ExCult, these have been such interesting reads for me.
I've been a Christian for six years, and I was brought to spiritual maturity BY Derek Prince, Charles Simpson, and Erik Krueger. From reading some of your posts about Derek I think I have a pretty good idea of who you are... and if you are indeed that person, you came and spoke at a church in Fayetteville, NC called "Northwood Temple" about one of your books.
I was there, and I felt impressed to try to speak to you afterwards about Derek, but I left instead. Now I see that I should have stayed.
Had you driven just a few miles down the road, you would have hit on an apostolic church of incredible influence called "Manna," where I am currently a member.
Jim Lafoon visited us two days ago, and that's how I came across this forum and your posts.

An insightful person could probably have predicted that I would end up in a group like EN; the foundation for it was laid years before I had ever even heard of EN. I grew up in a Christian home. Focus on the Family paraphernalia littered my home--books, all the different magazines, videos, and radio shows. As a child I listened to an obscene amount of "Adventures In Odyssey". All of the various FOF literature and entertainment contained an element of disrespect toward children. Through them I was taught to always obey and submit to those in authority over me. I was taught that my parents always knew best. I was taught that it was God's will that my parents physically hurt me when I disobeyed them. I was taught that "tough love", love that I found painful, was the greatest form of love that I could ever be given and that it was a priviledge to receive it.

Beyond that, I attended a Christian school, the leaders of which made a big deal over the fact that they were giving their students a genuine Christian education that was also academically superior to what they would receive at a public school; it was very elitist. Over the course of 10 years, I was told repeatedly and increasingly by my "Christian" teachers that I was a bad Christian because I was introverted. My artistic talents were looked upon with scorn and my love of fantasy was reacted to with "righteous" shock. They did nothing to help me further my dreams, an action which clashed with my idea of what a Christian school ought to do, but when I told my parents that I thought the school wasn't that Christian I was informed that my point of view was wrong.

During my childhood, I attended a Calvary Chapel, a church which routinely made a big deal about the "fact" that they were a biblically-grounded, teaching-oriented church. The pastor, however, was obsessed with the End Times, and his teaching eventually became completely unbalanced. (He actually managed to work the Rapture and the End Times into a sermon about Joseph being sold into slavery.)

My point, in telling you all of this, is this: I grew up in a fairly common Christian environment. The child-disciplining methods left me extremely doubtful of my ability to think for myself and unable to trust my own moral compass or follow my personal desires. They also taught me to accept abuse in the name of "correction" and "discipline". My Christian school implicitly taught me to both look down upon and fear the "World". My crazy pastor left me extremely confused; although I knew a lot of what he taught was wrong my familiarity with his slip-shod manner of Bible-study lead me to accept a lot of crazy things from EN teachers.

Because I had spent my whole life in a dysfunctional religious environment I was deeply unhappy. Superficially, EN seemed different. The people were very happy and welcoming. They seemed to accept me and they encouraged me to follow my dreams. I do not think it surprising that I joined them; I was in the desert dying and they appeared to be offering me water.

Beyond that, because I had spent my whole life in a controlling and dysfunctional religious environment, I was so used to the dysfunction that I could not easily see the things that were "off" in EN, or, if I did see them I pushed my concerns aside, telling myself that the problem must be with me--after all, I had lived my whole life being told that those things were correct and godly.

I don't think genuinely healthy people join cults. I believe I can safely say for myself that had I been healthy I would not have been drawn to EN.

I also think that the increase of controlling and abusive Christian groups is the fault of the Church as a whole. EN appears at first to preach a message of joy and life (something I did not experience in my church or school) which drew me to it. And, the teachings of people like James Dobson induced me to accept practices in EN that I would not otherwise have accepted.

j2theperson

One of my big regrets was letting Bob Weiner and company talk me into being "rebaptised." It was a very confusing thing to me at the time, during the initial outreach at Auburn. Already a Christian, I listened to testimonty after testimony during body ministry night with this theme: "I was saved growning up but I wasn't 100% totally committed."

Weiner jumps up after about 3 of these type testimonies and says, "Let's stop with the 'I was saved growing up stuff'. If you weren't 100% totally committed, YOU WERE NOT SAVED!" It instantly created a seed of doubt in my own heart and I believe it was a pre-planned deal to dig deep into these young minds and plant the seed of a MCM works salvation. As I have said before, woe to those who know better. We were all young and very impressionable. It was an insideous act of a madman to create a system whose branches are alive and well today.

After a Winkie Pratney sermon one night, I decided I needed to get "baptized" (You couldn't say re-baptized). Allie never questioned my decision, but she never questioned the need to have it done herself. She has always been a very confident, comfortable in her own skin, kind of person without becoming a MCM witch.

The image of Weiner's cold eyes as I came out of that water is something I will never forget. Nothing, nothing, nothing of a positive significance in my spiritual life came out of that night. But it did start a life long journey of self doubt and works, with remnants of which have existed even in recent years.

It has taken Tikie's blog and a soul searching of WHO is the one doing the 'saving' to come to the realization that I have been plucked by HIM, and all of my human efforts, going back to being 'baptised' on that night haven't amounted to a small pile of Alabama red dirt in making myself worthy of that plucking.

It is a pretty fine place to be.


Mark (Matt)

Some of the things I did “for the sake of ministry” . . . I can’t believe I was so naive! I really did have a servant’s heart, but I was so blinded and deceived. Just a young college-age girl who really didn’t know better, and took leadership at their word. I was so hungry to serve God in whatever way possible. There was a very genuine and real zeal, but it was a zeal without wisdom. This particular instance, I was helping over at Phil and Karen’s house. I think I was babysitting at the time. Bob Weiner and some of the other leaders were at Phil’s house, talking in his den. Bob Weiner’s shoulders were stiff, and he asked me to give him a backrub, which I proceeded to do. I look back on this, and I just can’t believe my ignorance and servile attitude. For a single, unmarried younger girl to be rubbing the shoulders of a married older man (Rose wasn't there) . . . not proper at all, regardless of the audience of other leaders (including my pastor)! Yes, this was done in all innocence (at least on my part), and Bob was just being Bob and wanting to be treated like a king . . . but it was out of line. He was a pastor and not a king, and in that role as a pastor, called to serve the flock, not vice versa. Come on now . . . I'm a member of the congregation, not a professional masseuse.

For my part, I didn’t even think to question leadership on that point. It was so ingrained in us to trust and serve leadership as our spiritual covering and authority, and so at the time I couldn’t see it clearly. Tik, you are so right-on in your slave plantation analogy. Really, people are either loving you or using you, and there was a lot of "using" going on (and evidently still going on today) with these "leaders", and seeking to be served rather than serving the flock. I was definitely in the "being used" category.

This is why we need to be speaking about these things. There are young adults out there that really don't know better. Just like me at that age. They need others that know better to speak up in their defense.

I really laugh at the girl I use to be now, and find humor in the things I did. The person I am today, I would tell Bob just exactly where he could go and exactly where he could shove that request for a back rub! Why can't more wisdom come with youth?? Sigh . . .

