Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Fleming
That's a great perspective to have. That's how I felt when I was there and would have kept going with that cautious attitude should I have remained.
Truth be told, while I had a re-awakening of sorts with the "church life" towards the end of my time there, the whole "loving everyone" thing while they were so openly arrogant, snobbish and elitist even towards their fellow members as getting VERY old.
I would have remained with them barring the Lord directing me to leave...but I see getting excommunicated as a gift.
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I had many friends in the LC's, yet I also watched many depart over the years due to abuses by leaders taking the place of true shepherding care. I kept holding out thinking that improvement was just around the corner, only to be disappointed once again by false promises. Let me give you an example from 2004.
One day a full-timer Vern Yoder from the Chicago area visited us with his family on the Lord's day. He testified how much he had always loved our city, and was thinking about relocating here. Who's not going to be happy to hear that? Next time he came, he testified how the Lord was leading him to move here. Great!
How can I help?
Then, soon afterwards, one Lord's Day morning Paul Neider from Cleveland visited us. During the prayer time before the meeting, he never indicated why he was here. Since I'm not a suspicious person, I thought nothing of it. All of a sudden after we broke bread, Paul announces that Titus Chu sent him to ask us to "labor with brother Vern." Now I'm not the brightest guy around, but even I know what these "coded" words mean --
Titus Chu just sent Vern Yoder to town, who is now in charge, and even the existing elders must submit to him. Soon after I learned that close to ten full-times families were leaving Chicago since their leaders Barker and Reetske just decided to side with LSM. Ten other churches perhaps just got "screwed" like us.
Once I learned about ole Vern's true colors, I knew it was time to depart. He brought sweeping changes to our little church, caring nothing about the needs or wants of the sheep. One time I addressed this with him, and he forcefully responded, "
sometimes we need to shock the saints." Spoken like a true Titus-wannabe. One time I caught him lying in the meeting, and I challenged him on it, yet the elders said not a word.
I was gone but most of my friends stayed in the LC. The battles between Anaheim and Cleveland took center stage in all the meetings. The elders had to make sure the local LSM-faithful could not win a lawsuit and get the meeting hall. Six months after I left one of my best friends took his life. He was "assigned" to Vern's small group. He was in the LC close to 20 years. He walked to the cemetery and shot himself.