Nancy Burnette | Religious Cults Info ~ Resources, Answers and Hope

The next Community Forum allowing ex-members of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) to introduce themselves and answer questions will be held Saturday, April 7th at 1:00PM. The location will be the Spindale House. All are welcome.

The proposed agenda includes these speakers. We will begin with an introduction by Ben Cooper. He will give our guidelines for the meeting which will include explaining the role of the moderator. Next, Micah Cooper will list the characteristics of cults- high-demand, dangerous groups. She will draw from her personal experience as well as her extensive reading on these types of groups.

Nancy Burnette and Matthew Fenner will follow by reviewing their documented experiences which include the failures of local authorities to protect the children of WOFF. Next, Christina Bryant and Jamey Anderson will tackle a few of the most prevalent fabrications and misstatements publicly put forth by WOFF. This effort to dispel lies and tell the “secrets” of WOFF is not captained by one disgruntled family.

I will take the podium next and provide an overview and update on several of the court cases which WOFF has been a part of over the years. There will be information from the Associated Press articles of 2017 as well as an update on the Fenner case.

After these subjects are covered, former members will be given an opportunity to introduce themselves and bring out their unique perspectives as seems fit.

From here, the moderator will oversee the question and answer period. Please, be prepared to ask your questions. We will accept the written questions and answer as many as time allows. We ask everyone to be aware that questions on subjects which require more transparency than our group is able to provide may be passed over and handled in another venue. Continue reading Community Forum April 7th- What to expect… →

The Associated Press released another article in their ongoing investigation of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). This account opens with the ordeal which Nancy Burnette went through on a visit to the church. As a court-appointed advocate, she visited the church during a service with her supervisor to check on the two boys in her charge. The AP details the events of that day and her ultimate removal from the case.

“Terrified, Burnette left, but not before promising the boys, ages 4 and almost 2, that she would return — a promise she ultimately could not keep.
“What I didn’t know was how hard Word of Faith would fight — and the tactics they would use — to keep the kids,” Burnette told The Associated Press.”

This scene sets the direction of the article with the following paragraph:

“That was not the only time Word of Faith Fellowship’s leaders and members have used positions of authority, intimidation or deception to bring children into the church’s folds or keep them from leaving — often at Whaley’s behest, according to dozens of interviews and hundreds of pages of court records, police reports and social services documents obtained by the AP.

As a result, children have been introduced to sometimes violent church practices that run counter to the North Carolina laws designed to protect them, the AP found.”

Continue reading AP: Ex-members say church uses power, lies to keep grip on kids… (video) →