Yes, I am being very candid here. I'm sure that many have figured out who I am by now (probably a good while back), but quite frankly I don't care. My reputation was already destroyed, my name made synonymous with Jezebel, and blackballed from even contacting my friends within after I left. What more do I have to lose? I have my precious Saviour, Jesus Christ, and that is all that matters. Reputation was important to me back then. Nowadays, to quote Rhett Butler, "I don't give a da**". That may not be considered very ladylike, but it is very honest . . . honesty being something we weren't afforded in this ministry . . . something we were punished for if we were too honest. They would rather have a lie and the right image, than the truth and humility.

jesusisawesome





How is it that someone didn't punch them out! Had it been me as a younger gal, my father would have paid them a visit. I'm serious. He was like that, fearless. How lucky for them I didn't get saved in 1979 on one of their campuses. My daddy would have given em one for ME and for you JIA.

Hey you nice young college girls out there. Don't let yourself be abused. Get your daddy or your mamma. Just tell them you're in a cult and the crazy pastor is demanding to be your spiritual authority!

Don't let them call you jezebel. Don't let them put a dustrag in your hand. Babysitting is $10 per hour PLUS mileage, and that's for ONE CHILD. Add $1 per additional child. If another pastor brings their kids, It's another $10. Cooking is $20 per hour. Cleaning is $25 per hour. And, if they say they are going to disciple you (WHILE YOU ARE SERVING THEM), DOUBLE YOUR PRICES. They have just completely overstepped the proper boundaries of an authority/counselor figure.

In the secular world if a counselor has their COUNSELEE come to their house for dinner, they can be sued for inappropriate boundaries. If the counselor has the counselee perform household duties, they will lose their license and be sued for a TON OF MONEY.

I have mentored many women and I never, I repeat NEVER had them wash a dish in my house (outside of a mutual potluck, everyone helping, etc.) But, I usually bought all the food and served them, treated them to restaurants, etc. Using your counselee/disciple as a servant is such an abuse of power that even the world condemns it and has laws to prevent it!

Dust

While MorningStar was still courting His People, Jim Laffoon came and gave a prophecy about a Net at the Cape Town church. He repeated it at the Jo-burg church. Essentially the theme is for the need for loyalty to Paul Daniel and not to say anything bad about the leaders, because that might fray relationships. The reason was that there was a great enormous harvest of dragging a net across whole continents ahead if we were just all loyal to Paul Daniel. Needless to say, Paul Daniel liked this prophecy. He had it printed in the church magazine and it was turned into a play which was acted out on stage by the drama group. The tape was repeated at various services. Most leaders also liked the prophecy, because it made it sound like His People was really the most important ministry around.

At the time, I was saying the opposite. I was saying that His People was backsliding, that it was losing the strength to challenge sin. Needless to say, I was unpopular and I lost some friends. As I saw more and more signs of compromise I became increasingly vocal in calling the church to repent. But the theme tune at the time was pride - driven in part by Jim Laffoon's Net prophecy. The prophecy also I think played a major role in His People's courtship with MorningStar and the ultimate decision to join.

Jim makes it sound as if he is predicting His People's expansion into 'the hard places', but actually, at the time the prophecy was given - His Peoples period of expansion was peaking. After that we went into decline. Now my question is 'Is Jim Laffoon going to apologise for his misleading prophecy?'

Philip Rosenthal






JIM LAFFOON's WORDS FOLLOW:

"On my first night in South Africa, I was praying in my hotel room and the Lord gave me a prophetic word in the form of a vision for His People Ministries. I saw before me the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. The wind was blowing over it and there were white caps on it. All of a sudden, much to my amazement, I saw something beginning to emerge out of the ocean. At first, I could only see huge ropes and the next thing I knew, I saw a gigantic net. It wasn't an ordinary sinking net though: it was so massive in its diameter that it would have taken a whole fleet of fishing boats to pull it. As it came up, I said to myself, "the net is so massive that it could be pulled over a whole continent". Then the Lord spoke to me and said: "It is His People Ministries. I'm pulling them through the ocean of humanity. I'm pulling them over continents."

As I looked, the net was being pulled up out over the ocean. On the other end of the rope I saw Pastor Paul Daniel as the leader, pulling on the net. I also saw other faces alongside him who had their hands on the net. I watched the net come up onto the shore of Africa. I was struck by the fact that there were no fish and asked: "Lord, why are You pulling the net up at this time, yet there are no fish in the net? If You are pulling the net up and there are no fish, it is not about harvest, but about something else." The next thing I knew, the net was pulled ashore and strung out on posts to dry. It was so immense, it could have surrounded Cape Town. As I walked along the net, the Spirit of God said to me: "In this hour, I am pulling the net of His People up out of the water, not for harvest, but to prepare this ministry and to prepare these people for the greatest harvest they would ever know. In this hour, in this ministry and in the churches, cells groups and campuses, I am walking through the relationships of this ministry. I am walking through the lives of this ministry and I am searching very carefully in every knot, in the fibre of every life and every family because I want to touch them in this hour, in such a way that when I cast them back into the sea in even a more powerful way, the net will not break when I pull them back in."

[www.speedyshare.com]
Download it at the link above.

"Why? The Trinity, as I know you believe, is the most important and most essential doctrine, but yet how does MSI see it? Shame on MSI or any professing Christian church that does not accurately define and exalt the tri-unity of God. And how dishonoring to God to have (a) Oneness implied statements (out of ignorance or not) on MSI’s Statement of Faith and (b) support Oneness advocates such as T. D. Jakes as well as other false teachers such as Rick Joyner and Peter Wagner ...

... It disappoints me that MSI does not see the doctrine of Trinity as a doctrine that should be defended and affirmed (even though as of recently they changed their Statement of Faith). For they still support those who deny it has made Oneness statements. "

[www.christiandefense.org]



"We have yet to see in MCM materials or receive from MCM any definitive presentation or explanation of their doctrine of the Trinity. Although MCM has now affirmed its agreement with the Lausanne Covenant (i.e., belief -in one eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ."), they still have not clarified to us whether their understanding of that statement is modalistic (one God in three forms, modes, or offices), trinitarian (one God in three Persons), or broad enough to include both modalism and trinitarianism. "

[www.culteducation.com]



I don’t know of any scripture that says, “You can’t respond to the Gospel without an accurate view of the Trinity.” I don’t know of any scripture that says, “You can’t walk with God without an accurate view of the Trinity.” I don’t know of any scripture that says, “You can’t fellowship with other believers without an accurate view of the Trinity.” I don’t know of any scripture that says, “You can’t discover and fulfill your ministry without an accurate view of the Trinity.” I don’t know of any scripture that says, “You can’t participate in the Great Commission without an accurate view of the Trinity.” I don’t know of any scripture that says, “Without an accurate view of the Trinity, you won’t be ready for His coming.” I don’t know of any scripture that says, “You’re on shaky ground doctrinally if you haven’t chosen between these two views of the Trinity, or chose the wrong one.” You won’t find scriptures like, “The summing up of all things in the Trinity” or “In the Trinity dwells the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form.” No, the mystery of the Gospel is the mystery of Christ revealed, not the mystery of the Trinity revealed. Nor does the scripture emphasize how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit relate to each other. The emphasis is on how we relate to them. Anyone who says these things, I question whether they know God and I question whether they understand His Word.

