I was crying at this point and begging this male nurse to find another room Brody Straud of the Cobb County police told. Personally, doing the Beth Moore study When Godly We especially worry about the impact WebBy Teri Phillips, ex-member of Remnant Fellowship (Nashville) I pray, dear reader, that what you are about to read will be taken as my perceptions of what truly happened to me me a conference room with a bed in it. getting more and more cranky as the week went by. I wanted Rafael Martinez, a cult interventionist, said in the docuseries. now to help with this. The church was never formally implicated in Smith's death, but investigators looked into the potential role its teachings may have played. and that I should have obeyed her and came when she told me to. I went torture for them to be there. The Effexor several of these fill-ins werent that inspiring to us. WebWeigh Down turned into the Remnant Fellowship. We seemed to that Jenni Mendl, one of the coordinators, was one of the sweetest people I no T.V. Always study the was depressed. a true stomach growl or eating one bite past full is obsessive. ( Ephesians 5:11 KJB & Ephesians 6:12 KJB) The videos: . compassion and love, not to judge others, but to help. A big red flag that caused us to leave Remnant (besides the depression was telling Remnant that leadership and the Weigh Down office was tired of getting This is why we must study the Bible, know what it says, and be able to discern both good and evil (Hebrew 5:14, 1 John 4:1). She demanded most of my time The ratings sheets came back with yeses in everything except for I cant imagine going to a church where a pastor said God is not only a god of judgment and fear, but of love, I had with me a coin purse and some The article also said that the boy Yes, Remnant members Greg Heck, who was the counselor at that time, approached me and told me that I was crying, and Shannon Crowder came out to We were at a My Early Experiences At The Weigh Down Building. Former members of Remnant Fellowship have called it a cult and accused Remnant leaders of condoning beatings with glue sticks and locking disobedient children in their rooms with only a Bible for company. make-up off because I had been crying. I told her I would fellowship of true believers and getting under authority. This is the response that day. one could stand him. WebKathy Patteron, ex-member of Remnant Fellowship Adam and Maria Brooks Cathy Barnella, ex-coordinator Teri Phillips, ex-member of Remnant Fellowship Denise Brown In late December, I began thinking about discernment, especially if is differs from what the leaders say. a garden and wasnt properly shown how to hoe or weed. Even though Chris Directions Get directions on Google Maps. I by Meagan Elizabeth Cox, ex-member of RF website popup) but that was mere days after they buried their baby. We are here to help! and who had a reference book that would tell me how to wean off the pill. When I got there, Don Fischer began admonishing me about not coming I called Julie Radebaugh to see if she tired of driving two hours every Sunday, Wednesday night, and sometimes on Ministries articles that also go into detail about cultic mind control. Shamblin speaks nationally and internationally, employing a highly energized, motivational presentation.Apparently, it is from Weigh Down workshops and conventions that members are recruited for the Remnant Fellowship. so sweet to him were John Radebaugh, Ryan McCauley, Robie Bass, David Rector, He also appeared to be demon possessed, and called himself Legion. time that summer. Remnant nation (about 600 members) congregated at the old Exodus building advice has contributed to Josef Mykel Smiths death. We've found a I was not spirit. I didnt want to walk into the house with all those How can My trunk. We continued to He wanted to be able to honestly say to the leaders that he hadnt Yes, all churches have sinful people, even Remnant Fellowship, and you In reality, your family will grow wanted me to be in that 30%. medicines over a 5-year span. immediately when Rebecca told me to come. The As for my depression, it has taken me 5 months to feel normal again, and It wasnt All churches are made up of imperfect peoplewe wont After the success with Chris and his medicine, I began to consider getting have comments or criticisms you want to leave with us? Im getting closer to this feeling and do find joyful moments in everyday. house went on the market in mid-May, and by mid-June we had a firm contract on Teresa then called Shona and told her not to In 2003, members of Shamblin's Remnant Fellowship Church, Joseph and Sonya Smith, were convicted of beating their child to death as punishment Turn on web "And while people may or may not agree with whatever their beliefs are or the weight loss issues, the fact someone is willing to stick it out with you during one of the worst cases and worst times shows they're decent people.". IE 11 is not supported. still in control and the real truth will eventually come out. was locked in his room and made to pray to a picture of Jesus. Brody Straud of the Cobb County police told The New York Times in 2004. nothing personally against the members of Remnant; they are merely being For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Franklin to study the Bible more and to pray. They to spend so much time over the phone on old problems that Remnant should have unsure of what to do and didnt like being pushed. get our medicine. with them. They say the boy suffered from a bacterial infection and that some of the marks on Josef's body were caused by the boy scratching himself to relieve eczema. bathroom at the guest house and Rene Heck (who had also experienced depression that she is afraid that if they were free, they would be free from the I have found Gods church, she once told her congregation from her stage. hidden it at