Children of Light’s Aging Survivors Keep the Faith : Religion: Eleven of 18 original members of sect have died. But the rest retain belief in eternal earthly life.

She was seeking immortality when she left her husband and home in British Columbia decades ago, willing to forgo sex, meat and other “sins.”

Now more than 80 years old, she explains her regimented life in an isolated desert commune as one of the Children of Light, her veined hands shaking and her voice quivering.

“Who wants to quit having sex? But you give it up, and you get eternal life,” said Elect Beryl, one of only seven surviving sect members. They all dropped their former names and took the name “Elect” to show they are God’s chosen.

They live a simple life, gardening, sewing their own clothes and patiently awaiting the coming of Jesus Christ’s kingdom, where there will be no death or sickness. They live off Social Security checks, donations and “supernatural” power.

The deaths of 11 of the original 18 Children of Light have not weakened the faith of the remaining members, who say their 80-acre paradise in a harsh landscape is protected by God.

Members who died may have strayed from the Christian sect’s beliefs, or perhaps God had another purpose for them, the survivors say.

“We feel badly about it, but we still believe,” said Elect Star, one of the sect’s founders.

The story of how they traveled from a Pentecostal church in tiny Keremeos, B.C., in 1951 to this isolated patch of southwestern Arizona desert, a 100-mile drive from Phoenix, is proof that they are God’s chosen, members say.

Prompted by a divine vision, a Pentecostal preacher and former businesswoman led about 40 followers out of Keremeos and on a journey throughout Canada and the United States. They preached at churches and communes about the apocalypse and the importance of repentance.

The group picked up and lost people along the way. They found a destination when the words “Agua Caliente” appeared in fire-like letters in the sky to Elect Gold, the preacher.

Evidence that God was with them continued, in a donation that helped them buy the land in 1965, in a desert dotted by brush and surrounded by rocky foothills near Gila Bend.

Further proof, they say, is in the water source they found on the property, the date palm orchards and the thriving gardens of beets, carrots, cabbages and pomegranates.

The Children do nothing to recruit new members, although over the years a number of travelers have temporarily lived at the commune.

With Elect Gold said to be nearly 100 years old and bedridden by illness, Elect Star has assumed the role as leader of the sect.

They welcome occasional visitors. On a recent afternoon, three retired couples from the Midwest who drove four miles off a paved road to reach the commune were given a tour by Elect Joel, an 85-year-old former honky-tonk musician from Indiana.

Later, Elect Joel entertained the guests by playing “Sweet Georgia Brown” on the living room piano. Another member of the sect handed out bowls of homemade date and banana ice cream.

“I think the sun will stop shining before this fades out,” Elect Philip said. “We may look a little worn out, but God still has work left for us to do.”