Tag Archives: Sam Whaley

Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized, WOFF and Money Issues, WOFF Don'ts

The WOFF “Don’t” List – Part 2

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     In part 1 of the WOFF “Don’t” List, we covered just a few don’ts having to do with attending services at WOFF. We also covered some basic “don’ts” like tobacco, alcohol, movies, newspapers and magazines. We neglected to mention you don’t watch television. Let’s stay with some more don’ts you needed to know about attending services at WOFF.

     You don’t take pictures or make your own recording of the services. Well, one fellow did back in 1995. Search for “Inside Edition, Word of Faith Fellowship” to see the video. Of course as a WOFF member “you don’t do that, that would be lawless.”  During graduation or wedding services, Jane would tell everyone when it was time to take pictures. “Don’t be loose with your camera” and for sure don’t think you will send pictures to your friends in the other affiliated churches. Jane stopped that years ago.

      One service, the main church secretary stood up to say “Don’t put large amounts of cash in the offering, if it is not in an envelope. The IRS does not like that.” As mentioned, don’t bring your child into a service without taking them to the restroom. Feed your child before coming in the sanctuary. (some folks would feed their toddlers in the services.) This “don’t” was enforced at different levels at different times. If you had to feed your toddler during a service, don’t bring chocolate or dark liquids for them. It could stain the new carpet or new chairs. Don’t chew gum in the sanctuary! Don’t come in the sancutuary with muddy shoes or boots. Take them off and leave them out front.

      Don’t park along the side of the parking lot closest to the buildings. Those spaces are reserved for the elderly and mothers with babies. Don’t do it, you will be called out and told to move your car. Don’t park in Jane’s mother’s parking place. Don’t drive around with expired tags. You will be reminded by the member who checks the parking lot. Don’t speed in the church parking lot. Don’t go the wrong way around the building. Don’t speed or be on your cell phone when approaching the school building to pick-up or drop off children. (as mentioned, some don’ts were for safety.) Don’t touch the thermostats unless you have been cleared for that duty. Don’t bring your child to school without a jacket when it is cool, you will be sent home. Don’t forget your homework or your bible as a student. You will be sent home. From time to time, the dress code for the school would change. So, don’t wear the wrong shirt color on the wrong day.  The children were very aware of the don’ts and could recite them with ease.

     We can change direction and talk about clothing. There were several don’ts in this area. As a review, no jeans. Well, some folks may wear jeans on a construction job. But, “If it stirs that rebellion in you, then wear work khakis.” Don’t wear a bathing suit unless you had long shorts below the knees and a dark t-shirt to cover the bathing suit. Boys and girls don’t go swimming together. Families may swim together in certain situations. Men don’t go swimming shirt-less. No shorts except for swimming time and maybe bedtime for men.

     One service it came out that God had convicted certain men about their facial hair.  Some men got up and went in the restroom to shave their beards or other facial hair. After that, men didn’t come in the service with noticeable facial hair. “We don’t do that.”

     Let’s move on. As a member in good standing at WOFF- you don’t take a job or even go on an interview with “getting ahold of that in God”. You don’t buy a house unless Jane can go and look at it and “get the feel of the neighborhood.” When you do buy a house, don’t assume you know how to decorate it. Jane and her helper will come help you. Don’t go out and buy what you think you want for your house. Jane could say “it is not right.” Jane hears God about flower arrangements, also. Everything in a house is subject to change when Jane comes in- so whatever you have in your house- don’t get used to it. Of course, why would that be a shock? You don’t decide where you are living when you are a member of WOFF. All of the houses on the road leading to the church are owned by the church, except two. (the last I knew…) There are 3 double wides below the church as well as two more houses out on Oakland Road- owned by the church.

      As a member, you don’t buy a car unless you check it out with Sam. (that is a topic for another post!). One fellow who has been with Jane and Sam since their days in Oklahoma bought his car and did not get it from Sam. Jane rebuked him in front of everyone and said “He paid too much”. She went on to say, “If anyone buys a car and does not let Sam help them; they will pay too much.” So, don’t buy houses, cars or take a job without “getting it checked out”. There was an “approved” Realty company inside the church owned by church members to help you hear which house may be yours. Don’t start your house buying venture without checking with one of these “ministers”.

     For a time, there was a Jane-endorsed insurance agent in the church. Just so happened this insurance agent and Jane were very close. I think the term is related. During that time- don’t go anywhere else to buy insurance until you check it out with this person. (yes, more material for a post for another day..)

