth in 1979. In about August that year he ended his school teaching and went full-time with the Church of Christ in North Perth.

In 1978 the November deaths of 913 men, women and children at the People’s Temple compound in Jonestown, Guyana, shocked the world. Jim Jones had previously led his followers in rehearsing the drinking of poison. After his ‘soldiers’ gunned down U.S. Senator Leo Ryan, some journalists and several other people, as they were boarding their small plane on the jungle airstrip, Jones persuaded his followers to drink cyanide laced cool drink. This terrible tragedy became the turning point in Adrian’s ministry that led to the founding of CCG Ministries. In the aftermath of this religious tragedy the word cult suddenly became of significant concern and people began to ask questions about all sorts of religious groups.

In 1979 a number of people began asking Adrian van Leen if he could help with information on cultic groups, having discovered that he had been gathering information for a number of years. He believed God was leading him to respond to these requests and that the previous twenty years were a preparation for this. The members of his small congregation in North Perth encouraged him to respond to this developing need and CCG Ministries was commenced in October that year. In a sense, by popular request, a ministry was born.

In 1980 the first issue of our magazine, TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, was produced in March. It started as an 8-page (4 foolscap sheets - double sided) publication duplicated on a manual Gestetner ink duplicating machine. It started life as a small monthly publication.

A series of articles was commenced by our Founder/Director, Adrian van Leen, in the Perth Anglican Messenger, and the new Ministry was acknowledged in the Challenge Christian monthly paper. Research continued or was started on numerous cultic groups, and the Rajneeshees/Orange People were visited at their Victoria Park centre by the Director. The first Annual Birthday Rally was held. These annual meetings were continued, at various venues, until our 10th Anniversary Birthday Celebration in 1989. Speaking engagements, including several seminar series, ‘took off’ in the Perth metropolitan area during 1980. The first country ministry visit was to Bunbury to present a talk on Mormonism at an inter-church meeting organised by the Baptist Church. A number of leading Mormons, including the local Mission President, attended, but had little to say during question time. Several basic brochures (BE aWARE) were prepared and published on Mormonism, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Christianity. These were translated into Vietnamese in 1981.

In 1981 several series of articles were commenced by the Director and published in the Uniting Church Impact monthly paper, the University of WA student paper, The Pelican and the Inter Campus Express. Mid-year saw the publishing of the booklet: Modern Cults and Sects, in Melbourne. It was based on some of the articles written initially for the Anglican Messenger in 1980. An article by The West Australian religion writer, Edmund Doogue, on Saturday July 11th, 1981 described our Director as the ‘Policeman of Christianity’ and suggested that, had Agatha Christie met our Director she probably would have written a thriller on him. It was a fair and basically positive article that began a positive relationship with the media which has continued through the years. We also received positive media coverage in July and August on inappropriate tactics used by Mormon missionaries at a migrant hostel; the problem of chain-letters; and the activities of the Moonies. In December that year Adrian was involved with a family whose daughter had joined the Moonies while travelling in the USA. As part of his involvement he arranged a media conference at the CCG Ministries office in North Perth at which the parents, John and Julie Hamersley, were interviewed. Adrian read a letter from the daughter at the conference, which allowed her viewpoint to be made public. It provided media exposure for CCG Ministries through radio and television, as well as print media. In all the years since, our Director and Ministry have only been deliberately misquoted or misrepresented about 4 times.

In 1982 CCG Ministries Board was formed and the Ministry officially and legally incorporated as an association in October. We publicly announced (in a series of newspaper ads) that we were investigating the Rajneeshees/’Orange People’ and were promptly accused by them of being an anonymous Christian group out on a witch hunt. It was also the year in which Adrian spoke at his first youth camp meeting (on behalf of CCG Ministries) - the Uniting Church Teach-In, held in October. Bishop Chandu Ray became involved with CCG Ministries - and shared concerns about Christians in Africa and Asia. His involvement with CCG Ministries provided initial impetus and vision for later ministry to Asia. A series of six detailed articles on the incompatibility between Christianity and TM (Transcendental Meditation) were written by our Director for the weekly Catholic paper, The Record, in November and December.

In 1983 the Director’s twelve year old cat became the ‘Rev. Dr Smokey, D.D.’ after a Rajneesh follower promoted himself as a ‘Doctor of Divinity’ but made the mistake of stating its source: The Universal Life Church. This group was known for ‘ordaining’ and issuing ‘doctorates’ for the rigour study of writing one’s signature on a cheque for the princely donation of US$20. We knew they awarded these ‘doctorates’ to cats, dogs and monkeys (as well as humans) - and proved the point. (The Director also ‘gained one of these worthless ‘doctorates’ that year - for the same price.) In October Bishop Chandu Ray died unexpectedly while on a ministry visit to Singapore. He had a considerable quantity of CCG Ministries literature on cultic groups with him in Singapore, intending to distribute the material to Christian leaders who were attending Haggai Institute. During late 1983 a logo competition was commenced.

In 1984 the logo competition ended with numerous entries submitted. The board finally selected a combination of two logos (submitted by Vicki Diprose and Jenny Ilia) which were adapted for us by Mr Eddie Pappelendam. This logo has since been used on our publications and materials.

