I’ve been thinking and reflecting a lot recently. I’ve wanted to share my story for years but I was so scared. Scared that they would do something if I did. Scared that I was actually in the wrong. Sadly, despite many years of help, therapy and support I still believe I’m in the wrong. It breaks my heart that so many people have been destroyed by this awful place.

I remember a time when a lovely lady saw that I was struggling. She hugged me in the coffee shop and said ‘I can see what they are doing to you, I know’.

She was then swiftly taken away and spoken to. She never spoke to me again.

Hi rainbow you can share your story. You don’t have to be scared here. It’s to warn other potential members when you share. If one person can be saved it’s good.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2024 03:21AM by Daisy69.

Ok leadership while you are reading this, something should sort.
Stop individuals with criminal records from working with children at the church!!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2024 03:20AM by Daisy69.

Christians say hello too. That’s true Christianity not ignoring.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2024 03:15AM by Daisy69.

I remember vividly a sermon that mr black preached. Miss Black spoke a very similar sermon. They advised the congregation that cancer was caused by sin. The words they spoke were (and I remember it vividly) ‘those who lead unclean, sinful lives will become unwell with disease’. I was very impressionable and found this sermon frightening. I knew of people in the congregation that had family that were going through cancer. This message broke them. I don’t believe it was right. My understanding is that Miss Black passed from cancer? Is that correct?

Just to add. They did reference, specifically cancer, in their sermon.

Really interesting to read your post. I love your honesty and I relate to the experience you had. I too was shunned. It’s ok. I saw it happen to so many. I have stayed quiet for a long time. As I mentioned in another post. I watch my friends children growing up and I would be terrified if they were to experience anything like what I did.

It sounds like you were friends with Andrew Jewell. I believe he is up and coming in the church. I personally believe they need to be very careful who they have got on their platforms. His family are cause for concern (my opinion - with evidence). I’m not at this time able to share.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2024 08:14AM by Rainbow.

"They control members lives but still manage to expect people to tithe.
Also there is another bailout for the school. Money is being drained from the church.
Members are gladly giving to support it. Was originally meant to be one final bailout. Saw a pig fly"

Daisy - are you saying there's been another recent bailout for the school?

Rainbow - preaching that cancer comes from sin is absolutely heinous / vile. I know he is highly revered by some but I do not see him in the same light I'm afraid. The man was a hypocrite - happy to point out the sin in others whilst living a life of greed and gluttony.

Escapesoon, Rainbow, Baockwatch and Free@last_sometimes welcome to the forum! I did make a very general comment to welcome new folk but didn’t have time at that point to mention all the names or extend a proper welcome. It is really good to hear your stories and comments, and to see the support people have for each other. That is quite a change from the Struthers experience, isn’t it!

Daisy69, thanks for confirming your point about confidentiality. I understand exactly what you are saying, and that people should be aware that posts can and will be repeated.

That is kinda my point though. Let’s say there is someone out there called Joe who is reading the forum and passing on gossip or criticisms or whatever. (I do not know anyone called Joe that is involved and am not alluding to any individual here, this is just an illustration.)

Does Joe live by a set of values? Do these values tell him what information to pass on? Why is he passing on gossip or his judgement on those who post here, but not passing his judgement on the things that are reported or the actions of the struthers leaders? That is hypocrisy and a lack of moral fibre. If “Joe” has ever passed on any information from this forum, and has a shred of moral integrity then he has to go back to the list of concerns in my previous post and pass these to the leaders. That is how responsibility, honesty and moral integrity work (no matter, kindness and compassion).

You also mention that there was more money flowing to the school, saying:

Quote

Also there is another bailout for the school. Money is being drained from the church.
Members are gladly giving to support it. Was originally meant to be one final bailout. Saw a pig fly

If you look at the top of p161 of this forum, you will see that on Jan 26th of this year, I said:

Quote

A more cynical interpretation would be that the purpose of the vote was so that people felt engaged and invested in the decision so that they would contribute more. That will not be the end of the story though, as their own accounts show the congregation has been subsidising the school for many years. I do not see how that can continue.

Seems I was right, and it was not (and is not) the end of the story in terms of the financial black hole that is the school.

What is it about the Struthers leaders that makes them think they are prophets who know the future when they are regularly getting it wrong and ordinary people with a calculator and a desire to understand the finances make better predictions than they do?

Finally Daisy69, glad you also liked the aside about the London “church’. What a bizarre situation. The emperor's new clothes.


Rainbow, I was interested to hear your comment that leaders have called this forum an assault from the devil. Folk that are still in Struthers, read the bit in my previous post that lists some of the issues raised. Then read the passage below.

Quote
2 Timothy 2v24
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.²⁵ Opponents must be gently instructed…

So, what the Bible says is not, “if someone disagrees with you, you should say it is an attack of the devil and ignore them”. What the Bible says is, if someone disagrees with you, you must be kind and, even if you see them as an opponent, you must instruct them gently.

It is worse than that though, as this is straight-forward victim blaming.

Quote
Victim Blaming
What is victim blaming? Victim blaming is any response that explicitly states or implies that the victim is to blame for the abuse they have experienced… victim blaming often revolves around actions that a victim could have taken (or not taken) to avoid experiencing abuse… it deprives people who have been harmed from the empathy and support that they need.

Ignoring people and saying it is an attack of the devil is an appalling way to treat people. This sort of victim-blaming is at the very least unkind and unscriptural. (It also by the way exactly what standby five was doing when he said, " I think some members were over-willing to surrender control of their lives to the leadership": blaming the victims rather than the perpetrators.)

It is also clearly untrue. I defy anyone is Struthers to come forward with criteria that can be used to help show that people or churches are following God. Whatever they chose, whether it is confessing Christ, bringing others to a place of profession and commitment, seeing people emotionally healed, the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians or some other criteria, I can show them people commenting on this forum who clearly demonstrate these things. How dare they look at fellow Christians and say their honest attempts to explain what the Bible actually says is an attack of the devil? That is dangerously close to the bit about “not touching the Lord’s anointed” that they enjoy quoting.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2024 10:54PM by ThePetitor.

@ThePetitor

Thank you for your kind words. I've been here for a long time though - more than 10 years - I've just not posted anything in a long time :-)