[Indiana]

At this time last year Joanna Casteel was in the process of communicating her deep and heartfelt concerns to local church leaders, full-time graduates, and other local church members.

She would soon make an announcement to them in a letter that according to her and her husband's conviction of there being undealt-with sins in the leadership and other egregious church matters, they could no longer meet with the Local Churches. They hoped to convey their concerns in a spirit of love and that love would prevail in the ensuing days, with meaningful dialogue and genuine fellowship issuing in fruitful gain for the church.


Albeit, this couple was aware of the history of Local Church authorities and their propensity to make the lives of those who speak out exceedingly unpleasant.


On June 9th, 2019 Joanna Casteel's letter went out by email both to the primary recipients and also onto a social media forum.


Before God and man, she shared responsibly and with a clear conscience about her church life experience,


Both she and Greg, her husband, had sensed the Lord's leading concerning her letter and together they signed it. Then they braced themselves.

But what they would face was even beyond the scope of their expectation. It was, in a word, A NIGHTMARE. And, I think its trauma and tragic results warrants our grave review today.

From what I understand, Jo initially was just going to send the letter to her parents and let them know of their plan to leave the Local Churches. I didn't know her at that time but thought to contact her and encourage her to talk things over first, with her parents and a couple of leading ones. And I also wanted to share with her my experience of writing a letter to leaders and how that was handled. (My letter was without any thought of leaving, rather it was to encourage bringing the matters of my concern into fellowship.) But I saw the next day she had gone ahead to post her letter publicly.

At that point, I still thought this could have a positive consummation through fellowship in the Body with those who love the Lord, including her parents, leaders, and certain other members of His Body, even those who were closer to her...


BUT the letter had ⁰hit like a bombshell and church authorities quickly went into damage control mode, "circling the wagons" and then launching an "offensive of their own that ultimately snuffed out the life of the sister, her family, and the "rebellion", so it was called. It also contributed very much to the fateful end of her husband's life by suicide.


Ron Kangas

On July 5 Ron Kangas warned of a new rebellion taking place "right now" and that it is being led by today's Miriam, a "leprous sister". His speaking was not of the Lord and was a great shock and a setback for Jo and Greg Casteel.

They had been already inundated with email, and heard Mark Raabe's message featuring death. So a tone had been set and RK's message would bring the whole approach to the Casteels to the lowest place, even their slide into Sheoul, if he could make it happen. This was his thought process in the words, spirit, and realm he operates in when executing "God's government" according to the darkened "local church" concept of spiritual authority.

He ministered no life whatsoever in his feigned assumption of being a deputy authority of God. He neither expressed God nor represented Him and therefore gave the false impression that his action against the Casteels was God's action against them. It was not of Him, for God does not seek to devour people, His Adversary does this and is always seeking someone to devour. It is his life and nature to do so, and the lives of Greg and Jo Casteel would spiral downward from that point.

Ron Kangas explains, in his superficial way, her case, and also mine - briefly, publicly, and erroneously early this year in the Philippines and in Phoenix.

Steve Isitt

June 7, 2020