Members of spiritualist church talk to dead

It is generally assumed that when you die, you not only become dead, you become scary.

At the Central Spiritualist Church at 2348 N.W. 36th, the perspective is different. Spiritualists believe that communicating with the dead is completely natural, and not at all scary.

"That's the purpose of our church: to prove the continuity of life," said Juanita "Nita" Oyer, pastor of Central Spiritualist Church.

MEDIUMS
With about 20 members, the church meets on Sunday afternoons for spiritual healings and messages from beyond passed to those present by spiritual mediums.
 
"We're supposed to bring through an individual from the other side," Oyer said, noting that each medium has a particular method and style, which can vary widely.

MESSAGES
Despite the fantastic nature of what they claim to do, the mediums presented the messages in a rather low-key, matter-of-fact fashion, as if they were reading insurance policies. There's no showbiz at Central.

The messages from the deceased " or "spirit guides," as they sometimes are known " can range from general positive advice to the specific. One man attending the service was given a message from his deceased mother that he had a secret sibling. While he looked incredulous, for the medium, it was all in a day's work.

"I'm going to leave that with you," she said, moving on to the next recipient, as if she'd said nothing at all. "Tory Troutman

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