I have spent over 10 years searching for any information on this group and finally found this fourm last night. I grew up in St John's Lutheran Church and was part of the Hickman's following when it first started in the late 60s. I was friends with Dennis Walsh, Gail Gibbons, Nancy Gerdes (if these names mean anything) --even though my family moved away in 69 I stayed connected to these friends and moved back ASAP to become part of the community. At first we were just a group of kids who were hanging out with the Youth Minister, Jack Hickman (whom we called Pastor Jack or PJ for short ). Soon there with 'prophecies' "given" through PJ or one of us youth (myself included -- I now still wonder about that). Ground Hogs Sunday in 69 is when everything started changing. Though I was there in the beginning I was not necessarily in the 'inner circle' once my family moved and I moved back. I was always feeling like a kid looking at the candy through the plate glass front of the store.

When I moved back (left school to do so) and began part of the community and later adopted into the "family". I was ketubahhed to a young man who was on the outter 'fringe'....though in the end we ended up getting a ghett and not marrying. It has taken me years to start to listen to the inner yearning of my spiritual side to try to find something fulfilling spiritually. I have been in contact with a few families that left the community but honestly they are still as hurt and broken as myself when it comes to this. I have tried for years to find some of the ppl I was once close with ....Gail Gibbons, Deb Schultz, Bob and Jane Hicks, Judy Utting (and her parents Joan and Bob), Nancy Gerdes, Jack Gerdes, Richie and Dennis Walsh to name a few, to no avail.

I am surprised to hear that the community still exists in CO and ME. I know John Hove left and became part of a Jewish group. I attempted to contact him once since he and my mother were close friends (along wiht the Christensens, the Hicks, the Uttings....) but he never returned the contact.

I still to this day, 30 years later, feel like I have a hole in my soul and find it hard to fill it with anything because my fear, skepticism and caution hold me back. I would love to talk more to some of you on here. I think I know some of you and would love to be able to finally heal from this gapping hole in my soul that Hickman and the community have left me with. I hope that doesn't sound to "victim-y" b/c I don't view myself as a victim so pls do no interpret it that way. I just have never been able to fulfill my spiritual need since leaving the community....and it's 30 years later!!! What is that about.

Looking forward to hearing from ppl in this group and perhaps finding more links to the community and perhaps some of it's current happenings. I understand Abba is dead and would like to hear how that came about and if Gary Coons, whom I went to school with is now the leader of this cult. It feels a bit refreshing calling it a cult and yet within me there is a young person cringing by calling the family such an unholy name. Isn't it ridiculous how this one piece of my life history still has such a grip on me. I guess that is the amazing part about cults..that they have this impact on ppl for years and year afterward....perhaps that is true brain-washing.

Thank you for letting me share. I hope this entry brings responses from ppl and I hope to connect with some of you....maybe I can finally put this part of my personal spiritual history to rest and be free with the rest of my life to feed the spirit in my that is longing for a connection to the truly Holy.

you should post this in the forum - jack hickman

The cult is on the move. At the present time they are planning for a major relocation of members around the country to Maine for the "end times". Those in Colorado must relocate due to the fact that they failed to "slay the beast of the mountains". There could be some major fall out equivalent to the 1981 article. Things are happening.

Quote
mainecooncat
The cult is on the move. At the present time they are planning for a major relocation of members around the country to Maine for the "end times". Those in Colorado must relocate due to the fact that they failed to "slay the beast of the mountains". There could be some major fall out equivalent to the 1981 article. Things are happening.

THANK THE LORD AND PASS THE AMMUNITION!

Very interesting posts.
"What a long strange trip it's been"
I, too, was influenced to some very minor extent by the group under discussion. Though the outcome has been for me, in every way "major", the group, of itself, had minor impact.

