Twinky

Shoot, look at their income and expenditure!!! Huge increase in expenditure (way exceeding income) for 2021-22; a smaller, but not commensurate, increase in income for 2022-23. Outgoings way exceed income - ah! could they be - ah! in debt??? (No, more likely funds from TWI in the US - your abundant sharing at work.) But their income has more than doubled between 2019 and 2023. I worry for those who are being duped by this organisation. At least if you look under the "where" category, you can see where to be on your guard!

FYI Robert Wilkinson was an electrician by trade and had a really good business going in Altrincham. He also ran a major fellowship, if not to say The Way in GB or The Way of the UK or whatever it was then called. Geer came over to the UK, and Robert, along with many other Wayfers, welcomed him. That moneysink Gartmore was purchased and Geer prevailed on Robert to help ("volunteering") to make this rundown place electrically safe. Robert tried to do the maintenance etc at Gartmore as well as keep his business going. Eventually Geer's demands got too much and he ended up basically giving up his business and going on staff for The Way of GB/Way of [or in] the UK/whatever. The business of The Way started as one name, but when Geer took over and split from the US parent, the name was changed (ie from The Way in GB to The Way in the UK, or vice versa). It's too long ago, I can't remember the details now. Neither of these entities currently exist. However, TWI has not given up. Instead, there is another entity, The Way International (UK) Ltd. It appears to have been incorporated in 1994, but what was it doing in that time? It seems it was not active. Currently there are four trustees, all appointed fairly recently (2020's) and allegedly unpaid. There is one local Trustee. And three overseas Trustees, none of whom has declared trusteeships elsewhere. Can you guess who they might be? Yep, Vern Edwards, Marcia Lombardi, and Steve Crommett. And the website link is straight back to TWI HQ. There are also 25 "volunteers." Here you are, if you want to rummage around for yourself. Charity overview, THE WAY INTERNATIONAL (UK) LIMITED - 1040198, Register of Charities - The Charity Commission. There are governing documents (required for all charities) but these are not available for public view on the Charity Commission website. These include Safeguarding Vulnerable people (yeah, right). Gift aid, surprisingly, is not available. This would enable the entity to recover the tax paid on donations - but it may require them to deal in significant ways with Inland Revenue (the tax office).

In the FAQs section of its website, it clearly states this is the only bible endorsed by Trump and Greenwood... The website says: "Easy-to-read, large print, and slim design, this bible invites you to explore God’s Word anywhere, any time. This bible has been designed so that it delivers an easy reading experience in the trusted King James Version translation. I'm wondering what they've done to make this "an easy reading experience" - especially as they're using "the King James Version" (more properly, the Authorised Version). Have they removed all the words having more than five letters, or two syllables? AV is far from an easy read. Large print? And slim? Even if it's just NT, there has to be a whole lot missing, perhaps the parts about ... [I deleted that, as this is supposed to be a non-political thread]. Are there pictures in it, too? (Maybe featuring YKW as Jesus?) Churches need strong, principled, leaders who preach the gospel and are not afraid to call out political leaders. Not those who pervert the gospel to their own political ends. Politics needs strong, principled, leaders who listen to the wishes of the populace and are not afraid to call out liars. Not those who pervert the gospel to their own political ends.

Yes, especially in the USA. Thankfully, that doesn't happen in churches in the UK. Not any that I'm aware of, anyway. Likely if any church minister here said, Vote for Candidate X, or Vote for Party Y, they'd get roundly roasted by the PCC and many members of the congregation.

Having said that, hey, Christianity is very counter-cultural - and thus political. But don't line up with "party" ideas. Line up with what the Bible says, the best you understand it. Read and think thoroughly. Do NOT take your pseudo-minister's word for it. Above all, choose with compassion. You probably shouldn't even take any political party's word for what they say they're going to do. Read their manifesto; get the small print. But even then, any govt minister will weasel out from manifesto commitments by saying that circumstances have changed / there isn't the budget / this latest emergency takes precedence. Whatever.

TWI pushed some really bizarre political views, but he didn't really have any knowledge (IMO) of what the party/ies were about. They certainly didn't have any wider perspective. I can't comment on VPW personally, only from what I've heard of old teachings and what other people said he said - he was dead shortly before I got involved. I can speak to what LCM said, and some of that was very odd (but then, he was odd himself). Not being American, I let most of it wash over me. But I did resent his comments on the EU and the nations of Europe having a common border. He was over the top in his remarks, so I kinda whitewashed them. Ite was clear he had no idea of non-US politics, of collaboration, of wanting something bigger than themselves. Stupid man. The EU with all its countries is still not as big as the USA with all its states - did he think, then, that the States should all secede and become completely independent of each other and of pan-continental legislation? Each State to its own - in everything? And his lack of knowledge of European political history, and why the EU (formerly EEC) came about - if he'd had an iota of background he'd've thought rather differently. My thoughts? Get your hands off what you know nothing about! You stick to preaching the gospel. Leave politics, and particularly European politics, well alone!!!

Nobody thinks you're crazy - at least not any crazier than some of us here have been! It's great when we all get back to some sort of "normality." Very best wishes for your future. You will be missed here. Do feel free to look in and see us occasionally.

Heck. Does anybody care about this deluded fellow? Honestly, the best thing that he can do is to join a good church that really works with disadvantaged people, then "get his hands dirty" learning to serve others. Before he does that, however, he needs to acquire a large roll of duct tape, zip his lips, and just watch and learn. Nothing that comes out of his mouth will be helpful.

I thought some of you might enjoy this lovely choral music. My choir is singing this piece (and others) at our concert in late March (the main piece is Faure Requiem). I find it hard to get this out of my head. The accompanying video is lots of shots inside various English cathedrals, some of which, or some parts of which, date back around 1000 years. Those with an architectural eye will notice a wide variety of building styles.

Game shows haven't changed much! But dang, that's almost funny.

Charity, whatever that is can't be opened.

Of course! Why not? Everything else, every other idea, is plagiarised and enhanced with VPW's ego - PFAL; books; the radio show; AoS based on Saturday Night Fever. The trip to India where he was a keynote speaker. So of course he was a vital part of the Jesus Revolution. At least his ability to hang onto others' coat tails was. /sarc/

Went to see this last night. It shows Winton as an old man, but looking through a scrapbook with details of the children rescued, and flashbacks to the time in August/September in Prague; also his mother petitioning the Home Office in the UK to get visas for the children. Quiet "now" times and lots of tension in the "then" times. It's well put together and well worth going to see. Provocative, leaves you with the pondering of what each of us would do in the circumstances. If you watch right through to the end of the credits, the director poses a question and a request. Ponder that, too.

Thanks, HWTB. It is a true story. And Winton kept quiet about it for decades. In fact, this story only came to light almost by accident. He modestly says his part was small and there were so many others who were a part of this (clearly!) - but that doesn't negate that he saw a problem and came up with something of a solution. Didn't sit there passively wringing his hands.

I'm going to see this on Thursday. I've heard really good reports, so looking forward to it. A simple, honest man, doing what he could in the face of great evil. For the children he saved, the bureaucratic pen was much mightier than the sword. Here is a Wikipedia article about him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Winton