Category Archives: WOFF Updates

Behavior Control, Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Former WOFF Member Files Incident Report to Help His Friend

5 Comments

In case there is any doubt, you don’t have to be a member of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) for very long to be affected in very intense ways. June 15, 2011, we shared an experience at a local restaurant in Rutherfordton. It was actually an ugly exchange prompted by a present WOFF member who I had known for nineteen years. After telling of that incident, I shared a few words about Tony Nicosia. The post was titled: Revealing Incident at the Great Wall– here is the link – http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=4264 .

This is a brief review of a story that Tony can tell with amazing detail most every time he gets started. He and Carole Kolari came to this area in 2003 for Carole to be around her three sons who were at that point inside WOFF. She was allowed periodic visits with them in her off hours from her job. First, she and Tony lived in Kings Mountain and then in a condo near the Cleghorn Plantation golf course. Events transpired to cause two of the younger sons to move back to Chicago. Carole and Tony followed or vice versa. Anyway, in 2007, Tony and Carole found themselves back in the Chicago area.

April of 2010, Carole’s oldest son was to marry at WOFF. Carole was driven back to NC by a couple of WOFFers; their names escape me at this point. She made it back to WOFF in time to be in the wedding and this made her happy. Tony made some calls and asked to be moved back to this area in hopes to continue his friendship with Carole. An entourage from WOFF drove to Chicago to pack up and pick up Tony. Here is a quote from the previous post: “They showed up with a truck and packed most everything from the place where Tony lived. Tony was under the impression that these things would be taken back to NC for him and CK(Carole). Other things happened that weekend which are just too scary to retell here. Anyway, these things in the truck NEVER made it back to NC- according to Tony…The furniture, personal effects, insurance papers and jewelry that Tony says were his were never presented to him when he got to NC! He was put into an apartment arranged by CK’s (Carole’s) first husband and in it is furniture given to him by that first husband- GC, Sr. A bed, a chest, a sofa and some kitchen items were about the sum total of the furniture items I saw in Tony’s apartment. Where did all his stuff go?…But, for sure, Tony’s stuff is gone.”    Continue reading Former WOFF Member Files Incident Report to Help His Friend →

Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

My WOFF Exit Drama- Ben McGee

2 Comments

The following is a brief narration of events leading to the exit of Ben McGee from Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) in Spindale, NC. Though my family had not moved to Spindale before these events took place, we knew Ben, his wife and children. Since we were living in Greenville, the details in this story were not conveyed to us, as far as I remember. As I learned, this exit drama was not unusual for WOFF families. If there are other former members who would like to share their story, please contact me by email- author@religiosucultsinco.com

__________________________________________________________________________________

My WOFF Exit Drama- Ben McGee

Introduction

In or around the early 90’s my wife and I moved from Jacksonville Fl. to Rutherfordton NC. for a number of reasons. Close friends from a bible study group we attended had been to a seminar in Florida WOFF had hosted and told us how wonderful it was and they were going to move to go to bible school in North Carolina. I trusted these friends; I could see and feel their zeal to do God’s work unselfishly. My wife was recovering from destructive crack and alcohol addictions which if we stayed without the help of close friends, I feared would return. I had my own demons but not the violent addictive behavior openly displayed by my ex-wife. Many will sit in judgment of my actions and decisions but the fact is the majority of people have problems they aren’t aware of or refuse to acknowledge and deal with or simply don’t know how. Please, bear in mind this is a blog and not a book so all the dynamics of my life and choices are not discussed or explained. In faith, we packed all our belongings in a truck and my wife drove the car with our 4 children. Contrary to WOFF’s made up perceptions we were not on the verge of divorce. Why on earth would we go through all we did if it weren’t the hope in our hearts of a better life? We did not ask to come; we did not know anything about Word of Faith Spindale or Rutherford County. We came in faith.

Continue reading My WOFF Exit Drama- Ben McGee →

Books, Resources, Information control, Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

More Conflictions, Conundrums and Confusion… VIDEOS!

