Belle

The Way International campus opens to Air Force Academy Five miles north of town, the cottonwood-speckled banks of the Gunnison River give way to white-rock lettering on the hillside. Similar to the white “W” atop Tenderfoot Mountain to the east, its northern relative is visible to the keen eye along Hwy. 135. The hill — which reads “Camp Gunnison” — marks an 150-acre campus, a towering lodge built of Engelmann spruce and rolling lawns, hidden from the public eye for half a century. Camp Gunnison, a secluded campus of the religious ministry The Way International, opened its doors to non-members for the first time in its nearly 50-year history in January. The campus hosted a group of 100 cadets from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs for a ski retreat. The cadets had relocated their annual ski trip from Breckenridge to Crested Butte this season, and the size of Camp Gunnison and proximity to the resort fit the bill. Ohio-based Christian minister Victor Paul Wierwille founded The Way International in 1942. His ministry rapidly gained popularity amidst the 1960s “Jesus People” hippy movement in California. Boasting thousands of followers, Wierwille led under his claim that God taught him “the word as it had not been known since the first century,” according to Christianity Today. Wierwille purchased Camp Gunnison as a family camp in 1976, and the campus was made accessible only to members of The Way who had completed its foundational course. But since its inception, the camp has been shrouded in local legend and hearsay. Today, the camp’s managers have stated their interest in opening up for future community events. “In the past we have catered more to our ministry, but we have a massive property, and haven’t done a lot for Gunnison,” said Camp Gunnison General Manager Chandler Greene. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen a huge open door where I’ve realized just how much we could do for our community.” Camp Gunnison’s relationship with the city began on shaky ground when Wierwille and his wife Dorothea stumbled upon the site in 1976. The property, which stretches along the Gunnison River and is hidden from Hwy. 135, provided a secluded, yet accessible site for The Way. At the time, the existing camp operated under the name “Sleepy Hollow.” To Wierwille’s amazement, locals notified him the owners were days away from listing the property. Wierwille knocked on the door unannounced, and purchased the camp on a handshake. He dedicated the site to “The glory of God and the outreach of his word,” on July 17, 1977, according to Camp Gunnison. The Way opened Camp Gunnison that summer, and constructed a water tank capable of sustaining thousands. Then in 1988, the group built a massive lodge containing a library, auditorium and hotel-style suites to add to the existing guest cabins. The large-scale infrastructure “freaked out” the nearby Gunnison community, Greene said. Persistent rumours swirled around town that the property hosted “white extremist groups,” or hired armed guards to patrol the gate, he said. “At the time we still had the cult stigma as a newer ministry, and followed one leader, so we were ticking all the boxes,” he said. “Then, we had a ‘compound’ that didn’t let people come in. So, looking back, we were digging our own grave.” The Way splintered into groups after Wierwille’s death in 1985. Membership declined, and the group was targeted by anti-cult organizations, according to a New York Times article following Wierwille’s passing. Despite the decreased following, members at Camp Gunnison continue to follow their founder’s teaching to this day, 40 years after his death. According to Greene, Camp Gunnison simply acts as a mountain getaway for members of its ministry. Today, 16 staff members live and work at the camp year-round. They spend time maintaining the sweeping campus grounds and preparing the cabins and guestrooms for visitors. Alongside the permanent staff, the camp also hosts seven seminary students from around the world, who live and study on site. Every month, Camp Gunnison welcomes visitors from The Way, who often travel from the ministry’s headquarters in New Knoxville, Ohio. Occasionally, large groups swarm onto the campus for events, such as a recent Valentine’s Day couples retreat, or an upcoming “Spring Jam” music event. But last month, after an internal decision to open up the property to community members, almost 100 Air Force Cadets came knocking. An Air Force Academy Presbyterian ministry, called Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), discovered the campus on a Google search while hunting for ski trip lodging. Camp Gunnison fit their criteria perfectly. “We don’t expect our own theological beliefs to align perfectly with anyone,” said RUF campus minister Jeff Kreisel. “It’s more important about the staff we work with — and Chandler and his team were super receptive and respectful, and they created a really inviting environment. It was an amazing camp, the facilities were top notch, and we’re looking forward to bringing over 100 cadets next year.” The Air Force visit seemingly cracked the seal on Camp Gunnison. While conversations have only just begun, Western Colorado University Associate Athletic Director Bree Hare has said she is interested in possibly hosting portions of the annual Junior Mountaineer Camp at the campus in future summers. With ideas about adding an overnight, expedition-based option to preexisting programming, Hare said the camp’s location could be ideal for the Western program.

Hey y'all! I hope you're all doing well! This is surely an exaggerated number? I can only imagine what goes on in the office of The Sydney Daily News when these roll in over the fax machine. TWI birthday press release.

Apparently, TWI is sending out this postcard to people. I did not get one but only learned about it. I don't know what it says on the back of the postcard. I think it could be very triggering to receive one of these. How desperate must they be in New Knoxville?

Good to see you (((Skyrider)))!