As a young man growing up in Bethpage, I was infatuated with a member of St John's Lutheran Church. Her zeal, devotion and evangelical fire led me to attend several of the services which resulted in a commitment to Christ. It was a week, as I recall, after (being dragged to) hearing David Wilkerson preach, that Scott Ross then came to the pulpit. It would have been 1968, in the fall as I recall. I remember the buzzing amongst those filing in to find seats as praise songs were sung, everyone in buoyant anticipation at the (young hip) speaker's presence. He would ask the congregation before he began "is there anyone here not full of the joy of the Lord tonite?" Me, being contrarian and, up to that point immune to such, was not reluctant to raise my hand...but by the end I was a slobbering mess, coming forward to receive Jesus as both Lord and savior.

Although I was regularly regaled with stories about the bearded prophet of St John's and aware of his powerful influence over the youth there, I never fell under his sway. I had a father dying of cancer, a small world being turned upside down, and despite the dogged persistence of some who seemed to want to manage my walk, personal issues that kept me from ever feeling part of the in crowd. To a great extent it was probably just the disillusionment of losing the object of my pubescent longings, the young lady previously mentioned. Somehow my demotion to being at best a brother didn't hold the allure of previous anticipations. Then, after my father died, I remember being told by one who felt assigned to shepherd me, that my laying on of hands and prayers for his healing must have been deficient in faith. It was not really as crushing a blow as I would later use to justify my excursions into unbelief and willfulness, but it did suffice as an excuse for quite a while. But, from then on, I felt both alienated from the group, but to a greater extent, Christ. The whole of the experience then took on a sort of surreal quality, as though it had happened, but simply not really...to me.

Since then, much has taken place.

Religion is sitting in a church while thinking about fishing.
Spirituality is fishing while thinking about God.

Gary Coons now leads this cult.
In 1997 and on he began to take over 'Holy Seed'' lessons.

Gary is ''holy''
Sperm is ''seed''

Baptism was taught by Jack Hickman as a ''special private cleansing bath'' that jesus shared with his cousin john
The community calls these ''mikveh''s.

Gary Coons married Lynn Gatti.

Lynn used to be a happy and content member of Florida's openly gay community until Jack died. That's when god told Gary Coons to tell Bill and Diane Gatti that he was supposed to marry their daughter.

Who is Bill Gatti?

He is the neighbor and good friend of the Bob Hicks. If anyone doesn't know who the Hicks gang are...then... then...here's a highlight about one of their ''members''....
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Just go to the Newsday Archives

Buy Complete Document: Abstract Full Text



Police Say 2 Men Raped Woman, 21, Aboard Boat
[SUFFOLK Edition]



Newsday - Long Island, N.Y.
Author: By Michele Salcedo. STAFF WRITER
Date: May 24, 1991
Start Page: 33
Section: NEWS
Text Word Count: 449



Abstract (Document Summary)



Charged with rape in the first degree are Donald E. Hicks, 22, of 25 Millet St. and Joseph Manetta, 22, of 1023 Westminster Ave. Manetta's 20-year-old brother, Thomas, is charged with attempted rape in the first degree. The trio was arrested at about 4 a.m. yesterday and is being held in Suffolk County's second precinct pending arraignment in First District Court this morning.

I wonder what sort of ''special'' lessons the members of the ''inner circle'' are getting in regards to mikvehs and holy seed?

I assume Gary Coons would be the one to offer those lessons.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2011 12:52AM by Sallie.

During the ''re-invite'' a woman from Long Island went to visit the H-ck family. She attended an event where she somehow drank too much and passed out. I'd never known the woman to be much of a drinker but....apparently ...that night she was...

And....
The H-ck twins let the woman know that they took lots and lots and lots of pictures of her while she wasn't aware....
Hmmmmm.....???

Wonder what that was all about.
I also wonder what sort of false security the H-ck clan now enjoy. Do they think that ''men'' who have formerly been accused of ''needing backup'' while attempting rape..... could.... blackmail a woman who was unattended and who had trusted them to behave like gentlemen?
Did they think they could blackmail her by presenting ''proof'' that....while in their care....she became intoxicated and ended up in a compromising position?

What's wrong with these people?
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Lynn Gatti who is the wife of Gary Coons and Bill Gatti who is the new clan head are involved in this because they are BEST EVER FRIENDS with the Hicks family....

not god...

they're not best ever close friends with god.
they're best ever close friends with the Hicks gang.