An exchange back in July of 2013:

Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: changedagain
Date: July 20, 2013 03:18PM

My wife brought your Mom into this fellowship. Of course, she had no idea how toxic and spiritually hollow the church would become, and was very distraught to hear what your Mom was subjected to toward the end of her life...prior to eventually leaving and staying with those that unconditionally accepted her--real family.

Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: sierradawn ()
Date: July 20, 2013 10:58PM

I hope your wife doesn't feel any guilt, she really shouldn't. It was nearly nothing like then how it is now. Ann came from a very broken home and I know she was looking for love and stability for herself and young kids, so I definitely know she did her very best. She was a true mother and loved my brother and I with such a deep love that she even told me that she would gladly shelve the church if it meant keeping the relationship with us (after my husband and I left the church). I take great comfort in knowing that maintaining the relationships with her children had a higher priority than the church, which is not something a lot of parents in that church could say. My biggest grief is that she didn't really share with me what was going on towards the end and I didn't really find out until AFTER she died. I and the rest of her family would have helped her get out much sooner. We're just so thankful she did finally leave though.

My wife and I were personally involved with assisting in the care of both the Bill and Ann in each of their situations.  At the time of Bill's transition, both were heavily involved with the fellowship, and the attention and help from the local church was exemplary.

Shortly after Bill's passing, Ann's health took a turn for the worse, and she pursued treatments both at home and abroad.  Since this took her out of the 'upward flow', it was determined that she was no longer worthy of the attention that had been afforded Bill.  This dismissal was so extreme from the top of the local food chain, that both my wife, and those who were currently living with Ann, were basically ordered to offer no help or assistance in her situation.  This almost bordered on criminal negligence, and was the final straw that prompted my wife's departure from the fellowship.

These and other abuses and neglect were an unfortunate pattern that affected countless others who had given blood, sweat and $$$, and were carelessly cast aside when they were no longer useful.  Although the fellowship would like to believe that the Kingdom is relationships, it had really boiled down to 'what have you done for me lately'--a sad legacy which had wasted so many lives for the enrichment of a few.

Thanks for sharing this, kBOY.

kBOY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My wife and I were personally involved with
> assisting in the care of both the Bill and Ann in
> each of their situations.  At the time of Bill's
> transition, both were heavily involved with the
> fellowship, and the attention and help from the
> local church was exemplary.
>
> Shortly after Bill's passing, Ann's health took a
> turn for the worse, and she pursued treatments
> both at home and abroad.  Since this took her out
> of the 'upward flow', it was determined that she
> was no longer worthy of the attention that had
> been afforded Bill.  This dismissal was so extreme
> from the top of the local food chain, that both my
> wife, and those who were currently living with
> Ann, were basically ordered to offer no help or
> assistance in her situation.  This almost bordered
> on criminal negligence, and was the final straw
> that prompted my wife's departure from the
> fellowship.
>
> These and other abuses and neglect were an
> unfortunate pattern that affected countless others
> who had given blood, sweat and $$$, and were
> carelessly cast aside when they were no longer
> useful.  Although the fellowship would like to
> believe that the Kingdom is relationships, it had
> really boiled down to 'what have you done for me
> lately'--a sad legacy which had wasted so many
> lives for the enrichment of a few.

To me it was always was more about the men. This is another example. They helped when it was the man who was ill... that if I remember correctly John Miller cared about this couple supposedly. I saw this over and over. Was John still there, at that point? I had left TLWF by then. Don't get me started on Bruce Larson. Those they could get things out of, they wined and dined but little did the wives know they were nothing. Get divorced and you are dropped... so many times I saw it. So many times I saw men being blessed when women needed attention... help. Problem was I didn't realize how bad...I wish I had known. I was born in this...it was frustrating being a girl and then a woman. I was told I was born a prophetess but when I spoke up about things I saw I was silenced. I'm so thankful to not have to worry about all that any more. I'm actually in a good place in my life. It's nice to just be me.

SunnyFord Wrote:

To me it was always was more about the men. This is another example. They helped when it was the man who was ill... that if I remember correctly John Miller cared about this couple supposedly. I saw this over and over. Was John still there, at that point? I had left TLWF by then. Don't get me started on Bruce Larson. Those they could get things out of, they wined and dined but little did the wives know they were nothing. Get divorced and you are dropped... so many times I saw it. So many times I saw men being blessed when women needed attention... help. Problem was I didn't realize how bad...I wish I had known. I was born in this...it was frustrating being a girl and then a woman. I was told I was born a prophetess but when I spoke up about things I saw I was silenced. I'm so thankful to not have to worry about all that any more. I'm actually in a good place in my life. It's nice to just be me.

