skyrider

LOL......so true. Back in the day, 1980-1983.....two incidents happened that changed my *reverence* for the big-shots at the helm of this organization: Wierwille announced during the Rock of Ages that tomorrow night, there would be a healing service in the Big Top (tent). I was very excited. Finally, we were going to see wierwille in action..... and the power of God in manifestation. So, the next night when wierwille walks out on stage, he starts the *healing service* by summoning all the advanced class grads and corps who want to come forward to minister to others. Then, he asks those that need healing/ministered to to come forward and someone will be there for one-on-one ministering. Wierwille stood at the microphone the whole time. Nothing more!! I was SO DISAPPOINTED to see him delegate all this ministering to others. At Corps Week, it began raining nearly every day (1983). On about the third night, Martindale or Dean Don came to microphone and blasted the corps for their unbelieving-believing for NOT STOPPING THE RAIN. Huh??? I sat there pondering that confrontation.....why does it take *collective believing* from the corps household to stop the rain? I didn't undertand. Weren't there countless records in the Scripture of one person's walk of faith to change events....even if surrounded by unbelief? If these spiritual big-wigs were so high and mighty, why couldn't THEY stop the rain? Who'll stop the rain

The Haves in a Cult......get to sit at headquarters and pontificate on their "greatness." The Have-Nots on the field.......slave away giving of their time, energy and money to the Haves who double-dip in salary and slothfulness.

And further..........not just money, but time and stress. Rushing around after your work day to get to the class location for set-up. Is the place locked? Who's got the key? Cleaning supplies? Was it left a mess from the last time you were there? Is the room too hot? Rush, rush, rush. Now, that the room is set-up.... change your clothes. Get ready for students to arrive. Add hours of sitting. Then, when students leave...... store equipment, re-setup room as it was before. Drive home. Fall into bed. And, do it all again.....tomorrow. Hopefully, there's not some bad-arse corps leader confronting the class crew before they go home on something that was missed. Or, headquarters people...... wanting an explanation as to why several students chose NOT to finish the class.

Yup. That's why martindale's *all-field-corps-on payroll* FAILED.......when the rubber meets the road, the field corps and adv class grads are THE ONES DOING ALL THE WORK AND ABSORBING ALL THE COSTS TO RUN CLASSES. Anytime classes run on the field.....especially at a location where the room needs to cleaned, set-up, taken down and stored AFTER EACH SESSION.....is all kinds of grueling work. How many times can someone be required to be on the set-up crew? Time off work? Skip dinner? Who watches young kids at home? Refreshment crew? Who buys it? No wonder plastic (and styrofom?) cups were reused.....LOL Gawd, twi is so pathetic. With $68 million socked away.....you'd think that they would feel shame for screwing over the field people. Nope. They have no conscience, no guilt, no shame. They are entitled and above reproach. They are the modern-day Pharisees. .

Just in case twi still *wonders* why field corps CONTINE TO EXIT.........THIS is one of the biggies. IT COSTS MONEY TO *WITNESS AND RUN PFAL/WAP CLASSES*......and twi won't pay the lion's share of expenses!!!!! Driving here, there and yonder to witness, pick up people for class, take them home.....and do it ALL AGAIN throughout the class is challenging. Add class room set-up and working your regular job ( 8 hrs a day ) tends to make for long days. Those at headquarters simply do their little job and (many) have cafeteria meals prepared for them 3 times a day. Staffers don't have to do that grocery shopping, refreshments for classes, clean up, room set -up........etc. etc. etc. UNTIL those bozos as directors figure out how aggravating it is to see and live the double standard that they pontificate.....there will ALWAYS be a revolving door of field corps exiting twi, gladly.

