Various Updates on Local Church Trainings

[Koinonia]

A few months ago, a young LC brother died tragically when he was killed by a drunk driver while riding his bicycle.

Around that time, Minoru Chen published a video addressing this tragedy that was circulated among "young adults" within the LC.

The video is insightful in showing certain attitudes of LC leadership.

[Koinonia]

Dear player-coaches and contact brothers,

As many of you know, the Full-Time Training in Anaheim provides its current trainees the opportunity to participate in a gospel trip during the winter interim of each year. We are sending this e-mail to fellowship with you early and proactively regarding our need for team overseers for the upcoming gospel trips.

Past experience has shown that having on-the-ground team overseers has helped to maintain the atmosphere of the gospel trips according to the burden of the Training, as well as to facilitate the coordination between the trainees and the saints in the receiving localities. Hence, we have opened up the gospel trips to burdened full-time serving ones, recent FTTA graduates, and other responsible saints who are able to function as shepherds and overseers, able to be released according to their full-time team and/or locality situation, and with the proper character.

We are sending this e-mail to you before we make further arrangements as we would like to ensure that there is the adequate oversight over all the gospel trip teams. The number of team overseers available will dictate the number gospel trip teams and the number of trainees able to participate. There is typically a need for brothers to oversee international gospel trip teams, although sisters and those burdened to oversee GTCA sowing trip teams would also be received .

Please personally consider the need before the Lord, but also feel free to pass this information on to any full-time serving ones, recent FTTA graduates, and other responsible saints who you are in coordination with. We encourage you to fellowship now, as we anticipate registration opening and closing in October.

The following points may be helpful in the fellowship: (1) Gospel trips are approximately two weeks long during the winter interim, typically occurring mid to late January and early February. (2) Potential destinations include GTCA cities, Europe, South America, and Africa. (3) The cost estimates for GTCA cities is $400 plus driving or airfare expenditures, while cost estimates for other international destinations range from $600 to $1,200 plus airfare expenditures.

Saints who would like to serve as a team overseer for the gospel trips may send an e-mail to gospeltrips@ftta.org by Friday, September 30. More information about the gospel trips as details become available will be sent to these saints in October.

In Christ,
FTTA Office

[Koinonia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muMGpg5Wnow

"The full-time training is an environment for Christians to grow in life, be constituted with the truth, build up a proper character, and be equipped to serve as New Testament priests of the gospel. This video shows us what trainees enjoy and how they live together to pursue Christ for the building up of His Body."

[Koinonia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpgYJ5_o7Ok

This is a video of an event held last year referred to as the "International Full-Time Training Blending Conference" Thousands of LC members, particularly FTT graduates, from all over the world attended. Their transportation and attendance costs were heavily subsidized by Indonesia, where the LC is ruled by an autocratic billionaire named Tahir. For this reason, the event was somewhat controversial.

Videos of the event such as the above were widely circulated among LC members on Facebook and other websites. This video purports to show the "oneness harmony" of LC members (over 9000 in attendance) who play a song together on a traditional Indonesian instrument, the angklung. Several LC coworkers are easily recognizable participating in this clip.

To me, this video just shows how much like "Christianity" the LC has become.

[Koinonia]

Burdens related to Europe (week of 4 September 2016)

1) The Lord’s Move in Germany

On 1 September saints began to serve in Germany for a period of one to three months to continue the shepherding of the many new ones who were contacted and saved in the first half of the year. Especially needed are those who speak German, Farsi, and Arabic. Detailed information and an application can be found at Germany2016.amanatrust.org.uk. Please pray:

• That a sufficient number of saints from outside Europe will be burdened and available for this crucial stage in the Lord’s move in Germany.
• That the new ones will be solidified in the church life during the next three months

2) Freshers’ Fayres on UK university campuses

Most universities in the UK are starting their new academic year in the coming weeks. This is the most crucial time for making new contacts on campus. Please pray:

• To consecrate the new academic year, the students, the homes, and the labor on campus to
the Lord
• For key students to be raised up to co-labor on many campuses throughout the UK and Europe
• That many local seeking ones will be gained as remaining fruit

3) European Chinese-speaking conference in Paris (9-11 September)

4) Conferences in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Bratislava, Slovakia (10-11 September)

5) Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria (23-25 September)

6) UK exit from the EU

On 23 June the citizens of the UK voted to leave the EU. Please pray that the heavens will continue to rule over the entire situation and produce a result that is favorable to the Lord’s move in Europe.

7) Purchase of Bower Farm and improvements at Bower House and Woodland Camp

Please continue to pray that the Lord will make His way clear and will provide the needed finances to purchase Bower Farm and construct additional conference and training facilities at Bower House and Woodland Camp for the advancement of His move in Europe. Instructions for giving to the UK Building Fund can be found at www.lordsmove.org/ukbuildingfund.

8) Giving to support the gospel work in Europe

Please download instructions by clicking this link: How to Give.

9) Continuing distribution of ministry publications and shepherding of seeking ones

Please pray:

• For the radio broadcasts in the UK, Sweden, and Spain and the continuing distribution of the New
Testament Recovery Version and other free ministry publications in all the European languages.
• For the shepherding of the seeking ones and their entering into the church life.