3 Comments

Not all posts end when I finish writing them. Many times I keep learning even after I have written about a subject here on this blog. This subject of conflictions, conundrums and confusion is one of the areas of new learning. I continue to see areas that confuse me about Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) and its members. The confusion is especially evident in the advertising that the WOFF member-owned businesses are doing! These things just did not occur when I was in WOFF. This all makes me wonder if members are allowed to skip free through Youtube®?  Or can they now ride the wild Internet any time they chose? Somehow I doubt that …. But, here is some new information to consider.

As mentioned in the previous post, Rutherford County is starving for jobs. The new Facebook® hub will help. Still many leave the county for work every day. When I was inside WOFF,  I worked outside the county most of the time. Some days I drove up to an hour or more one way to work. Several others inside WOFF do the same or more. During one stretch while working for Two Mile Properties; I traveled to North Augusta to work. Our first stop in reviewing the confusions will be Two Mile Properties (TMP). My unique experiences will be saved for another post. Today, we will let others talk about TMP. First off, property management was a difficult business. It was so tough to make everyone happy all the time. That being said; I did a simple search and found these reviews….

What do you want to know?

Do not live on any of their properties they are cult owned, by word of Faith Fellowship…..bad news – By rucrazy on October 02, 2009 at 09:54 AM

Continue reading More Conflictions, Conundrums and Confusion… VIDEOS! →

Behavior Control, Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Another Exit Drama Unfolds…

3 Comments

  This past Monday I was made aware of a young man that had left or was actually put out of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). My information came through anonymous sources. Before I tell of the events, let me explain why this post will be different. The events surrounding this exit from WOFF were in many ways not unique. Many others have gone through very similar drama scenes. In light of this and because the events are in many ways still unfolding, I will refrain from using the names of the family members involved. I will mention those who are in the drama-trauma that have been mentioned before on the blog. So, we begin…

   Monday, I received a notice mentioning that a young man had been dropped off at a local hotel in Forest City by his Dad.  He was asking for help and he may be open to my help. I proceeded with caution as I can never be absolutely certain until contact is made with a person who wants to leave. I called the number given and left a message. Soon, I received a call back from this young person. He explained simply that he was out and needed help. He was dropped off with the clothes on his back and had not received his personal effects. I agreed to meet him for dinner and we would talk. As I drove to the area, I had thoughts of helping him at least get his clothes and other basic items. My initial thoughts were to attempt contact with Mark Morris as he had been very helpful in the Morgan Sample exit drama.

   I picked him up from a business where he had been waiting since earlier in the day for help. I learned he had walked from the hotel to the phone service provider and actually purchased his first cell phone. We went to a local restaurant. As we both sat down with our dinner, this young person appeared very cautious and not sure where to start. I encouraged him just to relax and tell me what happened. He began by saying he would review the events over the last year. He would not be able to tell everything, but would give the main events. So, he began to tell a story very similar to ones I had heard before. This young man had been sent to the fourth building at WOFF. There he was sent to live with other men who were giving to the “unclean”. As he spoke of the rules and the punishments, my heart sank. For a brief moment, I had hopes that maybe things had changed. But, in the end, I could see that the behavior modification methods had not changed, but, in fact seemed more intense.

   Continue reading Another Exit Drama Unfolds… →

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Investigation of WOFF – Inside Edition – 1995 (2)

3 Comments

  In 1995, Inside Edition aired two segments on Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) in Spindale, NC. Bill O’Reilly actually was the announcer for the first segment! Inside Edition had acquired much of their information and footage from the Trinity Foundation (link- http://www.trinityfi.org ). The Trinity Foundation sent an undercover investigator inside WOFF. For now, we will review this video and the statements contained in it and compare them to what I was told and now remember from my time in WOFF.

   Our last post included this statement made by the announcer, ““Outsiders seldom see the decidedly different way this secretive sect worships God…”  That is an understatement- would you agree? The scene being shown is of a regular prayer service from that time that included small groups of folks sitting in circles around one person and praying for them. The announcer goes on in the same line of thought, “… regularly screaming to split the ears of devils…delivering this man and others from demons inside them so they can walk with God.” The next scene is shown from below, looking up into a member’s face as he received prayer. I recognize this man “getting prayer” and the one above him praying.

