Safari's experience with LCM's former secretary raises another aspect of this staff discussion.
The majority of staff were worker bees. They didn't enjoy any special privileges; instead, they had the "privilege" of working extra hours, eating an extra load of sh!t, and going the extra mile to "bless" the upper echelon staff.
What made you "upper echelon"? Same as in the rest of the power-grabbing world: "It isn't what you know but who you know."
In many (not all) cases, those who worked in top positions or in positions close to the Trustees (or who were married to someone in one of those positions) acted as if they were so much more special than everyone else. They got away with it because they had the protection of their highly placed bosses. PS was just one of many classic examples.
Remember, I didn't say in all cases. I can think of some really loving, humble people who worked for the Trustees who didn't use their position to lord it over the rest of us. But they were few and far between.
I thank God for the day I went on HQ staff. It allowed me to see both the best and the worst of the inhabitants of twi's "root" firsthand and up close. It gave me the chance to spend time with people like Ira H and other long-timers of his caliber and heart, but at the same time I got to see what spoiled brats some of the "pillars" of twi really were and what power trips some of them were on. Seeing the "dark side" was the beginning of the end of my affiliation with twi, and I'm thankful for that. God only knows how long I would have stuck around if I'd continued to see HQ and its honchos only from afar.
Classic example of the contrast between the staff and THE Staff: I had scheduled some vacation time around Thanksgiving and planned to pick up my son from college in Columbus so that we could spend the holiday with our family. The day before my vacation was scheduled to start, my son called. He was really sick, and his two roommates were hanging around their dorm room smoking pot so he couldn't get any sleep. He asked if I could come a day early to pick him up. I explained the situation to RFR (who was my boss) and asked if I could take off to go get him. She said absolutely not. We weren't in some colossal work crunch, and there were plenty of other people who could have covered for my absence. I should have walked that day. I didn't. I put in my resignation a few weeks later and even then got guilted into staying four more months. Idiot!
RFR, on the other hand, could go jaunting off to Scotland on shopping and sightseeing vacations with her best "friend" Donna whenever her little heart desired. She could have the department receptionist lie about her whereabouts when VPW called to talk to her. She could badmouth LCM behind his back. Later, years after I left, she could have cats when there was a staff ban on pets . She was special, alright.
This dichotomy between the lifestyle of top executives and the lot of average workers is the norm in most of corporate America, but in a Christian organization, where everyone supposedly was devoted to a life of service, that great divide told me that something was stinking up the place, and it wasn't the pond or the dog kennels. Come to think of it, my time on HQ staff was my first glimpse of what much of corporate America looks like.
My parting words were, "I wouldn't take this crap in 'the world,' and I'm certainly not going to take it here, where people are supposed to be loving each other." I've never, ever, not for one second regretted my leaving. I couldn't be happier that I'm not one of those poor souls who are still working there.
Leaving my job was the beginning of the end, but it wasn't the end yet. I still thought twi was okay and that it was just HQ that had problems--too many people given too much power, the wrong people in charge of key departments, people too entrenched in their positions of authority.
A couple weeks after I left HQ, give or take a week, I was on the phone hook-up and heard CG reading POP to the Corps for the first time. I hung in there for a couple more years ('86-'88), hoping I could help "fix the ministry," but my involvement was slowly dwindling.
When I figured out that nothing I could do would fix anything, I told the people in my fellowship that I'd be happy to keep having fellowship if they still wanted to come but that I couldn't see going to HQ for anything or sending money there because it was all messed up. I continued that way for about a year longer and then cut all ties sometime in '89. I stayed minimally involved for that last year because I was caught up in the "how can we go on without PFAL to offer new people" mindset. Then I realized how stupid that was and stopped having anything to do with twi at all.
i had "problens" when i would go to seminars and heavy staff meetings with partners, i would burst into giggles and send notes to fellow employees to make them laugh. i was just so tired of corps night and the way and reverends etc. i couldn't get past it all
i don't know why i wasn't fired. probably because i was such a stellar employee. got the peak performer award dah dah dah forced to be a supervisor against my will but got money for my misery (no, not because i was in the way, ha. i actually went into the way with good skills and work ethic)
anway one of my last meetings in corporate, the managing partner had fired a lovely manager for "philosophical differences" she didn't kiss to climb. he said something like "i know all you people are upset, but if you have a problem, that means you're not with us, you're against us and there's the door" or something like that
that was it for me
so i'm lucky enough to be in a little company. when my son needs me, i say "gotta go, see ya"
This dichotomy between the lifestyle of top executives and the lot of average workers is the norm in most of corporate America, but in a Christian organization, where everyone supposedly was devoted to a life of service, that great divide told me that something was stinking up the place, and it wasn't the pond or the dog kennels. Come to think of it, my time on HQ staff was my first glimpse of what much of corporate America looks like.
