Actually waterbuffalo, I stared a response to you that same day, thought I sent it. It must have been flushed away in a reboot. I always have several windows open, as I'm working from home, checking three email accounts, answering the phone, making calls & dealing w/the boya during the course of the day.
Sorry.
Question. Could it be the fact that I'm a WC Grad and ex HQ staff that colored the way you think I might think of you?
If so. Please don't allow anything to cause you to think I mat be ignoring you. It is not in my personality to ignore people, especially those who approach me honestly in a positive manner; as you have. I actually appreciate you & the fact that you went out of you way to introduce yourself.
That being said. For anyone who'd like to get to know me: Briefly
I was born outide Pittsburgh, Pa. That's where I got involved w/TWI at age 15 in early 1975, as a Jr in HS. I was an honor student, a two sport varsity letterman (football & wrestling) at a large western PA, High School. By my Sr. year I was the most influential student (of 1500 grades 10-12) in the school, also involved. leading in student government, winning "ever award under the sun, " etc. My SAT scores placed me among the elite students in the country. I was among the brightest, toughest and best the country had to offer at my age.
My best friend, who I'd known as a brother from childhood got involved w/TWI, unbeknownst to me and told me, "You gotta take this Bible class." (PFAL). I said ,
"Oh no I don't. You need to NOT take it. It costs $85.00! Oh hell no. I'm not giving them a penny."
I got involved w.TWI to get my best friend out way back in 1975. I went to twig to prove they didn't know what they were talking about. The TC's dad had a tape library of every SNS tape there was, even the old reel to reel ones. I listened to them ALL about 5 or six at a time.
I bought into ONE thing that VPW said.
"The Way Ministry is primarily a Biblical, Research, Teaching and Fellowship ministry. We don't have the market cornered on Bible research, we don't know it all. Whenever our continued research unearths truths that show us where we are wrong, we will immediately change our thinking according to God's Word. It's the Word, peo-ple; its the Word. I have no friends when it comes to God's Word."
I could get with that. In all that tape listening, I heard things I felt were not right. Some of the "research" didn't sit well w/ me. So I studied the Bible on my own thinking that these people really wanted to know live and fellowship around the truth. All I've ever wanted, concerning the Bible, is to know what is says, to know it.
I agreed to take PFAL on Oct '75 but refused to go to ROA '75 (the rain Rock) because I didn't trust these people enough to travel to another state with them. I did go to ROA '76 in Sidney and was thoroughly disappointed. The fairgrounds smelled like ANIMALS! There was MUD - - on my SHOES! ... The people were nice so I stuck it out. I hung out mostly w/folks from my twig, cause I really didn't buy into all of the I love you's and God Bless you's. I was like, "...don't kiss me, I don't know WHERE your mouth has been..." Nice firm handshake will suffice, thank you.
Two things there impressed me there @ ROA '76. Gerald Wren's teaching about Jesus Christ and a play they did about in the dinner theatre about the last days of Jesus' life. They depicted Jesus' torture, theatrically in such a vivid way. They used strobe lighting, choreography, music and voice talent as they read from the bible what was happening to Jesus. They did this really cool stage trick where they threw the robe over the Jesus actor, had roman guards "bum-rush" him and in the confusion the smuggled in another actor with his head in make-up to look like he had been beaten to a bloody pulp, so that you "could not even tell he was a man." The words I had read so many time on the page were living right there in front of my eyes.
I decided then and there standing in the back of that tent, alone, disliking the smell of the straw that covered the floor & bales they had for some seating that I wanted to dedicate my life & talents to serve the Lord Jesus -who went through al of that - -for me. I felt I had found an outlet, a ministry where I could do that; TWI.
I brought that same, "Oh yeah, prove it to me, here's what the Bible says about that attitude" into the WOW program, aprentice corps on staff, then through the WC and back to staff. All the while thinking that we would grow as a family and change our thinking according to God's Word ministry. Needless to say to most of you, you know that kind of attitude brought an endless amount of fighting, bickering and the like. I did have the respect of a good bit of people and respected SOME of the people I'd encountered in the years in the ministry.
I never worshipped VPW, Craig struck me as a wannabe with only a moderate level of talent & ability. I had seen "superstars." I knew what family was, having grown up in an imperfect but extremely loving family. My parents weren't married as I grew up but my Dad always lived at most a few blocks away from us. When Mom moved us two blocks up the stree to where the neighborhood was better, my Dad moved too, right around the corner. I wasn't lacking in stuff like that. In fact, my Mom didn't like my involvement w/ TWI. I told her how I was checking it out and no matter how deeply involved I got in it,
"The first time I find out for sure, for myself, that its really bad, I'll walk." was my promise to my Mom."
The things I knew of that weren't right, I fought to change them. "I know what Dr. said." I'd tell people - - then quote the proper scripture about the situation. In the earlier days, late 70's most people I butted heads with would submit to the Bible that was spoken.
The last two years of the WC were a whilrwind. This LEAD accident and my injuries defined my life that last year in residence and to a gradually lessening degree each year thereafter.
