Hi guys

You're right about the madness but the descent into it was made a very long time ago. I well remember Miss Taylor's 'war with Satan for the souls of the damned in Struthers'. Although I wasn't privvy to what her illness actually was I think she just went off her rocker and it was made out to be some holy battle with the 'Dark One' when in actual fact it was probably no more than senility affecting her brain. I could be wrong but I don't think I'm far off the mark.

I also, vividly remember an incident at Wiston Lodge in the main meeting hall. It was an unusually beautiful Sunday morning, I think I was probably about 9 or 10 years old. Anyway, near the end of the service, we stood up to sing the last hymn and some poor chap at the back of the hall suddenly fainted and began to fit on the floor. Miss Taylor, Mr. Black and few others ran up and gathered round him and started praying loudly, in tongues. Miss Taylor shouted about casting out demons and told the rest of the church to pray fervently so that the demons wouldn't go into them instead. I was terrified, as were most of the young folk, I didn't believe I was holy enough for the demons not to find me and I spent the rest of the time at that camp worrying and crying because I believed that I was so unholy the demons must've found me and consequently I was utterly doomed. I was scared to tell my parents in case they thought I was unworthy of their love also. Of course all of that was complete codswollop.

Ten years later, while talking to someone about it, I discovered the poor chap had been having an epileptic fit and they didn't even have the decency to call an ambulance for him!!

Yes guys the madness has been going on for many, many years and ruined many, many lives.

We should perhaps be praying that the congregation are delivered out of the madness and into sanity again.

Much love to all and God bless you richly xxxx

Thanks for all your great postings - too many to mention.
Re the church-school connection, back years ago when the school was set up (1999), there was a lot said in church meetings about the school and I believe there still is. As quoted previously, there is the Humiliation sermon as an example. Yes, Cedars School has been described by the Headmistress, as "our outreach". So they are closely connected.

It's highly possible that the SMC teachings are subtly or even directly passed on to the Cedars pupils. I certainly noticed arrogant, "better than you" attitudes in some SMC children who went to Cedars School; when in the company of children who weren't at the School, say, at a kids' meeting or Camp, they were not friendly and welcoming towards the other kids and I had to intervene at one point. The people in charge denied that anything was amiss. SMC children who were at state schools and not at Cedars were OK at mixing. As lintar123 points out, they are in such a closed community; parents/teachers/children all inter-linked. So how can they learn to mix with those outside? But it's supposed to be an Outreach, didn't they say??

Re the callousness and uncaring attitudes in SMC, I have witnessed a lot of that over the years, especially concerning people with mental illness, which, in a similar way to the epileptic seizure story given by Cbarb, was usually spiritualised. The reason for ignoring someone or showing coldness towards someone was always that that was what God was telling the leaders to do and was usually because the person wasn't making the grade as far as leadership was concerned. These attitudes don't just affect the young, but also elderly members of SMC. I know an elderly member who suffered tragic circumstances and they have been left totally alone with no church support. I don't think they get pastoral visits or phone-calls, despite having supported the church for years, financially too. There are others in a similar position who just get conveniently forgotten. Doesn't the Bible say, to help widows in their affliction?

Some really interesting points. Cbarb, your epilepsy story is just ghastly. It's like something out of the dark ages. But thanks for sharing.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the couple who I had some contact with opted not to sent their child to Cedars. Perhaps not everyone would take their view but I think the more people know, the better. They can then make a more informed decision.

John 13:35

New Living Translation (NLT)


35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”



Romans 2 v 4

New American Standard Bible

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?



Bearing in mind that these verses apply to me also and that I know it's not for me to judge (thank goodness) who's a Christian or not.. maybe it's ok to wonder though?....are the leaders of SMC earnest Christians who just haven't understood God's word? Are they passing on beliefs and treatments that were dealt to them and are just mistaken? Do they just think they're Christians but aren't? Or are they knowingly not Christians and all these things that have been brought to light are thought out and deliberate acts, for mad or bad reasons, meant to actually steer people away from finding God?

Am aware this may well be completely irrelevant!



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2012 02:47PM by squareone.

I was just thinking of how a SMC leader or Cedars teacher might handle a parent of a child that is either already at Cedars School Of Excellence, or being considered as a future pupil, where the parent asks the pastor/head
about all the criticisms it is facing online.