In 1997, as limb coordinators on twi-payroll......my wife and I together made $36,500 a year (of which, I was working 65-75 hours per week). The bulk of our expense went to our housing allowance....$650 per month, $7,800 per year. So, with our family of four.....we had around $29,000 to live on. Twi reimbursed us for ministry-miles travel expense, but with car maintenance, insurance and upkeep....it hardly seemed to cover wear-n-tear on vehicles. Then in 1998, when martindale was fuming over all-corps-on-payroll......he castigated us field corps and strongly suggested all corps couples should only need one car. Yeah, right....ppffft. When limb coordinators are traveling hundreds of miles away......the wife, with kids didn't need a car (?????). What about grocery shopping? Picking kids up from school if need be? Dentist appointments? Errands? Asked to teach someone's fellowship? Sheesh.....martindale and his bozo assessment of reality. Running classes. Room set-up. Run wap-classes for all grads (1996). Intermediate wap-classes (1997). Advanced wap-class (1998). Run here. Run there.... and martindale wanted corps couples to do all of this with ONE CAR...??? At headquarters, staffers on grounds can WALK to work. They don't need two cars to help run dozens of errands for running classes, teaching fellowships in other cities. Constant faxes dictating something else to do. Martindale was barking orders constantly to keep us jumping thru hoops. Yes, twi has always been shamelessly cheap. .

So, in 2008.....the minimum wage in Ohio increased from $6.85 to $7.00 an hour. At 40 hours per week, that's $280.....plus 6 hours of overtime pay at time and a half ( $10.50 X 6 = $63 ) totaling $343 per week. Twi used to pay their staff on a bi-monthly schedule so the calculations will be a little different. But basically, it amounts to $1,372 per month, $16,500 per year. Since twi no longer pays "according to your need".....they have to make adjustments for those who get the "benefits" of food (3 meals a day) and housing those on grounds versus those who live in nearby communities. In other words, twi must subtract a set amount for food/housing to meet with IRS regulations, right? Sure, its probably a small amount.....but it needs to comply with state/federal regulations. And, now that twi has "lifted the no-debt policy"......can staffers buy newer cars and make payments? When staff twi-servitude is your whole life and you receive food, housing, "entertainment," haircuts, snack shop, etc. on grounds......a $450 per month car payment would be easy enough to handle. And, if this sort of institutionalized living fits your personality and low-level goals/desires in life.......then it works. For a while, at least.

"We've got a shirt for you. Come join us." Vern Edwards Like thousands who've gone thru those revolving doors as hq-staffers......your mission (if you so choose) is to join the staff at The Way International to "move the Word." You are signing up for 40 hours per week......plus volunteer overtime a few evenings here and there each month......plus some Saturday work days to get ready for *big events*.......plus highly-encouraged lunch at their cafeteria with 30-40 minute announcements each day......plus a Sunday service job assignment and attendance mandatory. Did they mention individual benefits like a competitive salary, health care plan, 401k-retirement plan, vacation time, etc.....?? No, they did not. This is NOT about you and benefits that will help you achieve your goals. This is about them, twi.....the collective compound working as a unit. It works best when everyone is pulling their own weight.......every day of the week. Singles are highly encouraged to join. And, those with professional skills like auto mechanics, engineers, electricians, plumbers and carpenters.....they need you! Sure, you could find plenty of opportunities with higher wages/salaries in the world.....but where could you find a job that is dedicated to truly moving God's Word? After years of serving on hq-staff......you, too, will be as exciting as a mannequin in the back of a storage room. Just watch Vern give his awkward, introductory remarks..... it wreaks of fake, plastic salesmen.

After the lawyers got involved and advised twi to oust Martindale (after two sexual predation lawsuits).......didn't twi have to STOP the illegal mandate of "pay according to your need" that wierwille instituted? So, how does it work now? Does the auto mechanic... or plumber...or electriciam get paid more than the housekeepers? What is the pay scale? $9 an hour? $15 an hour? No overtime pay, right? Also, I think that someone posted that after age 68.....staffers can only work part time. How many hours? 20 hrs per week? 30 hrs per week? All of this is sad, really. Twi seems to justify all this by subsidizing meals, room and board [units and founders hall] for these staffers. So, if you do the math.... at $10 per hour.... some staffers are living on grounds and receiving maybe $20,000 - $22,000 per year. Maybe that works for older staff on social security and don't have any life other than twi, but it sucks for young people to be trapped into a dead-end job. Hard to build any equity on these types of wages.