The whirlwind deposited me back on Staff as a Corps Grad. People told me the 11th was SOO great, lots would say we were their favorite group. (I think WE, the 11th started those rumors --> Shhhhh.... don't tell anybody) It was different, colder, more mechanical. The staff had grown from a few hundred in '78 to "over 800 Way International Staff members, serving in more than 80 distinct, separate ministries."
So what? Who cares about numbers like that? Was my position. In the mid 80's, it became more and more difficult to get anything done as more & more time was spent fighting w/Nazi's than ever. As VPW wound down & LCM ascended the ministry changed more and more. LCM pushed HIS "Athetes of the Spirit" BS right into the center of the ministry. So much fighting. Like, "NO, that's NOT what VPW said, I was there when he said, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH."
That's NOT what the WORD says! You can't treat people that way! That's just stupid. You REALLY think I should leave my children at home & make their MOM care for them while I come listen to a TAPE of a meeting I sat theough LIVE!!!!????
Wouldn't it be BEST for my FAMILY if the wife & children SAW the HEAD of their household at home, WITH them STUDYING, to show himself approved un to GOD a workman....
It was time for me to go. It was time for me to honor my promise to my Mom. I was torn though because if I/WE who had been there, who knew the "heart" (we will grow and change...) leave this thing will go to hell in a handbasket!
One more year, if things don't get better, I'm done. I'd tell myself. I was still rehabbing my LEAD injury also. If I left staff they would certainly cut me off, in terms of continuing to foot the bill. Even though I had taken a settle ment I was told that as long as I needed treatment TWI would make sure I got it.
I stayed there probably two years after it was clear that TWI was never gonn be the ministry I thought it was comitted to. They canned me in '88. Howard Allen said to me during my "exit interview," "You're a talented guy... you should have no trouble finding a job. Why don't you go check out the "Evening Liar" they could probably use a guy with your skills."
He offered his hand. I looked at it, burned a look right through Earl Burton's forehead, pivoted and "WALKED."
That was a Tuesday or Wed., I was told I could work through the end of the pay period on Friday. I packed up my desk & left. People in the dept were shocked when I told them I was fired. They asked why, I said "Ask Howard Allen." HQ was buzzing with early arrivals for corps week/ROA. There was stuff I had on my plate to coordinate for ROA.
As I was leaving with my last box the Dept coordinator/trustee cabinet member said, "will we see you tomorrow?" I wheeled & burned a tatoo of a look into his forhead as well and said, softly,
"Nope."
"Whatta they gonna do? FIRE me????"
I haven't been back in the OSC since. I had a job running the Art Dept at the Evening LEADER in a week, making more money (and potentially even more) than TWI paid my wife & I COMBINED.
They gave my wife no severence at all. Paid me through the end of the pay period two days and gave me $1,000 for severence (less than one pay period's $1,200).
I had "gotten over" on them (I'm thinking they felt) financially. I had just asked for & received a substantial salary increase just prior to the BOT, at CG's urging a mandated 15% across the board pay increase. TWI had a policy then where new Mom's could have maternity leave "as long as they needed" at full salary. My wife at the time told me she was mad at Dean Don for "slipping her the tongue, kissing her too wetly" to be a saintly, "holy kiss." She said, "I aint NEVER going back to work. I'mm gonna stay home & raise my kids. Jasmine was under two at the time.
That "BASTARD!" I just said, "Cool. No sweat off my back. Policy is policy...."
After leaving TWI the STRESS LEVEL IN MY ENTIRE LIFE went down to next to nothing. I didn't realize at the time how much THEIR thinking had taken over my life, even though I was not buying into the crap, fighting against the crap had consumed WAY too much of my life than ANY J-O-B deserves of anybody. It was SO clearly evident, especially when one sees that if you have a job that requires 60 - 80 hours/wk they compensate your lack of personal time with money.
It was at the door of the Evening Leader that I told Shroyer not to waste a stamp sending me the "choose sides" letter. "No. I will NOT take a Corps assignment from Craig. I believe GOD wants me right here where I am. If you guys want to assign me as "Corps Grad New Knoxville" you have my permission to do that. Otherwise, No forget it. I'm not moving anywhere, my CHILDREN live here. I have a life here that is FINE for ME right now."
I told him that IF the trustees were standing with GOD, and Craig was standing with GOD, we were ALREADY standing together... "Uhh No. I'm not signing anything, thank you." (that pesky dignity thing again ;)--> Then I told hime HE could walk, "You're welcome to LEAVE anytime now, I have to get back to work."
I guess I'm, M&A and DFAC . They must have saved the stamps, never got the letters.
Sometime around '97 - '98 I got a letter from TWI's attorney's telling me to "cease and desist from displaying artwork I had created (oh yes I DID say 'create") while on staff. I had done a little "careers" presentation for my daughter's second grade class @ New Knoxville School. Some Wafer kid ran home & told his staff parents, "Guess what Jasmine's Dad showed us at shcool today?" Staff Nazi's told Howard Allen I had showed someof my TWI work as part of my portfolio.
HA sicked this attorney pit bulls on me. The sent a long letter on their legal firm letterhead telling me to cease & desist showing it because the art belonged to TWI. Of course a threat of 'further legal action' was included. I got out MY letterhead, wrote the attorneys back & said that according to the provisions of the copy right act of such & such year, the fact that TWI did NOT do this that & the other thing that are part of the 28 item list of things the US government requires to determine employee status...