Advice to Philip Rosenthal:

Don’t waste your time trying to get EN / Maranatha leaders to behave. The two biggest mistakes you can make in dealing with these people are 1) treating them as if this is the first time they’ve heard what you’re saying 2) treating them as if they don’t understand what you’re saying. Countless people have tried to get their attention over a period of decades. People from every conceivable background, situations of every conceivable context. By giving advice to Rice Broocks and by asking Jim Laffoon to apologize, you have joined a very long hit parade. Expose them yes, confront them no. They have already been confronted, they fully understand what has been said to them, and they do not want to repent. And your advice to Rice Broocks would hardly suffice even if he followed it. What he needs to do is repent of his longstanding rebellion against God, come out of severe deception, abandon his entire value system, and get delivered of his spiritual DNA. Don’t bother quoting scripture to them either. They view scripture the same way they view their anointing and God’s people - as things to be exploited. It is ironic that people like Rice Broocks and Phil Bonasso are constantly chanting, “The Word, the Word, the Word,” because both their personal behavior and their ministry strategies are grossly unscriptural. They have enough truth in their talk to reel people in. But in the final analysis, they have rejected the Lordship of Jesus and the authority of His Word.

I don’t have the inside story on EN’s dealing with His People, and I probably don’t have time to delve into it. But I do have the inside story on EN leaders. Do yourself a favor. See my note to Dr. Enroth. Then give up trying to get the attention of EN leaders. You’ll have peace, you’ll have a clearer perspective, and you’ll be able to get on with what God wants you to do.

Has it ever occurred to anyone to wonder why Bob Weiner, Rice Broocks, Greg Ball, Phil Bonasso, Leo Lawson, etc have never gotten on Rick Ross’s site or the FactNet site to set the record straight about anything?

Whether it be their depraved condition, their idolatrous values, their wicked behavior, their unscriptural practices, their carnal efforts, their illegal activities, their obscene lifestyle, their notorious shenanigans, the enormous amount of extremely negative media attention they have received, or their convenient spin on all this, you haven’t heard a peep from any them, no matter shocking the stories, no matter how accurate the truth.

-- “This is Bob Weiner and I just wanted to get on this message board and set the record straight: I did / did not threaten to sue that ad hoc committee if they published the full text of their report, and here it is with names omitted.”

-- “This is Greg Ball and I just wanted to get on this message board and set the record straight: Here’s what really happened between Rice Broocks, Phil Bonasso, and me, and it had everything / nothing to do with my secretary.”

-- “This is Phil Bonasso and I just wanted to get on this message board and set the record straight: This is my real status with EN and this is what I really did with the money.”

-- “This is Nick Pappis and I just wanted to get on this message board and set the record straight: Here’s what really happened between me and 'Tik Tok'.”

-- “This is Walter Walker and I just wanted to get on this message board and set the record straight: We did / did not circulate that word about that ad hoc committee.”

-- “This is Leo Lawson / Paul Barker and I just wanted to get on this message board and set the record straight: Here’s what I really teach.”

-- "This is Bruce Harpel and I just wanted to get on this message board and set the record straight: Here’s what really happened between me and William Mackenstadt.”

-- "This is Rice Broocks and I just wanted to get on this message board and set the record straight: Let’s have a no holds barred question and answer session.”

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LETTER TO WASHINGTON CITY PAPER


Major kudos to David McKenna for his investigative piece on Mark Brunell’s involvement with the Champions for Christ / Every Nation cult. I would like to see Washington City Paper delve into the conspicuous silence of Brunell and Darrell Green about Greg Ball’s departure from both organizations.

Ball cofounded Champions and was its true builder and spokesman. Yet Champions cofounder and nominal leader Rice Broocks, pastor of the Nashville church mentioned in McKenna’s article, threw Ball out. Brunell and Green staunchly defended Ball during the Curtis Enis scandal. Green called the NFL and asked them to end their investigation. Ball converted and discipled Brunell. Green has had a relationship with Ball for many years. Yet neither of them have gone on record about Ball since his departure.

Nor has Brunell said anything about his agent and business partner, Greg Feste. Feste has left a trail of destruction for over a decade. First NBA “Iron Man” AC Green’s foundation, then Enis’ contract with the Chicago Bears, then the Austin Wranglers fiasco. Everywhere Ball went, he introduced Feste. Ball discipled AC Green, who just happens to be the vice president of Champions. A survey of Champions members would probably reveal that Feste was the professional agent, investment agent, or business partner of many of them, and that Ball introduced Feste to them. No doubt Brunell has introduced several athletes to Feste. It would be interesting to see what these players have to say about Feste after losing so much of their money in Austin.

Every Nation is essentially a rebirth of Maranatha, a notorious cult that received the same kind of extremely negative attention that Every Nation is now receiving. Champions was started under the auspices of Maranatha. Ball and Broocks were major board members of Maranatha. AC Green’s pastor in Los Angeles was Phil Bonasso, first a major Maranatha board member, later an Every Nation cofounder. It would be interesting to discover if anyone has ever discussed Ball and Broock’s Maranatha past with Brunell and what explanation these two important men in his life have given him about their cult roots.

Don’t bother mentioning the word cult and the name Maranatha in the same sentence during a conversation with Darrell Green. He was in Maranatha. You’ll get the same terse response he gave Sports Illustrated when they investigated Feste. Don’t bring it up with Brett Fuller, Every Nation’s Washington, DC pastor either. Fuller is Green’s pastor and sits on the board of his foundation. With Ball out, Fuller is now in charge of Champions. He was a major board member of Maranatha. He’s heard it all more times than Green and almost as many times as Ball and Broocks.

Every Nation leaders were able to conceal the Maranatha portion of their resumes and their cult behavior until the Internet made media articles and message boards available through a few Google formulas. Rick Ross, the country's most prominent cult watcher and the one quoted in McKenna's article, has been especially instrumental in exposing their long cult trail - with a lot of help from a team of busy former members turned researchers.

With Ball having Champions taken away from him because of an “improper” relationship with his secretary, with Broocks stepping down as president of Every Nation because of his unpopularity, with Phil Bonasso leaving Los Angeles after an investigation into his finances, with all their ties to Feste, with cult classic scenarios like lawsuits and deprogrammings plaguing them, and with the relentless negative publicity, it really makes you wonder how much longer people like Brunell and Green can do damage control for them.

Nor have Brunell and Green escaped scrutiny. Green was the subject of a lengthy piece in Youth Today. Thanks to McKenna's carefully weaved expose, Brunell now finds himself inescapably indentified with a group that has tried unsuccessfully for 30 years to dodge the cult accusation.

