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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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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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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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Books, Resources, Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

So, have you strangled someone… lately? Did it help? (video)

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WSPA.com

The names, ages and charges were released today in the Fenner case. Here is the list:
“Indicted were Sarah Covington Anderson, 27, Adam Christopher Bartley, 25, Brooke McFadden Covington, 56, Justin Brock Covington, 20, all of Breeze Hill in Rutherfordton and Robert Louis Walker, Jr., 26, of New Flynn Drive in Spindale.

Five true bills of indictments were handed down for second degree kidnapping and simple assault. Anderson was also charged with assault inflicting personal injury by strangulation.”
(source link- http://www.thedigitalcourier.com/news/x1736887346/Five-Word-of-Faith-members-indicted-for-assault )

In a separate source, the church attorney is quoted,

“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. Please remember that the law declares them innocent until they are proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.” (source link- http://www.wlos.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/victim-alleged-word-faith-abuse-grateful-indictments-18829.shtml#.VIen28nb3Eb )
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Uncategorized, WOFF Updates

Alleged Word of Faith Abusers Indicted – WLOS 12/8/2014

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This blip showed up on the WLOS website on December 8, 2014. Five WOFF members have been indicted. Name and the specific charges will be posted here, once they are made public. The picture below the article is of a sign I carried down Oakland Road a couple of years ago. At the time, I did not know Matthew Fenner or how the abuses had evolved within this group.

Inside, the phrase- “Better to bruise than burn” pretty much sums up their philosophy.

My theory- “Outside pressures change inside dynamics, but not inside beliefs.” The physical abuses will stop for a time, but not the emotional destruction. After a while, the physical abuses will start again, once they don’t feel any outside pressures. Keeping the pressures on allows for more time for members to wake up and LEAVE!
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RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Five members of the Rutherford County Word of Faith Church were indicted by a grand jury, Monday.

The indictment relates to a 2013 alleged assault on a gay member of the word of faith fellowship in Spindale.

The accuser, Matthew Fenner, says he was beaten and strangled by members of the church because he was gay.

The names and official charges of the accused will be released by the Rutherford County clerk of court Tuesday.

http://www.wlos.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/alleged-word-faith-abusers-indicted-18823.shtml#.VIanjGcrI65
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WOFF is UNSAFE
Near the End of the Walk

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