On another possible topic...I was going to ask how many out there lived in communal homes during your tenure in TLWF/Walk, and what was your experience like. However, I decided that the risk of this forum crashing and burning was too great. I would like it to be around for a little while longer ;)

I remember what Invisible talked about. It was in the late eighties or very early nineties. : (

I turned over all my financial info, just like Invisible did. I remember that later on, in the late nineties, there were group sessions with an attorney at CLW. Besides doing a class on Power of Attorney and signing and notarizing them right there, I distinctly remember being encouraged to make a will. And when we did, it would be a good idea to will at least 10% of our assets to TLWF. You couldn't ever stop tithing, even when you died.

R E E P

You just posted the 10700th comment on page 1070. (CHANGED keeps track of these things.)

It's significant. Thanks for pointing that out, kBoy.

Trolling. Even more significant than the unsurpassed, hidden for the ages just for us …… “Kingdom Silver Mine?”

FCSLC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Trolling. Even more significant than the
> unsurpassed, hidden for the ages just for us ……
> “Kingdom Silver Mine?”

Ahh yes.,.the Kingdom Silver Mine. That was very significant--yet, I almost forgot about it.

Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: GSchaeff ()
Date: October 28, 2018 11:32AM

We know for certain that John Robert Stevens arranged numerous marriages between his congregants, consolidated millions of dollars worth of church assets solely under his name, dined almost exclusively at fancy restaurants with multiple credit cards from Kingdom Businesses, was involved in a silver mine ponzi scheme, and, above all, JRS preached a toxic message of total submission and unquestioning loyalty to abusive deacons whom he placed over the lives of others. He demanded this of his congregants as they abandoned their jobs, joined communal homes, moved across the country, worked 80-hour weeks performing unskilled manual labor, and donated almost all of their earnings to the church. It's time that we stop deifying JRS and apply a little more scrutiny to what his true motivations often were: vanity and greed at the expense of those who trusted him.

Here's another post that mentions the mine (below). I think I came into "The Walk" shortly after this. I do recall hearing of congregants losing their life savings in this 'investment,' and attempting to recover from a "bad spirit."

Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: kbyrne ()
Date: April 26, 2017 09:53AM

I've read a lot posts and have been doing some soul searching and some internet searching. Coming to terms that I was in a cult, it's not an easy thing. I saw there were others that struggled with that as well. I read something online from "Cult Awareness and Information Center" titled "The Walk of John Robert Stevens." And I found the following very interesting.

"Martha Stevens, who was married to Apostle Stevens for 40 years, filed for divorce in 1979. During the proceedings, she revealed that Stevens' holdings could amount to $40 million. A California newspaper then launched an investigation of the Church of the Living Word, and learned that it had conducted a Nevada silver mine fraud that allegedly cheated members of the cult out of at least $500,000. Stevens also possessed an extensive art collection and $29,000 in silver bars, and hired an attorney for the divorce suit, paying him $10,000 plus $125 per hour. Martha claims, 'My husband has total control of the church and its funds, and total access to all church finances. He is, in essence, the church himself.'"

Gee, I wish I would have known this when I working year after year in Shiloh for $80 a month. I might have asked for a raise!

The minutes from the 1/20 Kalona City Council meeting show that the sale and developmentof the Shiloh property, pending annexation, will likely move forward.

[www.cityofkalona.org]

JesusJesusJesus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The minutes from the 1/20 Kalona City Council
> meeting show that the sale and developmentof the
> Shiloh property, pending annexation, will likely
> move forward.
>
> [www.cityofkalona.org]

And this is why it remains important to ENCOURAGE everyone with any type of claim to seek legal advice. Discouraging people, who were manipulated in the cult, allows assets to be disposed of without much question.

I never practiced law in Iowa; I do not know non-profit laws. Some say there isn't much value in Shiloh as an asset. But options should still be explored.

And the value assessment should be considered in light of who gave it. My memory is people started saying there was no value in Shiloh after the City said so in an article. I do try to back check things but have no time tonight. I'll leave it at an uninterested party should do objective valuations and the City is an interested party.

JP (edited for typos cause yanno...me)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/2020 01:07PM by FireWalker.