One of my first 'questions' YEARS ago, after visiting HQ and seeing ol Loy in a LIMO, was~ "Why does he need to have something like that?"
The answer given me, was that Craig was PRESIDENT, even more importantly, the MOG… and DID I WANT HIM TO GO AROUND WITH A REGULAR CAR?... HE WAS IMPORTANT, AND SHOULD HAVE THIS KIND OF STUFF"
Well, having the question 'turned around' and placed on my shoulders, was a bit much for me at the time... being so young in the word & all...
From what I understood the Bible saying, that the MOST IMPORTANT, or Chief, would be SERVANT of ALL.
One of my first 'questions' YEARS ago, after visiting HQ and seeing ol Loy in a LIMO, was~ "Why does he need to have something like that?"
The answer given me, was that Craig was PRESIDENT, even more importantly, the MOG… and DID I WANT HIM TO GO AROUND WITH A REGULAR CAR?... HE WAS IMPORTANT, AND SHOULD HAVE THIS KIND OF STUFF"
Well, having the question 'turned around' and placed on my shoulders, was a bit much for me at the time... being so young in the word & all...
From what I understood the Bible saying, that the MOST IMPORTANT, or Chief, would be SERVANT of ALL.
Didn't see this example being lived in TWI
That kind of stuff is what makes my blood boil to dry red flakes... I think back to my own time on Staff and was guilted by my leadership and peers to not get a medical need met because it wasn't "necessary" (even though it affected me working 50+ hours per week) and cost $200.
The royal treatment of the upper echelon in twi is just plain pure hypocrisy. They should be ashamed. I remember when there was a Trustee meeting coming up and some things came to our department which were hush-hush because it was in regard to the money that each person would be allowed to spend. Dang! That is sooooo wrong!!!
I've told this story before, but it fits here, lest anyone think that Loy was the originator of the VIP treatment for the MOG. He learned it from Wierwille.
When I was in-res in Rome City (1979-80), I noticed that Wierwille's comings and goings were treated like royalty. I was perplexed, because I thought that the whole point of the Corps program was to learn more about serving God's people by working alongside the leaders. I could understand protocol at big functions, but protocol and special treatment in the day-to-day? Even the Corps coordinator had a separate apartment suite and servants to clean it. I was seeing Corps training as no more intimate with leadership (including Wierwille) as any other Way training I'd ever had, and we were accorded no more respect for our own commitment than a non-grad neophyte in Twig.
What finally prompted me to ask him about it was when he made a statement about it, real humble-like, "I wish I could just come and go without a fuss, but I guess I can't." As if it was somehow our fault for making him put up with the hoopla. I knew a simple word from him, and the hoopla would stop. So the next evening, when we were allowed to sign up to have a private meeting with Wierwille on the motorcoach, I signed up (still thinking that our opinions actually mattered).
ME: I'm curious about something. When we know that you are coming to visit, we are told things like, "Dr. Wierwille is coming, be sure to make things extra clean," and stuff like that. Now, my understanding is that we should be doing our best for all the saints, so how could we and why should we do even more?
VPW: Aww, I guess they just wanna bless me, is all. Anything else? {end of discussion}
I know this is not a huge transitional moment, and I will not embellish it to make it seem like more than it was. However, it did give me a little insight into the man, that he was not going to put an end to MOG treatment. There are others who have confirmed that he insisted on special treatment, right down to how many mints on the pillow, and reamed a new one out of anyone who didn't comply. Luckily, I was not so "blessed," I was just ignored.
The majority of staff were worker bees. They didn't enjoy any special privileges; instead, they had the "privilege" of working extra hours, eating an extra load of sh!t, and going the extra mile to "bless" the upper echelon staff.
What made you "upper echelon"? Same as in the rest of the power-grabbing world: "It isn't what you know but who you know."
In many (not all) cases, those who worked in top positions or in positions close to the Trustees (or who were married to someone in one of those positions) acted as if they were so much more special than everyone else. They got away with it because they had the protection of their highly placed bosses. PS was just one of many classic examples.