SunnyFord, good to hear from you. What you say is very true. Women in the church were only valuable while they made up half of a married couple. Even if they were divorced by a "word from God", once divorced they were devalued, isolated and ignored. I had that experience myself. I can think of so many others. In Anne's case, she was widowed, and she still got the same treatment. It was confusing and unconscionable. I would say that this was due to Marilyn's thinking, but it was that way since the very beginning. I like your words, "It's nice to just be me."



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2020 08:38PM by Reepicheep.

Sunnyford wrote:
Don't get me started on Bruce Larson. Those they could get things out of, they wined and dined but little did the wives know they were nothing.

Did Bruce own a number of homes in the neighborhood of the 'Church of His Kingdom,' that were rented out to members of the church? If so, being the pastor and the landlord of a church member would give him an awful amount of leverage over a person's life.

th231955
I have not read psots for a few weeks. Your words have brought back so many memories. Did you have the joy to know Orpha? I miss her. We were close before John and Elizbeth joined the church.

Changedagain wrote on April 23, 2020 12:58AM "Aside from John's immense ego, does anyone know what caused the falling out between him and his bodyguard/van driver Larry M.? I recall being in an Anaheim service around 1980 or so when John was speaking from the pulpit, saying that were there were death threats going back and forth between him and Larry.
Yet another memory of an 'edifying' interchurch service during that time period :)"

I remember well the times when Larry pulled the car up to the side of CHP and the bro pulling JRS two seemed drunk as skunk IMO out of that car. I was always late after having worked the 12 or 18-hour graveyard shift rushing home to care for my children then drag them to service.- IF I could manage to move my exhausted body.

I remember having no idea why there were "death threats". My late father-in-law would mumble something at my home,. All I wanted to do was get some sleep before working another 12 + hour shift.- so no I did not "get it". I also did not understand why all of these 'holier than thou' people had no clue that our lives were so unbalanced.

I also recall JRS and the "kingdom proverbs" he thought were so awesome. I was not inspired-what was wrong with me that more heavy-duty intercession wouldn't cure?

I wondered why I was even there in a service???

I had one foot grounded in the world with real-life and death at the hospital I worked at - then the alleged "death threats" that I thought could have been managed by the police. Nothing made any sense to me as to what was going on in the walk at that time I knew I was exhausted- but I was told that I had to "press in" more and get my spirit right.

IMO there was plenty of paranoia and wagging the dog's tail.

To kind of change the subject here, but along the same line with current events - has anyone else noted in the news and social media that the same tactics as in the walk are being employed by one side or the other surrounding COVID and the November elections coming up?

I am grateful to Rick Ross for supplying the meeting place and all the cult education forum material that I have learned so much from.

I can now easily see the false information,"name-calling" "gaslighting" gross manipulations on people who have fallen prey to FAKE news and more are so much like how we TLWFers were brain-washed. the patterns are so similar- now try to convince people that they have not been manipulated by untruths.

Nancy B. wrote:
I had one foot grounded in the world with real-life and death at the hospital I worked at - then the alleged "death threats" that I thought could have been managed by the police. Nothing made any sense to me as to what was going on in the walk at that time I knew I was exhausted- but I was told that I had to "press in" more and get my spirit right.

"press in" and have a "right spirit"--that sounds very familiar :)

IMO there was plenty of paranoia and wagging the dog's tail.

True

Excerpt of a post by Paleface from August of 2013 (below).
Note: I had never heard the term 'The Purples' while I was in the Walk/TLWF. Probably because I wasn't supposed to know anything about what it referred to.

Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: paleface ()
Date: August 01, 2013 03:57PM

In a similar way, Gary and Marilyn have an inner group that does their dirty work for them. This is sometimes called "Marilyn's Army of Women", (but at times includes men as well). At one time, it was called "The Purples". This inner group are the ones that will do anything for Marilyn. Anything. Maybe its because of religious zeal, or maybe a fear of rejection that motivates their behaviour. There is a fear of being rejected by her and being "sent to your room", (a partial shunning that occurs inside the LW). This is where the cool guys end up not being the cool guys anymore, so hardly anyone will relate to them. Sometimes they become strangers in their own church. If it gets really bad, they leave. This inner group consists of people like Phyllis Haworth, Deby Grill, Chris Sayer and Gilee Larson. There are others, of course. They pride themselves on their "Killer Spirits". Their behavior to date suggests that they are capable of doing anything for Marilyn. Even things that has deeply harmed people emotionally and mentally. Phyllis Haworth used to be married to Bill Maybe and I suspect this got very difficult for Bill after JRS died. I suspect that Marilyn had a big part in their breakup. I hope and pray that God reaches this inner group and opens their eyes to what they are doing in the name of Marilyn.