   As a member of WOFF, you don’t take a vacation or “take time away with your family” unless you check it out with Jane. Don’t assume you are going to a funeral of a family member. Jane could say she “does not have a hold of you going”. Same with weddings of relatives or other family gatherings. Don’t assume you can freely contact your family that does not go to WOFF. As mentioned, members of WOFF don’t celebrate holidays or birthdays. (see post here.. http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=249 )

    These are a few more examples of life at WOFF. Can you see how living in “Don’t-ville” was tough in many regards? The number of don’ts was ever changing. We have yet to mention so many other areas which the “don’ts” ruled the day. Does this lifestyle sound like “Freedom in Christ” as mentioned in scriptures? Really? You don’t want to miss the next post! 🙂

     Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. It could very well save their life. There are readers at WOFF. I hope this is a help to them.

     Look on the right side of any post for “Categories”, select the drop down box and view any previous post by selecting “Uncategorized”. Use the slide bar on the right to scroll down to the bottom. Select “Previous Entries” to review older posts. As always, comments are welcome.

      (Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, the information about WOFF is from my memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. )

Criteria for Cults, Uncategorized, WOFF Don'ts

The WOFF “Don’t” List – Part 1

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     Life at WOFF was full of “don’ts”. Some were spoken “don’ts”, others were supposed to be understood by example. If you did not catch on to the “don’t” in certain cases, you could be called out during a service or summoned to the office to answer why you did the “don’t” that you were not aware of doing. Does that make sense?

     Now, before we really get into the list, be assured that I will not be able to recount every don’t. I simply don’t know them all and that is probably my fault. But, please, don’t blame me! Some of these don’ts are not bad as a guideline. But, remember to stay at WOFF you don’t have a choice. You do the do’s and don’t do the don’ts or you may be in rebellion and put out!  Also, I may list a “don’t” from one time period of my time of 16 years that turned to a “do” or a “maybe do”, depending on if you heard God or Jane say you could do that thing. Are we confused yet? I hope you don’t get confused as we go through the list.

      Some don’ts were easy as pie. At WOFF, you don’t drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, dip or chew and you stay away from those that do. That should be no shock. Were there folks that smoked? Well, Jane pointed out one fellow by name during a service and accused him of smoking cigarettes. As far as I could hear, he never admitted to that “sin”. He was real cool on the outside about being called out as a “smoker”.

     During the one service, one fellow got up and admitted to drinking beer and watching a movie at a movie theater. Those were two don’ts you just don’t do and feel “right with God” at WOFF. He was not endorsing his actions, he knew “we just don’t do that”. That phrase was a very common phrase at WOFF. It was usually said to demean and put down the folks who did the don’t.

     So, we have covered the basics; tobacco, alcohol, movies. We also mentioned in previous posts at WOFF – “we don’t read newspapers, (unless Jane or someone approved reads them to you in a service…). (see this post .. http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=307 , don’t even read the headlines!)   WOFFers don’t read magazines, (you could lose your job! see previous post here- http://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=318 ).   You don’t read books that are not approved. You don’t even read your Bible too much! Some folks were accused of reading their Bible to avoid working! (This reading was “giving to a religious devil!”) One time Jane said Sam had given over to this devil! Of course, Sam agreed.  

     Yes, you don’t take notes during the services. You don’t fall asleep during a service. You don’t talk to someone else when Jane is preaching. She will call you out and tell you to take it in the foyer or hall, if it can’t wait. You don’t get up to go to bathroom during a service unless Jane knows you have a condition that warrants distracting others. Some folks were self-appointed monitors and would point out to Jane that “too many folks are moving around while the Word is coming forth”. So, when someone does get up, DON”T WATCH THEM! You are being distracted and “we don’t let that happen!”

   Well, men don’t wear shirts in the sanctuary that were not white or blue. If you wore the wrong shirt, you could be called out during the service or afterwards and told “we don’t wear that color of shirt in here”, don’t you know that? “Where were you when we got ahold of that?” “Don’t you pay attention when God is speaking?” There were usually some very “encouraging” words for those that either don’t know better or may have been so new to not have told that particular “don’t” yet. Also, you could be sent out to change your shirt.

     One unwritten, but very practiced “don’t”; women went to great lengths so they “don’t” wear the same dress as another woman to the same service, especially to “special meetings”. I saw many women come to the podium and hold up a new dress. They would ask the women in the service, “Does anyone have this dress?” If someone had it, then the second person was expected to return the new dress. Because, “we just don’t want to loose an attack at the other person.”   