Remember, I didn't say in all cases. I can think of some really loving, humble people who worked for the Trustees who didn't use their position to lord it over the rest of us. But they were few and far between.
I thank God for the day I went on HQ staff. It allowed me to see both the best and the worst of the inhabitants of twi's "root" firsthand and up close. It gave me the chance to spend time with people like Ira H and other long-timers of his caliber and heart, but at the same time I got to see what spoiled brats some of the "pillars" of twi really were and what power trips some of them were on. Seeing the "dark side" was the beginning of the end of my affiliation with twi, and I'm thankful for that. God only knows how long I would have stuck around if I'd continued to see HQ and its honchos only from afar.
Good points, Linda.
In the days when 70 - 100 interim corps where assigned to hq......the dept coordinators ruled the day with this influx of youth and energized vitality. Having sat on our butts for the past year in classes, most of the interim corps were fully ready to DO SOMETHING.
I, too, saw the dark side of twi on my interim year. There was squabbling and in-fighting at the upper echelon levels.....there was confrontation during lunchtime announcements and at staff meetings. There was constant protocol, to forever serve mog-wierwille and mog-lookalikes. Even the bus (coach) drivers hitched a ride on the coat of the mog.....they were treated with a little more respect. There as a distinctive pecking order.
So much for the One Body of Christ working together.
The non-profit status issue was kept in full view, but really......all decisions were made to protect twi's corporate backside. It was all too obvious. Wierwille's agendas had led to the end result that twi experiences today.........and no accountability to a separate board of directors. The cult setup is exactly as wierwille set it in motion.
The staff seniority......except for a few who have investments and inheritances socked away [like Rivenbark, Freder1cks, McCulloxughs, Moneyhands]......are one confrontation away from being put out to pasture. And, the fear of living on social security income keeps them herded in the right direction.
So the next evening, when we were allowed to sign up to have a private meeting with Wierwille on the motorcoach, I signed up (still thinking that our opinions actually mattered).
Where the heck was the man that he needed a stinkin' MOTORCOACH?
No meeting ROOMS? Someone's OFFICE that could have be set up for simple one on one meetings?
How downright DIRTY and scandalous. How DARE they spend the money GIVEN THEM to care for, on LUXURY FOR THEMSELVES?!?!?!?!, there were plenty of people WITHIN TWI that needed genuine HELP... They were handing out ROCKS to those in need... grrrrrrr
VPW: Aww, I guess they just wanna bless me, is all. Anything else? {end of discussion}
What a pompous foot!
I suppose if you would have PUSHED THE ISSUE Shaz, VP's reply would have been DIFFERENT
As in... 'what is it that you do Mr... ah.. I mean DooktaVeervillie, WHAT is so SERVANT like ABOUT YOU AND YOUR ACTIONS?... please if you would sir, help my unbelief... cause I just don't believe what I'm a seein' here?!?!?!"
Luckily, I was not so "blessed," I was just ignored.
Good for you, you got the H3LL outa there.... IDIOTS!
My parting words were, "I wouldn't take this crap in 'the world,' and I'm certainly not going to take it here, where people are supposed to be loving each other."
Boy oh boy...I wish every "innie" could read that. Not just the ones working at New Knoxville, but in every "household fellowship."
You don't have to take the accusations, the lies, the innuendo, the character assassinations, the inordinate and (dare I say it) insane demands upon your life and time. There are kind, loving, decent people outside of the Way International sphere of influence. It's time to re-join the land of the living.
Sorry for the derail, but Linda's statement spoke loudly to me this afternoon, because I always felt that treating people kindly, warmly and compassionately should be the absolute minimum standard of behavior in a home-run fellowship. If it's not, then perhaps it's time to re-think a few things.
Well, Safari, the other thing that I was not "blessed" with was the other thing he used the motorcoach for, and that was as his personal Romper Room with the ladies of TWI. Looking back, I wasn't particularly attractive, hadn't admitted to being particularly vulnerable, and had a tattooed husband from New Yawk whose cooking skills VP wanted.
I still hadn't gotten past the cognitive dissonance of his actions v. his knowledge of the Bible. I was also trying to be grateful for just being there, because an exception had been made for us, due to my pregnancy. (Again, they wanted my husband on Staff.) If I'd pressed the issue, I probably would've been kicked out, and the followers would've been told I was a cop-out or possessed, as was so often the case. As it was, I left one step before being booted, but not before politely telling a few leaders (including Wierwille) to stuff it.