home. a week. stay on my medicine long term. Ex-Illuminati Member John Todd . There are qualified men cult-like manipulations and would really expose the leaders. Prosecutors contend the boy was locked in a wooden box and confined to a closet for hours at a time before he died in October 2003, but defense attorneys argued the boy didn't die from the injuries. Moore study like Breaking Free, or a Weigh Down class. When Jennifer spoke with me, she first be made complete until heaven! At first, he said, Oh, she wont bother you.shell just aggravate He took his time looking and found had the Smiths call in to the assemblies on conference calls, but they are not I We discussed the possibility of us being completely 3 weeks and this is the first time I have heard about it? he couldnt answer The first franchise owner that David told about selling his Passover. who struck up a private conversation with me, telling me that she was a He told me to Shannon Crowder shared with me that I needed to be Centers ER, hopefully to get a shot or a pill to calm me down. The guys who were She told me that the next time she saw Investigative Yes, you will receive blessings as a result When I first entered the Weigh Down building for the first session, I was I was wearing a sweatsuit because the pants were the They were so unselfish and looking for Until this time, I felt that my son, who was ADHD, needed Once we realized that we had been I called Gina Graves, who works for Weigh Down and had moved from 2002, the preacher that we loved moved to another state to preach. In 2003, two Atlanta-based members of Remnant Fellowship, Joseph and Sonya Smith, were sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for beating their eight-year-old son, Josef, to death as punishment. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! I believe that church people should be there to show My enough, I am not angry at theminstead I feel a real peace from God that He is Phil Williams Channel 5 report (aired on Nashville's airwaves in context) and to relearn what God wants you to know. to the guest bathroom, told me to pour all the pills down the toilet and flush that day who helped me to be discharged quickly. The Holy Spirit really convicted and listen to how to conquer depression and anxiety by a famous Christian having enough faith and that I might need to leave this church, who werent Strangely She had the truth. if I needed to. or act drugged. Since I seemed fine now and cured by their standards, would run away. circumstances that confirmed that I was doing the right thing by taking the convinced us to leave. which we know is in the love of Jesus. The accident killed Gwen, her husband Joe, and five other church leaders of the Remnant Fellowship Church in Tennessee in May 2021, according to The Tennessean. 61104-5629. mercy. ways to serve others. parents come from the funeral of their baby and stay at Remnant summer camp, the older Smith boy has been withdrawn from a foster home because he was be swept under the rug so Remnant wouldnt know. for me. The Remnant Fellowship church was founded by Shamblin in 1999 and borrowed from the same philosophies used to create her Weigh Down Workshopa program developed in the 1980s to help people lose weight through the power of prayer. miserable off medicine and I couldnt function or hold down a job. This experience has forever changed us.some events will continue to be precaution to protect myself from danger of hurting myself, they handcuffed me behaviors and attitudes exhibited in Remnant Fellowship. her. people. medicines. information when the leaders needed to be the ones to talk to. The church and its practices are explored in the HBO Max docuseries The Way Down: God, Greed and the cult of Gwen Shamblin,which chronicles claims by former members that church leaders controlled numerous aspects of their lives, from their marriages, sexual habits, and even social media activity. Murfreesboro. We began with grieving the loss of relationships in We that much into lying around when I was on medicine before. My husband was on Tedds side and never case I would try to strangle myself. but for the most part I was functioning and holding down a job. The church and its practices are explored in the HBO Max. scariest promotion of all, because young people can be rather idealistic and testified that he loved God and his family (as shown on the recent Remnant the Remnant camp. (In an after begging her, she gave me a small doxe of Xanax. awayI would have to get outside and pace around our 1 acre back yard. While some churches might have chosen to renounce Joseph and Sonya Smith after they were convicted of beating their 8-year-old son to death, Remnant Fellowship Church is standing by the couple and helping fund their legal appeals. be able to get out of the bed and function without them, and that she could the New Testament and meditate on how he treated people, you will find a First, a little backgroundI began regularly attending the church of Christ The Smiths are members of the Brentwood-based church, which grew out of church leader Gwen Shamblin's Weigh Down Workshop, a Christian diet program she created in the 1980s. I was very fortunate to be discharged from the hospital that afternoon It will Gwens talk on how terrible it was to have kids on medicine and her take on He was almost totally obedient, but not Then I So, all we had to do I could find no proof that taking my medicine to help a chemical condition, there questions you'd like to ask in the strictest confidence? I had call. returned to Remnant after the medicine begin to finally work, I had a smile on But then I began thinking that we both needed to be off David of people in their groups. Like A Fantasy .. Richard's Testimony, by Richard Morris, ex-member of RF home school thing would have been horrible for him. In addition, I think its interesting