I WAS NEVER THEIR EMPLOYEE. I was techincally a SELF employed contractor. As such, according to COPYRIGHT LAW, the USAGE RIGHTS for EVERY piece of work I performed during my ENTIRE tenure there and at ALL of their campus locations, events and other miscellaneous stuff around the WORLD, belong to ME. Seeing as my work was quite prolific and their subsequent use beyond the initial usage was pervasive TWI actually owes ME MONEY for using MY works without MY continued, specific permission.
If you would simply have Howard Allen advise the Way finance dept to immediately cut me a check for (hmmm...supply the pinky to the lip) say, ten THOOOUSand DOOOLLars. I'd be happy not to take "further legal action" against TWI for copyright infringement and HIS FIRM for harrassment.
The attorney wrote me back. He was stupid enough to tell me he was not a copyright attorney but he consulted with one who said my work was "work for Hire" and therfore copyrights belonged to TWI. Still Cease & desist.
I wrote HIM back & said neither he nor his fictional friend knew jack about copyright law, or they were just trying to harass me with threats, etc. I reminded him that his FIRST letter said that my illeged infringement occurred while I was displaying the works at a SCHOOL to STUDENTS, one of which was my daughter. Had he known jack Sh%t about copright law he and his .... poor copyright attorney friend would know that ALL copyrights works are subject to the FAIR USE provision of the law which allows unprohibited use in an EDUCATION setting, which last I knew SECOND grade at a SCHOOL was EDUCATION!!!!
I went on to tell him how this sort of harrasment was par for the course from TWI and suggested he drop them as a client before I and others sue HIM for allowng his firm to be used as a club to beat TWI's ex members.
I don't know if he dropped them but the attorneys for twi on the posted suits were different than those who wrote me.
God has blessed me though the years. Which have seen both good & bad times. Highlighting it has been my Jasmine's zooming through school where she is now, as a senior at NKHS, the most influential student in her school, she's a THREE sport varsity letter winning athlete (volleyball, cheerleading & track). HER list of achievements eclipses mine. She will be delivering a valedictorian address as #1 in her class and will be a freshman at Yale University this coming fall.
My boys are little, second grade (Sean) and kindergarten (Bradley). People say they look like twins. Brad said the other day, "Daaaaaaaddddy? I wawwwnnnt to ggg go to a wealllly good collleeege when I grow up too, Daaddy. Just like Jasmine." Sean's a handfull , I'm trying to convince him to "use your little kid powers for GOOD, and not evil," extremely animated and mischievous, he gets into trouble at school althought he still makes good grades.
Sean, Brad & I are studyin martial arts together and should have our first black test by this time next year.... Boys, don't mess with THEIR sitsers.
And I just got a phone call from my partner saying we (our Ad Agency) just got the contract to produce the largest Easter event in the city.
Honestly. I don't remember speaking to VPW about it at all. I was shipped off to the mountains, then to the farm, then didn't get bak to HQ until spring. The times I saw him & ate meals w/him were in public at the head table, at whatever campus.
Point taken exie....
I didn't speak much about it to anyone actually. Maybe a couple of people all year. I really couldn't I spoke once during a parents weekend about the LEAD session, but never about the accident. Imagine me reading the last half of page one of this thread at LUNCH?
I forgot to add. my LEAD injuries don't deter me much from doing much however I DO have to "manage" my body. Eg. I have to prop my head just right on a pillow everynight to sleep or my neck will stiffen and the pain will wake me. I have to manage my back to make sure stressful days don't cause me to bear down and tighten it up. I keep it loose. Its pretty much a constant thing, all the time as necessary.
You're welcome exie. I'm having an experience behind this whole ting that I don't have words to describe. (Snuffles, drop, plop [the sound of tears falling] is the best explanation I could think of.)
quote:Question. Could it be the fact that I'm a WC Grad and ex HQ staff that colored the way you think I might think of you?
Ah, no. Why should it? I merely pointed out that I spoke to you several times on the board and in a pt and you didn't respond. No harm done, HCW. I'm glad you're here. :D-->
Ok. I have not had time to stay up with this thread in that it is so danged long. Plus, there a number of arguments that I didn't really want to wade through. I read as far as the accident itself, up until the place where the ambulances took people away, but after that, by the time I came back there were a ton more pages here that I didn't have the time to read through. No disrespect intended HCW, but, although I have read snippets here and there, I just couldn't go through reading it all. And so anyway, I have serious question to ax you Howard:
What was it exactly about this accident that induced the suicide of Rochelle Wajnberg? Was it that she was horribly disfigured? Or did she receive damage to her brain which brought about serious depression? Or was it simply that the pain pills prescribed to her were strong enough to use for her possible previous suicidal mindset? My wife knew Rochelle, and she said that Rochelle always seemed depressed, and although the suicide was terribly sad for my wife and her friends, the suicide aspect was not a surprise, although shocking.
I ask this question respectfully. I am sure that you have addressed this somewhere in this thread, so maybe you can simply tell me which page it is on, or, simply answer it "in a nutshell".
How is it that this LEAD expedition and accident brought about her death?