I always felt that treating people kindly, warmly and compassionately should be the absolute minimum standard of behavior in a home-run fellowship.
Sorry if this is further off topic, but in retrospect it really is amazing the amount of utter crap we tolerated.
A few weeks of "honeymoon" period and then they started in with the guilt trips. And I got involved with WayWorld back in '74. You know, when things were "good".
It would really be interesting to me to understand why people will put up with the kind of abuse that - not only we did as Wayfers - but all the cults out there put up with. What is it in our makeup that allows others to take such advantage? It's really amazing.
A few strokes, a couple of cookies after twig, and then they get to dole out the verbal abuse. Unbelieveable how that works...
It would really be interesting to me to understand why people will put up with the kind of abuse that - not only we did as Wayfers - but all the cults out there put up with. What is it in our makeup that allows others to take such advantage? It's really amazing.
A few strokes, a couple of cookies after twig, and then they get to dole out the verbal abuse. Unbelieveable how that works...
Right George, I'm waiting for a book review on the book freud or jung mentioned. It may be a freud like thing ... we get a little "milk of the word" (which is really just milk and cookies and a couple hugs and kisses) and we think we're back in the womb or something. HA
(home run fellowship ... are those the ones where you get past third base and get to score? )
i had "problens" when i would go to seminars and heavy staff meetings with partners, i would burst into giggles and send notes to fellow employees to make them laugh. i was just so tired of corps night and the way and reverends etc. i couldn't get past it all
i don't know why i wasn't fired. probably because i was such a stellar employee. got the peak performer award dah dah dah forced to be a supervisor against my will but got money for my misery (no, not because i was in the way, ha. i actually went into the way with good skills and work ethic)
anway one of my last meetings in corporate, the managing partner had fired a lovely manager for "philosophical differences" she didn't kiss to climb. he said something like "i know all you people are upset, but if you have a problem, that means you're not with us, you're against us and there's the door" or something like that
You weren't fired because you were good at what you did. The vast majority of companies are willing to put up with a little weirdness if you're good. And a lot of weirdness if you're very good. I know, I've been very weird at times. Contrast that to TWI where nonconformity, especially in front of people, is flat-out unacceptable.
I have to say that I did get away with a little bit of weirdness on staff, but it was highly controlled. I worked AV and could pretty much fix anything. So nobody complained if I was working alone in the shop with Jackson Browne cranked up all the way. Then there was the time I fed an NFL football game into the television camera viewfinders during the SNS, but I digress.....
Sorry if this is further off topic, but in retrospect it really is amazing the amount of utter crap we tolerated.
A few weeks of "honeymoon" period and then they started in with the guilt trips. And I got involved with WayWorld back in '74. You know, when things were "good".
It would really be interesting to me to understand why people will put up with the kind of abuse that - not only we did as Wayfers - but all the cults out there put up with. What is it in our makeup that allows others to take such advantage? It's really amazing.
A few strokes, a couple of cookies after twig, and then they get to dole out the verbal abuse. Unbelieveable how that works...
For me......in hindsight, I see how wierwille built a inner society of elitism. The classes were, supposedly, the steppingstones to one's spirituality....with the corps commitment as the "ultimate" in where one deeply desired to "sit at the master's feet."
Now, I've chalked it up to youthful exuberance and a competitive nature. Even though I saw many red flags at twi's hq, I just discounted them as a lack of perception. Only later.....around 1982, did I start to have many doubts about wierwille and his agendas. But, even still........I stayed to right the ship.
Guess I just didn't believe that the core of the thing was flawed and evil.
I have come to realize that some of the great things I witnessed over the years was to be counted to God's lovingkindness and goodness. In spite of twi's jaded agendas, the Lord was taking care of me.
But after martindale's outsting, the lawsuits, the out and out lies, the personal slandering......and waydale and greasespot, I see HQ staff seniority as those who've bought into the lies. They do their work, go home to the little closed-off world and pat themselves on the back for doing their 45 hour work week. Plus, they even usher at the sunday service to further help the corporation.
My oh my.......how one can be deceived. It is amazing.
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Linda Z
Safari's experience with LCM's former secretary raises another aspect of this staff discussion.
