EA4RAM:

The fact that Pastor G's father is the notorious Phil Aguilar is certainly noteworthy.

See [www.culteducation.com]

"Set Free" has been called a "cult" and is prominently mentioned in the book "Churches that Abuse" by evangelical Professor of Sociology Ronald Enroth.

See [www.amazon.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2012 09:27PM by rrmoderator.

Geronimo, you better leave me and my family alone. If we hear from you or yours again, Rick Ross is going to be my best friend, then that Facebook site, then whatever media I can get in touch with. You've messed with me enough, go destroy fences with someone else!!!

I accidentally created a new post elsewhere, but meant to post it here. I'm new to blogging.... ^_^ Read below...

I am a first-time writer, but have been following this forum off and on for several years. I lived with Geronimo and his wife Samantha for a while. Jamie and her husband were there at the time, too.

I lived with Ronnie "Rsen" and Kelly Ortiz. They ran the "youth" house at the time. I was there as a method of rehab, although there was little conversation about how to stay clean other than reading the Bible (KJV only), and work your ass off. There was a Christian 12-step program at the church but we were not encouraged to go. A major problem I've seen (myself included), is that people would come in from jail, or the streets, or wherever, and be given a "job" at the church, with some sort of income attached. What seemed like a blessing was really a curse.

Geronimo had me working between 60-70 a week, NOT including going to ALL church services, outreaches, etc. We were given 1 day off a week, and sometimes we would be forced to attend functions on those days. (EVERY Saturday EVERY person "in ministry" or who was on the payroll was expected to be there, NO MATTER WHAT, from about 8AM to 8PM. Sick days were not tolerated, and I was even discouraged from taking psychiatric medication for depression.)

One of the worst things about "working" at the ROC is that the young(er) women working in the offices (who were mostly thin and attractive) would be mandated to attend work-out sessions. I didn't want to but it was implied that I would, or there'd be major trouble. Because I had no other job or connections outside of the church, (we couldn't, because we were worked to death), I stayed with it for a while.

I'd like to mention a few things about Ronnie "Rsen" Ortiz, as well. First off, from what I've seen, his wife, Kelly, is a brave, and sweet soul. She has put up with some MAJOR shit from Rsen. Here are the things I witnessed first-hand that make me sick:


At the house one day Rsen was talking about his 3 boys, and how if Kelly ever left him he would keep them, and he'd get a gun to ensure that his wishes were fulfilled. It seemed like he was joking but he had that "I'm kidding, but I'm not" type of tone. I was terrified for her. Talk about psychological bondage to an abusive man.

One day while at MCC church, Rsen had a small group of teens to go to Kings Dom. Those of us from the house were going too. When we got to the van, Kelly wasn't there. We asked where she was, and he said, "when the cloud moves, you move with it." (ref. the cloud the Lord provided in Exadus.) So he LEFT HER THERE, because she wasn't RIGHT beside him when he wanted to leave. AND, he basically was calling himself the direction of God. Ugh.

We'd often return from church around 11 or 12 midnight, and Kelly would have Rsens food ready and in the microwave on a plate. Several times he didn't like what she made, and had her get out of bed (she'd been sleeping for hours), and fix something else. Nice, hu?

Also, God, I'll never forget this: Rsen had about 70-80 people on the bleachers, getting ready for the Saturday kid's church service. One of the workers, Whitney, wasn't there. Rsen CALLED HER ON THE PHONE, ON SPEAKER, IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY, and asked why she wasn't coming - not in a nice way... in a humiliating way. Nobody else wanted to ever skip working because we were horrified that he'd do the same to us.

I'm sorry if I wrote too much... I've got a lot pinned up, and I know a lot... I've seen a lot.... So please feel free to reply - I want to heal from my experience and I think talking about it on here will help. Thanks for reading.

EXROCGOER- thanks for your story. You are brave for telling it. There are many others who can share and help in your healing. There is a facebook page called RICHMOND OUTREACH CENTER RECOVERY GROUP. You can "like" that page and share your story there too and people who have had similar experiences can help you through your healing.

what's going on with thursday night bible study at the roc?