I'm amazed what with your brain and your talents that you would have stayed there in NK! Gosh, you could be highly paid elsewhere. (I'm not saying you're not, please don't misunderstand me, but doesn't one typically make more in a city?)
quote: Highlighting it has been my Jasmine's zooming through school where she is now, as a senior at NKHS, the most influential student in her school, she's a THREE sport varsity letter winning athlete (volleyball, cheerleading & track). HER list of achievements eclipses mine. She will be delivering a valedictorian address as #1 in her class and will be a freshman at Yale University this coming fall.
Imagine if a COUPLE HUNDRED INVITED GSers gathered at NKHS to hear Jasmine's address!!!
Ok, here goes.......a newbie posts! HCW, I joined GS and your LEAD forum was the first thing I happened to open, from the beginning. I felt I was reading an unbelievable novel--but believable, because these were actual people...that I knew and knew of. I had to walk away from the computer a number of times, as many have said also, weeping. I want to thank you for truly baring your soul (and those sharp tennis shoes!). The true account was riveting.
Jasmine is a wonderful young lady. She is friends with my son and she has been to my home, (yes in NK, however I've recently moved to NY) on a few occasions. Congrats on the wonderful daughter you've raised.
Oh...and Waterbuffalo, New Knoxville really is a pretty nice place to live--salaries may be lower, but so is the cost of living!!
a newbie posts !!!!! you rock !!!! what a great handle. welcome. wow big difference NY / NK eh ? but people are the same everywhere in my humble opinion :)-->
Thank you excathedra! Yes...big difference--but you're right, people are the same everywhere, they have hearts and want to be loved....there's just a LOT more cars here!
quote: I'm curious. What was TWI's grounds for your dismissal???
Actually A la, so am I. I was never given a reason, just called into Howard Allen's office & he told me that such and such a day would be my last day on staff.
He said it would do no good to argue because it had already been decided, it didn't matter what I said, they weren't gonna change the decision.
I was pretty hacked off and really didn't care what their reasoning was; they had no good reason. I was clear they just didn't want me around.
They gave me $1,000 in severence, gave my wife nothing, never even informed her she was fired. She wasn't working anyway becase she had decided to take them at their word on the maternity leave policy, which said that mothers could come back to work when they were ready, no specific time frame. They were paid full salary on maternity leave because they figures couple's salaries as one because the family needed what both were paid to cover their needs.
The wife was PO'ed at Don W. she said he had slipped her the tongue and kissed her "way too wetly" ... "That wasn't no greet the brethren with a 'holy kiss." she said, "He was hittin' on me!" I couldn't GET her to come back to work, didn't really try. It was one of those impossible to prove things. She said she wasn't ready to go back to work, I said, "Cool."
Jasmine was about 21 months old when I got the boot. Besides. They may have thought I had "gotten over" on them concerning my salary. I had asked for and received an increase in each of the two prior years. Then part of the POP fallout was that we staff all got a 15% accross the board pay increase. My wife not working, in essence, amounted to a 100% pay increase for me... they weren't getting any production from the $$ allocated to her.
I didn't have any problem with the whole thing. First of all I had been paid significantly less than half what a senior designer in a comparable design studio was getting. They wanted me to produce work that was professionally on par with, or better, than what "the world" produced, yet pay me a fraction of what "the world" paid. I felt it was hypocracy on their part. "God meets our CORPORATE needs as well as personal, right?" was part of my argument.
As a historian of the ministry I knew precisely why the "need based" salary policy was adopted. Policy was that we could ask for raises based on our increasing needs at certain intervals, I honestly assessed my new needs when I, overnight on my wedding day changed from a single guy to husband and father.
Got the raise. We had another baby (Jaz), asked for & got another raise. Then I got the additional 15%. They would give the raise then split it over the two paychecks. I always felt that was shady finances, didn't really know. It sorta benefited me, because I essentially had recieved about a 140% raise in a little over two years. The total amount was "close enough" that I didn't feel like a fool for working for peanuts.
Figuring it that way "I" was making about $28,000/yr at TWI in 1987. That was a decent living in the area at the time. When I got the raise before the 15% Eric K. told me I was among the highest paid staffers "in my category. I said, "Cool."
Maybe that had something to do with it. Whenever folks would talk about not being paid enough, I'd pump 'em up and encourage them to "Do what I did..." without telling how much I was making, that would be uncool.
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HCW
As far as standing up, talking back. People did that a lot, especially after POP. People got "mad as hell, and we're not gonna take it anymore!" Of my personal pet peeves was the whole money thing. T
HAPe4me
I never participated in it, but I always thought it sounded like "Outward Bound", which has been measurably more successful in achieving it's participant's goals.
So_crates
Yes, but then there's the counter teaching: If you obey the MOG, God will bless you. So what do you do when the MOG orders you to act recklessly? Rhetorical question. SoCrates
HCW
Actually waterbuffalo, I stared a response to you that same day, thought I sent it. It must have been flushed away in a reboot. I always have several windows open, as I'm working from home, checking three email accounts, answering the phone, making calls & dealing w/the boya during the course of the day.
Sorry.
Question. Could it be the fact that I'm a WC Grad and ex HQ staff that colored the way you think I might think of you?
