For those who want to know...RULES at my church!

[Theresa]

I have to ask....does this kind of thing STILL go on in the churches STS and freeatlast know about??

Originally Posted by Theresa

I have to ask....does this kind of thing STILL go on in the churches STS and freeatlast know about??

Yes its still going on...I even went back for a time, because I had heard they had gotten it and things had changed....they didn't. On the surface it all looked better, but as the weeks went on I could see it was still the same...I didn't want to leave, but I was not allowed to be me...I was expected to conform again...I can't and won't!

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by He's My Friend

I am fourth generation Apostolic/Pentecostal, and Lord knows we have experienced some very bad things.

Some of the things we went through (when I was younger) I will not discuss, because I just do not wish to "go there" in my mind.

Events (less painful, yet still not right) came to mind as I read this thread.

I recall going to a church with my mom, sister, and my toddler son.

The pastor was well educated, worked in the corporate world, but something was not right.

When we started attending the church, attendance ran around 10 members.

The pastor shared with us, that in about a 2-3 yr period they had about 300-400 people come through the doors, and he had baptized most of them.

We attended the church for sometime, and even took part in the singing and playing the piano, and I was a SS teacher.

The pastor, his mom, and sister talked to us about a few of the members, and referred to them as the, "Village Idiots".

Then attitudes began to show from the platform, little snide remarks were being uttered...etc.

We still hung in there, and kept attending. (although we were troubled)

The pastors mom, began getting up, and yelling things over the microphone that were not appropriate, (ex: the N word)

We still hung in there, and kept attending.

Then they started acting funny toward us.

They had a friend that did not attend their church, (actually she did not attend any church) and she called people up and would speak in tongues, and interpret, (I know because I was one of the people she called)...
....well anyway one Sunday morning we were running late for church, and we walked in about 15 min's late, and the sister friend of theirs was there.

Due to being late, my family and I "slid" into our pew, and sang along with everyone.

I taught my SS class as usual, and after SS their sister friend left.

(Due to arriving late, we did not shake hands with folks before service began).

During the Sunday night service, we could tell something was going on.

The pastors mom got up and was stomping and yelling.....then when he got up to preach, his message was..............

"Some of you need to hit the altar."

"Today we had a dear sister here, and you did not shake her hand, and if you don't come up here and repent and pray, don't bother to come back to this church."

Well....we had nothing to repent over, so we did not go up front to pray.
(Although we were crying out for help from God inwardly).

His sermon continued, "I said pray up here, NOW, or leave".

We very quietly got up and exited the building, and never returned.

Months later, one of the folks he referred to as the "Village Idiot" (one of my cousins that was one of his first converts from the time the doors opened), told me they finally had to leave.

She always made the comment, "I will not leave unless he tells me too."

The time finally came...she said that during another service, he was preaching, and appeared to be angry.

He thought she had been talking about him, and saying that he was dating a sinner girl, and she said he told her and her family, "I want you to leave, get out of here, never come back, and those kids of yours might as well commit suicide, cause they will never be anything."

She had taken her son and nephew to church that night, and the boys were so upset, that she said she drove them around after church, praying with them, for God to give them peace, (due to what he said to them).



After running everyone off, they closed the door, sold the beautiful buiilding ,along with the contents...yet many folks (around 400) came through the doors and were affected in some way.

I am really sorry you went through this, but to yell the "n" word over the pulpit-or what have you, was a good indication of something being a miss. imo

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by He's My Friend

[/B]



Yes, that was a good indication.


I don't know about everyone else, but we kept hoping things would get better.

We hoped that folks would get in touch with God, and stop the foolishness.

I know I've been there, hoping people would change and waiting for a miracle.

Originally Posted by He's My Friend

I am fourth generation Apostolic/Pentecostal, and Lord knows we have experienced some very bad things.

Some of the things we went through (when I was younger) I will not discuss, because I just do not wish to "go there" in my mind.

Events (less painful, yet still not right) came to mind as I read this thread.

I recall going to a church with my mom, sister, and my toddler son.

The pastor was well educated, worked in the corporate world, but something was not right.

When we started attending the church, attendance ran around 10 members.

The pastor shared with us, that in about a 2-3 yr period they had about 300-400 people come through the doors, and he had baptized most of them.

We attended the church for sometime, and even took part in the singing and playing the piano, and I was a SS teacher.

The pastor, his mom, and sister talked to us about a few of the members, and referred to them as the, "Village Idiots".

Then attitudes began to show from the platform, little snide remarks were being uttered...etc.

We still hung in there, and kept attending. (although we were troubled)

The pastors mom, began getting up, and yelling things over the microphone that were not appropriate, (ex: the N word)

We still hung in there, and kept attending.

Then they started acting funny toward us.

They had a friend that did not attend their church, (actually she did not attend any church) and she called people up and would speak in tongues, and interpret, (I know because I was one of the people she called)...
....well anyway one Sunday morning we were running late for church, and we walked in about 15 min's late, and the sister friend of theirs was there.

Due to being late, my family and I "slid" into our pew, and sang along with everyone.

I taught my SS class as usual, and after SS their sister friend left.

(Due to arriving late, we did not shake hands with folks before service began).

During the Sunday night service, we could tell something was going on.

The pastors mom got up and was stomping and yelling.....then when he got up to preach, his message was..............

"Some of you need to hit the altar."

"Today we had a dear sister here, and you did not shake her hand, and if you don't come up here and repent and pray, don't bother to come back to this church."

Well....we had nothing to repent over, so we did not go up front to pray.
(Although we were crying out for help from God inwardly).

His sermon continued, "I said pray up here, NOW, or leave".

We very quietly got up and exited the building, and never returned.

Months later, one of the folks he referred to as the "Village Idiot" (one of my cousins that was one of his first converts from the time the doors opened), told me they finally had to leave.

She always made the comment, "I will not leave unless he tells me too."

The time finally came...she said that during another service, he was preaching, and appeared to be angry.

He thought she had been talking about him, and saying that he was dating a sinner girl, and she said he told her and her family, "I want you to leave, get out of here, never come back, and those kids of yours might as well commit suicide, cause they will never be anything."

She had taken her son and nephew to church that night, and the boys were so upset, that she said she drove them around after church, praying with them, for God to give them peace, (due to what he said to them).



After running everyone off, they closed the door, sold the beautiful buiilding ,along with the contents...yet many folks (around 400) came through the doors and were affected in some way.

It was a sermon that gave us our final push out the door...we had been struggling to submit and obey blindly, but we had also been praying for God to lead us, to help us to see what is the right way to go. I believe with my whole heart He put us in that church and He brought us out...I thank him everyday, and I ask him to help others get out....

[freeatlast]

Originally Posted by Theresa

I have to ask....does this kind of thing STILL go on in the churches STS and freeatlast know about??

it is better there now, the chuirch I attended was a large upci with 500 in sunday school in the midwest.

They have changed pastors 2 times since i escaped from there in 1991.

They recently sold there church property to a large corporation and are building a new church.

My thoughts...bankruptcy within 3 years..the new pastor will split for greener $ pastures and it will become one of those little upc outfits where people remember back when we had 500 in sunday school.

Still a mess there in my opinion.