Here's hoping McKenna's fellow journalists in DC and elsewhere follow his lead.
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THE SHADY, INCESTUOUS, AND DISASTROUS DEALINGS OF GREG FESTE OF CHAMPIONS FOR CHRIST, EVERY NATION, AND AUSTIN WRANGLERS INFAMY



Last we heard, he moved back to Houston, his original stomping grounds. He cleared out of Austin after trying (and failing) to be the Jerry Jones of Austin with his AFL Wranglers Arena Football team. He imploded the first year. Took "other" investment money to try to keep the arena football floating. It was a financial disaster....everything is gone. I'm surprised there was not law suit. Feste turned on Greg Ball to start his downfall. Greg Ball turned on him. Yes, he is laying low. Most investors took their money out of Feste Capital Management including several former football NFL players. [...] You'll notice no mention of Feste Capital Management. A review on the SEC site for advisors will show most of the money is gone as the investors scrambled: [www.adviserinfo.sec.gov] Also, it is rumored that UT coach Mack Brown got wind of the UT players that were scammed as part of the Arena Football deal (Mike Williams, Jax & Leonard Davis, Ariz) connected the dots to Greg Ball and Champions. As a result, Champions could not "minister" any longer to UT football team. Mack had to protect his sheep from the wolves. We also heard that Feste tried to get a loan from Frost bank and cussed out the banker...who also happened to be a neighbor of Mack Brown. Nice job Greg! So then Feste turns on Ball. Champions (CFC)implodes. CFC in Austin is closed while "Ball" takes a "break" and they move the office to Bret Fuller & Co. Everyone on CFC staff is let go or reassigned to other cities and churches while Greg Ball is on "leave". True story he was taking from the money pile as well. They never came clean with the congregation until he decided to leave the church at the start of 2005. Then they told you in a one on one discussion. In 2005, Ball decides to leave Austin church and start his own thing and new church in Austin. Some members of Austin church join Ball & Company. Then last fall, "the letter" goes from Pastor Ray from his former assistant, Sue, that she needs to come clean with Helen around her true relationship with Greg. Sue leaves the Austin church last fall and goes back to New York. Ball is forced to confess to his former church and former leaders of the Austin church about his inappropriate relationship. Then he changes his story to his new "sheep" and says the Austin church leadership is trying to destroy him and his church....lies, lies, and more lies. Ball's church is no longer meeting on last report...well, maybe a bible study. They were kicked out of their meeting place and Ball is now visiting other churches in the Austin area. Wow...It is wacked to see what has happened the last 5 years and the trail of destruction...dashed hopes for those really trying to make a difference. leghorn




I can confirm that a lot of Feste's entities have folded in recent months. Additional ones have been established, changed, etc. [...] Also, the Whataburger franchises in Florida are now run/owned by Tony Boselli and Mark Brunell under new (albeit similarly named) Florida corporations... the Feste-affiliated Florida entities were dissolved. Interestingly, one of the personal NFL player's foundations (I think Brunell's - one can verify this in www.sunbiz.org) that had been managed by Feste has also been dissolved. Feste is still out there though... there are still several active Texas entities in his name. My understanding is that potential wealthy EN investors may still be solicited by Feste. I would imagine that since FesteCapital Foundation aka Malachi Foundation has given tens of thousands of dollars to top EN leaders over the years (not just Ball, but Broocks, Bonasso, Fuller...) there might be a vested interest in keeping him around, though out of the limelight so to speak. Thanks, leghorn, for the additional background info. blessings, ulyankee




Well, AFL Wranglers/Greg Feste was one part of the puzzle. One has to ask whether Feste turned the house of God into a "money changer" enterprise. It appears that way. They were all in bed together....lol (see below). Almost everyone in the Wrangler organization, which was owned by Feste Capital, was EN/MS people. Even the cheerleaders were being trained by John Blue's wife (John Blue is another EN / CFC pastor who has left Austin church to go start his own church in S. Cal). Maybe is trying to salvage the Phil B. mess in So Cal. So, when the Wranglers went bust, all the people working in the organization were "re-assigned" as well. Once the Feste / Ball relationship started to go bad, then Ball pulled his investments from Feste Capital. Once Ball pulled, it started the Feste Capital downfall, then other players started getting nervous and started asking for their money. Some of it wasn't there as it had been spent on the new Austin Wranglers venture. Guess who was managing Champions hoard of cash until it was spent? Feste Capital Management! In the last few years, he lost several million for CFC. You could see this if you looked at the CFC 990 public filings. But CFC & Ball & Co couldn't be objective about the performance of the manager. It was a scratch my back...I'll scratch your back. Introduce me to NFL players. Then will "minister" to them. Then as part of the purple book doctrine and obedience to God, gotta give 10%. Most of the NFL / Morningstar para-churchs were giving a significant portion back to Champions. Also, since the NFL players had $$, guess who would be a great company to manage your money? Right, Feste Capital Management. And guess who was right there at all the CFC Pro Conferences? Feste. Also, the last deal for Feste to acquire mortgage company (Chad Overhouser, last played with Texans) so that they could also loan you money on the house you bought. Hey Mr. NFL, we will manage your money, you'll make 10% charitable gift to CFC (gotta be obedient and tithe 10% or God won't prosper you), I'll give you a mortgage. Deal was covered in Austin Business Journal with some other Austin business people quoting that Feste may be over extending himself. Boy was that accurate as it imploded by end of the 2004 season. Feste was removed as owner and president of Wranglers. Now it is run by a Dell executive (not sure if he is still with Dell). Leghorn




Also, one former Austin pastor commented that players were complaining about Feste performance, but...that was where all the NFL players were steered. The pastors were in a position to guide players. Where do I find a trust-worthy, Godly advisor? One answer...Greg Feste, Feste Capital Management. They will take care of you. At the Austin church, if you were an NFL type or hot college prospect, Feste was all over you in service like white on rice (...or Rice Broocks...lol). Here, sit on the front row. Let me take you to lunch. Stand up here in service so everyone can see and we can clap for you. Yes...stand up.. Wow...isn't it great what you've done and blessed us by being here. Some people joked...there were "A" church members (NFL / college / pro athletes) and "B" church members (non NFL). It was a joke, but it was a reality. Also, Feste was a regular in the Austin church for announcements / taking the offering. I can't tell you how many times he would stand up and say...don't rob God...Malachi 3, blah, blah, blah You're robbing God if your not giving 10%. Everyone close your eyes. Now if you’re robbing God, raise your hand. I'll pray for you. Sounds legalistic, eh? Appears Feste was doing the robbing. In a family, an inappropriate relationship is called incest when you have inappropriate relations with other members of the family. There was no one at the leadership level that could see (or can see) this objectively. If you brought it up you were seen as a dissenter. Don't challenge the authority over their doctrine, Gift of tongues (a second level of spirituality), use of tongues (their power prayer language), Signs & Wonders theology. Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple. These guys were all in bed together. Also, if you look at the 990 for Malachi, almost all the money was going to Morningstar Leadership. Also, there were two mortgage loans to Phil Bonasso and Rice Brooks. Then, each year, Malachi would make a very nice grant +$20k to both of these guys to pay their mortgage. Everyone in the EN world was on the Malachi slush fund. All the leaders. All the EN ministries. Oh and a few dollars were given to non-EN ministries. This is all public record and available on www.guidestar.org. You can see through 2004. Also...this is kinda funny if you think about it. Feste was also in the Mattress business (mattress = useful for sleeping, sleeping with others). In 2001, you will find a law suit (do a google search on Malachi Mattress America) in the state of Delaware of Malachi Mattress America (Feste & Co), Mattress Holdings Internations, Gregory L. Feste. Guess who the law firm was defending Feste? Jackson Walker, LLP. Who was the attorney? Ben C. Broocks....hummm....sounds like Rice Broocks?? It is Rice Broocks brother. Previous directors were Chris Herdon (wife of Jimmy Herdon, NFL, last team the Texans) and Mark Snelling (not sure if NFL). It is my understanding that Greg Ball, Boselli, and Brian Schwartz were also in this. I heard that there were billboards advertising the Mattresses in Jacksonville with guess who....Brunell, Boselli, and Schwartz. Schwartz is now an EN pastor in Denver, after being part of the Austin church. Oh...Feste & company lost their suit against David McIlquham, Lee Wyatt, Mark Wozniak (plaintiffs / counterclaim Defendants). C.A. No. 19042 - State of Delaware in and for New Castle County. ...lol..now I see all their signs & wonders...they've disappeared...lol.
Leghorn