If so. Please don't allow anything to cause you to think I mat be ignoring you. It is not in my personality to ignore people, especially those who approach me honestly in a positive manner; as you have. I actually appreciate you & the fact that you went out of you way to introduce yourself.
That being said. For anyone who'd like to get to know me: Briefly
I was born outide Pittsburgh, Pa. That's where I got involved w/TWI at age 15 in early 1975, as a Jr in HS. I was an honor student, a two sport varsity letterman (football & wrestling) at a large western PA, High School. By my Sr. year I was the most influential student (of 1500 grades 10-12) in the school, also involved. leading in student government, winning "ever award under the sun, " etc. My SAT scores placed me among the elite students in the country. I was among the brightest, toughest and best the country had to offer at my age.
My best friend, who I'd known as a brother from childhood got involved w/TWI, unbeknownst to me and told me, "You gotta take this Bible class." (PFAL). I said ,
"Oh no I don't. You need to NOT take it. It costs $85.00! Oh hell no. I'm not giving them a penny."
I got involved w.TWI to get my best friend out way back in 1975. I went to twig to prove they didn't know what they were talking about. The TC's dad had a tape library of every SNS tape there was, even the old reel to reel ones. I listened to them ALL about 5 or six at a time.
I bought into ONE thing that VPW said.
"The Way Ministry is primarily a Biblical, Research, Teaching and Fellowship ministry. We don't have the market cornered on Bible research, we don't know it all. Whenever our continued research unearths truths that show us where we are wrong, we will immediately change our thinking according to God's Word. It's the Word, peo-ple; its the Word. I have no friends when it comes to God's Word."
I could get with that. In all that tape listening, I heard things I felt were not right. Some of the "research" didn't sit well w/ me. So I studied the Bible on my own thinking that these people really wanted to know live and fellowship around the truth. All I've ever wanted, concerning the Bible, is to know what is says, to know it.
I agreed to take PFAL on Oct '75 but refused to go to ROA '75 (the rain Rock) because I didn't trust these people enough to travel to another state with them. I did go to ROA '76 in Sidney and was thoroughly disappointed. The fairgrounds smelled like ANIMALS! There was MUD - - on my SHOES! ... The people were nice so I stuck it out. I hung out mostly w/folks from my twig, cause I really didn't buy into all of the I love you's and God Bless you's. I was like, "...don't kiss me, I don't know WHERE your mouth has been..." Nice firm handshake will suffice, thank you.
Two things there impressed me there @ ROA '76. Gerald Wren's teaching about Jesus Christ and a play they did about in the dinner theatre about the last days of Jesus' life. They depicted Jesus' torture, theatrically in such a vivid way. They used strobe lighting, choreography, music and voice talent as they read from the bible what was happening to Jesus. They did this really cool stage trick where they threw the robe over the Jesus actor, had roman guards "bum-rush"
him and in the confusion the smuggled in another actor with his head in make-up to look like he had been beaten to a bloody pulp, so that you "could not even tell he was a man." The words I had read so many time on the page were living right there in front of my eyes.
I decided then and there standing in the back of that tent, alone, disliking the smell of the straw that covered the floor & bales they had for some seating that I wanted to dedicate my life & talents to serve the Lord Jesus -who went through al of that - -for me. I felt I had found an outlet, a ministry where I could do that; TWI.
I brought that same, "Oh yeah, prove it to me, here's what the Bible says about that attitude" into the WOW program, aprentice corps on staff, then through the WC and back to staff. All the while thinking that we would grow as a family and change our thinking according to God's Word ministry. Needless to say to most of you, you know that kind of attitude brought an endless amount of fighting, bickering and the like. I did have the respect of a good bit of people and respected SOME of the people I'd encountered in the years in the ministry.
I never worshipped VPW, Craig struck me as a wannabe with only a moderate level of talent & ability. I had seen "superstars." I knew what family was, having grown up in an imperfect but extremely loving family. My parents weren't married as I grew up but my Dad always lived at most a few blocks away from us. When Mom moved us two blocks up the stree to where the neighborhood was better, my Dad moved too, right around the corner. I wasn't lacking in stuff like that. In fact, my Mom didn't like my involvement w/ TWI. I told her how I was checking it out and no matter how deeply involved I got in it,
"The first time I find out for sure, for myself, that its really bad, I'll walk." was my promise to my Mom."
The things I knew of that weren't right, I fought to change them. "I know what Dr. said." I'd tell people - - then quote the proper scripture about the situation. In the earlier days, late 70's most people I butted heads with would submit to the Bible that was spoken.
The last two years of the WC were a whilrwind. This LEAD accident and my injuries defined my life that last year in residence and to a gradually lessening degree each year thereafter.
The whirlwind deposited me back on Staff as a Corps Grad. People told me the 11th was SOO great, lots would say we were their favorite group. (I think WE, the 11th started those rumors
--> Shhhhh.... don't tell anybody) It was different, colder, more mechanical. The staff had grown from a few hundred in '78 to "over 800 Way International Staff members, serving in more than 80 distinct, separate ministries."