     During the singing parts of the services, you participate with your whole heart! “We don’t just check out and look around”. Don’t look around and stare at others while you are suppose to be worshipping God with your whole heart and being. “We just don’t do that.” Several children had a hard time with this one. Some were “helped” in different ways. Also, we don’t stare at visitors or new folks that may not know all the don’ts or be wearing certain clothes that “we don’t wear.”  (no jeans, no shorts, no sleeveless anything, no dresses above the knee, no flashy ties that look like you bought them at a Yard Sale! ) The “don’t” list for clothes will be another post.

     During my time at WOFF, I held a job that required me to take my phone into the sancutary during services. Normally, you don’t take you phone into a service – it distracts – even on vibrate. We don’t want to distract others from hearing the Word. I was responsible to answer emergency calls from the answering service that served the seven apartment complexes owned by the property management company that I worked for at the time. One service in 2008 as far as I remember, I took a call and left the service to talk in the foyer. This motivated another member to “get me checked out” and they went to tell a certain person in leadership sitting on the front row, that I had taken a call and left during the preaching.

     Don’t stop reading here, it gets better. I took the call and solved the crisis of the moment and returned to my seat. So, this leadership person gets up off the front row (Don’t watch him!) and gives me the nod as he comes down the isle. That was a signal you don’t ignore. The person who reported me was a bit smug, but kept still. I went out to see what I had done that was a don’t. (you did not get called out to be praised…) This leadership person stood there with his finger on his chin as if posing and said so-and-so had come to him and said I took a call and left during the preaching. What happened? I said there was a call from the answering service about a natural gas leak and I had to solve the issue. There could been an explosion! He nodded and said he would check with Jane to see if “I had heard God to take the call.” After the service, he came back to me and said Jane said I had heard God that time, but be sure not to be pulled out taking calls and missing the Word. So, what I had done was a “don’t” but, it was okay. But be careful and don’t do it too often or “the devil will pull you out of your place”.  Are you getting the picture?

     This is just a few examples of life at WOFF. Honestly, living in “Don’t-ville” was tough. There were so many “don’ts” to keep track of you would of course miss one or two and be told, “We don’t do that”. Of course, how stupid could I be? The flow of life has already been determined and I don’t have to think for myself. Others have done that for me. But, oh we don’t say that.

     This is just the first installment of – The WOFF “Don’t” List. There is more to come and we have yet begun to scratch the surface of how deep the don’ts could pile up in “Don’t-ville”… Don’t miss the next post! 🙂

     Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. It could very well save their life. There are readers at WOFF. I hope this is a help to them.

     Look on the right side of any post for “Categories”, select the drop down box and view any previous post by selecting “Uncategorized”. Use the slide bar on the right to scroll down to the bottom. Select “Previous Entries” to review older posts. As always, comments are welcome.

      (Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, the information about WOFF is from my memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. )

Behavior Control, Uncategorized, WOFF and Money Issues

The $50,000 Offering

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      One evening service, Jane came to the podium and said “we need $25,000 to meet the bills in the office”. She went on to say God had told her that some folks were saving money for their children. “God said to give it”.  What kind of pressure was this? With the environment already described, would this cause certain folks to feel bad or evil if they did not give up their children’s inheritance? The person that “hears God” on every matter in the church just said “God said to give it”…

     Later after the offering was taken and counted, Jane came back to the microphone. She was very excited, “We have had a miracle”. The offering had been counted and it was $50,000! (wow, on the first try!) She then shed a tear and thanked those folks who had obeyed God say to give the money they were saving for their children.  By the offering coming in, it confirmed to Jane she had obeyed God in her “putting it before the people”.

      One of the first questions in my mind, what will you do with the “extra” $25,000? But, as we have discussed, it was never mentioned. There is no complete open accounting of the offerings given by the members. It only leads to more questions. What is all this money being spent on? It was mentioned that it takes $20,000 a week to meet the bills. So, what is done with the million or so dollars taken in over a year? Some of the larger needs we were told were property insurance and taxes. The church has people watching the grounds 24/7. This is supposed to help get a discount on the property/liability insurance. Men or couples “volunteer” to take shifts over night. The premium was “high because some folks had made a claim against the church insurance” according to Sam. We were also encouraged to not put large amounts of cash in the offering if it was not in an offering envelope. The IRS did not like that.

     If more than one offering had to be taken because we have not “met the budget”, then folks would be strongly encouraged to inquire of God, again! Sam would say, “If we don’t get the need met the first time, some folks are not “hearing God”!  As mentioned, some services the plates would be passed three or four times, “until we get it”.. Then folks would be chastised for not giving the right amount the first time the plates were passed!

     Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. It could very well save their life.

      (Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, the information about WOFF is from my memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. )