NO PROPHETIC WORD ABOUT FIRE FROM MEYER

An early morning hotel fire claimed the lives of 79 people, most of whom were attending the "Destiny Crusade" in the Philippines led by evangelists Joyce Meyer and Don Clowers. The conference was sponsored by Don Clowers Ministries, a Texas-based organization. Initial reports of the blaze listed 70 dead and 54 injured. A representative for Don Clowers Ministries told PFO that of the 79 persons who perished, all but 10 were believed to be attending the "Destiny Crusade."

The Manor Hotel, a six-story budget hotel in Quezon City, had 236 registered guests, 172 of whom were attending the conference. Authorities said the hotel "looked more like a prison than a resort" because of barred windows used to deter thefts. Feliciano Belmonte, the city's mayor, said that the hotel had been warned about its inadequate fire safety.

Eugene Schwebler, a member of a missionary group attending the crusade that was staying at the hotel, told the Associated Press, "There were 160 people in our group. I don't know how many came out. The lights went out, and we heard people screaming." Schwebler first attempted to leave the hotel through a hallway but was turned back by the heat. He was able to escape by removing the air conditioning unit in his room, which gave him access to a fire escape. Many of the victims were found in bathrooms, where they had retreated to douse themselves with water before succumbing to the smoke and fire.

According to a report in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, while the Philippines is predominately Roman Catholic, evangelical ministries are often popular among the country's poor. The Araneta Center, site of the conference, was "a 30 to 60 minute drive from the hotel, which is where many poor people from the rural areas were staying while attending the services," the newspaper reported.

Meyer refused to speak to the Post Dispatch, her hometown newspaper, about the tragedy. When Repps Hudson phoned Manila, a woman told the reporter that "Meyer was unavailable to come to the phone."

Meyer claims to receive "words" from God for protection and the protection of others. She tells the story of walking through an airport corridor when God told her to pray in the Spirit. She prayed and spoke in tongues as she walked to the gate. As she arrived at the gate, she noticed a family of Satanists sitting, waiting to board the airplane. However, in her Philippine crusade appearance, no apparent word of knowledge for the protection of attendees came from the evangelist.

Meyer has stated, "Yes, I do hear from God because I spend a lot of time with God." She also has claimed, "I'm not a prophet of God. I'm a woman of God that's preaching the gospel. I operate with a prophetic flare. And God gives me words and things."

The disaster was the deadliest hotel fire in the Philippines and the worst such catastrophe in the country since a fire at a discotheque killed 160 people in 1996.

—MKG

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