Senior Citizen Servitude

[skyrider]

As more and more twi-followers reach the mid-60s age bracket, will they stay faithful to twi?

.....will they continue to go out witnessing at the nearest malls?

.....will these senior folk give 10-15% of their monthly income to twi?

.....will these long-standing followers go to fellowship 3X a week?

Twi has always been fixated on groupthink....and moving as a group.

Will rosie and co. be willing to cut them some slack in their golden years?

Or.....will local corps leaders continue to be hard-hearted and drive them away?

Yes, many churches are having the same challenges.

But....I tend to think that twi doesn't mind driving old folks away.

Perhaps.....I'm wrong on this.

[waysider]

As more and more twi-followers reach the mid-60s age bracket, will they stay faithful to twi?

.....will they continue to go out witnessing at the nearest malls?

.....will these senior folk give 10-15% of their monthly income to twi?

.....will these long-standing followers go to fellowship 3X a week?

Twi has always been fixated on groupthink....and moving as a group.

Will rosie and co. be willing to cut them some slack in their golden years?

Or.....will local corps leaders continue to be hard-hearted and drive them away?

Yes, many churches are having the same challenges.

But....I tend to think that twi doesn't mind driving old folks away.

Perhaps.....I'm wrong on this.

In the late 1970's, I knew of a twig that was comprised entirely of seniors. Most of them had kids that were involved with W.O.W., Way Corps, FellowLaborers and so forth. They met often and enjoyed the social aspect of being able to fraternize with people their own age. Being reliant on retirement incomes, you can well imagine their weekly financial sheets were often a disappointment to "the powers that be" at HQ. But, although they did not abundantly share, they did take up love offerings and give freely of their time and labor to local believers who were in need. They did not go out witnessing as it was too foreign to the lifestyles they lived.

Word came down from Int. HQ that they would either have to disband or stop citing their association with The Way. The reason given was that there was not enough diversity in the group. So, they officially disbanded as a twig. It was heartbreaking to witness. For quite some time thereafter, they continued to get together for lunches, birthdays and other social events. They enjoyed each others' company but it was never the same as it had been when they were a twig.

It is now and always was a scam at its very core. Lots of people had some good times that they will always remember and cherish but that's really a peripheral effect that wasn't part of the master plan.

Time will tell what becomes of the current crop of seniors.

edit: To the naysayers I feel I must clarify that this is first hand testimony, not something that was passed on to me second hand.

Edited November 2, 2014 by waysider

[skyrider]

Word came down from Int. HQ that they would either have to disband or stop citing their association with The Way. The reason given was that there was not enough diversity in the group.

"....not enough diversity" was the reason to shut down this senior twig???

Ummm......what about those Wichita twigs filled with ONLY 17-23 year olds?

Where was the DIVERSITY in those young, naïve, rebel-rousing twigs?

Ain't it amazing to step back and SEE.....twi has ALWAYS HAD AN AGENDA.

Get the youth involved. Check

Separate them from family. Check

Hype the product and moment. Check

Isolate. Indoctrinate. Indenture. Check

Marginalize dissent with shunning. Check

When caught in cross-hairs, re-label. Check

Never admit error. Never alter doctrine. Check

[Bolshevik]

As more and more twi-followers reach the mid-60s age bracket, will they stay faithful to twi?

.....will they continue to go out witnessing at the nearest malls?

.....will these senior folk give 10-15% of their monthly income to twi?

.....will these long-standing followers go to fellowship 3X a week?

. . .

Has anyone asked them?

And what DO you wish to do with those people? Do you have a solution?

You do remember what twi's solution was?

[waysider]

Has anyone asked them?

And what DO you wish to do with those people? Do you have a solution?

You do remember what twi's solution was?

Mr. B

If you read between the lines of my post I think the answers will become apparent.

[Bolshevik]

Mr. B

If you read between the lines of my post I think the answers will become apparent.

Not sure they are.

If it's about keeping people in twi, because that's where they are most stable, adapted and content. Yes, that's one idea.

Pointed the problem at twi, that never helps. The house always wins.

[waysider]

People are commodities at The Way. When you've outlived your usefulness, your days are numbered. There's an abundance of historical evidence to that effect.

[Bolshevik]

People are commodities at The Way. When you've outlived your usefulness, your days are numbered. There's an abundance of historical evidence to that effect.