Awwww...thanks, y'all! DWBH, that was a nutso situation! So good to "see" you! Brainstormer, I hope things are going well with your family and that you're making progress.

(((((Twinky))))) It's good to "see" you! Hard to believe it's been 10 years! The time has flown and it's amazing how close we get to people we haven't even met in person. You were also very helpful to me.

Thank you. I don't know why they think having leadership in a particular area helps with growth unless it's because they are there to intimidate and pressure the people to bring in new sheep. It's certainly not because the leadership does.

(((((T-Bone!))))) Good to "see" you! The wonderful folks at WayDale and Greasespot helped me realize I wasn't just paranoid and that things weren't as bad as I suspected....they were worse! I can't imagine how much longer I would have been subjected to all the abuse or how much more damaged I would have been if it hadn't been for the fine folks who post here.

Welcome to the Café! Sounds like you were able to get away unscathed. That's great! I wish I had been that smart.

Hey, BlueCord, I'm late to the party but wanted to chime in and say hello. I hope you and your wife are continuing to enjoy your extra free time spending it how you choose and with the people that you choose. With regards to the teachings - this thread on actual errors in PFAL may be of some use. And this one. I will be forever grateful for the work that these people put into dissecting the class and teachings and helping untangle so much of it. I also read a lot of Elaine Pagels, particularly "The Origin of Satan" because we were taught to trace everything back to the original, right? ;-) I'm very happy that you and your wife were able to leave together. I spent five years trying to get my husband to see how bad it was but he insisted I was just being a contentious wife. I left and he stayed in. He even went back to work at the compound in New Knoxville and is still there for all I know.

Thanks for the update. Do you know why the move and why they sold the other property?

Welcome!! TWI canvased the whole area asking every single person about online posting and whatnot trying to uncover who I was when I first started posting here, so please be very careful with any personal or current information that you post here. Please feel free to send a private message to me or anyone else you feel comfortable with to share that information. That fact alone should be a warning/red flag to someone that things aren't right within that group. Feel free to ask any questions or share anything that you'd like. Everyone here is ready, willing and able to help in any way we can.

I am so stinking glad I don't have to look at those ugly posters any more! shortfuse, I'm going to have to send you a bill for the keyboard I ruined by snorting my drink all over it.

I'm late to the party but wanted to share what I can to help you, Brainstormer. My heart goes out to you. I was in my early 20's when I got involved with TWI and my local fellowship was also butterflies and rainbows. I felt like I had a home away from home and a second family. They made me feel all warm and fuzzy and fully supported which was real nice for someone many miles away from home and out on her own with not many friends in a new city. TWI was able to answer every one of the questions I'd had about God and the Bible that the Baptist Church I grew up in couldn't answer. They showed me chapter and verse and I read the answer right there in black and white with my own two eyes. It was intoxicating to feel like I was learning the Bible and would eventually know more than any minister in any other church. ('cause us in TWI are so smart, doncha know?) The encouragement to learn more - to do more and to be more was always there and with my desire to please and succeed it was definitely tempting to join the ranks of leadership or outreach programs. It's a very slow process, though. Kind of like putting frogs in boiling water or putting them in cool water and ever so slowly increasing the temperature till they boil to death. The people in my direct fellowship were successful business people who made decent amount of money but there were far more I noticed the longer I was in, who were living paycheck to paycheck and at a financial standard much less that what I had expected and desired with my college degree. They have an answer for everything and are very good at justifying how/why they teach about the "more abundant life" but so many of them don't seem to be living it. My parents actually considered hiring a "deprogrammer" to get me out but my dad was afraid if it didn't work that I would never talk to them again and they'd lose me forever. I don't know if he was right or not but .... probably. So they kept loving me and calling to check on me - visiting for holidays and vacations when I wouldn't/couldn't get up to see them. My daddy was excellent at asking questions that provoke thought without being offensive or even letting on that he was asking these questions with ulterior motives. I was getting bored with all the same ole - same ole teachings because after a while there is nothing new that they talk about or teach. Always having to be at a meeting or going out witnessing or just never having time to veg and couch potato was getting old. Mom said every time she talked to me I was exhausted because they manipulated every waking moment of our lives. When the lawsuits against Craig Martindale were made public and they told us to stay off the internet or we would be possessed by devil spirits I knew they were hiding something. That's when I found this wonderful community of people and yet it still took me another five years to fully extricate myself (but I had a husband I was trying to get out, too). Two books that helped me tremendously are "The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse" and "Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves". Please feel free to PM me if I can help in any way.

Coincidence or really based on The Way?? According to the Hulu.com blog, the show, which will be produced by Katims' True Jack Productions, will center around a faith-based movement that causes all kinds of controversy. The show will follow a family caught in the thick of this controversy, and viewers will see how it affects their relationships, marriages and power dynamics. Read more: http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/54867/20150324/the-way-new-faith-based-drama-coming-to-hulu-from-the-team-behind-parenthood.htm#ixzz3VMSh4vIO