Recently, I was reminded of a typical experience of someone who has been lured into Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) which is lead by Jane Whaley. No experience is considered the exact same, but there are similarities to be sure. Some folks meet a WOFF member on their job on in some other way in the community. It may be at a softball game, a department store, a business meeting. Somehow the contact is made and the relationship begins. The WOFF member seeks to gain trust and at some point bring up the question of relationship with God. The normally unsuspecting person begins to respond to the inquiries and soon may be invited to WOFF for a special service of some type or even a Friday night fellowship. Once at WOFF, other members would notice the new person and automatically go and “show themselves friendly”. All this is meant to dispel any negative notions of the new person(s) from what they might have heard previously. You know “rumors out in the county…”

    At some point, the new person would be brought to meet Jane so she can “get a feel for that person”.  Since Jane would have already been briefed and determined if they could attend, the next step would be to “help them see their need for Jesus”. The WOFF recruiter would get a telephone number and begin “keeping in touch” with the interested person. Many times, the member of WOFF (recruiter) would be told by Jane or someone in leadership, how to help this new person keep coming. Objections raised by the new person may or may not be answered directly. Many times, vague replies would be given, enough to soothe the doubt and keep the person coming. The needs of the new person would be met in some way, either with transportation, money or food or just loving, caring, acceptance.  Many folks are not aware of all the religious or lifestyle ramifications of joining a group like WOFF. They are just drawn in by the “love bombing”- special attention that every new person receives.

    Some folks have asked, “How could such upstanding, intelligent folks get caught up in WOFF or groups like them?” To me the answer is obvious. There is no sign out front of WOFF or other groups- WARNING!!! THIS IS A CULT! Once Jane approves, the joining of WOFF can be painless. Any “pain” associated with joining can be overlooked at first because of the love and attention that new folks get. WOFF as well as other groups like WOFF, find a need in a new person’s life and try to fill it, if they can. Once the hook is set, the reeling starts. No jeans, No TV, No newspapers, none of those types of books, No movies, No radio – and the rules keep piling on. The rules may come slow at first according to Jane’s directions and “where the new person is walking”. One apparent goal of helping new members join WOFF, besides changing their attire, is to keep them happy and excited about the benefits of WOFF and not on the rules that are being piled on. Keep the patient happy while we operate.

    In my opinion, joining WOFF can be likened to getting cancer or having bad heart health. The disease grows painless at first. From what I have found out, cancer or even heart attack signs are not evident at first. Generally, once the cancer begins in a person, the symptoms can be nominal or under the radar for a while. It is not until there is a “discovery event” would the cancer be noticed or the effects of WOFF life be fully known by the newest member. Even with bad heart health, plaque on the artery walls does not announce itself BEFORE it is too the danger point. As so, when a new member joins WOFF or even considers joining WOFF, they are just not fully aware of the pitfalls, torn family relationships and life-style changes that will come in order for them to stay and “grow in God”. My joining of WOFF was because I trusted those in “leadership” of the church I was a part of at the time. That mirrors the pattern explained above. Once trust is gained, many times rational thinking and forethought are affected and/or impaired. I give these examples from personal experience. Both being recruited so to speak and acting as a recruiter for WOFF. Sadly, I followed the pattern and attempted to get others to join WOFF. That may be a subject for another day.  

    Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.

    Look on the right side of any post for the option to subscribe by email for notifications or RSS feeds notifying of new postings. It is a great feature. Also, find more posts by selecting “Categories”.

      (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. ) Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 159.