Here's our story in regard to our disfellowshipment from the Worldwide Church of God one and half years ago 

A WCG minister, who was a corporate clone and who sucked on the payroll, attempted to get our congregation in Tennessee to accept the changes. He got active with this area's most prominent ministerial alliance and he wrote an article for a geographically wide reaching Christian publication, telling of the WCG transformation and trying to show the community that the WCG change was the "doing of God." The editor told me it brought the greatest response to anything he's published. 

I wrote this Christian publication also, telling my personal story of acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and thanked Christians for praying for the WCG when it was a cult. They published my letter. 

I started visiting other churches on Sunday and kept fellowship with WCG on Saturday. After our minister transferred out of the area, I was asked to give a sermon (my first). I'd never even given a sermonette and I never graduated from Spokesman's Club. (I deliberately avoided graduation and never gave a #12.)

When Bob [our new minister] arrived here, I wrote a twenty-eight page letter to him and really unloaded some of my heartfelt issues and complaints. One rotten-mouthed guy from the pulpit was putting people down for not fully participating in all the local church activities because, in so many words, they were "missing out on Jesus who was at the activities." 

After I gave six sermons, I let Bob know in a letter that I wanted my name taken off the speaking list. I told him that I wanted to spend more time with June [wife] and preparing sermons took a lot of time. I found out later that Bob told a friend that I was "getting a divorce," but I did not say that.

I had sent out over one hundred letters to pastors and Christian leaders, giving a brief testimony about the WCG changes and my personal change. I referred to WCG as "cultish." Further in the letter, I encouraged participation in the March for Jesus. Also, I gave a view of a personal hope or desire I had. I wanted the leaders of the Christian community to come together and refine the gospel message to its bare essentials and start a missionary church in the area, which could be staffed by a generous cross section from several churches. (To me it was a challenge to the whole group to come clean so to speak--but to this day the various groups are self-contained mostly.) 

Bob received a copy of my letter and so did Charlie [church administrator]. So both of them got a dose of acid indigestion--compliments of me.

Bob called me on the carpet. He hammered me on the word "cultish" and really took offense and commanded me not to do that anymore! Charlie popped in and later stated I was "belligerent" with Bob. (I guess I spoke with excited tones.) 

Well, well, well! Here's a so-called pastor in a church, supposedly transformed by grace, who takes issue with the fact that WCG was a cult. In a disgruntled voice he said, "Who writes those books on cults anyway?" I believe June then reminded him that we called ourselves the "only true church." And so far as I know, Bob still puts leaven out of his house. Maybe he ought to put himself out.

The only meeting we had with Bob was the one I just mentioned...and one day we received a letter from him disfellowshipping us. We were told to stay away from church and all of their activities until we counseled with him. If we showed up, we would be asked to leave. Bob said we had showed that we did not agree with the fellowship and that we had caused many disruptions (I believe "disruptions" was the word). He had made this decision with Mike Swaggarty, the Regional "cop" Director.  

Here are my guesses at what the "disruptions" were, and I'm only guessing because no one cited in person or letter anything other than the cult remark in my letter. 

1. My crying uncontrollably at a caring prayer circle after church and trying to console a lady who was under horrendous trials. 

(Now this may seem quite strange to you--but God spoke deep within my spirit one day when I was in our kitchen and told me this person was dying. I later confirmed it to be a fact.  One day this person called and I was going to put June on the phone, but this lady spiritually ministered to me. I believe at this time I had sunk deep into depression and decided to quit attending WCG. I had a friend read a letter that I was dealing with coming out of psychic numbing and that I didn't want to attend because I felt I was bothering some people. Anyway, this phone call helped me feel some grace probably from the first time in my life. So being encouraged--I returned to "the local." Sounds like a cold hard union doesn't it?)

2. Clapping during an offering. (I thought the pitch man was going to just take up the money without all that yip-yap--so I felt that should be applauded. I was wrong--oh, well--it's nice to be wrong sometimes.)
   
   

3. After Bob's sermon that day, his wife overheard June tell someone in the lady's room that Bob had misapplied certain Scripture in his message. (Whoops! Nice to be right sometimes.)
   
   

4. Charlie told people that June hated the church because he heard a bit of our conversation with Bob. (So I guess doctors hate all their patients because they are sick.) Anyway, no room for any negative statements about the group.
   
   

5. One day at a caring group--neither Bob nor Charlie were there--I acted as a facilitator. I'm not sure how this got out of hand (my joke!) but I must have been the culprit. We had a caring group in the fellowship room and we quietly went into the sanctuary with oil on our fingers and touched pews, microphones, pulpits, etc, as we each quietly asked God's blessing on people who would be using it. This seems a bit odd to even me now--but I'm sure a great blessing came out of it--June and I got kicked out!
   
   

6. After the above mentioned incident, Bob and probably others had me removed from facilitating caring groups. He sent a deacon who hadn't attended these caring groups. I think the deacon chose to roller-skate those nights in the past. 
   
   

7. I did a couple of silent prayers once at church and once at a caring group. 
   
   

8. At the deacon "Gestapo" caring groups I sat there in a chair as if I had a gag on my mouth and a chain wrapped around my body. But I was determined to fight back when the church bosses tried to control and silence me.
   
   

9. Another time we anonymously donated a nice hand bound copy of a Christian book on grace to the church. Our friend, who was working with us all along against these church cops, gave the presentation and called Bob to come forth and receive the book from the church library. Bob gave a brief talk, but we heard he was very upset about this. 
   
   

10. June and I were in a play which was the basic script used at Feast of Tabernacles for our Tennessee area (we didn't go to that stuff often. We found out we didn't have to. I had long quit tithing and never gave but maybe $5-$10 at anything--maybe not even that.) --I'M FREE IN CHRIST!-- Oh, the play really annoyed Bob because it contrasted two ways of evangelizing.
    

I'm not sure how long June and I were looked down on by WCG people or how extensive it was--but I did learn in time through a friend that we "weren't dressing to suit the minister's taste." 

There's probably other stuff, too. I feel better just writing this. Hope the exiters are enjoying Jesus personally.

By Carl [all names have been changed]
 February 10, 2001

P.S. Joe Tkach Jr., Bernie Schnippert, Mike Feazell, Greg Albrecht and Hank Hanegraaff have received rebukes from me. Hank, WCG and the NAE (National Association of Evangelicals) stand guilty for letting WCG have a leavened bunch of so-called ministers.

Articles For Those Who Were Emotionally and Spiritually Abused 

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