Reep wrote:
I kind of still "have my walls up" to learning how to relax.

Damn--how many times did we hear that admonition while in TLWF/Walk. Basically, it meant remove all resistance to the authority structure, so power hungry leaders could control every aspect of your life ('divine order'), with the ones at the top reaping the most benefits from your sacrifice, of course. The 'upward flow' was wonderful for a few. It created unnecessary misery for so many.

Lilith on the necessity of walls/boundaries:

Posted by: Lilith
Date: January 18, 2020 07:05AM

As we navigate our way through all of this I think it’s a good spot right here to remind people that while we can agree that everyone in or out of TLWF are victims not everyone is a survivor. Some survivors are still struggling to make it thru some survivors have made it thru and are now trying to help. And then there are the victims that took a left turn and will continue to victimize others to their benefit either as a method of survival or for their own perverse pleasure. It’s also a good time to remember that we were taught that “walls” and boundaries were bad basically standing us in the middle of the 405 freeway at rush hour naked and thinking it was perfectly okay. It was not okay. Boundaries are good. And not everyone that came out of this sh*tshow is the same and has good intentions. Some that came out of this with nothing and will do whatever it takes to survive. Not all victims are the same. Just something to think about.

What’s going on in Nashville? Is it one extended family moving there or is this something of an exodus to more conservative waters to reconvene?

Blowout Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What’s going on in Nashville? Is it one extended
> family moving there or is this something of an
> exodus to more conservative waters to reconvene?


No idea, Blowout.

Hi, I just signed up here and this is my first post. I recently had an encounter with Living Word Church of Syracuse NY. I just want to confirm these are the people we are discussing on this forum. I dug up as much info as I could. From what I learned, it was founded by John Robert Stevens. When he died in 1983, he passed it to his wife Marilyn. It would land here in Syracuse in 1972, this is the exact date the Syracuse NY church as on it’s website. Apparently it gained support from ex-hippies in that era. I did a search on google maps and it looks like there are about 18 establishments in the NY, NJ, PA and New England areas (the north east)

I got invited over for one of their home fellowships a few weeks ago. It all started because I sold something on Craigslist and reunited with an old classmate of mine. We graduated high school in 1998. On the surface level, they seems legit and more along the lines of moderate Christians. Then things got more bizarre as time went on. I was not expecting the dramatic prayers and emotional outburst. This set off the first red flag for me as I do not trust emotionally unstable people.

I never returned to the home fellowship, but I did check out some of their online videos. This is when I got a glimpse into what it’s like to attend one of their services. The speaking in tongues started, followed by more emotional outburst. The church here in Syracuse is quite large and it has a good sound crew. I had a pair of studio grade headphones on when I was viewing the videos, and let me tell you, the audio was truly disturbing. It sounded like an insane asylum and I am not even kidding about this. I had no idea those type of congregations were this far north. I thought they were only down south in the bible belt.

I am not a religious guy. I just love experiencing new things so that is why I accepted the invite to the home fellowship. I absolutely knew their intentions of pulling me in. I could just sense it. They grossly underestimated my knowledge of religion. One of my main hobbies is reading/audio books and I’ve been down the atheist rabbit hole of Hawking, Dawkins and Harris and although I’m not a hardcore atheist like them, I am a strong skeptic.

Anyways, I would appreciate some feedback, and just want to know if Living Word Church of Syracuse NY is affiliated with the cult we are discussing here. Thanks!

Hi Replica900,
I've never heard of any churches affiliated with the Living Word Fellowship, based in the areas you mentioned.

From December of 2019:

Posted by: larry bobo
Date: December 02, 2019 02:09PM

Since it has only been slightly over a year since the implosion of TLWF really started, this suggestion may still be a little soon for many. I want to suggest rethinking the relationships many of us have had with those who left TLWF prior to a year ago. Whether it was 10, 20, or 30 years ago, at some point, we faced situations that our integrity would no longer allow us to ignore certain situations and we could no longer be a part of TLWF in good conscience. As many have stated, as soon as you disagreed with the leadership, all kinds of lies were spoken about you, so that those still in the fellowship would have nothing to do with you. There was just enough “truth” that people would swallow it, without realizing there was much more to the story. There have been a lot of great people in TLWF that have found themselves wandering in the wilderness – some for decades - still unable to connect in meaningful relationships again because of their wounds from TLWF. They didn’t suffer because of their wrongs, but because of their concern for the right and the wrongs of the leadership.

The “discernment” of TLWF is so skewed when it comes to relationships. Relationships are so vital to our well-being in this life, and when they are missing, it is very difficult to become healthy again. I would encourage ex-pats to re-establish relationships they felt comfortable with – before the input of the leadership. As the skirt continues to be lifted and more lies are being exposed, the lies about those who have been gone for many years also needs to be exposed and re-examined. There are members of the Father’s family wandering in dry places that He cares deeply about. You may be the only one that can reach them, because you were in the trenches together and they trust you.

Just because others have done the wrong thing, doesn’t mean we can’t do the right thing. For those who have found a measure of healing, there can be a genuine flow of restoration to those who are struggling. What some have meant for harm, God can use for our good. Just like war buddies, you can’t go through this level of conflict without deep bonds being formed. We were told bonds were bad – except with the leadership. I’ve come to appreciate that it takes 40 years to form a 40-year relationship. Most of us don’t have that kind of time left to start over again. I’m believing to see our relationships redeemed, as well as still having our eyes wide open with lessons learned.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, which is more accurate:
"Stevens died in 1983. His widow, the former Marilyn Holbrook, married Gary Hargrave in 1984 and together they led the Fellowship until Marilyn's passing in 2015. Many of Stevens' writings, as well as recordings of his sermons, continue to be distributed by Living Word Publications."

Replica900 wrote:
From what I learned, it was founded by John Robert Stevens. When he died in 1983, he passed it to his wife Marilyn.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2022 02:14AM by changedagain.

Replica900,

It's likely that the group you mentioned is not affiliated with The Living Word Fellowship this forum is about. I do know that at one point in the 1970s, there was a church connected to JRS in Claremont, NH. There was also one in Martinsburg, PA. Neither one seems to be operational anymore. The former pastor of the Claremont church left JRS' group years ago and joined another movement. He is presently in Alaska. I looked up the Syracuse church that you mentioned. It doesn't look like it has much in common, but I could not find out anything about that group's history on the website other than the 1972 date you mentioned.

Reepicheep,

Thanks for the reply and info. Much appreciated. I'm going to link you to a page I found about the Syracuse church.

[what-when-how.com]

Also, here is a link to a video on their youtube channel. Go to the end, about 1:41. This is what really set off the final red flag for me. Those sounds the people are making are disturbing and have mental illness written all over them IMO.

[www.youtube.com]

I guess this raises the question where do you draw the line between a cult and church? I see some borderline territory here. I just want nothing to do with people that are of this mindset.

Please let me know of those links work for you, and please offer your thoughts. Thanks again.