There is still quite a wall of secrecy around the Gary loyalists and the churches that are trying to move forward as walk churches. But there is a lot to be learned from public records and chit chat from friends and family who don't live in the area.

Steve and Becky Seboldt have sold their house by CLW and it's close to being final.

One of the houses owned by CLW has been sold and another one is being prepared to be sold. They have to make the house nice for buyers in a way apparently they didn't care about when it was a communal home (my supposition.)

Scott and Jeane McDonald have moved to Lake Arrowhead area so I assume they sold their house by CLW.

The Alex/Baker clan has moved or is headed to Arizona.

Key figures leaving the L.A. area?

"It's a New Day and I'm Getting the Hell Out of Here!"

Sounds like key figures just want to move on all of a sudden. Convenient!

Onion wrote:
Scott and Jeane McDonald have moved to Lake Arrowhead area so I assume they sold their house by CLW.

I wonder if they will eventually launch Church of the Living Word by the Lake?

Quote

Posted by: changedagain
Date: September 08, 2019 03:29PM

Onion wrote:
Scott and Jeane McDonald have moved to Lake Arrowhead area so I assume they sold their house by CLW.

I wonder if they will eventually launch Church of the Living Word by the Lake?

Great question, changed. I'm wondering if some of these guys believe any of the BS they have been requiring of everybody else all these years.

I doubt it, because they didn't have any relationship with "God in the sky", only with "Christ in the flesh". And "Christ in the flesh" is currently either dead or in deep doo doo. So the hirelings scatter because they never were true shepherds.

A Bible passage that may apply:

John 10:11–13 NIV

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

Moral of story: The Good Shepherd is Jesus. All others beat, rob, steal and take off when trouble comes.

Reep wrote:
All others beat, rob, steal and take off when trouble comes.

Yup



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2019 06:44AM by changedagain.

The posts on this page alone are enough to properly assess what we signed up for in our 'unawares'.

More sad still is that there is little hope that any of the parties who perpetrated the abuses will hold themselves accountable.

I would not be surprised at all to hear if some of the primaries left the country altogether and tried to reboot the charade elsewhere.

'Take the Money and Run'--wasn't there a hit with that title sometime in the 70's? If so, I think we might consider bringing it forward as a theme song to explain what is likely happening behind the scenes involving former TLWF leaders.
If some of you reject this cynicism, I understand. You can go with 'Fly Eagle Fly' or 'Leaving This Realm,' or whatever you like to put a more positive spin on the 'wall of secrecy.'

This post by 'Reveal' from Sept 2018:

Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: reveal
Date: September 01, 2018 09:52AM

Let's just assume for a moment that brainwashing doesn't exist. It doesn't change the fact that TLWF uses manipulation, coercion and emotional blackmail to convince members to accept things that under normal circumstances they would find totally unacceptable. They have created a culture of fear and intimidation, in which they threaten to ostracize those who question or disparage their decisions and mandates. Brainwashing or not, TLWF exercises extreme psychological abuse and control to manipulate members into bending to their will. They deceive good people who are either too naive or too afraid to question extremely questionable behavior by leadership.

Additionally, no organization truly representative of God would do any of the following:

1. Separate people from their biological families because said families have negative opinions about the church.

2. Encourage couples to divorce when one decides to leave the church and the other does not wish to.

3. Fire longtime loyal employees and pastors who dare question anything that Rick or Gary & Marilyn does, and then withhold severance pay unless they sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Clearly, they have much to hide.

4. Command submission of every decision in people's lives to include dating, marriage, having children, where to live, what job to take, to go to University or not, etc. and if people decide not to submit these things, to at a minimum withdraw affection and ostracize them from their church family, or disparage their character, make a pariah out of them, gossip about them and accuse them of *GASP*...an independent spirit. And these are only the least of what I've seen done.

5. Demand unquestioning allegiance to the leaders and place loyalty to them above any other relationship in your life or any sense of right and wrong.

6. Protect and keep in positions of authority a leader who has perpetrated multiple acts of sexual misconduct and harassment and abused church finances for his own personal enjoyment, and expect members to just accept it, while members themselves are held to a much higher standard.

"where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
2 Corinthians 3:17