The majority of staff were worker bees. They didn't enjoy any special privileges; instead, they had the "privilege" of working extra hours, eating an extra load of sh!t, and going the extra mile to "bless" the upper echelon staff.
What made you "upper echelon"? Same as in the rest of the power-grabbing world: "It isn't what you know but who you know."
In many (not all) cases, those who worked in top positions or in positions close to the Trustees (or who were married to someone in one of those positions) acted as if they were so much more special than everyone else. They got away with it because they had the protection of their highly placed bosses. PS was just one of many classic examples.
Remember, I didn't say in all cases. I can think of some really loving, humble people who worked for the Trustees who didn't use their position to lord it over the rest of us. But they were few and far between.
I thank God for the day I went on HQ staff. It allowed me to see both the best and the worst of the inhabitants of twi's "root" firsthand and up close. It gave me the chance to spend time with people like Ira H and other long-timers of his caliber and heart, but at the same time I got to see what spoiled brats some of the "pillars" of twi really were and what power trips some of them were on. Seeing the "dark side" was the beginning of the end of my affiliation with twi, and I'm thankful for that. God only knows how long I would have stuck around if I'd continued to see HQ and its honchos only from afar.
Classic example of the contrast between the staff and THE Staff: I had scheduled some vacation time around Thanksgiving and planned to pick up my son from college in Columbus so that we could spend the holiday with our family. The day before my vacation was scheduled to start, my son called. He was really sick, and his two roommates were hanging around their dorm room smoking pot so he couldn't get any sleep. He asked if I could come a day early to pick him up. I explained the situation to RFR (who was my boss) and asked if I could take off to go get him. She said absolutely not. We weren't in some colossal work crunch, and there were plenty of other people who could have covered for my absence. I should have walked that day. I didn't. I put in my resignation a few weeks later and even then got guilted into staying four more months. Idiot!
RFR, on the other hand, could go jaunting off to Scotland on shopping and sightseeing vacations with her best "friend" Donna whenever her little heart desired. She could have the department receptionist lie about her whereabouts when VPW called to talk to her. She could badmouth LCM behind his back. Later, years after I left, she could have cats when there was a staff ban on pets . She was special, alright.
This dichotomy between the lifestyle of top executives and the lot of average workers is the norm in most of corporate America, but in a Christian organization, where everyone supposedly was devoted to a life of service, that great divide told me that something was stinking up the place, and it wasn't the pond or the dog kennels. Come to think of it, my time on HQ staff was my first glimpse of what much of corporate America looks like.
My parting words were, "I wouldn't take this crap in 'the world,' and I'm certainly not going to take it here, where people are supposed to be loving each other." I've never, ever, not for one second regretted my leaving. I couldn't be happier that I'm not one of those poor souls who are still working there.
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Nottawayfer
Linda,
When you left your employment at HQ, was that when you left TWI also?
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outandabout
At least corporate America doesn't pretend it doesn't have privileged people at the top.
TWI preached all members of one body and how God is not a respector of persons but in reality it was entirely something else.
And to think we put up with it. (at least until we left)
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Linda Z
Wayfer Not:
Leaving my job was the beginning of the end, but it wasn't the end yet. I still thought twi was okay and that it was just HQ that had problems--too many people given too much power, the wrong people in charge of key departments, people too entrenched in their positions of authority.
A couple weeks after I left HQ, give or take a week, I was on the phone hook-up and heard CG reading POP to the Corps for the first time. I hung in there for a couple more years ('86-'88), hoping I could help "fix the ministry," but my involvement was slowly dwindling.
When I figured out that nothing I could do would fix anything, I told the people in my fellowship that I'd be happy to keep having fellowship if they still wanted to come but that I couldn't see going to HQ for anything or sending money there because it was all messed up. I continued that way for about a year longer and then cut all ties sometime in '89. I stayed minimally involved for that last year because I was caught up in the "how can we go on without PFAL to offer new people" mindset. Then I realized how stupid that was and stopped having anything to do with twi at all.