Hi leghorn, yes, a lot of the corporate stuff you've mentioned, like Malachi Foundation, etc. has been discussed both on and off list, though you obviously know more background that corporate records and public documents alone don't tell. As someone wisely said on EN's Wikipedia entry, corporate records alone don't give a true picture of spiritual continuity, though whoever wrote that wasn't thinking of it in this context I'm sure. If you are at all interested in an Excel spreadsheet breaking down Malachi/FesteCapital Foundation disbursements write me off list and I'll be happy to provide - ulyankee@yahoo.com FesteCapital Foundation is still a valid legal entity, btw. Greg Feste is still director and registered agent. Current address is in Sugarland, TX - a Houston suburb if memory serves me right...? Interesting connection between the Malachi Mattress lawsuit and the injury suit going on in Nashville. The defendants in the Nashville suit have requested that Ben Broocks be admitted pro hac vice. I just checked this morning and the court allowed it as of 3/28, though for the life of me I don't know how... guess that's not for me to say since I'm not an attorney or a judge, just a lowly researcher. ULYankee




Here is a ABJ story about the Wranglers, Feste and business: [www.bizjournals.com] ulyankee –
By the end of 2004 / beginning of 2005, CFC was in shut-down mode. They were sitting on a pile of cash that they didn't know what to do with. Return to players? Return to para-churches? Greg Ball threaten suit to get access to the pile of money and his slush fund for his "ministry" trip. He and his wife had a "heart" for the French and Paris?..lol. Also, a lot of the money came from the churches. In early 2005, the EN leadership (Phil B. & Co.) decided that some of this money should be returned back to the para-churches. As such, Austin church got back I think over $500k to put the church back into the black and fix their budget problems. This was announced and displayed to church by Pastor Ray McCollum at church meeting. I'm sure the same went for some other churches getting money back. Also, they were just sitting in this new lease space / new offices that was costing something like $18k a month and nobody was there except for some Austin church staff / x-CFC people. So, they needed the cash to continue to pay on the lease and expenses, ect. Phil B. was the main guy deciding what to do with the cash. The building was finally re-leased so CFC was no longer on the hook for the monthly lease payments. It was some "sweet" office space and executive boardroom. They were living large for a short time unil implosion. Yes, it appears Feste has returned to Sugarland. This was where he was when all the trouble started with Curtis Ennis in late 90's. I think his dad lives there as well. The dog returns to his vomit...lol. I don't think there is much new money coming in since the whole game is over. There will always be some new "supporters".
Leghorn




Here is another link to ABJ story: [www.bizjournals.com] Here is info on the WhataBurger: [www.foodservice.com] JWB stands for Jerry W Baird, former chair and CEO of Prosoft-Training. Jerry was brought into the Feste fold after Prosoft-Training forced him out. Prosoft was another dot-com bust. Baird was an EN/MS memeber also a featured speaker at one of the big conferences in LA (2002? or 2004? - can't remember). JWB Ventures was one of the entities that was salvaged after the Feste/Wrangler train wreck. Most of the players / investors are also invested in the Whataburger venture (JWB Ventures). Last we heard, Baird moved to MS...got his wife back on her medication. Supposedly he had to have her "committed" to force her back on medication. House of cards? Ughhh...yes. I guess the Wranglers could have worked as a hobby much like Jerry Jones in Dallas, Elway in Denver, and Bon Jovi in Phili...but, you have to love it and have a lot of money to lose. Yes,...exactly, greed at all levels. Ball & Feste. I don't think it was that Phil or Rice wanted CFC. The other leaders in CFC turned on Greg about his hardness...and "inappropriate" observations. Feste was part of the group calling out Greg. Then it just turned ugly. Put that on top of greed and a bad, bad business deal where you are raising alligators that won't breed....and it gets ugly. Keep feeding the alligators and hope they will breed...or stop feeding and they die. Then the game is over. Add to that player investments, lies....oh..and your leading a church. Leghorn




40days - Who's idea? I'm sure Feste. The guy always wanted to be living large ever since his days in Houston. I think this is his 3rd time to go bankrupt. Ball saved him one time when he was sitting in a hotel room with a gun to his head. Feste screwed up himself by trying to do the whole thing himself. He even did the radio commercials here in Austin. He wouldn't listen to anyone. Tried to get NFL prices for season tickets. He had no % of food sales at the venue. So it was all ticket sales and they died after the first game. You couldn't even scalp a ticket (i.e. sell) after about the 2nd home game. So, then he threatened to move the team to San Antonio. He also wanted a percentage of food sales. Also, wanted to be able to have beer distributions (Bud) put up their signs, etc in venue. I think UT and regents said no-go. See the connection to UT and bad deal with Mike Williams / Leonard Davis. Both bad apples and then they turned on each other. And then the investors scramble. Game over...just like Enron. Once the cash is cut-off. The same guys that were investors were also big contributors to CFC. Then you had Greg with his hand in the pile, rumors of his "inappropriate" relationships. They went through his phone records with an "internal" investigation. Then MS/EN leaders step in. Remove Greg Ball while he "rests". They wanted him to move to Nashville under Rice while he "repented"...lol. He said no. Pastor Ray shows up and takes control mid-year. Then Greg threatens suit to get access to his stash. Some "deal" was worked out and Ball decided not to sue to get back into the candy store. As far as I know, Brunell is still listed as an owner of the Wranglers and he is still in the NFL. Listed in the program this season at an Austin game. Oh...now they want to build a new church / buy property in Austin. Wonder who will own it. Leghorn




