Category Archives: Uncategorized

Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Change of Venue Request Reported by rccatalyst.com

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The website, rccatalyst.com, posted an article on Friday highlighting excerpts from the motion for a change of venue made by Josh Farmer- attorney for the five defendants in the Matthew Fenner case. (source link here) The motion comes as no surprise. After being indicted twice in separate hearings, it would be a procedural oversight for Farmer not to at least attempt this move. District Attorney Ted Bell cited the “extreme volume” of the motion as a reason to decline comment until he could review it.

As a review, the five defendants are Brooke McFadden Covington, Sarah Covington Anderson, Adam Christopher Bartley, Justin Brock Covington and Robert Louis Walker, Jr. The list of charges includes second degree kidnapping and assault by strangulation. The motion will be heard on April 1, 2015 when the defendants make their first appearance before the judge. If a change is granted, this would be to an adjoining county-if previous procedures are followed.

Quoting from the article; Josh Farmer cited the need for the change due to ““excessive, pervasive and insidious publicity on a local, statewide and even national level” against the WOFF church.” The extensive documents also included a statement for each defendant that, “the defendant is a member of the Word of Faith Fellowship, a church that for nearly two decades has been subject to extraordinary persecution, hatred, bigotry and discrimination in the county, spurred by the Inside Edition tabloid news, local, national and international news media coverage, as well as continual social media postings.””

Included in the article are some vital links to historical information about the group including a link to the Inside Edition video. Good job by the staff reporter who put this together. It was concise, but inclusive of needed information for one who may be new to the ongoing WOFF drama.
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Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Dr. Amos T. “Pat” Pagter, Jr. (1930-2015)

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Alive with color
Alive with color

Pat Pagter passed away earlier this week after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 85. Many in the community were witness to his gentle nature and kind spirit. Members and former members alike of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) will remember the endless hours of service he offered to us all. On a personal note, Pat rightfully detected symptoms of a heart attack in me and arranged for the vital medical care that saved my life. That insight and awareness to treat me will never be forgotten.

A memorial service for most folks will be held Friday, February 6th at WOFF. Due to the rigid restrictions of that group, former members, related and otherwise will not be welcome. Even in death, the barriers live. The public details can be found here at the website for Crowe’s Mortuary. A brief history of Pat’s life of accomplishments is there as well as a place to leave condolences for the family.

Pat had several admirers from his many years of service not only to patients, but to other physicians. He served on the NC State Board of Medical Examiners in years past. Recently, a medical professional relayed to me his fond remembrances of Pat being the one to interview him when he went before the Board in 1982. There was more than a professional courtesy and admiration in his voice. He smiled and expressed his gratefulness for the opportunity Pat afforded him so many years ago.

Pat will be missed by more than just his immediate family.
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Uncategorized

Word of Faith Fellowship members re-indicted- Daily Courier

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January 22, 2015 – Jean Gordon posted an article with the title above. Found here. The article outlined the process on Tuesday with comments from the new Rutherford County District Attorney- Ted Bell. The indictments issued in December were thrown out according to Bell saying, ‘he was concerned about some improprieties with the grand jury when it met for a special called session in December.’

“We were especially concerned about the judge and others making inquiries as to what was discussed and we were afraid that would cause some problems,” Bell said.

“We wanted clean indictments. They have the same exact same charges with the exact same bonds. Nothing is changed about the indictments.”

“This was an attempt on our part to clean up some of the warrants,” Bell said. (quote directly from article)
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Books, Resources, Uncategorized

The Dangers of Groups like Word of Faith Fellowship…

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Over the years, different individuals have asked me about my time in Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). At times, I have been overwhelmed and stumbled for a concise answer to the question. Why? Simply put, I spent many years involved in the group dynamics and to condense that experience into a short summary proves difficult. That is one reason I am still writing this blog. Just telling my story has not been enough to capture the entire experience. Thus, I have shared stories of other survivors. Not one person’s experience captures the full scope of the dangers of life inside that group. Members involved at different levels have varied levels of drama and trauma levied against them.

In recent posts, I have shared about physical abuses. In my mind, there is no doubt physical abuse has been a part of WOFF-life. No doubt. For this post, I want to focus on another aspect of abuse- emotional and psychological abuse in children and adults alike. This type of abuse is hard to detect, but it is no less real or insidious. This abuse involves the continual state of hyperarousal.
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Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

The Blaze reports WOFF posting…

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Google Alerts® provided me the article about Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) found on The Blaze.com®.

“Church Accused of Beating Gay Man During ‘Deliverance’ to Remove Homosexual ‘Demons’ Posts Public Response Defending Its Members” found here. Interesting- it is posted under ‘Crime.’

The Blaze.com is a news site provided by Glenn Beck’s group. Mr. Beck has ties to Christians United for Israel (CUFI) as a speaker at their convention in 2013. See here. WOFF has in years past had strong ties to CUFI, though everything is subject to change. How close the ties are now has been hard to gauge.

The public response from WOFF is found here. In order to help explain the language of the response and how this statement fits with Josh Farmer’s disclaimers, we will break it down and provide context. After graduating from WOFF in 2008, I believe my experience inside will help others understand WOFF-speak.
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Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

WOFF-think explains WOFF-speak…really.

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This last week news sources far and wide have picked up the story surrounding the indictments of five Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) church members in the Matthew Fenner case. Some sources have recounted the basics, some have embellished. The five indicted members include- Brooke Covington, Sarah Covington Anderson, Justin Covington, Robert Lewis Walker, Jr. and Adam Bartley. The charges include simple assault and second degree kidnapping. Sarah Anderson has an additional charge of assault by strangulation. These are by far the most serious charges for any WOFF member(s) that I am aware of.

Most every source has contained quotes from Josh Farmer. I will rely on the quotes provided in the sources and attempt to explain the reasons behind them. My purpose is to shed some light on this confusing situation.

“They are innocent of the charges leveled against them and we look forward to proving their innocence and to their complete vindication before a trial court,” said Farmer. “We are adamant that no one ever physically harmed Mr. Fenner… The church does NOT target members who are gay.” Source link here.

This reply by Josh may seem confusing at first. However, let’s apply some WOFF-think to understand WOFF-speak. We cannot excuse these statements just because Josh is an attorney. That misses the meaning and also the opportunity to learn about the WOFF culture. Let me explain.
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Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

I dared to read the comments…

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The last few days have passed quickly. Since the indictments came down in the Matthew Fenner case, between work duties and the WOFF-drama, things have been a whirl. Late on Thursday evening, I fell asleep for an unexpected nap in the clothes I had worn all day. Two hours later, I woke up overrun with gym-guilt. This was the second night in a row that I did not go work out. Somehow, I got over it and began looking at my phone.

Searching minds want to know, so I searched ‘Brooke Covington jail.’ As I viewed the results, one article title caught my eye. “Anti-Gay NC Church Members Indicted for Felony Kidnapping and Assault if Gay Man…” link here.
(click “back” button to return here)

The article did not have much original material, mainly content from other sites. When I came to the end, I decided to read the comments. No, I don’t normally read the comments since those who write them are usually the most vocal and opinionated. And since, I have left comments before on other sites; I decided to read a few.
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