Re: Richmond Outreach Center
Date: November 21, 2008 05:51AM
Amyzing,
I feel a kinship to you that you, of course, won't reciprocate. I was exactly where you are now in my blind and loving faith in my leader. I can recall saying those same supports for him and Phil in Anaheim. I don't fault you for such devotion. Also, I don't think faith in God is a bad thing. I also believe that, yes, God will be doing things within that church because he IS everywhere. What I'm pointing out is that Set Free and Phil, his father is where Geronimo is from. But not just to say that he is 'of course' like his father only because he is the son... no, I'm saying that I knew Geronimo in Anaheim and he WAS like his father. He learned from his father. And I've been speaking now for some time with people involved in the ROC and watching all of the media and web coverage of his church's activities and can clearly see the pattern repeating itself.
I agree with you that there will be a multitude of homeless and addicted souls brought in and 'cared' for by this church. But what you aren't ready to see is that ALSO much corruption is there. The two things are not mutually exclusive. Both things can be true at the same time of the same place. Please read back on the signs of a cult and warning signs of being involved with a dangerous leader. They all apply to the ROC's form of leadership. Also, the moderator asks many cogent questions. There is no reason to get angry if simple questions are asked of the leadership, finances and doings of leaders. If they were easily answered and defended no-one would need to get defensive or angry. Remember, that your faith is in GOD and not Geronimo. You need but defend GOD to others. Geronimo can take care of himself.
Whatever you think about Geronimo and Sammy B (Samantha, now) the simple truth, supported many times over by a myriad of articles I've posted throughout here and other Set FRee posts clearly identify their ages and the absolute truth of the origins of their relationship are that Geronimo was 21 and Sammy B was 14 when they first started having sex and getting involved. This was in Anaheim when he and Sammy were on the "Posse" dancing and singing 'converted' songs. They gained much popularity by taking current hip hop and rock hits and changing the lyrics to 'godly' ones. He was married at that time to Stacee, a friend of mine. They had little gorgeous children. He had her, Stacee, sent off to the ranches to both get her out of the picture and as punishment. That's the truth. That's something Geronimo did. N
Earlier someone suggested that some people here have no sympathy for past wrongdoings. No, to the contrary for me. I believe we all have ample opportunity to come from horrible doings on our parts and turn around and make a new life for ourselves. I believe in 2nd and 3rd and 4th chances. I am merely watching and recording what are the current activities and asking questions I feel need to be asked, as are several other people in this discussion. What I point out is the PATTERN of Geronimo's behavior and his church's by extension. I relate his past doings to ensure that people here see the history and pattern and ask them to look and determine for themselves if they too see this disturbing pattern. If it were not still being perpetuated no-one would have anything to say about the ROC's leadership or Geronimo. But, you'll note that several brave persons have posted here sharing their knowledge of things going on RIGHT NOW at the church and its ranches.
I ask you and Yhall to merely remember that your faith is in God and no-one here wants to shake or shatter that. Also, no-one wants you to go through what I and others have gone through. We merely see it coming to the Roc and offer open, caring discussion about what has happened to us, and about what is happening there now. We encourage you to ask your own questions, maintain your faith, and decide for yourselves. There is no need to be angry or upset. I certainly don't personally attack you. I consider you brothers or sisters in God.
Oh By the way. SPARKY... no, there is not ever an open election of leadership at Set Free, nor has there been.
Also, another bit of my story at Set Free that I've not included before related to all of the sexually inappropriate behavior that went on there. Sharing this, I hope, can demonstrate how completely innocent of the wrongdoings of others one can be and still rub shoulders with them in the same church...
During my years of service at Set Free I remained free of the corruption of the core. I, like Yhall and Amyzing above felt that the church and even the leaders were all so innocent and just 'sinners' struggling daily like myself. I was unable to put the pattern together. I would see incidents as being isolated 'slips' rather than a routine of the workings of the church. On quite a few occasions I was propositioned, sweetly or even bluntly, to have sex with leaders in the church and guys in the various Posse and biker groups in our church. In fact, two separate couples who were deacons in the church befriended me and spent months doing what I can now only recognize as courting me. I felt so warm and happy wrapped in their friendship that in both instances I was shocked silly when they propositioned me to have a threesome with them. That's what I said, two separate couples (deacons and closer than you could imagine to Phil) propositioned me for a threesome. Beside them, lots of other guys in the posse, in the biker group Phil and Geronimo were part of propositioned me to have sex with them. These weren't simply newbies in Christ who had 'just come to God.' These were leaders in the church. Closest to the pastor. The various propositions kept coming over a few years. I, each time, turned them down and in my innocence thought that the person or persons were merely 'struggling' and 'needed prayer.' God, how naive I was. Even though it was coming from the leadership and kept coming over and over again I never saw it for what it was. I never saw the pattern. I would have defended them to you if you accused them to me! That's how much I believed! I even lived with one of those couples and just prayed for them. ahahaa I swear I was so darned gullible I should have been declared legally retarded at the time. I can laugh and make light of it now but it was really a bad situation. God was even using those incidents to try to show me the truth of what was going on around me. And, yes, God was good enough to protect me and insulate me from it and allowed me to keep my innocence, if not overly naive.
I keep hearing about the sexual escapades of Geronimo and his leaders and of the rampant drugs and now theft of church funds. I am prayerful and concerned. But, I KNOW with certainty that there will be many in the church, like myself, who remain innocent and completely untouched by these wrongdoings and corruption. Of course. Please understand that I differentiate those things and know that many people will be at the ROC for the right reasons and good things will spring forth. But the leadership is corrupt and many questions need to be asked.
So, please don't take the questions asked here and personal accounts shared here as attacks against God or claims that no good at all cannot exist at the ROC. I hope my story shared that much.