ulyankee - Reason for huge payment on the 2400 990? Makes sense to me. Take a little cash and go away. EN/CFC didn't need a suit. Plus, I think Ball would have lost...especially since we know where they could get a "good" lawyer to defend them and the candy store. Funny! Well, sad really. For CFC, I understand that most of the "regional directors" were paid as "advisors" (i.e. direct your NFL players to CFC so we can "minister" to them). The regional directors were making more than the crumbs paid to the working staff. Yea...it will be very interesting to see the 990 for CFC and Malachi. As far as I know, Champions is done on college campuses. UT was big. They folded all those "ministry" people into VCM / College ministries, etc. So, I think they are just left with the Pro Conferences, etc. Why not picked up by press? Press was still in the dark. Not even the Austin church was aware of what was going on. A lot of people in CFC and in the know didn't want to talk...they just lost their job. Also, the investors don't want to look stupid and get their name in the news for "I was stupid" and lost my money. So, they take interest in Ski House in Colorado, 40' House boat, Whataburger interests, JWB Interests, remaining interest in money-losing Arena football team and go away. I'm surprised no suits. Also, regional leaders came in and did damage control...don't tell the truth. Move this group, change the name of the Austin church to Christ Community Church of Austin (www.cccaustin.com). Sports Illustrated has column about black agents...but bigger loses. It is hard to really know what was going on. Even the people in the Austin church didn’t know what was going on. All you knew was...it smelled bad and didn't add up to what they were saying and what they were doing. The leaders were trying to "protect" the Ball family while Greg Ball repented. Sad for Feste's family. Feste has been sued for securities violations and had regulatory violations in his past. You could see that on his ADV when you checked on SEC web site for Feste Capital (see link prior for SEC website). Don't know how much the world outside of Austin understands what went down. Probably not much since they did as much damage control as possible here in Austin. EN/MS don't need a scandal like this. I just found out about World Partners...Wow, another mess. You had all the EN/MS churches showing that video propaganda to raise money for MSI each year. Now were saying Phil B & Co were lining their pockets. Wow! Perhaps we need more writers like they have in San Fran...along with some leaks? Really, you'd have to get some players to talk. Ginger1 - To my understanding, Rice Brookes was not an owner. Never saw his name listed as an owner. It has been taken over by a Dell exec as President. They are trying to run it like the AAA pro baseball team in Round Rock - Express (Astros minor league). I think it will go under based upon fan support. A lot of empty seats....we shall see. Blessings....buyer beware.} leghorn




Ball would likely have had a good (or at least powerful) attorney on his end... he incorporated a ministry with Dennis Brewer soon after he was removed from CFC - November 2004 if I remember correctly. It's on the MSI/EN timeline. I don't know as if this is the entity under which Ball tried to start a new church or not, b/c Brewer also stated some time back that Ball was going to be joining with Greg Dickow's ministry (another former MCMer for anyone who is interested). Brewer is Benny Hinn's and TBN's attorney. Perhaps stalemate makes more sense here...? ulyankee




40days - It was my understanding that Greg Ball representing CFC (or so he announced to the Austin church) gave Steve Murrell $1M to build his church in the Philippines. And that was done around the 2003 timeframe so that maybe the distribution you are referring to. ginger1 - "Feste needs to be sued".....I don't think there is anything left to go after! Almost everything has been dissolved out of his name. Why would he do that? So anyone that wants to sue would see it is a waste of time. Nothing left under the rocks. Just a lot of work and effort to get to nothing. The only other thing would be to hang him up for fraud, etc. But, then you have the whole question of should a Christian sue another Christian. Interesting question...well, Christians versus "professing 10% tithe giving" Christian...lol. ulyankee - Do the following. See this link: [www.adviserinfo.sec.gov] Type in "FesteCapital" under the search. Then scroll to bottom and hit "Next" a few time. Get to item 5. It will show you # of clients (11-25) and assets ($40M), number of accounts. It will not show you who they were for privacy reasons. It is the same characters, different stage. Some of them were Boselli, CFC (+$5M), Brunell, Jerry Baird, Mike Williams, Leonard Davis, former pitcher Darryl Kile (died age 33). Oh and G. Ball. Probably also Rice, Phil B, and some other "leaders". Prob Darryl Green and A.C. Green. Those were the CFC "stars". Also, post-FesteCapital, the CFC slush fund went back to Morgan Stanley [...] Yes, I wish these guys would be found out. Perhaps others will read this. They've left a trail of destruction and some ruined lives for people who put their faith into the leaders. Leghorn




It is really an unknown in terms of percentages. I don't think it was just the athletes tithes...I think it was more like...we need this much for the church...okay the rest goes to CFC since we have all these CFC people in the church. Then you had Feste & Malachi also giving to these people as you know. That is why it was a surprise. Due to the number of CFC in the church, they would just slice off some of the pie and give to CFC. I'm sure this was the same in some of the other CFC dominated churches. I can't remember exactly, but I want to say the Austin church was getting back like $500k (not sure if this several years worth of giving to CFC). They didn't go into that much detail...just that their budget was in much better shape due (Ray's announced great news) to return of CFC monies. I think this was B Fuller, Rice, Phil B decision to get Ray off on a better start....which I can understand. Ray showed up to a rotting mess. Otherwise, he was starting in a deep red hole financially. I think they mentioned other churches were getting $$ back. So, it will be interesting to see the 990 for 2005. With the Austin lease gone, there was no reason to just sit on the $5M+, especially when some of the churches that funded that were sucking wind. I think your guess is right, Austin, Jax, and Indy. There was some unwritten rule about giving back to CFC if you had the athletes in the church. Don't know that it was a law. But, with the G Ball / CFC, Feste, EN/MS..."were in the Malachi Mattress America Business"..you can get the picture of how the monies flowed.
Leghorn




ulyankee - Ok...got the 990 for CFC. I had not seen 2004. I would assume most of the funds will be gone by the end of 2005. Yes, that is a lot of cash ($18M as you say), gone, gone, gone. Some of that prob came from the Big Stars (Brunell, Boselli, & Co), but I'm sure a bunch came from the para-churches without anyone knowing. Rice B was letting G Ball do his thing..things were looking up until G Feste hit the wall. Then all the skeletons started falling out. Yes, I know about the mortgages. When is a mortgage a mortgage? Now that Phil B has sold is place in S Cal, does that mean he pays back the mortgage? If yes, then it is a mortgage. If no, then it isn't a mortgage. Rather it is a nice fat bonus / cash advance / finder's fee (aka - send me your NFL athletes, I'll manage their money). Maybe this is spiritual incest? It seems rather odd to me that you would make two mortgages to the top two leaders, and then turn around each year and make large grants to those two guys. Or, it is a way to just give someone a large chunk of money that would considered a loan (i.e. mortgage) and not income for income tax purposes. I think some of the executives and managers from Dynegy are sitting in prison for that trick called "Project Alpha". Of course, if you do it as "ministry" then it is okay. Why wouldn't you just go to a mortgage company to get a mortgage loan. And wouldn't that mortgage loan be tied to a specific piece of property? Can't remember if it stated that in the 990? Now that Phil B has sold and moved to FL, it will be interesting to see what happens to the mortgage. That is what it looks like - Malachi grants so you can pay your mortgage?? Yes, I think the CFC money is mostly gone. I'm sure there is still a little for Huntington in VA. J Blue is going to S. Cal to try to salvage some of the Phil B fallout I assume. That is not what was told...but just connect the dots / timing, plus where he is originally from. Butts...I think he is off CFC payroll and still in Austin. K Tower - I think is starting a church in Florida?? G Gall - who knows...he's been seen roaming around Austin looking for new "lost" sheep to help and save (give me your money...I'll show you signs & wonders...watch your money disappear lol). Maybe he should change his name and take on a new personality...lol. leghorn Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 4:56 pm
This question isn't just for Leghorn but others, particularly those familiar with BWOC & EN-Nashville. FesteCapital was also involved in an office condo project in Franklin, Tennessee (where most of EN's top leaders live). They were also supposedly the largest buyer in the property at one point. The project was in conjunction with Wes Lamoureux who was involved with the original proposed BWOC project in on its existing property in Brentwood (not approved). I also understand that Lamoureux is a member of BWOC, and also is on the Nashville Youth Life Center's board (an EN-affiliate) and was the developer of the Global Cafe. Does anyone have any additional info about this? Is Feste still involved in the Westgate Plaza project? Ulyankee