Craig Martindale changed everything to in his WAP class to a red syllabus.....to differentiate from wierwille's green syllabus. Not sure why this insist on sticking with red. Hell.....with all exits and burned out lives and enthusiasm for twi, maybe it should be burnt orange?

I know, right? From start to finish......and 86 year old Howard Allen and wife, Wanda, joining in.

Oh my. Click on image only if you want to hear the sleazy, cult commercial...... Howard and Wanda. Is that Vern and wife? Rupp. Greene. Where's Rosalie? Where's the CEO....Donna Martindale? Why is it that Rosalie and Donna always seem hidden? Away from the spotlight. Hiding in the shadows.

"During my 24-year twi involvement.....The most fiery, sustained confrontations from wierwille and martindale were leveled at dissenting leadership. Nothing else comparable to it! The most divisive, vicious, vein-popping, profanity-spewing and sustained-intensity periods of 'hatred' were unloaded in closed-corps meetings!! Most Fiery Confrontations Leveled at Dissenting Leadership [link] Malignant narcissism, indeed! Wierwille would NOT allow top-tier leadership or loyal followers to walk away unscathed. He had to have the last word.....even if they were gone, or dead. His sadism and aggression was profound when dissenting leaders left twi. Cunning to the core, wierwille knew that a trickle of exits could erupt into a flood. So, he would strike. Yes, vpw was a striker.....one of many behaviors that DISQUALIFIED him from the office of a minister, an overseer [ I Timothy 3:3]. The grip of fear was released upon his death in May 1985......and the exodus flood was underway. Some think that it was Geer's paper, "The Passing of a Patriarch" and ensuing power-grab that was the impetus of this exodus. I contend that wierwille's death and his relentless grip of ownership (master/servant) was the catalyst. Dozens of corps (60-100) were slipping out the back door each year, but then......300 more entered the regular corps program and 150 (??) into the family corps. The surge of excitement among the youth outdistanced the reality on the ground....even as wierwille's corps letters opined for the corps to stay in line.

With scripture as its pretense, many good people were entrapped into a subculture of wierwille's narcissistic making. Even though Mrs. Wierwille's book, Born Again to Serve documents how wierwille sat thru B.G. Leonard's class TWICE in Calgary, Alberta and then rushed home to run the exact same class..... many devote followers refuse to see the blatant (stolen) plagiarism. Detailing the struggles of starting a new undertaking and moving to the wierwille homestead in 1961......victor paul wierwille was simply peddling a stolen class up and down the highways of America. And, with five children at home.....he needed to keep moving to pay the bills. Fast-forward to 1972.....and the summer camps and outreach efforts were reaching the youth. The Jesus Movement helps to affix a counter-revolution from established norms and communes were in vogue. Hundreds made the pilgrimage to the rock of ages......which later, brought thousands. The teachings, music, camping alongside other excited youth set ablaze a fire of curiosity and involvement to join twi's programs, WOW and Corps. And, in turn.....many of these changed teenagers, druggies and dropouts witnessed to their folks and families and they, too, became involved. The 1977-1984 years were twi at its summit. Big events, Ambassador One flights, 5 corps campuses, regular corps and family corps, thousands outgoing WOW ambassadors....medical WOWs, military WOWs, WOW Vet program, offices moving to the new Outreach Services Center, Founders Hall, building of new auditorium with state-of-the-art studio, orchestra, etc. etc. Reaching the summit was exhilarating and exhausting. The trail of hardship and burdens was leaving corps and returning wows broke and in emotional turmoil. Leaky and broken cars. Sharing rental apartments or homes with 4 or 5 others in "way homes" had its own set of issues and challenges. The rollercoaster ride was coming to an end. Wierwille's narcissistic boastings excited the masses......but the foundation was built on shifting sand. As corps graduated and married......soon-to-follow were babies in strollers. Lots of them, hundreds of them. Now, these young corps men and women had life-long responsibility staring them in the face, bills to pay, decisions to make. No longer could they rush to meeting after meeting, rock of ages after rock of ages and camp out in tents. Now, they needed an air-conditioned motel room for the baby's comfort. More bills. More decisions. Wierwille's malignant narcissism began show its aggression. He became more agitated and pi$$ed each year that his corps servants were retreating from the onslaught of activities. His corps letters are filled with pining and whining. Sure, there is still a shell of its former self at twi's compound......but certainly no longer a "headquarters." Thousands paid a dear price for giving precious years of their youth to follow in wierwille's narcissistic pathologies. He set out to live life on his terms.....and he did.