In 1985, in January, the name Directors Update was changed to PIM UPDATE (PIM standing for Partners In Ministry) and has been published (somewhat irregularly) since then, as the Ministry newsletter keeping our regular supporters informed of Ministry activities and needs. Our Director co-authored the study booklet, Knock! Knock! Who’s There? with Brian Haig, Anglican clergyman and publisher. The Rajneesh/Orange People controversy exploded in Perth with our Ministry at the centre. Our Director faced Rajneesh leader and world spokeswoman, Sheela Silverman, in two television appearances. The results of those television appearances greatly diminished the credibility of the Rajneeshees, and greatly increased the credibility of CCG Ministries. The media involvement led to further public involvement with regional public meetings (and bomb threats); meetings at universities/colleges; as well as numerous church meetings. Between the beginning of August and the end of October the Director travelled on his first interstate speaking trip - speaking in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Canberra and Queensland. For part of the three-month trip his wife Lorrie, and their children Debbie and David, joined Adrian and ‘holidayed’ while he worked - with a brief break in the middle of it all. At the conclusion of 1985 the Church of Christ at North Perth closed, after having celebrated its 80th Anniversary. From 1979 through to 1985 it had greatly encouraged the development of CCG Ministries and released Adrian to spend more time with this work. The Church members saw this involvement as part of their contribution to the community. That encouragement and financial support (through paying much of the Director’s salary for many years, as well as making donations) provided a basic foundation that enabled CCG Ministries to develop. After the church’s closure CCG Ministries became responsible for all the wages, including all of the Director’s wage.

In 1986 our first paid assistant left CCG Ministries to find employment elsewhere. After a significant contribution to our Ministry for a couple of years, lack of funds led, unfortunately, to his departure. Lorrie van Leen was appointed by the Board to come on staff to manage the general office side of the Ministry in an honorary capacity. The Director was asked to publish a series of articles in the Christian monthly paper CHALLENGE - which had already been promoting our Ministry for many years. It continued a long lasting positive relationship with the publication and its staff.

In 1987 CCG Ministries moved from North Perth, where it had started, to slightly larger premises at 176 Albert Street, Osborne Park. The Board appointed Ian Croft to be research assistant to the Director. The Director’s book, Christianity and Freemasonry - Is There A Conflict?, was published by the Ministry. Our magazine, TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, had previous changes made to it (size, appearance etc) but in the delayed April-June issue it changed from folded foolscap to a 20-page A4 size and improved format. The vision for Asia started by overseas students from Singapore and Malaysia, and spurred on by the late Bishop Chandu Ray became something of a reality when our Director took his first overseas speaking/teaching ministry visit to Singapore and Malaysia in November. After one year with CCG Ministries Ian Croft returned, with his family, to New Zealand to complete his theological training.

In 1988 the Board accepted Mrs Tracy Taylor on to the staff - to be paid for 3 days per week as soon as funds would allow it.

In 1989 the Tenth Anniversary Year marked a decade of dedication to sharing the truth in a spirit of love. The 10th Birthday Rally was held at Mt Pleasant Baptist Church and Graham Mabury was the special speaker. It was also the last annual birthday rally. During the year the Director’s book, The Problem of Extreme Christian Fringe Groups, was produced and published in Singapore, with the assistance of Singapore Youth For Christ. It was later translated into Thai, and the Thai Edition was published by OMF/TYFC in 1990.

In 1990 the Director’s visit to Singapore was extended to include a visit to Thailand.

In 1991 CCG Ministries moved in January from Osborne Park to 80 Harrison Street, Nollamara. In May our fourth staff member, John Morine, came onto the team. He had been working and planning (and trying to raise financial support) for this for almost two years. The Director made his first visit to Hong Kong this year. The first CCG Ministries 2nd Hand Booksale was held.

In 1992 Hong Kong cults and religious groups researcher, Grace Ma, visited with CCG Ministries for over a week. Police and Government welfare agencies raided the Children of God/Family in Melbourne and Sydney - CCG Ministries published a special triple sized TACL issue solely on the Children of God/Family.

In 1993 Tracy Taylor went on long-term maternity leave.

In 1994 the Director appeared in the High Court of Singapore as a defence witness for the Straits Times being sued for defamation by the House of Israel. It was the longest defamation case in Singapore legal history - lasting a total of 38 days.

In 1995 John Morine left after four years of service - part of it in a volunteer capacity after funds became to inadequate to pay his wages. Having done training in counselling while with us he left to develop and pursue that as an area of ministry. Tracy Taylor came back to work, but only able to come one day a week. The Toronto phenomenon and Rodney Howard-Browne had caused considerable impact and concern, leading the CCG Ministries Board to request the Director to conduct two public meetings to discuss some of the concerns. Both meetings were packed to capacity (almost 700 at the Thornlie Church of Christ and 550 at the Scarborough Church of Christ).

In 1996, after struggling to maintain TAKE A CLOSER LOOK as a monthly magazine (and finding this increasingly difficult - only 7 issues were able to be published in 1995), it was decided to make the magazine a bi-monthly. Our Director made his first visit to Myanmar [Burma] at the request of Christian leaders there - and making a commitment to visit and teach once a year for the next five years.

In 1997 our Director was again an expert witness in the High Court of Singapore in June - this time in the case of the Central Christian Church/International Church of Christ in their defamation action against the Straits Times. The cultic fringe group employed U.S. cult apologist, Gordon Melton, to represent them as their expert witness. Tracy Taylor went on long-term maternity leave.

In 1998 - after years of renting various buildings CCG Ministries was able to purchase, at auction on April 29th, the property and building at 50 Carcoola Street, Nollamara, as a permanent centre for the Ministry. Paperwork and legal requirements were completed in late May. A great deal of renovation and work had to be done on the former Aboriginal hostel before we were able to move in from our previous address at 80 Harrison Street. New shelves were purchased and assembled for the library and a bitumenised car park completed. We were able to occupy the premises, completing the move on Friday 11th September. The official opening and dedication was held on Sunday 11th October. The purchase and move into the facility at 50 Carcoola Street was one of the most significant highlights in the Ministry’s history.

In 1999 our Banfield Seminar Room was completed and we were able to conduct some of our own classes. This is the year of our 20th Anniversary marking two decades of dedication to Truth, Compassion, Balance.