So what? Who cares about numbers like that? Was my position. In the mid 80's, it became more and more difficult to get anything done as more & more time was spent fighting w/Nazi's than ever. As VPW wound down & LCM ascended the ministry changed more and more. LCM pushed HIS "Athetes of the Spirit" BS right into the center of the ministry. So much fighting. Like, "NO, that's NOT what VPW said, I was there when he said, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH."
That's NOT what the WORD says! You can't treat people that way! That's just stupid. You REALLY think I should leave my children at home & make their MOM care for them while I come listen to a TAPE of a meeting I sat theough LIVE!!!!????
Wouldn't it be BEST for my FAMILY if the wife & children SAW the HEAD of their household at home, WITH them STUDYING, to show himself approved un to GOD a workman....
It was time for me to go. It was time for me to honor my promise to my Mom. I was torn though because if I/WE who had been there, who knew the "heart" (we will grow and change...) leave this thing will go to hell in a handbasket!
One more year, if things don't get better, I'm done. I'd tell myself. I was still rehabbing my LEAD injury also. If I left staff they would certainly cut me off, in terms of continuing to foot the bill. Even though I had taken a settle ment I was told that as long as I needed treatment TWI would make sure I got it.
I stayed there probably two years after it was clear that TWI was never gonn be the ministry I thought it was comitted to. They canned me in '88. Howard Allen said to me during my "exit interview," "You're a talented guy... you should have no trouble finding a job. Why don't you go check out the "Evening Liar" they could probably use a guy with your skills."
He offered his hand. I looked at it, burned a look right through Earl Burton's forehead, pivoted and "WALKED."
That was a Tuesday or Wed., I was told I could work through the end of the pay period on Friday. I packed up my desk & left. People in the dept were shocked when I told them I was fired. They asked why, I said "Ask Howard Allen." HQ was buzzing with early arrivals for corps week/ROA. There was stuff I had on my plate to coordinate for ROA.
As I was leaving with my last box the Dept coordinator/trustee cabinet member said, "will we see you tomorrow?" I wheeled & burned a tatoo of a look into his forhead as well and said, softly,
"Nope."
"Whatta they gonna do? FIRE me????"
I haven't been back in the OSC since. I had a job running the Art Dept at the Evening LEADER in a week, making more money (and potentially even more) than TWI paid my wife & I COMBINED.
They gave my wife no severence at all. Paid me through the end of the pay period two days and gave me $1,000 for severence (less than one pay period's $1,200).
I had "gotten over" on them (I'm thinking they felt) financially. I had just asked for & received a substantial salary increase just prior to the BOT, at CG's urging a mandated 15% across the board pay increase. TWI had a policy then where new Mom's could have maternity leave "as long as they needed" at full salary. My wife at the time told me she was mad at Dean Don for "slipping her the tongue, kissing her too wetly" to be a saintly, "holy kiss." She said, "I aint NEVER going back to work. I'mm gonna stay home & raise my kids. Jasmine was under two at the time.
That "BASTARD!" I just said, "Cool. No sweat off my back. Policy is policy...."
After leaving TWI the STRESS LEVEL IN MY ENTIRE LIFE went down to next to nothing. I didn't realize at the time how much THEIR thinking had taken over my life, even though I was not buying into the crap, fighting against the crap had consumed WAY too much of my life than ANY J-O-B deserves of anybody. It was SO clearly evident, especially when one sees that if you have a job that requires 60 - 80 hours/wk they compensate your lack of personal time with money.
It was at the door of the Evening Leader that I told Shroyer not to waste a stamp sending me the "choose sides" letter. "No. I will NOT take a Corps assignment from Craig. I believe GOD wants me right here where I am. If you guys want to assign me as "Corps Grad New Knoxville" you have my permission to do that. Otherwise, No forget it. I'm not moving anywhere, my CHILDREN live here. I have a life here that is FINE for ME right now."
I told him that IF the trustees were standing with GOD, and Craig was standing with GOD, we were ALREADY standing together... "Uhh No. I'm not signing anything, thank you." (that pesky dignity thing again
;)--> Then I told hime HE could walk, "You're welcome to LEAVE anytime now, I have to get back to work."
I guess I'm, M&A and DFAC . They must have saved the stamps, never got the letters.
Sometime around '97 - '98 I got a letter from TWI's attorney's telling me to "cease and desist from displaying artwork I had created (oh yes I DID say 'create") while on staff. I had done a little "careers" presentation for my daughter's second grade class @ New Knoxville School. Some Wafer kid ran home & told his staff parents, "Guess what Jasmine's Dad showed us at shcool today?" Staff Nazi's told Howard Allen I had showed someof my TWI work as part of my portfolio.
HA sicked this attorney pit bulls on me. The sent a long letter on their legal firm letterhead telling me to cease & desist showing it because the art belonged to TWI. Of course a threat of 'further legal action' was included. I got out MY letterhead, wrote the attorneys back & said that according to the provisions of the copy right act of such & such year, the fact that TWI did NOT do this that & the other thing that are part of the 28 item list of things the US government requires to determine employee status...
I WAS NEVER THEIR EMPLOYEE. I was techincally a SELF employed contractor. As such, according to COPYRIGHT LAW, the USAGE RIGHTS for EVERY piece of work I performed during my ENTIRE tenure there and at ALL of their campus locations, events and other miscellaneous stuff around the WORLD, belong to ME. Seeing as my work was quite prolific and their subsequent use beyond the initial usage was pervasive TWI actually owes ME MONEY for using MY works without MY continued, specific permission.