Malignant narcissism is a psychological syndrome comprising an extreme mix of narcissism, antisocial behavior, aggression and sadism. Delving deeper into this mixture, one finds emotional cruelty purposefully manipulating others through the use of fear. And, throughout this manipulation.....there is an extreme lack of empathy for one's troubles and plight. Inevitably, one's fear only reinforces and empowers the narcissist. As corps and staff, I witnessed firsthand cruelty of others by wierwille. Here are 3 such incidents: 2..... 3.

Yep. And, if you listened to music tapes from cop-outs,,,,,, that would get you possessed too.

Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed. Friedrich Nietzsche

"The privilege and responsibility of being Corps should hit you bigger and bigger --- day after day and week after week if you are awake to see what is happening in our country and the world. I doubt if anyone besides the Corps has undertaken such an awesome responsibility for centuries." Centuries??? Oh my! Notice how wierwille (and all slick con men) speak in vague generalities. Yeah, you corps are **awesome** as long as you follow me. As his narcissism blinds him from reality, wierwille becomes a legend in his own mind. What must he be thinking? That he is like another Apostle Paul having come forth centuries later......to awaken the world to his pfal class? THIS CORPS LETTER closes with......"This letter is for Corps only." The secrecy of his "success" was the secrecy of his moves.

Wierwille stumbled and bumbled his way thru life.......and, seemingly, his Dad died about the right time for vpw to pull up stakes in Van Wert and move his operation back to the wierwille homestead. After about 15 years of meager results (1957-1972)......classes, summer camps, outreach efforts.....wierwille formulated a "leadership training program" with staff support on the 147-acre property. Incremental steps.....but having peers guide, motivate and inspire other youth seemed to be the ticket forward. Way Corps 1-5 became a backbone of strength and inspiration.....as the Rock of Ages became a pilgrimage for the youth throughout the 70s and early 80s. From 1976-1984.....there was exponential growth. The corps program had "elder corps" who mentored and held seniority over "younger corps." Servants over servants over servants. Most recognized that wierwille had devised a tier-system.....and the only way to move upward was to take the advanced class and then, even, go corps. Even staffers were highly encouraged to go thru the corps program. Some immediately after corps graduation were reinstated with their old staff position. Huh? LOL. The corps nametag carried its hierarchical status. The wood-grained staff nametag was treasured. Of course, those who've read wierwille's corps letters [link]......know that as early as 1977, corps were abandoning wierwille. The corps-servants were leaving twi. The staff-servants were moving onto greener pastures. Only those who are fixated in twi-nostalgia cleave to "good old days." .

Well, since you haven't seen this Downton Abbey series......it does cover two or three situations regarding sexual abuse. Rape in one situation. Casting out a maid who became pregnant in another situation. Like all posts.....there is no way to cover the whole spectrum of "servitude" in one post.

Let me know when they oust donna lombardi martinfail........

Wierwille seemed to love all the pampering and adulation. Back in the 1970s......wierwille's valet was a devoted man especially with the arrival of Geer. Not only was he wierwille's valet, but also bus driver, bodyguard, procurer of women, guardian of secrets, loyal servant and caretaker of wierwille's legacy. Who could ask for anything more? If wierwille wanted his favorite German meal prepared, then the order was carried out. When music was desired, Way Productions performed on a Saturday Night on the blacktop near the wierwille home. In the summer's night air, wierwille liked to engage in a night owl around a meticulous campfire setting where he could sip on his Drambuie coffee and pontificate about his ancestral heritage and spiritual undertakings. Whether at the "head table" or in the Green Room before teachings, vpw was served coffee in the finest cups. On grounds, wierwille held lordship and title over his estate. The twi-compound was not a stately castle or prominent mansion.......but, nonetheless --- servants were everywhere tasked to follow wierwille's demands. With some 20 years of this GSC-site, we now know many of the secrets and sordid details that the valets and lady's maids kept hidden from view.