lc_20 - I had just heard that there was trouble with J. Baird and his wife. And it appears they have left the Austin church and moved to MS. So you are saying that is correct, he is divorced? Somehow, I believe his wife was college mates with Helen Ball. ??There is some connection there with MS and Helen? In case those reading don't know, J Baird was CEO of ProSoft-Training.com. It went bust like the other dot-bombs. He was a featured speaker at the EN/MS conference in LA (Business Man's breakfast - 2002?) and spoke about giving a billion dollars away to God....dream big (I'm so big...I'm so rich...I wonder who's billion?...lol). You're so kind to get a billion dollars and then give it to God's Kingdom (R Broocks, Phil B, J Laffoon, G Ball, & Co). Then he joined the Feste clan as that imploded in 2004 along with CFC. Once everyone figured out what Feste was doing, it was every man for himself....all jumped ship to save themselves and their business empires. JWB Ventures (Baird...grandmother was Ms Baird, Ms Baird's Bread) which was the entity doing the WhataBurger franchises in Florida with Boselli, Brunell, and others. Not sure where he is going or if it is his fault. Perhaps it was the wife who was out of control and couldn't handle life without the golden glasses, trinkets, and normal budget like us lesser folks. But, what you do see is a man who was held up by EN/MS as an example...a model. And through time, we see what has become of their example / their model. That is a good question when they put someone forward as a model....what became of that model? Where are those models and what is the fruit of God that they have brought forward? Leghorn




I first became aware of Greg Feste, Greg Ball and Phil Banasso in Los Angeles in 1995. They became the board members of the AC Green Youth Foundation. I think this was right after Greg Feste's almost suicide. At that time the former board members had Greg Feste investigated trying to keep AC Green from hiring him, instead AC was a major believer in CFC and so the current board members were removed and Greg, Greg and Phil took over. Down hill from there. The foundation took some major financial hits and crawled away to AZ. It is now a shell of its former self. But I do notice that AC is still an owner in Malachi Mattress. Some of the former employees of the AC Green Foundation are still fighting bank fraud charges after money went missing. Greg Feste went after them with the help of Brooks Baker and Lange. The employees felt it was taken by Malachi Financial who was overseeing AC Greens money using Charles Schwab accounts. The foundation moneys were to be moved to a bank in Arizona after the foundation employees complained that they did not receive bank statements or cancelled checks in order to track finances. Then the executive director is accused of theft and fraud, the foundation is turned upside down by Brooks, Lee Johnson, Greg Ball and Phil Bassaso. Greg Feste sits back and plans all the activity but his name is never attached to anything. AC spent $75,000 in legal fees going after one foundation employee to have them sign an agreement admitting fraud and agreeing to pay approximately $500,000. But Feste had bigger plans - he used that document to go after all the banks the foundation had done business with wanting to get money back for fraudulent activity claiming the foundation was unaware of the activity including PNC Bank AKA Charles Schwab - the account he and Chris Herndon were overseeing. The former employee has tried to make the US Government understand how Feste works but would you believe the story if told to you by someone accused of bank fraud? This is still going on after 10 years. I have also followed the activity in Austin and wondered what had happened to Feste. How do we stop this man? jamiespringfield




The burrows go on forever! Just when you think you have a connection clarified, on it goes. I don't know where this tunnel will end, but I will post things as I uncover them. My starting plan was to help dogemperor with the Big NOLA list. I was suspicious of a local national/international relief organization - Northwest Medical Teams. I became suspicious when they attended a Full Gospel Business Men "Mayors Prayer Breakfast" AFTER they had been informed that FGBMFI went ON THE RECORD last year not allowing a Muslim Iman to lead a prayer. FGBMFI "interfaith cover" was blown. I was suprised when NW Medical Teams attended the event even with the knowledge, so I made a note to dig deeper.


Stories about the Prayer Breakfast

[chuckcurrie.blogs.com]
[www.nwprogressive.org]

When digging stuff up a number of names surfaced. For those of you who are bona fide researchers I am sure bells will ring: Greg Feste, Malachai Foundation, Council on National Policy, Morning Star International, Champions for Christ, Every Nation. Ultimately...that history was way too convoluted for me to follow and I decided it was not relevant to NW Med Teams per se. I just wanted folks to know as you dig, things come up.

ENTER: Pastors Resource Council, stated to be organized by Tony Perkins of the Louisiana Family Foundation. Names: Lee Dominique and Tony Perkins
[www.bethany.com]

The Pastors Resource Council has a Compassion Fund, on the bottom of their page, they are copyrighted by Chest of Joash.
[www.prccompassion.org]

Chest of Joash is registered with the Louisiana Secretary of State:
[www.sec.state.la.us]
Names associated with Chest of Joash:
Riley Hagen, S.Chris Herndon, W.Lee Dominique (oh, snap!)
PLUS its mailing address is SUGAR LAND TEXAS.

