I think is was the mon of gawd looking around and seeing the one he felt most attracted to in a weird sort of fraudian sexual way. Because the one doing the ordaining got to lay his hands on the one being ordained.
I was in the 5th way corps. I was in the Way starting in about 1970 - before there were corps if I recall correctly.
Before the corps started, a few people were ordained - John Lynn, Steve Heefner, Jimmy Doop, John Townsend come to mind and I'm sure there were others. But they were a handful and my impression was they were "hand picked" by VPW himself.
After people started graduating from the corps, there were many of the graduates ordained. By the time I graduated (fifth corps - 1978 I think??) the procedure was you got a letter a year or so after graduation saying ordination was available if you felt you could accept the committment. The ordinations happened in a large group. At corps week I think.
The 5th corps was significantly larger than any before it (though quite a bit smaller than those that followed). We were told to find a clergy to lay hands on us at the ceremony. Some people seemed to know this was coming and had worked things out with "heavy hitters". In actuality there were almost not enough clergy to go around because our cohort was so big. I got laid hands on by someone I barely knew.
It was never actually said how recipients of the letter were picked but in practice it seemed to be everyone who was still standing the year or so after graduation when the letters were sent out got one. Everyone who responded in the affirmative was ordained.
I don't know how long that continued. I remember talking to Don Wierwille about a 4th corps grad who was ordained. This guy was a wonderful fellow but not and "on the field" type. He worked on staff in the auto shop. Don acted a bit surprised that he was ordained and Don recounted his conversation with the guy who said basically - when I got the letter I felt it was an opportunity coming my way so I accepted.
quote: and then i think there was a period where if someone felt "led" then they should throw in their name....
I heard of someone suggesting themselves to VP or they would leave. The person never got ordained.
I know lcm made the decision on a bunch of ordinations in 1995. There were a few ordinations after this before lcm's fall, but lcm didn't do the ordinations himself. The Regions coords in the respective areas did the ordaining. I think two men got ordained the last year I was in, but I don't know who made the decision or did the ceremony.
I once asked the question of a very early corps (2,3 or 4, can't remember) grad. The response was that they were given the option of ordination upon graduation. My experience later in the 90s was that you couldn't be anything other than a TC/FC without being corps. It was after LCM made the change one night to turn the corps into only leaders of 10s not 10. If you didn't want to be a BC or above, you were dropped immediately. Have a nice day! Oh, you were also ridiculed on Sunday teaching tapes occasionally. Later he adopted the term corps alumni but it came across as if his mom made him be nice.
yeah i kinda wondered about some of those department heads at headquarters.
thanks for the info.
i was actually talking about you with a fellow poster a little while ago in relation to this thread. were your ears burning ???
?
I can't recall Don W being ordained by TWI or not. I do remember at a rock in the mid eighties, say '84 to '89, Don got up and in a sense was validating himself as a trustee.
He said he was with VP once when he was about 10 years old. VP was visiting one of those men who had inspired him in his early years. (Rufus Mosley, Starr Daily, B.G.Leonard, etc., I don't recall.) This person felt inspired to minister to Don and then ordained him into the Christian ministry at that time according to Don's story.
I believe it is probably true, I've heard of things like that before. Interestingly, VP always wanted Don to join him in TWI but Don resisted and remained a school principal until VP offered him the Emporia Campus.
I know 1 gut that got ordianed that wasn't corps. He lives in Calif. If you know him he is Bob L***F***t. Great guy and still is. and he's an outtie too thank God
Dovey....proud owner of two low riders...Dovey's Doxies...... ]
Yes, I've known Bob and family for 30 yrs. Was in the Corps with them also.
Nice family, although I might add, they are VERY dedicated Geerites and and other leaders who were in their area previously (P*w*ells and P*tst*nes) might have a different opinion about how "nice" he is.
If I remember correctly, don wasn't ordained by twi but he was a doctor by his own right. But I forget what it was for. But his was legal and worked for, unlike his father.
Ok!! I will not try to be a nice person...ok? I will not!!
When I was a newbie to TWI, I thought it was by revelation and the ordainee had to have one of the gift ministries. Then I started seeing people ordained who showed no interest in loving, helping and above all serving God's people. I saw people who would never get ordained who cared a lot more about God and His people than those who were ordained.