If you would simply have Howard Allen advise the Way finance dept to immediately cut me a check for (hmmm...supply the pinky to the lip) say, ten THOOOUSand DOOOLLars. I'd be happy not to take "further legal action" against TWI for copyright infringement and HIS FIRM for harrassment.
The attorney wrote me back. He was stupid enough to tell me he was not a copyright attorney but he consulted with one who said my work was "work for Hire" and therfore copyrights belonged to TWI. Still Cease & desist.
I wrote HIM back & said neither he nor his fictional friend knew jack about copyright law, or they were just trying to harass me with threats, etc. I reminded him that his FIRST letter said that my illeged infringement occurred while I was displaying the works at a SCHOOL to STUDENTS, one of which was my daughter. Had he known jack Sh%t about copright law he and his .... poor copyright attorney friend would know that ALL copyrights works are subject to the FAIR USE provision of the law which allows unprohibited use in an EDUCATION setting, which last I knew SECOND grade at a SCHOOL was EDUCATION!!!!
I went on to tell him how this sort of harrasment was par for the course from TWI and suggested he drop them as a client before I and others sue HIM for allowng his firm to be used as a club to beat TWI's ex members.
I don't know if he dropped them but the attorneys for twi on the posted suits were different than those who wrote me.
God has blessed me though the years. Which have seen both good & bad times. Highlighting it has been my Jasmine's zooming through school where she is now, as a senior at NKHS, the most influential student in her school, she's a THREE sport varsity letter winning athlete (volleyball, cheerleading & track). HER list of achievements eclipses mine. She will be delivering a valedictorian address as #1 in her class and will be a freshman at Yale University this coming fall.
My boys are little, second grade (Sean) and kindergarten (Bradley). People say they look like twins. Brad said the other day, "Daaaaaaaddddy? I wawwwnnnt to ggg go to a wealllly good collleeege when I grow up too, Daaddy. Just like Jasmine." Sean's a handfull , I'm trying to convince him to "use your little kid powers for GOOD, and not evil," extremely animated and mischievous, he gets into trouble at school althought he still makes good grades.
Sean, Brad & I are studyin martial arts together and should have our first black test by this time next year.... Boys, don't mess with THEIR sitsers.
And I just got a phone call from my partner saying we (our Ad Agency) just got the contract to produce the largest Easter event in the city.
There. Know me a little better now???
:)--> 
;)-->
I love quiche, BTW, bacon is my fav.
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HCW
Geeze... that was long. long life I guess.
Honestly. I don't remember speaking to VPW about it at all. I was shipped off to the mountains, then to the farm, then didn't get bak to HQ until spring. The times I saw him & ate meals w/him were in public at the head table, at whatever campus.
Point taken exie....
I didn't speak much about it to anyone actually. Maybe a couple of people all year. I really couldn't I spoke once during a parents weekend about the LEAD session, but never about the accident. Imagine me reading the last half of page one of this thread at LUNCH?
I forgot to add. my LEAD injuries don't deter me much from doing much however I DO have to "manage" my body. Eg. I have to prop my head just right on a pillow everynight to sleep or my neck will stiffen and the pain will wake me. I have to manage my back to make sure stressful days don't cause me to bear down and tighten it up. I keep it loose. Its pretty much a constant thing, all the time as necessary.
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washingtonweather
Yepper -- he was at my first PFAL class in Carnegie, PA! I took it in 1975- October
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HCW
washingtonWeather;
I'm really interested in seeing the police report. Accident date was 19 October, 1982.
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HCW
Ok Belle, I probably did do that, what you said.
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HCW
You're welcome exie. I'm having an experience behind this whole ting that I don't have words to describe. (Snuffles, drop, plop [the sound of tears falling] is the best explanation I could think of.)
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A la prochaine
HCW,
I'm curious. What was TWI's grounds for your dismissal???
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waterbuffalo
Ah, no. Why should it? I merely pointed out that I spoke to you several times on the board and in a pt and you didn't respond. No harm done, HCW. I'm glad you're here.
:D-->
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HCW
Just wondering Waterbuffalo.
You're right it shouldn't make any difference. Glad it didn't.
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J0nny Ling0
Ok. I have not had time to stay up with this thread in that it is so danged long. Plus, there a number of arguments that I didn't really want to wade through. I read as far as the accident itself, up until the place where the ambulances took people away, but after that, by the time I came back there were a ton more pages here that I didn't have the time to read through. No disrespect intended HCW, but, although I have read snippets here and there, I just couldn't go through reading it all. And so anyway, I have serious question to ax you Howard:
What was it exactly about this accident that induced the suicide of Rochelle Wajnberg? Was it that she was horribly disfigured? Or did she receive damage to her brain which brought about serious depression? Or was it simply that the pain pills prescribed to her were strong enough to use for her possible previous suicidal mindset? My wife knew Rochelle, and she said that Rochelle always seemed depressed, and although the suicide was terribly sad for my wife and her friends, the suicide aspect was not a surprise, although shocking.