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excathedra
linzee that is so sad about your son and ruff ruff (RFR) and so damn typical
it's true. you could be on staff and be a low piece of dung or you could be privileged
it all makes me sick really
i think PS was always a very troubled lonely insecure person for what it's worth
i worked hard to learn to like her and i did
(this in not to negate anything said on here)
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excathedra
ha corporate america
i had "problens" when i would go to seminars and heavy staff meetings with partners, i would burst into giggles and send notes to fellow employees to make them laugh. i was just so tired of corps night and the way and reverends etc. i couldn't get past it all
i don't know why i wasn't fired. probably because i was such a stellar employee. got the peak performer award dah dah dah forced to be a supervisor against my will but got money for my misery (no, not because i was in the way, ha. i actually went into the way with good skills and work ethic)
anway one of my last meetings in corporate, the managing partner had fired a lovely manager for "philosophical differences" she didn't kiss to climb. he said something like "i know all you people are upset, but if you have a problem, that means you're not with us, you're against us and there's the door" or something like that
that was it for me
so i'm lucky enough to be in a little company. when my son needs me, i say "gotta go, see ya"
i don't make much money but i'm happy
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SafariVista
One of my first 'questions' YEARS ago, after visiting HQ and seeing ol Loy in a LIMO, was~ "Why does he need to have something like that?"
The answer given me, was that Craig was PRESIDENT, even more importantly, the MOG… and DID I WANT HIM TO GO AROUND WITH A REGULAR CAR?... HE WAS IMPORTANT, AND SHOULD HAVE THIS KIND OF STUFF"
Well, having the question 'turned around' and placed on my shoulders, was a bit much for me at the time... being so young in the word & all...
From what I understood the Bible saying, that the MOST IMPORTANT, or Chief, would be SERVANT of ALL.
Didn't see this example being lived in TWI
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excathedra
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha he which is greatest among you will be servant of you all....
barf
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dmiller
It took a bit of *googling*, but I found a pic of service.
Imagine lcm doing this for the believers.
They must be on their way to an AOS showing, eh? ;)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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Nottawayfer
That kind of stuff is what makes my blood boil to dry red flakes...
I think back to my own time on Staff and was guilted by my leadership and peers to not get a medical need met because it wasn't "necessary" (even though it affected me working 50+ hours per week) and cost $200. 
The royal treatment of the upper echelon in twi is just plain pure hypocrisy. They should be ashamed. I remember when there was a Trustee meeting coming up and some things came to our department which were hush-hush because it was in regard to the money that each person would be allowed to spend. Dang! That is sooooo wrong!!!
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shazdancer
I've told this story before, but it fits here, lest anyone think that Loy was the originator of the VIP treatment for the MOG. He learned it from Wierwille.
When I was in-res in Rome City (1979-80), I noticed that Wierwille's comings and goings were treated like royalty. I was perplexed, because I thought that the whole point of the Corps program was to learn more about serving God's people by working alongside the leaders. I could understand protocol at big functions, but protocol and special treatment in the day-to-day? Even the Corps coordinator had a separate apartment suite and servants to clean it. I was seeing Corps training as no more intimate with leadership (including Wierwille) as any other Way training I'd ever had, and we were accorded no more respect for our own commitment than a non-grad neophyte in Twig.
What finally prompted me to ask him about it was when he made a statement about it, real humble-like, "I wish I could just come and go without a fuss, but I guess I can't." As if it was somehow our fault for making him put up with the hoopla. I knew a simple word from him, and the hoopla would stop. So the next evening, when we were allowed to sign up to have a private meeting with Wierwille on the motorcoach, I signed up (still thinking that our opinions actually mattered).
ME: I'm curious about something. When we know that you are coming to visit, we are told things like, "Dr. Wierwille is coming, be sure to make things extra clean," and stuff like that. Now, my understanding is that we should be doing our best for all the saints, so how could we and why should we do even more?
VPW: Aww, I guess they just wanna bless me, is all. Anything else? {end of discussion}
I know this is not a huge transitional moment, and I will not embellish it to make it seem like more than it was. However, it did give me a little insight into the man, that he was not going to put an end to MOG treatment. There are others who have confirmed that he insisted on special treatment, right down to how many mints on the pillow, and reamed a new one out of anyone who didn't comply. Luckily, I was not so "blessed," I was just ignored.
Regards,
Shaz
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skyrider
Good points, Linda.
In the days when 70 - 100 interim corps where assigned to hq......the dept coordinators ruled the day with this influx of youth and energized vitality. Having sat on our butts for the past year in classes, most of the interim corps were fully ready to DO SOMETHING.
I, too, saw the dark side of twi on my interim year. There was squabbling and in-fighting at the upper echelon levels.....there was confrontation during lunchtime announcements and at staff meetings. There was constant protocol, to forever serve mog-wierwille and mog-lookalikes. Even the bus (coach) drivers hitched a ride on the coat of the mog.....they were treated with a little more respect. There as a distinctive pecking order.