It was replaced with something they now call ROC Connect. It is supposed to be small groups of people meeting at different locations throughout the city, mainly people's homes. The group sizes are approximately 10-20 people. Each group would have the same "message" written by Pastor G and this is what would be studied. You have to sign up and then you are "assigned" to a group based on being Single, Married, Divorced, etc and according to location. If you must have child care you would attend the groups they will hold at the Big House. Otherwise, you cannot bring children. Now how many families in the inner city or elsewhere can afford to hire sitters so they can go out and attend bible study?

The explanation given for the purpose was because the size of Bible Study grew so large that too many people were "slipping through the cracks" and no one was noticing and Pastor G felt so bad because people weren't getting the "support" they needed. Did he ever stop to think the real reason attendance has been dropping so fast is because more people are becoming aware of what The ROC is really all about and are making choices not to be a part of a cult? This is just another effort for The ROC to try to manipulate and control people. You now have to be tracked, monitored, accounted for, provide people with your personal information in order to "attend". It's a way to keep people under a microscope. That building is large enough where they could have broken down bible study right there and put "groups" of people in different rooms/areas according to age/gender/marital status then made services "open to the public". You come in, go to your designated "class", attend bible study, then leave. They are using a "self help" model so people have to "share" all about themselves which only leaves them wide open to be preyed upon even more. He claims since he is creating the message being used everyone will be receiving the same lesson. Everyone knows that is not true. People perceive and translate things differently all the time. People are being separated and will be hearing different version which I'm sure will be according to what they want the group to hear. It's also another way of probably trying to mask "attendance" so they can falsify more numbers to add to the fraudulent "Fasting Growing Church in America" or some way they can obtain more money illegally through grants and donations.

DBTB618 -
Are you SERIOUS? I haven't been to the ROC in a long time, but Geronimo would always say, "The Thursday night Bible-study goers are the REAL Christians!" You guys remember that? HOW many problems can you associate with various people going to other peoples' houses...? Here's a few:

Like DBTB618 said - $ for a babysitter; Transportation (The ROC is in the south side... how many of these houses/homes are in the west end/other places? That's a good hike if you live in south side).... What about social anxiety? I don't mind crowds because the focus isn't on me... in a small group, you would be noticed a lot more, which will freak some people out... what about SAFETY?? Teens and single moms driving to houses in parts of town they're not familiar with - more opportunity for someone to be abused or taken advantage of.... even if it's an all-womens group, that could ATTRACT pervs who will know where they are. At least in a large church you're more protected, physically... I dunno... I mean - I did a small group thing in highschool but it was really weird... sometimes it just turned into a social thing, with lots of gossip. And what about the TIME? Having one-set-time for people to meet makes scheduling simpler for the majority. Many people schedule their work around Bible study and church.... now they'll have to re-arrange. Seems like it would solve a LOT of potential problems if they just kept the one time & place & made it work. OK I've vented.

You have to fill out an "application" to go to ROC Connect. You can't just "appear". In our group we had to state our names, say something about ourselves, "share" our lives. We had to give our phone numbers. Were told to contact our group leader if we were not going to be there and expect a call if we didn't. It's a way of being "controlled". They are trying to sell it as though it is a caring group of people who are concerned about your life. Who want to be there to support you, uplift you, encourage you through trials and tribulations. I do not want or need to be that up close and personal with anyone. We do have a set time, my group is on Tuesday, 7 p.m. Initially Pastor G said he wanted everyone put in groups with unfamiliar people so we could "build" new relationships. Unfortunately, I know everyone in my group. If I were to ask to be changed then it would cause suspicion and alarm I'm sure. I don't always feel like knowing everyone's personal business. I will always do what I can to help someone else but there are those people who crave and starve attention therefore small groups will always be centered around them. If people needed/wanted small groups they could go to a self help group outside of church. The funny thing about this all is The ROC is so opposed to anything of the sorts. NO AA, NA or anything like that but yet now they want to create "small groups". What about if I needed food from the pantry or I needed/wanted to see anyone else at the church. I guess it's no longer an option. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. They have to know it's all about to end and soon. Everything over there is falling apart, slowly but surely. They cannot be blind but for so long. They must know sooner or later it was going to all catch up with them. I think this is just one more effort on their part to try and hold onto what is left which is starting to dwindle away.