And?

[waysider]

And what? Do I have a solution? I'm not sure there is a solution. I can't ask the people I referenced because they are all deceased. As a senior citizen, myself, now, I can only speak for myself. I prefer to have nothing more to do with the organization. It's just that simple.

[Bolshevik]

. . . I prefer to have nothing more to do with the organization. It's just that simple.

You addressed me earlier. Maybe there was some confusion.

The thread was about senior citizens in twi now . . . at least that's how I perceived it. Which is not simple. Nor can be ignored.

[skyrider]

Has anyone asked them?

How do I ask them when twi has me on their mark/avoid list?

Some of these people were "friends" .....or so I thought.

.

Edited November 2, 2014 by skyrider

[Bolshevik]

How do I ask them when twi has me on their mark/avoid list?

Some of these people were "friends" .....or so I thought.

.

The senior citizens in twi . . . I doubt they're going anywhere. Innies til death, unfortunately.

Hope for your sake you've chosen better friends.

[skyrider]

Hope for your sake you've chosen better friends.

That's why those "friends" were in quotes.

Really, most all were simply co-workers for the org.

Nearly 20 years has passed since I've seen many of them....

and yet, they still haven't found the exit doors.

[newlife]

I am a senior citizen now, 65 yr. old. Don't mind telling my age cause it's a miracle and tribute to God that I reached 65.

When I was in TWI which was from 75-87, there had been talk of developing a Senior community where the Seniors could go and live together, kind of like a mobile home park. But, they could socialize. have fellowships, just enjoy each other in their golden years and they wouldn't be alone. So, the treatment of seniors that you have talked about, I have no experience with. I didn't see that idea of a Senior community come into reality, but it was a good idea at the time I thought. Something that definitely would have been in my plans for my future had it come into to be and I would have stayed in TWI.

I will tell you that as a Senior, single, and little family, no fellowship, I feel a lone a lot. I've tried churches and never found one that I wanted to go to on a regular basis. I've tried a few other things too. So, you see, I would welcome that fellowship of Seniors at this time in my life. It makes me smile just thinking about something like that. Not a twig, but something like it. I have a number of friends who were in TWI, who are now seniors in their 60's but they are scattered all over the US. We do have contact on the phone regularly so that has become my "Fellowship" of sorts.

The topic of seniors is a good topic, because there are so many needs that they have if they do not have a family. Mostly that connection, emotionally, socially, and spiritually with other people. I never saw any Seniors being mistreated in TWI, but then I wasn't everywhere, all the time and I am not doubting what people have said, I'm just sharing my experience. My experience with the ones that I had in TWI were that they were very happy, that they loved the fellowship, and for me, just personally, I really liked having older seasoned people around.

[waysider]

I told my son, not long ago, "If you still have one friend left when you leave this earth, you've done pretty well.".... OK, maybe that's a bit extreme. I think you get the point, though. It gets harder and harder to make and maintain friendships as we age, due to all sorts of factors such as geography, politics, business commitments, family allegiances, attrition and on and on. Yes, seniors do get lonely and cherish friendships. That was the case with the twig I referenced. Too bad that's not what The Way was/is about. Instead of being happy for these people who had developed a social comradery, they pushed them aside in favor of a business model that was more suited to their purpose. It's built on a multi-level-marketing structure. Think of it this way, Axway doesn't really need people to discuss the virtues of their soap with each other. What they need is people who will actively strive to bolster the structure of the organization....they need people to sell dealerships, not soap.

The Way pitched all sorts of pie-in-the sky ideas from time to time...things like this senior community, a family campground time share, a Bible themed amusement park and more that escape my memory at the moment. They were all aimed at one thing, putting your money in their pocket.

People on the outside have found ways to build relationships that are loosely based on their Way experiences. If that makes them happy, so be it. Only time will tell what becomes of the ones who hang on at the corporate level.

Edited November 3, 2014 by waysider

[Bolshevik]

Innies have no friends when it comes to The Word. Are such things even important to them? Do "genuine" "wayfers" have genuine friends? (Maybe that's what you meant, Skyrider?) Do they fellowship out of desire or because it's "The Word"?

Aging wayfers have demands of others, as they always have. Do we aid in maintaining their reality?