    The announcer continues, “Until now, many of the members may have been kept in the dark about allegations of child abuse, sexual molestation and unlawful imprisonment and cult like mind control techniques.” As the announcer speaks these statements, footage of members going in and out of the church building is shown. One can recognize very clearly, Frank and Robin Webster going in the front door of the sanctuary along with others. The scene shifts to a view of Jane Whaley standing in a parking lot and speaking with Ray Farmer in the background. You can tell Jane is speaking, but, you cannot follow her words. The announcer continues, “Their leader is 55 year old Jane Whaley, a former school teacher with no formal theological training…”  

   Continue reading Investigation of WOFF – Inside Edition – 1995 (2) →

Behavior Control, Thought Reform, Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Personal Property Returned to Morgan Sample After 5 Months

7 Comments

   These last few days have been very emotional and revealing to say the least. In this post I will tell of Morgan Sample’s struggles to regain her laptop, cell phone, sewing machine, school books, family pictures and calculator. The events that led up to the confiscation are not as critical to the purpose of this post as the events since her departure. The focus here will be her struggle to regain possession of her personal property. This story needs no embellishment. I will endeavor to recount the events to the best of my memory as confirmed by emails, text messages, pictures as well as Morgan’s narrative. Further details to the events leading to Morgan’s exit can be shared at a future time.  

   All of this came to my attention on August 24, 2011. Morgan contacted me via Facebook®. After realizing my typing was not fast enough to make chat feasible, we talked on the phone. I listened as Morgan told her exit story from Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). She had been a part of WOFF for about ten years. We were there at the same time, but never had regular direct contact. Again, after a brief introduction, this post focuses on her struggle to regain her personal property. Her exit story has many more events that can be told in another post.

   Morgan lived in the home of Randy and Cindy Fields. The Fields were leadership at the WOFF and still remain in that position, as far as I know. Morgan graduated from the church sponsored school and had moved into a role of child care provider while also taking college classes. Events unfolded that landed Morgan in “church discipleship”. This process has been explained in previous posts on this blog. I have been in church discipleship at WOFF and am very familiar with the process. She was there for months. After this period, she took another position helping in the church sponsored school. Another series of events took place and her cell phone and laptop were confiscated by leadership, this under Jane Whaley’s direction. This limited her access to her parents as they did not live in the area. When Morgan first decided to leave, she was not allowed to call her mother to come get her. This limit on her communication with her family lasted several days. Upon her mother’s next visit to see her, she packed her things and made her exit.

   Continue reading Personal Property Returned to Morgan Sample After 5 Months →

Books, Resources, Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Religion Used as a Narcissist’s Tool of Control (3) – WOFF Arrogance?

Leave a comment

  Before we get into the subject of the third post in this series, I must admit I left out a point when closing the previous post. The source book has been – “Why is it Always About You? The Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism” (Copyright©2002, 2003 by Sandy Hotchkiss, LCSW, published by FREE PRESS, ISBN-13:978-0-7432-1428-5). Our last post on this book focused on the author’s explanation of “magical thinking” in chapter 2. Since Jane Whaley does not believe in magic, we renamed the characteristic “religious delusion” and have attempted to explain the author’s observations in light of the religious setting of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF).

  “Magical thinking, exploitive idealization, and the devaluation of others via shame-dumping and belittling are all attempts on the part of the Narcissist to avoid feeling defective and insignificant.” We then explained the shame-dumping as religious shame-dumping and how this occurred in the WOFF setting. The next statement reflects on how the Narcissist characteristics affect the closest relationships for that person. “At best, these tactics create barriers to intimacy and acceptance. In a relationship with such a character, you will never know what it is like to be loved and appreciated for who you really are. At worst, the unending distortions will confuse you and wear away your self-esteem.” (page 10)

  Can anyone who has witnessed the constant belittling and badgering of Sam Whaley in WOFF church services by Jane, put forth an explanation that is any more accurate? The process Sam endured as he was molded by Jane into someone other than whom he really appears to be has been hard to watch and confusing to say the least. The apparent pleasure that Jane exhibited as she belittled Sam in front of us all was confusing as it did not seem like the love of God. Of course there was always a spiritual reason for the cuts and digs. Do any WOFF members remember it differently? Let me know. We move on.

Continue reading Religion Used as a Narcissist’s Tool of Control (3) – WOFF Arrogance? →