How often does twi promote "Come, work on staff at hq" to advanced class students? How many newly-corps graduates are *assigned* to work staff-servitude at headquarters each year? Time and again, twi brochures promote the corps program as a lifetime of Christian service.....sending men and women forth to "move the word." YET, every year it seems that twi assigns 25% - 33% (if 12 graduate from corps, then 3 or 4) are lassoed for staff jobs. The pay sucks. The novelty of being around spiritual bigwigs wears off. No upward mobility to speak of......and who wants to be micro-managed for years? Besides, if monotony does kill you.....boredom will. Anyone who has a lick of self-motivation and dignity sees how staff-servitude is a dead-end job. At the bottom end of a seniority list.....the newly-corps grad must live on grounds in a trailer unit or founders hall. There is no such thing as a weekend......and surveillance of one's actions is 24/7. Twi loves to exploit the youth when their energy level is high, perception is generally low.....and they've been trained to obey upon command. Usually, after two or three years -- the light bulb goes off. I just finished the Netflix series on Downton Abbey. I'm sure that they took plenty of liberties to add drama and flare to this 6 Season series (2010-2015)....but there seems to be some documentation to this privileged life in the past few centuries. Those *above the stairs* were waited on at their beckon call with endless dinners, social events, dignitary gatherings, royalty visits, and pampering at every turn. Those *below the stairs* had their own caste system of hierarchy.... the butler, valets, footmen, lady's maids, head house manager, head cook, assistants, etc. etc. And, (spoiler alert)........ by the end of the 6th Season, this way of life (in 1925) is COMING TO AN END. Those *below the stairs* know that working in service is fading away. There is NO future in it....for the youth. They need to find their own way forward to secure their future, livelihood and retirement. Sure, an old stately butler can live out the remainder of his years basking in his staff-servitude to his lordship.....but that's about all. The financial troubles of the great castles and prominent mansions are mounting and the structures are under constant repair. Having 30, 40 or 60 on payroll to sustain the grandeur of its prominence is biting into its longevity. And, I would contend that twi/staff servitude is the same. Long gone are the days when 450-490 staffers filled departments ranging from Reflections, Bookstore, Divine Design, Carpeting, Cabinet Shop and Upholstery. Those who live on grounds and receive meager wages for their work will pay the price down the road. That is why, I believe..... that twi hq is a shell of its former self. The days of exploiting (most) staffers is over!! People DO NOT STAY....because it is obviously not in their self-interest to stay. Those *below the stairs* see how the game is played......and plan accordingly.

Hi Twinky. Yes, it's alarming to experience that some Christian believers (??) can't hear the pain or know how to support and comfort. When my wife and I exited twi, several offshoot groups wanted us to join them. They were offering twi-lite.......warts and all. Ugh. No thanks. Here in Indianapolis......home turf for John Lynn, John Schonheit, Mark Graes3r and others.....splinter cults were everywhere. One time, when we attended a wedding.....there were people at our reception table (who we had known from years before) in 3 different offshoots. LOL. We run into people who've left Geer's group, CFF, Finnegan's group, and Panarello's. Hahahahaha

Exactly, T-Bone...... I've often referred to the corps program as "The Clone Factory." Why did we have to be cloned little Johnnie Townsends who followed Wierwille like little puppy dogs....cowering every time our "owner" barked an order? It was debasement.....lowering ourselves in value, quality, character, dignity, etc. The corps program was cult indoctrination. Having attended two years of college education.......THIS was not education. Oftentimes, we didn't even know the next day's schedule until they told us at breakfast. This was not a proper curriculum......this was strict, cult obedience. A good believer is a follower.....thus, attuned to listening and obeying. How did that work out for us? I took a break from GSC.......but all is well. Very well, indeed.