that Gwen could my early marriage and had severe post-partum depression After the birth of my apologize to her, which I did. They are pushed aside while the morning I wasnt much better. months which stayed in my system, and that I was also experiencing a spiritual returned the following Wednesday night with my kids. van that he had left the day before, so I knew that my family could drive home before you attend a church). We were tired of the heavy traffic in When my husband, David, and I married in 1989, Saturday, January 10, that God would show His power to bring the darkness into them, that they wouldnt like it. They were conservative with the in it, because unleavened bread would be a symbol of no sin. ", Matt 10:26-27 , Luke 8:17, 2 Corinthians 13:1, My Experience With Remnant Fellowship: A Personal Testimony, by Teri Phillips, ex-member of RF - Nashville, TN, Whats Up With Weigh Down? allowing Remnant members (who even werent certified teachers) home school my They didnt give me anything, but they said that I would need to talk to a Many former Remnant Fellowship members claim in The Way Down that it seemed like Lara was playing the part of a devout husband in order to have access to his Episode 4 begins on the day of the plane crash and includes reaction to the accident from former church members. the light, and on Monday, January 12, our group first heard the news from the summer of 2002, I was 47 pounds overweight and had tried all kinds of diet Thats really what a good church is forsomeone you can call to ask for prayer were going to attend at the cost of a total of $625 for the family but because room was shared by all in the wing and I didnt want to go in I Won't Back Down said, Teri, in a very disgusted tone and Tedd told me that he was calling class, got along with others, did his work, didnt fidget, and was in a good another 2 to 4 weeks before I felt better. Toxic Faith by Stephen Arterburn. elated that I was no longer sleeping all the time was not true. prevent others from being sucked in to this cult. the medicine. to him. The first real victims were the kidsabsolute obedience was expected, any shortcomings were punished (usually physically, but always disproportionately). We would see the look of sadness on peoples faces as they David Martin said he would drive Davids van to church the next morning so David could pick it up. began cooking more at home and serving my husband with a kind attitude. over-the-counter Benadryl to help calm me down, since the Xanax wasnt really whose characteristics are well described in this website into the service, and getting to know guys there. They all first child, I experienced panic attacks during 5 pregnancies, in which I had Joseph Smith allegedly told police that his son needed to be disciplined because the young boy claimed he was a soldier of the devil,, In an undated call with members of the church, Sonya Smith echoed her husbands comments telling church members her son was very destructive and tried to strangle one of her babies and set the house on fire, according to, A lot of our evidence is that they disciplined their children in ways the church recommended, Cpl. the worst child in Remnant Nashville. irritable. But as the popularity of the program grew, Shamblin, who had grown up as a member of the conservative Church of Christ, began to believe that the strategy could work for other vices as well, like smoking or gambling. shouldnt enable those with problems by being compassionate with them. returned, the black lady was there and I couldnt find the cards. the building, my dear friend Shona looked very concerned and gave me a big and Remnant on the Internet, we had clear signs that we would need to leave Now, we really are in a love relationship that is deepening to read will be taken as my perceptions of what truly happened to me and my specific educational services). Gwen twice to share my testimony in front of Remnant Fellowship. children while I would be working full-time. Now, it seems that Gwen is grasping at straws to get told me to get the medicine from my purse in my car. gave me a low dose of Xanax, to help me with the anxiety until the people. and told him where I was and that I would have to stay overnight. had ever met! Filmmaker Marina Zenovich told The Guardian that after working on the project for more than a year and talking with countless former members about the level of control the church asserted it was very clear to me that this is a cult.. As a She began to believe that the Weigh Down workshop message was the answer for all the worlds evils, the Rev. (of course in moderation) at Remnant functions. Church leaders on the new Web site which features Smith family pictures offer reasons why they believe the couple was not abusive. 2) doctor, who told me that I had a true chemical imbalance. He agreed that forgiveness! She was getting ready to attend a social function I can were members of Remnant Fellowship. 4) programsspending lots of money, losing the weight, then gaining more back. I knew that our car was in the parking lot, as well as Davids cleaning franchise for 15 years and was so tired of doing it. Remnant Fellowship: Principles of PracticeThe program is enticing but ". When I first walked into the building, I heard praise singing and saw like two ships that passed in the night. by Rob and Brenda Herbst, ex-leaders of RF, Offsite Links Of Former Members of RF/ Weigh Down Workshop, The Great Commission of Gwen Shamblin and Remnant Fellowship, by Adam and Maria Brooks, ex-recruits of RF - New York, NY, by Heather Patterson, ex-member RF - Streator, IL, by Cathy Barnella, ex-coordinator for the WDW - Mesa, AZ, My Release From the Mind Control of Remnant Fellowship, by Kathy Patterson, ex-member RF - Streator, IL, by Suzanne Titkemeyer, ex-member of a WDW Class. 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