End Time Ministries, which has also been called Meade Ministries and is now known as Mountaintop Ministries Worldwide, was established in 1984 by Charles Meade. Meade was born in 1916 to a farming family in Kentucky. He later claimed to have served on the front lines of World War II, but official service records do not support his accounts of serious injuries. In 1948, prior to founding the ministry, Meade pleaded guilty to assault and battery with intent to murder following a stabbing.
In the early 1970s, Meade began a ministry focused on young people in their late teens and early twenties. His activities were based in informal settings such as living rooms and college campuses across the United States. During this period, the movement gained traction among students at Northwestern University in Chicago. Despite his lack of formal education, Meade recruited individuals with technical and academic backgrounds, including geologists and electronics technicians.
This early group formed the foundation of a larger community that later consolidated in Lake City, Florida. The relocation followed Meade’s claim that God had identified the area as the only place that would survive an impending Armageddon. In 1984, approximately 2,000 followers moved from at least 14 states to Lake City.
After settling in Lake City, the group established a visible and structured community with defined behavioral and appearance standards. Men were required to keep their hair short and remain clean-shaven, based on Meade’s teaching that facial hair reflected a “homosexual spirit.” Women were instructed to wear calf-length skirts, keep their hair at shoulder length, and avoid makeup and jewelry, which Meade associated with demonic influence.
The ministry’s teachings emphasized separation from broader society. Television, radio, and newspapers were described as instruments of the Devil. Members were discouraged from pursuing formal education, contributing to an increase in homeschooling within the community. Social separation extended to family relationships, with members often distancing themselves from relatives who did not join the group. Reports from local residents indicated that members lived in fenced areas and monitored outside activity.
Reports, including those citing FBI sources, stated that members were expected to contribute at least ten percent of their income, with some reportedly turning over their full paychecks in exchange for an allowance. These practices led to financial difficulties for some members, including home foreclosures and, in one reported case, the suicide of an individual facing IRS investigations. At the same time, the ministry funded a $10 million worship center designed in the shape of an overturned ark and supported purchases such as luxury vehicles for leadership.
The group’s rejection of medical care led to several documented incidents. Teachings attributed illness to sin or insufficient faith, and members were encouraged to discard items such as eyeglasses and dental prosthetics. Since 1978, at least 12 infants born into the community have died from preventable causes. In 1990, a couple associated with the ministry was convicted of felony child abuse and sentenced to probation after their one-year-old daughter died from pneumonia. In 2005, another member died during a home birth when paramedics were not called during complications.
Concerns about potential criminal activity persisted over time. Between 2004 and 2009, the FBI conducted a five-year investigation into the group. The inquiry examined reports of automatic weapons fire at the compound and the delivery of weapons by semi-truck. Additional allegations included references by leadership to a “contract hit” intended to silence a former member.
Meade died in April 2010 from medical complications in a VA hospital. Leadership of the organization then passed to his grandson. In 2015, multiple women publicly alleged that Meade had engaged in sexual activity with them while they were minors. These claims, along with ongoing concerns about financial management, contributed to a decline in membership and the organization’s rebranding as Mountaintop Ministries Worldwide.
The group continues to operate in Columbia County with a reduced presence. Current leadership has stated that the ministry has shifted toward a more conventional religious focus and away from emphasis on Meade as an individual figure. However, the organization continues to defend his reputation.
Key Sources:
Callahan, C. (1992, February 17). Former End Time member’s suicide leaves questions. The Lake City Reporter.
Hughes, J. (1991, May 19). A Town Possessed. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Lavin, C. (1990, November 11). Faith, Distrust Come to the Promised Land: Tension has mounted in Lake City since the mass arrival of the End Timers. The St. Petersburg Times.
Leithauser, T. (1988, November 21). Who is Rev. Charles Meade? Leader of religious sect moving to Lake City. The Lake City Reporter.
Lewan, T. (2005, May 12). The End Timers thrive in Lake City, Fla. The Associated Press.