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From what we hear, of the
150 Way followers that were in the Seattle Tacoma, Washington area, as many as
65% of them have now ended their Way affiliations.
Two more of the Way
Corps, 3 more Corps Alum and 2 Household Fellowship coordinators with their
wives and families have quit since Harve Platig (the new Way trustee) and Roman
Stechiew (the old Region coordinator) came in to do "damage
control."
Included in those exiting The Way in Washington include Paul
and Debbie Zagar who until recently served as the Way Corps Branch coordinators
of the Tacoma Branch.
In light of the second
lawsuit (the Parker
law suit) that has been filed, more Way followers are making the decision
to move to the exits, while others "still in" have said privately the
question is no longer "if we will leave" it is "when we will
leave."
The Way continues to keep
people uninformed as to what is going on (see recent WayDale article "Fully
informed or kept in the dark?") and many of those leaving said they
still have not heard their leadership or Way trustees acknowledge the existence
of a second lawsuit. One lady said "How can we trust them with our lives
if they continue to lie to us?"
Others that are leaving The Way expressed their disgust at Martindale¹s new
assignment as "Research Coordinator" and "President
emeritus." One person said, "Not only have they guaranteed him the
right to live off the believers abundant sharing for life, but they have put
him in charge of what should be the most valuable thing to those of us who
believe God¹s Word."
Several said they still have not been given any satisfactory reason for Way
trustees to have marked and avoided the old Pacific Region Coordinators, Paul
and Bev Mosqueda (WayDale has not been able to independently determine if the
Mosquedas have indeed been marked and avoided, but we believe that they have
been).
One man said, "The
Mosquedas were the ones told us the truth right from the start. I think
it was because they refused to go along with the lying. That¹s why the trustees
moved so quickly to get rid of them." Another Way follower noted,
"If that is what they did to the Mosquedas, what will happen if some of us
speak up and tell what is really going on?"
A person still attending Way fellowships reported that the Branch Coordinator
announced in fellowship that the following people are now mark and avoid: Paul
and Debbie Zagar, Gary and Terri Wilson, John and Marci Barrow, Dennis and
Barbara Mendery, and Lee and Lisa Konkel. None of them reported even
being informed they had made the M&A list.
(WayDale cannot confirm
the mark and avoid status of these people, nor the accuracy of this alleged
announcement by the branch coordinator, but this news is in keeping with what
we have observed to be common Way leadership tactics).
One Advanced Class grad
said as he was leaving, "It¹s time to live the Advanced Class and discern
the spirits!"
As one Washington ex-Way follower put it:
"More people are certain to leave when they find out about the second
lawsuit. Many more are planning to go with God and leave TWI in the days
ahead." WayDale wonders if this potential mass exodus is the reason
why news of the second lawsuit has
not been made public to Way followers.
It seems apparent from
comments made on WayDale's Open Discussion Forums and from telephone calls and
private e-mail received daily, that nationwide, hundreds of Way followers have
now left The Way since these lawsuits have been filed. Hardly a day goes by
when WayDale does not receive news of yet more people exiting TWI, whether Way
Corps leadership, Corps alumni, advanced class grads or other long standing Way
followers.
Numerous other Way followers who are remaining
in TWI for the moment are withholding their abundant sharing (tithes and
financial donations) from TWI HQ as a form of silent protest.
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