Well, I don't know who decided, but I do know that if a "higher up" suggested the idea, and one hesitated in any way, shape, or form, one's career as "leadership" in TWI abrubtly ended.
What was the commitment that would make people hesitate? Did they have to swear an oath to the ministry? I thought they got ordained then lived life with the ability to do weddings and funerals.
Dorothy Thompson:
Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light.
I know of some corps grads who didn't want to "work full time for the ministry," but wanted to have the freedom to pursue "secular careers," or complete their education, or pursue academic goals. You know as a corps grad, that wasn't too cool in some circles. One's "committment to the ministry" was suspect. :)-->
Oh, well I knew some Rev's whoo were not full time ministry. That became a requirement?
I did not know that.
One female Rev. was also a cocktail waitress. I always thought they had some choice in that. What was I thinking? I said "choice". There weren't many choices... Do this or get out...
Sorry for a minute I forgot! :D-->
Dorothy Thompson:
Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light.
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Tom Strange
it was gawd wasn't it? that's what they told us anyway... remember... ?
... I've been here and I've been there and I've been in between...
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excathedra
yeah right ! gawd working in the mon of gawd !
?
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early2it
I think is was the mon of gawd looking around and seeing the one he felt most attracted to in a weird sort of fraudian sexual way. Because the one doing the ordaining got to lay his hands on the one being ordained.
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My3Cents
I was in the 5th way corps. I was in the Way starting in about 1970 - before there were corps if I recall correctly.
Before the corps started, a few people were ordained - John Lynn, Steve Heefner, Jimmy Doop, John Townsend come to mind and I'm sure there were others. But they were a handful and my impression was they were "hand picked" by VPW himself.
After people started graduating from the corps, there were many of the graduates ordained. By the time I graduated (fifth corps - 1978 I think??) the procedure was you got a letter a year or so after graduation saying ordination was available if you felt you could accept the committment. The ordinations happened in a large group. At corps week I think.
The 5th corps was significantly larger than any before it (though quite a bit smaller than those that followed). We were told to find a clergy to lay hands on us at the ceremony. Some people seemed to know this was coming and had worked things out with "heavy hitters". In actuality there were almost not enough clergy to go around because our cohort was so big. I got laid hands on by someone I barely knew.
It was never actually said how recipients of the letter were picked but in practice it seemed to be everyone who was still standing the year or so after graduation when the letters were sent out got one. Everyone who responded in the affirmative was ordained.
I don't know how long that continued. I remember talking to Don Wierwille about a 4th corps grad who was ordained. This guy was a wonderful fellow but not and "on the field" type. He worked on staff in the auto shop. Don acted a bit surprised that he was ordained and Don recounted his conversation with the guy who said basically - when I got the letter I felt it was an opportunity coming my way so I accepted.
That's my 2 cents & one for inflation.
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excathedra
thanks my3cents !!!!!
hey was don wierwille ordained ? i forget
yeah i kinda wondered about some of those department heads at headquarters.
thanks for the info.
i was actually talking about you with a fellow poster a little while ago in relation to this thread. were your ears burning ???
?
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Nottawayfer
I heard of someone suggesting themselves to VP or they would leave. The person never got ordained.
I know lcm made the decision on a bunch of ordinations in 1995. There were a few ordinations after this before lcm's fall, but lcm didn't do the ordinations himself. The Regions coords in the respective areas did the ordaining. I think two men got ordained the last year I was in, but I don't know who made the decision or did the ceremony.
Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.
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diazbro
yes well I asked this question while I was in
TWI and was told that revelation indicated who
was to be ordained.
I got in around the time that the Corps program
was becoming the recuritment program for future
leaders but a few people slipped into the oridanation crowd without having been Corps.
but as the 70s progressed then I noticed that
your basically had to be corps to get ordained so it shot holes in the revelation theory. They made it seem like any devoted christian could
receive the ordination but in reality you had
to jump through the Way hoops to get that "prize".
Its kind of like once you made
it clear to your leadership that you weren't
going WOW or Corps then they put you on a list
(beginning with the letter "s" as in *hit list)
and you ascension in the ranks of TWI would
be capped at the local level.