[Bolshevik]

A video should be made . . . photoshopped with vpw . . . a video made just for the last person on earth who is still standing on da verd.

It can be given to seniors in their nursing homes or whatever. "This came from HQ, you're officially the last one standing, YOU WIN!"

It'll be a waybrain dream come true . . . everyone was kicked out but you!

And there will be no need for them to commune with other wayfers . . . since there are none. They can sit alone SITing. Instructions from vpw on what to do/not do will be in the video. No more need to witness or anything . . . just keep it to yourself and wait for the return . . . it's God's Will.

[GrouchoMarxJr]

As Waysider said..."People are commodities at The Way. When you've outlived your usefulness, your days are numbered. There's an abundance of historical evidence to that effect."

I think that about sums it up. They don't care about old people because they don't care about ANYONE...

[Bolshevik]

As Waysider said..."People are commodities at The Way. When you've outlived your usefulness, your days are numbered. There's an abundance of historical evidence to that effect."

I think that about sums it up. They don't care about old people because they don't care about ANYONE...

Now, if we could just figure who THEY are . . .

[DogLover]

This may sidetrack the issue, but here goes: Why don't those folks get together for fellowship and help local people or the charity of their choice and forget about sending money to the Way? It's not like they couldn't still read or study the Bible.

That said, I think it is appalling how the Way has treated the most faithful of its staff over the years when they age.

[Bolshevik]

There's no sidetracking absurdness.

Rosie and co. are immortal in this thread, I think.

[Bolshevik]

The thread also ignores the words of all those aging wayfers. Words told to the next generation for decades. That's not twi's work.

Just gloss over that part.

[waysider]

.......Why don't those folks get together for fellowship and help local people or the charity of their choice and forget about sending money to the Way? It's not like they couldn't still read or study the Bible.

Yes, they could do that but it would be in direct contradiction to Way dogma. During the time of my involvement, we were told NOT to help any charities. We were only to help local people if they were standing Way believers, preferably those at a leadership level.. Instead of giving to charitable causes, we were supposed to help people in need by selling them a seat in the PFAL class so *The Word* could help them. Remember, also, we were taught that God could not bless you unless you tithed (10%) and abundantly shared (over and above 10%). In fact Martindale is famous for saying that "God wouldn't even bother to spit in your direction" for anything less than 15%. It's quite a dilemma. If you leave, where do you give your money? I know when I left, I had apprehensions about what would happen because I no longer abundantly shared.

[skyrider]

Yes, they could do that but it would be in direct contradiction to Way dogma. During the time of my involvement, we were told NOT to help any charities. We were only to help local people if they were standing Way believers, preferably those at a leadership level.. Instead of giving to charitable causes, we were supposed to help people in need by selling them a seat in the PFAL class so *The Word* could help them.

Yeah....exactly.

To do what Doglover suggested is in direct contradiction to all twi doctrine.

Everything has to be sanctioned by twi overlords of "the true household"......ie, tithe,

witness, undershepherd others in classes, etc. does one have the wierwille-doctrine accurate.

Otherwise......to do anything else is a compromise and leads one down the road to them

devil spirits always lurking to thwart innies from "doing da verd."

And....."doing da verd" is ONLY what twi-mogs say it is.

When people break free from this Simon sorcery......true Christian values spring eternal again.

[skyrider]

This may sidetrack the issue, but here goes: Why don't those folks get together for fellowship and help local people or the charity of their choice and forget about sending money to the Way? It's not like they couldn't still read or study the Bible.

That said, I think it is appalling how the Way has treated the most faithful of its staff over the years when they age.

Doglover.....they should.

Why [WHY] don't they? Aha! That's the crux of the matter.

...1) It would go against everything they've ever learned in twi.

...2) Twi only sanctions get-in-line-giving to THEIR agenda.

...3) To do INDEPENDENT Bible study? Perish the thought!

...4) To stop send money to twi? Now, they're on the enemy list.

...5) These seniors will be shunned [and mocked] by twi-leaders.

...6) Etc.

If seniors were to arrive at such an INDEPENDENT mindset to break free from railroad-religion,

then they'd begin to grasp the concept of "the simplicity that is in Christ." [iI Cor. 11:3]

.

Edited November 4, 2014 by skyrider