So much for the One Body of Christ working together.
The non-profit status issue was kept in full view, but really......all decisions were made to protect twi's corporate backside. It was all too obvious. Wierwille's agendas had led to the end result that twi experiences today.........and no accountability to a separate board of directors. The cult setup is exactly as wierwille set it in motion.
The staff seniority......except for a few who have investments and inheritances socked away [like Rivenbark, Freder1cks, McCulloxughs, Moneyhands]......are one confrontation away from being put out to pasture. And, the fear of living on social security income keeps them herded in the right direction.
What a life.
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SafariVista
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Kevlar2000
Boy oh boy...I wish every "innie" could read that. Not just the ones working at New Knoxville, but in every "household fellowship."
You don't have to take the accusations, the lies, the innuendo, the character assassinations, the inordinate and (dare I say it) insane demands upon your life and time. There are kind, loving, decent people outside of the Way International sphere of influence. It's time to re-join the land of the living.
Sorry for the derail, but Linda's statement spoke loudly to me this afternoon, because I always felt that treating people kindly, warmly and compassionately should be the absolute minimum standard of behavior in a home-run fellowship. If it's not, then perhaps it's time to re-think a few things.
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shazdancer
Well, Safari, the other thing that I was not "blessed" with was the other thing he used the motorcoach for, and that was as his personal Romper Room with the ladies of TWI. Looking back, I wasn't particularly attractive, hadn't admitted to being particularly vulnerable, and had a tattooed husband from New Yawk whose cooking skills VP wanted.
I still hadn't gotten past the cognitive dissonance of his actions v. his knowledge of the Bible. I was also trying to be grateful for just being there, because an exception had been made for us, due to my pregnancy. (Again, they wanted my husband on Staff.) If I'd pressed the issue, I probably would've been kicked out, and the followers would've been told I was a cop-out or possessed, as was so often the case. As it was, I left one step before being booted, but not before politely telling a few leaders (including Wierwille) to stuff it.
:D
Shaz
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George Aar
Sorry if this is further off topic, but in retrospect it really is amazing the amount of utter crap we tolerated.
A few weeks of "honeymoon" period and then they started in with the guilt trips. And I got involved with WayWorld back in '74. You know, when things were "good".
It would really be interesting to me to understand why people will put up with the kind of abuse that - not only we did as Wayfers - but all the cults out there put up with. What is it in our makeup that allows others to take such advantage? It's really amazing.
A few strokes, a couple of cookies after twig, and then they get to dole out the verbal abuse. Unbelieveable how that works...
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rhino
(home run fellowship ... are those the ones where you get past third base and get to score?
)
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Jim
Excath thus spake....
You weren't fired because you were good at what you did. The vast majority of companies are willing to put up with a little weirdness if you're good. And a lot of weirdness if you're very good. I know, I've been very weird at times. Contrast that to TWI where nonconformity, especially in front of people, is flat-out unacceptable.
I have to say that I did get away with a little bit of weirdness on staff, but it was highly controlled. I worked AV and could pretty much fix anything. So nobody complained if I was working alone in the shop with Jackson Browne cranked up all the way. Then there was the time I fed an NFL football game into the television camera viewfinders during the SNS, but I digress.....
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skyrider
For me......in hindsight, I see how wierwille built a inner society of elitism. The classes were, supposedly, the steppingstones to one's spirituality....with the corps commitment as the "ultimate" in where one deeply desired to "sit at the master's feet."
Now, I've chalked it up to youthful exuberance and a competitive nature. Even though I saw many red flags at twi's hq, I just discounted them as a lack of perception. Only later.....around 1982, did I start to have many doubts about wierwille and his agendas. But, even still........I stayed to right the ship.
Guess I just didn't believe that the core of the thing was flawed and evil.
I have come to realize that some of the great things I witnessed over the years was to be counted to God's lovingkindness and goodness. In spite of twi's jaded agendas, the Lord was taking care of me.
But after martindale's outsting, the lawsuits, the out and out lies, the personal slandering......and waydale and greasespot, I see HQ staff seniority as those who've bought into the lies. They do their work, go home to the little closed-off world and pat themselves on the back for doing their 45 hour work week. Plus, they even usher at the sunday service to further help the corporation.
My oh my.......how one can be deceived. It is amazing.
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