Notwsetapart’s Weblog

I’ve been giving this question a lot of thought.  From the moment I left up until today I still have the same desire to pray and warn those I care about and any who will listen. Of course, this had made me less then popular with some people and I was reminded of this recently.

After posting my note Vindication on my blog and fb, some found what I said offensive enough to remove me from their friends list. To be honest at first it stung a little even though I knew that this could be the response…now I find it sad, not as much since I lost an acquaintance (that is what we had become), but more because with each day something worse seems to come around.

Over the last couple of weeks both Noel & Grizzly’s, Wallace & Happymom, SGMnot and Ex-Clcer’s stories have been given a lot of attention (For those interested links to their stories at the bottom of post). These stories pertain to child molestation. The church, in which Noel and Happymom had their horrible experience, released a kind of “I’m sorry” family message that in some ways did sound sincere until the small twists in language began turning it around to paint the victims in a negative light through subtle comments. To make that message worse, Noel and Happymom said there were inconsistencies with the stories given… and from my experience with SGM pastors, I am sure this is true. Right now, Happymom is working on her rebuttal with specifics on the lies shared. If you want to judge for yourself, read their stories and then listen carefully to what is said…I could pick out a handful myself of where the leaders were doublespeaking.

With these stories getting more attention and The Wartburg Watch (TWW) following closely to what is happening in SGM (btw TWW has no affiliation to SGM but these woman have been studying it, Driscoll, SBC and probably more), I believe a day is not far off where things will get a lot worse for the congregations of SGM churches.

While I am for truth being revealed, I also want desperately to warn those who cannot see  what is coming. I don’t want them to be like deer caught in headlights (though many are choosing that option instead of listening to what is being shared). So what do I do now? I cannot mention things like Noel’s story, Happymom’s, ex-Clcer’s or anyone else’s without people bringing the gossip and slander card to me. Any mention of the “blogs” (sgmsurvivors & sgmrefuge) turns people away as the voices on there (including my own) have been labeled dissenters or we have been perceived as the “enemy.”

From the day I began to realize I couldn’t keep quiet, I knew I would have to give up everything- friends, my social life and the emotional support I received from people besides my family. That was the price I was willing to pay and still to this day I am not sorry I chose this path.  I just wish that those still at Grace and in SGM abroad would have the plugs removed from their ears and be willing to listen without immediately judging these stories as gossip. If walking through the hell my family went through the last year all over again would mean that there would be true repentance in how situations were handled and that the congregation would be more receptive to the truth being spoken then I would do it…though I don’t relish the thought of reliving any of it.

This whole situation is depressing and is just another reminder of how, if we don’t learn from our past, we are doomed to repeat it. Whether people want to believe it or not, the Shepherding movement is alive and well, it just has a new name.

So what do I do now? I guess I continue to stand here being that annoying person who won’t shut up. It can only be a matter of time before serious matters like what is being shared hits a bigger platform or someone stumbles across it.

Here are the links to their stories.

Noel and Grizzly-http://www.sgmsurvivors.com/?p=276&cp=all#comments

Wallace and Happymom-http://www.sgmsurvivors.com/?p=2130

ExClcer-http://www.sgmsurvivors.com/?p=2623

SGMnot-http://www.sgmsurvivors.com/?p=2658