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Danny
There were a few that did not accept the invitation and got caped also.
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johniam
Speaking of 5th corps, I heard that Donnie Fugit declined an offer to be ordained at first and then later accepted.
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JustThinking
I once asked the question of a very early corps (2,3 or 4, can't remember) grad. The response was that they were given the option of ordination upon graduation. My experience later in the 90s was that you couldn't be anything other than a TC/FC without being corps. It was after LCM made the change one night to turn the corps into only leaders of 10s not 10. If you didn't want to be a BC or above, you were dropped immediately. Have a nice day! Oh, you were also ridiculed on Sunday teaching tapes occasionally. Later he adopted the term corps alumni but it came across as if his mom made him be nice.
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excathedra
yeah well craig can kiss my a.ss
yes roy i'm having fun. thank you dear
:)-->
?
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dabobbada
I can't recall Don W being ordained by TWI or not. I do remember at a rock in the mid eighties, say '84 to '89, Don got up and in a sense was validating himself as a trustee.
He said he was with VP once when he was about 10 years old. VP was visiting one of those men who had inspired him in his early years. (Rufus Mosley, Starr Daily, B.G.Leonard, etc., I don't recall.) This person felt inspired to minister to Don and then ordained him into the Christian ministry at that time according to Don's story.
I believe it is probably true, I've heard of things like that before. Interestingly, VP always wanted Don to join him in TWI but Don resisted and remained a school principal until VP offered him the Emporia Campus.
I think that was a huge mistake for Don.
Way II much fun for one man.
love ya,
Bob Hansen
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krys
I seem to remember the same thing, dabobbada...but I thought it was Bishop Pilai?
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wyteduv58
I know 1 gut that got ordianed that wasn't corps. He lives in Calif. If you know him he is Bob L***F***t. Great guy and still is. and he's an outtie too thank God
Dovey....proud owner of two low riders...Dovey's Doxies...... ]
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jardinero
Yes, I've known Bob and family for 30 yrs. Was in the Corps with them also.
Nice family, although I might add, they are VERY dedicated Geerites and and other leaders who were in their area previously (P*w*ells and P*tst*nes) might have a different opinion about how "nice" he is.
J.
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vickles
If I remember correctly, don wasn't ordained by twi but he was a doctor by his own right. But I forget what it was for. But his was legal and worked for, unlike his father.
Ok!! I will not try to be a nice person...ok? I will not!!
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WrestlenotAgainst
He was a Doctor of Education. Which is probably why he preferred to stay in the school systems.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood"..........but hey, I love to see a good Clothesline once in a while
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Watered Garden
When I was a newbie to TWI, I thought it was by revelation and the ordainee had to have one of the gift ministries. Then I started seeing people ordained who showed no interest in loving, helping and above all serving God's people. I saw people who would never get ordained who cared a lot more about God and His people than those who were ordained.
Thankful to be a non-ordained peon, me ownself.
WG
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Dot Matrix
WG
Amen!!!!
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ex10
Well, I don't know who decided, but I do know that if a "higher up" suggested the idea, and one hesitated in any way, shape, or form, one's career as "leadership" in TWI abrubtly ended.
Afer all, "where is your committment??????"
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Ex10
What was the commitment that would make people hesitate? Did they have to swear an oath to the ministry? I thought they got ordained then lived life with the ability to do weddings and funerals.
Dorothy Thompson:
Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light.
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ex10
Dot
I know of some corps grads who didn't want to "work full time for the ministry," but wanted to have the freedom to pursue "secular careers," or complete their education, or pursue academic goals. You know as a corps grad, that wasn't too cool in some circles. One's "committment to the ministry" was suspect.
:)-->
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Dot Matrix
Oh, well I knew some Rev's whoo were not full time ministry. That became a requirement?
I did not know that.
One female Rev. was also a cocktail waitress. I always thought they had some choice in that. What was I thinking? I said "choice". There weren't many choices... Do this or get out...
Sorry for a minute I forgot!
:D-->
Dorothy Thompson:
Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light.
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Rocky
I recall similar impressions as those WG shared.
And yes, Don was a doctor of education, more credibly so than his daddy...
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