I ask this question respectfully. I am sure that you have addressed this somewhere in this thread, so maybe you can simply tell me which page it is on, or, simply answer it "in a nutshell".
How is it that this LEAD expedition and accident brought about her death?
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Mod Kirk
The story itself is posted in the My Story forum. You can read it here.
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waterbuffalo
HCW,
I'm glad you can sleep most nights ok although it sounds like you still have reprecussions that have to be accommodated.
Gosh, thanks for that story. I'll have to tell you mine, sometime. I never did tell anybody mine while in residence.
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waterbuffalo
HCW,
I'm amazed what with your brain and your talents that you would have stayed there in NK! Gosh, you could be highly paid elsewhere. (I'm not saying you're not, please don't misunderstand me, but doesn't one typically make more in a city?)
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A la prochaine
Waterbuffalo,
HCW lives in Dayton. Daughter goes to school in NK and lives with her mom.
HCW,
I'm curious. What were TWI's grounds for your dismissal???
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skyrider
Imagine if a COUPLE HUNDRED INVITED GSers gathered at NKHS to hear Jasmine's address!!!
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A la prochaine
Forgot something!!
Congrats HCW!!!! You must be sooooooo proud of your Jasmine!!!
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engine
nevermind. not up wit da tread.
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houseisarockin
So you found it in My Story I take it.
If not: here is the thread
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waterbuffalo
Ditto, what Ala said, Howard!!! You must be so proud of her.
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houseisarockin
She would appear to be a chip off the ole block in you. You must be busting with pride. And rightfully so!
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For Real
Ok, here goes.......a newbie posts! HCW, I joined GS and your LEAD forum was the first thing I happened to open, from the beginning. I felt I was reading an unbelievable novel--but believable, because these were actual people...that I knew and knew of. I had to walk away from the computer a number of times, as many have said also, weeping. I want to thank you for truly baring your soul (and those sharp tennis shoes!). The true account was riveting.
Jasmine is a wonderful young lady. She is friends with my son and she has been to my home, (yes in NK, however I've recently moved to NY) on a few occasions. Congrats on the wonderful daughter you've raised.
Oh...and Waterbuffalo, New Knoxville really is a pretty nice place to live--salaries may be lower, but so is the cost of living!!
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excathedra
a newbie posts !!!!! you rock !!!! what a great handle. welcome. wow big difference NY / NK eh ? but people are the same everywhere in my humble opinion
:)-->
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For Real
Thank you excathedra! Yes...big difference--but you're right, people are the same everywhere, they have hearts and want to be loved....there's just a LOT more cars here!
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HCW
Actually A la, so am I. I was never given a reason, just called into Howard Allen's office & he told me that such and such a day would be my last day on staff.
He said it would do no good to argue because it had already been decided, it didn't matter what I said, they weren't gonna change the decision.
I was pretty hacked off and really didn't care what their reasoning was; they had no good reason. I was clear they just didn't want me around.
They gave me $1,000 in severence, gave my wife nothing, never even informed her she was fired. She wasn't working anyway becase she had decided to take them at their word on the maternity leave policy, which said that mothers could come back to work when they were ready, no specific time frame. They were paid full salary on maternity leave because they figures couple's salaries as one because the family needed what both were paid to cover their needs.
The wife was PO'ed at Don W. she said he had slipped her the tongue and kissed her "way too wetly" ... "That wasn't no greet the brethren with a 'holy kiss." she said, "He was hittin' on me!" I couldn't GET her to come back to work, didn't really try. It was one of those impossible to prove things. She said she wasn't ready to go back to work, I said, "Cool."
Jasmine was about 21 months old when I got the boot. Besides. They may have thought I had "gotten over" on them concerning my salary. I had asked for and received an increase in each of the two prior years. Then part of the POP fallout was that we staff all got a 15% accross the board pay increase. My wife not working, in essence, amounted to a 100% pay increase for me... they weren't getting any production from the $$ allocated to her.
I didn't have any problem with the whole thing. First of all I had been paid significantly less than half what a senior designer in a comparable design studio was getting. They wanted me to produce work that was professionally on par with, or better, than what "the world" produced, yet pay me a fraction of what "the world" paid. I felt it was hypocracy on their part. "God meets our CORPORATE needs as well as personal, right?" was part of my argument.
As a historian of the ministry I knew precisely why the "need based" salary policy was adopted. Policy was that we could ask for raises based on our increasing needs at certain intervals, I honestly assessed my new needs when I, overnight on my wedding day changed from a single guy to husband and father.
Got the raise. We had another baby (Jaz), asked for & got another raise. Then I got the additional 15%. They would give the raise then split it over the two paychecks. I always felt that was shady finances, didn't really know. It sorta benefited me, because I essentially had recieved about a 140% raise in a little over two years. The total amount was "close enough" that I didn't feel like a fool for working for peanuts.
Figuring it that way "I" was making about $28,000/yr at TWI in 1987. That was a decent living in the area at the time. When I got the raise before the 15% Eric K. told me I was among the highest paid staffers "in my category. I said, "Cool."
Maybe that had something to do with it. Whenever folks would talk about not being paid enough, I'd pump 'em up and encourage them to "Do what I did..." without telling how much I was making, that would be uncool.
Maybe THAT had something to do with it?
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