On the PRCCompassion site, there is a list of their "Partners"
On this list is the "Northwest Medical Teams, President Bas Vanderzalm"
[www.prcompassion.org]

Information on Bas Vanderzalm, from NW Medical Leadership page
Teams[www.nwmedicalteams.org]

Note: Previous Jobs of Bas Vanderzalm:
Salvation Army Harbor Light Center Boston AND World Relief
(Both of which are on Dogemperor's Big NOLA list as Bad Guys)

Other Information:
[www.aerdo.org]

SO, I leave this in your able hands. Where does NW Medical Teams fit on the NOLA list? This rabbit hole goes deeper...more to come

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[community.livejournal.com]

Continued
The Lazard Group was founded in 1997, and is also known as Lazard Sterling. It is a conglomerate working in many areas, and earlier this month Domingue and two other Lazard executives, S. Chris Herndon and Riley Hagan III (profiles can be seen here), filed a new organisation with the Louisiana Secretary of State. This was Chest of Joash, Inc. Returning to the PRC Compassion website, we find at the base of the page: ?2005 Chest of Joash, Inc. All Rights Reserved. PRC Compassion is a division of Chest of Joash, Inc. The 밅hest of Joash?is a reference to a Biblical story, found in 2 Chronicles 24: And the king [Joash] called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness? And at the king's commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD꾿nd all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. Domingue뭩 company profile notes that he 뱒erves on the boards of numerous faith-based organizations.?A Biblical tale of tax money going to religious enterprises might therefore have special appeal. PS: One other link that may be interesting is that Chris Herndon of Lazard/Chest of Joash used to be CEO of The Mattress Firm; here he worked with Greg Feste, who is deeply involved with the charismatic grouping known as Every Nation (see blog Christian Dem for more details on Feste). Every Nation has been the subject of this blog several times before; EN is also involved with PRC Compassion.
jamiespringfield




The Texas Exes Business Network (TEBN, and formerly known as the University of Texas Business Network or UTBN), a program of the volunteer-run Texas Exes Austin Area Chapter, has announced the next monthly event will feature Gregory L. Feste, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of FesteCapital Holdings, Ltd. The event will be attended by business leaders, professionals, and community members interested in furthering their business knowledge as well as those interested in strengthening their business networks. As the founder of the company, Mr. Feste has proven to be a leader, entrepreneur and visionary for the firm and each of its ten subsidiary companies: Advisors, Consulting, Real Estate Development, Franchise Management, Mortgage Lending, Private Equity, Real Estate Brokerage, Aviation Services, Finance and Sports Enterprises. Mr. Feste has over twenty years experience in the investment, financial and business markets. He is a registered investment advisor and holds security and insurance licenses. Mr. Feste also serves as President of FesteCapital Give to Live, a charitable organization he founded to provide assistance to cancer patients with financial needs, the FesteCapital Entrepreneur Institute and is the President of the Malachi Foundation, a foundation he formed to provide financial support and benevolence for ministers, ministries and benevolence others worldwide. Mr. Feste is Chairman of the Founders Club of Morning Star International. He is also a member of the Council for National Policies. Mr. Feste has served or currently serves on the Council for National Policies, the Board of the Darrell Green Foundation, Executives for Christ, the A.C. Green Foundation, the Mark Brunell Foundation, and the Tony Boselli Foundation and Christ in Sports. Mr. Feste earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Christian University. Greg, his wife and his family reside in Austin. [www.acteva.com]
speakword2004




Here's something else I wonder about... The Morning Star Founders Club divested shares in Prosoft Learning - filed an EDGAR insider trading report. You may recall that Leghorn posted here about Prosoft and its connection to Greg Feste. Prosoft filed for bankruptcy and has since been acquired by VCampus, the company that hosted VLI/ENLI Online. Prosoft is (or was) based in Arizona. Anyway, what is the deal with the Morning Star Founders Club? Is/was this an investment club similar to how Maranatha had "investors." ulyankee




I have pages and pages of articles, blogs, private detective reports and I gave them to the FBI. I was told while very interesting there was nothing concrete. What does it take
jamiespringfield




After nearly two decades at the helm of Ruggles Grill, Bruce and Susan Molzan have cooked up a corporate team as part of a recipe for expansion. The Molzans brought on investor Greg Feste as president of Ruggles Restaurant Group and former stockbroker Curry Juneau as chief operating officer of the company, marking the first time the restaurant chain has had an official corporate structure. Bruce Molzan will remain as the company's executive vice president and executive chef. Juneau says the company's new business plan calls for grouping all three current restaurant locations -- Ruggles Grill at 903 Westheimer, Ruggles Grille 5115 in the Galleria and Ruggles Cafe & Bakery at 2365-A Rice Blvd. -- into one product under a single ownership structure. "We are basically getting a company started that is already known for its quality food and already has name recognition," he says. "We're going to focus on the operations side." Juneau says there are no plans to close or consolidate any of the existing restaurants. In fact, the company plans to open eight new eateries in the Houston area. The new restaurants will be smaller versions of Ruggles Grill with a fast-casual concept serving breakfast items, as well as fare such as rotisserie chicken, wood-burning-oven pizza and wraps. The tentative name for the new concept is Ruggles Grill Express, which Juneau says will be most similar to the Ruggles Cafe & Bakery restaurant. The first 4,600-square-foot Ruggles Grill Express will be located at San Felipe and Sage and will open by the end of the year. Juneau says plans also call for eventually expanding the brand into Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. [www.bizjournals.com]

Ruggles (Old):

Name: RUGGLES MANAGEMENT, L.L.C.
Corporate ID Number: 07063886-22
Filing State: TX
Type: DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC)
Status: FORFEITED EXISTENCE
Date of Incorporation: 02-24-2000

Address Type: PRINCIPAL OFFICE
817 WESTHEIMER
HOUSTON, TX 77006

Address Type: PRINCIPAL OFFICE
817 WESTHEIMER RD
HOUSTON, TX 77006

Officer Name: MOLZAN BRUCE
Address: 903 WESTHEIMER
HOUSTON, TX 77006

Officer Name: MOLZAN BRUCE
Title: REGISTERED AGENT
Address: 903 WESTHEIMER
HOUSTON, TX 77006

Officer Name: MOLZAN SUSAN
Address: 903 WESTHEIMER
HOUSTON, TX 77006

Expiration Date: 02-24-2030
Inactive Date: 02-11-2005
Inactive Date: 02-11-2005
Tax Id: 32002214560
Country: USA
Country: USA

Ruggles (New):

Name: RUGGLES RESTAURANT GROUP GP, LLC
Corporate ID Number: 08005302-18
Filing State: TX
Type: DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC)
Status: IN EXISTENCE
Date of Incorporation: 08-10-2005

Officer Name: FESTE GREGORY L
Address: 817 WESTHEIMER AVENUE
HOUSTON, TX 77006

Officer Name: MOLZAN BRUCE
Address: 817 WESTHEIMER AVENUE
HOUSTON, TX 77006

Officer Name: RODRIGUEZ DAVID
Title: REGISTERED AGENT
Address: 823 CONGRESS AVE STE 706
AUSTIN, TX 78701

Duration: PERPETUAL
Country: USA

ulyankee




From pigskin to pork?
Could it be that Greg Feste, former majority owner of the Austin Wranglers, has switched from football and finance to food?
A man named Greg Feste has been hired as president of Houston's Ruggles Restaurant Group. But executives at Ruggles couldn't be reached for comment about whether it's the same Greg Feste as the former Wranglers owner.
In October 2005, Feste stepped down as president and CEO of the Arena Football League's Austin Wranglers, which he helped found in 2003. He also relinquished his role as majority owner.
Feste also had been chairman, president and CEO of Austin's FesteCapital Holdings Ltd.
Whichever Greg Feste is at Ruggles, he's got a full plate. The popular Houston restaurant chain is cooking up plans that include a possible expansion to the Austin market, as well as San Antonio and Dallas.
Allison Wollam
Houston Business Journal
[austin.bizjournals.com]



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2010 01:01AM by rrmoderator.