The Richmond Outreach Center Facebook Page Posted on January 14th “As you may know, this past year, Pastor G. was burdened by a specific concern for the thousands of people God has entrusted to his leadership.” Three paragraphs later it says, [b]“We are pleased to report that over 600 people signed up for The ROC’s version of what is commonly known as community groups or (small groups).”[/b] That is a significant drop in attendance. At least they were somewhat honest with that admission.

A person could look at this and wonder if the initiative to “Connect” people is out of genuine care and concern for the well being of the congregation but if you had thousands at one time and are now down to 600 is that really the case Did the membership really drop because you weren't Connected? It didn't reach the thousand's when you weren't Connected. Do they even have 600 in their actual membership count now? All those residing in one of their “discipleship homes” and RSUM have to attend. It’s part of their “contracts” in order to reside. They must be in attendance in exchange for room and board. They have no other form of transportation except via a ROC van/vehicle therefore they have to go wherever they are taken. That accounts for approximately 150 people. They tell employees who are on the payroll they must attend all Bible Studies, Church Services and Outreach Events as part of their employment even though it is illegal to require them to do so without paying them for the hours they do attend. So those who are in attendance because they are not aware of this law or fear losing their jobs account for approximately 25 more people.

There are MANY churches in the community who offer “Small Groups” and they are very successful but this is IN ADDITION to Bible Study. Small Groups are for people who want to be a part of something more, who need a place to fit in, who may not have close ties with family or friends and want to share the intimate details of their lives, who are recovering from a tragedy, who need and want accountability. AA and NA or any 12 step group for that matter are perfect examples but these are also groups that are based on anonymity. What is shared in these groups should remain there and unfortunately that is not the case. The gossip and rumor mill is already in full force. It's so unfortunate how they treat people. People have literally been “removed” from their groups without even have been given notice. This is what the ROC’s version of a community group is.

The good thing about ROC Connect is it’s one step closer to the entire corrupt church slowly fading away entirely and giving people the chance to get out while they can, before it’s too late.

If we all learned one thing is that the roc is for real people with real problems right.. Well that also means its being ran by people with real problems! And don't 99% of them do! That Recovery website is foolish. It's made by a bunch of unpopular kids and rejects. Probably same thing happened to them in high school. If you truly need to recover GO TO GOD. I got blocked for stating my opinion. If they don't like what you say they block you even if you're not supporting the Roc. How ignorant and one-sided.

G is the one that is in wrong here. If his staff is doing wrong it's because they are following his crappy example. Pastor Jason just tries too hard and pastor what is his name again.. Oh yeah Andrew. He don't have his own identity. Mj is mad cool. I know Rsen hes a real cool dude. If he's separated, what's the deal. Ain't no one said anything about Mrs. Kelly going to clubs. I know of some young adults who have run into her downtown. do your thing girl! And if he wants to date Tara he's dumb not to. I don't blame him I would. She's hot and she's a nurse. I know anyone in his position would jump at that. In fact Mrs. Kelly if you want to meet a good christian man hit me up on the private messages.

All the stuck up broads in the office are just jealous of Sammy b. that's why they try to be like her. I could go on for pages. I left the Roc because its not for me. The preaching ain't what it used to be and now there's drama everywhere. I have enough drama in my own life to worry about who Pastor G is hooking up with or what office secretary had a boob job... I mean I ain't mad at them for real. If you don't like that place just leave. Don't run to a Facebook page thinking you'll be healed. Go to the ultimate healer. I aint perfect. But I know and believe in a big God. I know he's get better plans for me.

Psalm 30:2
O Lord my god, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.