10) The raising up of the Lord’s testimony in major cities in Europe, including Lisbon, Portugal; Krakow, Poland; Vienna, Austria; Sofia, Bulgaria; Thessaloniki, Greece; Zagreb and Split, Croatia; Belgrade and Novi Sad, Serbia; Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland; Bilbao, Spain; Hamburg and Munich, Germany; and Tirana, Albania.
Burdens related to Israel

To receive prayer requests for Israel, please write to isra_news@yahoo.com and ask the brothers to add you to the mailing list. Please include your name and locality.

source: www.lordsmove.org

[Freedom]

Originally Posted by Koinonia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpgYJ5_o7Ok

This is a video of an event held last year referred to as the "International Full-Time Training Blending Conference" Thousands of LC members, particularly FTT graduates, from all over the world attended. Their transportation and attendance costs were heavily subsidized by Indonesia, where the LC is ruled by an autocratic billionaire named Tahir. For this reason, the event was somewhat controversial.

Videos of the event such as the above were widely circulated among LC members on Facebook and other websites. This video purports to show the "oneness harmony" of LC members (over 9000 in attendance) who play a song together on a traditional Indonesian instrument, the angklung. Several LC coworkers are easily recognizable participating in this clip.

To me, this video just shows how much like "Christianity" the LC has become.

I know nothing about the LC's in Indonesia, but judging by this clip, what they do wouldn't exactly be endorsed in the LC's here. I guess it's about the money then? If the top dog is wealthy enough, then it seems they just let him be, he gets to do whatever he wants, even if others have been quarantined for doing the same thing.

[Koinonia]

Originally Posted by Freedom

I know nothing about the LC's in Indonesia, but judging by this clip, what they do wouldn't exactly be endorsed in the LC's here. I guess it's about the money then? If the top dog is wealthy enough, then it seems they just let him be, he gets to do whatever he wants, even if others have been quarantined for doing the same thing.

Yes, there are a lot of politics behind the scenes with things like this. Also, it illustrates just how different LC culture can be from one place to the next.

[Lisbon]

I still get lsm emanna for curiosirty's sake. A few days ago they produced six emannas in one day all taken from the Romans training in around 1975. Today is number seven in just two days. All stress that we must receive saints into our fellowship according to God. Isn't it strange that such an emphasis is coming out at this time concerning receiving all Christians? Could there be something going on? I have to admit I hope and pray the Lord will break into the institution

We all need a revival and the LSM churches are probably no worse or better than anyone else. From Israels going into the promised land until today there has been no change, perturbations, yes but no long lasting improvement. We so need a new repentance. I always feel God has spoken when some poster quotes,"There is none righteous,not even one." Lord save us.

Lisbon

[aron]

Originally Posted by Lisbon

We all need a revival and the LSM churches are probably no worse or better than anyone else.

One could certainly take this position, and I wouldn't disagree. Where I'd say they're arguably worse is when they say they're better than everyone else.

"I thirsted in the barren land of Babylon, where nothing satisfying there I found" - remember those lines in our LSM songs? (#1234) What was Babylon, home of "nothing satisfying"? It was Christianity, which WL characterized as "devilish" and "fallen". In this kind of assessment, the LSM was indeed worse. But if they weren't so awfully judgmental, they'd be just another Christian group, probably no better or worse than the others, as Lisbon says.

"Nothing satisfying", pray tell? Tell me that salvation, preached and received among the Baptists and Methodists (and many others), isn't satisfying? What kind of a skewed and distorted assessment is this?

[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by Freedom

I know nothing about the LC's in Indonesia, but judging by this clip, what they do wouldn't exactly be endorsed in the LC's here. I guess it's about the money then? If the top dog is wealthy enough, then it seems they just let him be, he gets to do whatever he wants, even if others have been quarantined for doing the same thing.

Whenever I've read Hear the Cases, I wonder if that was the case with Samuel Liu in Ontario, Ca; If money played a role why Samuel could run roughshod over brothers and sisters. Even when an affected brother appealed to James Lee, it fell on passive ears.

[Koinonia]

Originally Posted by Terry

Whenever I've read Hear the Cases, I wonder if that was the case with Samuel Liu in Ontario, Ca; If money played a role why Samuel could run roughshod over brothers and sisters. Even when an affected brother appealed to James Lee, it fell on passive ears.

My guess is that LC politics has something to do with it. Samuel Liu is a son of Liu Suey, one of Witness Lee's "senior coworkers" and a former board member of LSM.

[Koinonia]

By the way, Liu Suey has a Facebook page (search for "Suey Liu"). On it, he posts a few different internal documents concerning LSM that are rather interesting. One of them states the following:

This letter is to inform you as a member of the Board of Directors of Living Stream Ministry, that there is a special urgent meeting of the entire board of directors, including the recently appointed members, scheduled for Lord's Day, January 19, 2003 at 4:00 p.m. in the conference room of building 4, 2431 W. LaPalma Ave., Anaheim, Ca.

The purpose of this meeting is to give opportunity to the children of Brother Witness Lee to present their view of Brother Lee's will and to make claim to the execution of that will according to their view. For this reason the Board will allow a limited amount of time to their presentation.

[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by Koinonia

My guess is that LC politics has something to do with it. Samuel Liu is a son of Liu Suey, one of Witness Lee's "senior coworkers" and a former board member of LSM.

Apparently so. Why else would we see double-minded acts of James Lee in regard to Mario Sandoval? In one instance taking a passive stance in Ontario regarding Mario's attempts to reconcile with Samuel.
In the next stance taking an aggressive stance towards Mario when he attempts to meet with the Church in Vista.
This should be an alarm to all reading. It doesn't matter what your history is with certain responsible brothers or certain localities. If a blended brother happens to issue "fellowship", you or I would be adversely affected.
It would not matter if your history in a given locality was one void of any problems or turmoil. Just because a word of "fellowship" is given, as an elder of the locality, the elder or elders must be "one with the brothers".
That's politics.

[Koinonia]

"A Day in the Life of the Full-Time Training in Taipei"