One could anticipate a response something like this:

" In every organisation there will always be a few dissenters. People who just don't fit in, or just don't agree with what we are trying to achieve. We have high standards here. From time to time there are always some people who just won't agree with our leaders or our culture. This happens in every church its just part of life. Every church has members leaving it, and either before or after they left then carried on with their gripes. But they are a minority. "


This is of course true. In the church I attended, for sure there were a few ( very few ) I remember talking to, who eventually left over some disagreement or issue. Maybe even a control issue at times. But in the county where I live there are many, many evangelical churches and for sure - plenty of Pentecostal or Charismatic ones.

But here's the thing - how many of those churches have caused sufficient concern to the point there is a very active thread in a forum dealing with destructive churches ?. One that keeps getting new posters telling their stories ?
And to the point that there now is another church from a different evangelical denomination in the area, that - due to concerns about the goings on in SMC, has begun actively PRAYING for it in its prayer sessions ?.

Far as I can tell, precisely one.



Edited 13 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2012 06:30PM by Clive.

Hi again everyone.

Very interested to see all the activity in recent weeks, including the posts on Cedars School ('of Excellence', if you will!).

I agree with most of you that the school is fair game for critique here because, whatever might now be claimed, it is an intrinsic part of the SMC mission. Indeed, when I questioned with its prospective head-teacher the plan to set up a school I was told precisely that. In the language of logic, the school and the church were 'co-extensive'!

It is appalling if the leaders are now claiming otherwise, but such shifts are typical of the Struthers leadership. As someone else posted, consistency is not something it seems to worry about.

Perhaps the best explanation for the whole thing is that the Struthers leaders are, sadly, fanatics. That would explain their crazy claims, their frequent policy lurches, and their otherwise astounding failure to defend themselves against the charges on this forum, including that of callousness. Any Christian in their right mind, indeed any human being, would not be able to just ignore such a charge.

Re Cedars School, can anyone explain to me why there are teachers in the Secondary who are titled Head of Department when there are no other teachers under them in that department, i.e. only one teacher per subject and that is the Head of Department? Also, two of these have parents who are SMC church-leaders. It leads to another question: does it mean that the Heads of Depts have a higher salary than other teachers, as would be the case in state schools? Is it a "promoted post"? Promoted from what? Who pays whose salary if money is taken from the Church to pay for the school and pay the teachers, who then put money in the collection? Confusing, isnt it?

You are bang on right, Clive. That is exactly the explanation which would be given if parents asked questions. It's the same answer as anyone who dares to question the way things are done in SMC. I know of other parents who investigated sending their children to Cedars but decided not to and it was because of things that happened in the Church. I also know of parents who removed their children from Cedars and again, it was because of what happened at Church.
On your other point, Clive, having been a member of SMC for a long time, I believe that there is indoctrination and mind-control and manipulation going on, which, as Cbarb pointed out, can be very subtle but very effective. I know that, because it happened to me - and lots of others. So, yes, I tend to think that the present leaders have been victims of that themselves in past years and are now doling it out to others, believing that it is the correct and "holy" way to do things and the way one should live as a totally committed Christian. However, they must be blind to the hurts and feelings of others and to those who have left, who now number in the hundreds, I think. They can justify anything by using these loose explanations which twist the truth of what is really going on.

Hi Archbishop Laud! We've missed you!

Sorry, it was Squareone who was wondering why the leaders do what they do, not Clive. Sorry!

Quote
Rensil
Sorry, it was Squareone who was wondering why the leaders do what they do, not Clive. Sorry!

No probs rensil.

Incidentally, just the other day I was talking to someone who attends one of the satellite branches of SMC who mentioned in passing that a particular young girl, who used to regularly attend the branch services and go to the conferences for many years, no longer attends SMC, and is now going to a different church in the area.

Her parents far as I know, never were SMC members or attended any services, but clearly they were ok with her attending and spending lots of time with the SMC and its local members.
One can surmise that just maybe her parents had been taking note of all the issues raised on this forum and finally decided that they were no longer comfortable with the present arrangement and made her change churches.

On the other hand of course, maybe she simply found a different church in the area that she actually liked more than SMC. Maybe contacts with someone in another church has finally dispelled all her fears drilled into her by SMC about the "other evangelical churches".

Reminds me also of the time many years ago I heard a recording of a SMC pastor speak to their greenock or glasgow congregation about how she wouldn't want to be in any other church rather than "here". How "special" it was.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2012 07:57PM by Clive.

It is appalling if the leaders are now claiming otherwise [archbishop laud]


don't know if they are or not, it was an assumption I made myself about the coffeeshop and school since you can go in and just get the service you'd expect from a coffeshop and I didn't, in the recent few years I was there, see an influx of people from the school as visitors to the meetings. I suppose I could also have assumed that they Were trying to get people in but nobody fancied coming. I just assumed they weren't



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2012 12:37AM by squareone.