Household of faith pastor bob joyce

Is the loss of modesty among Christians a telltale sign of end times apostasy?

2023.03.25 01:21 AlbaneseGummies327 Is the loss of modesty among Christians a telltale sign of end times apostasy?

For the last 2,000 years of church history from the 1st century all the way up to about the 1950's, faithful Christian women wore modest long dresses and head coverings during worship and prayer in churches. This was the standard in all denominations. Men were always at the head of the church (priest, pastor, etc).
Cultural modesty among Western Christians in particular has quickly disappeared by the turn of the 21st century in parallel to the rise of American secular entertainment media and pop culture.
Has modern secularism destroyed the humble modesty that once separated Christians from the rest of the pagan world?
submitted by AlbaneseGummies327 to Christianity [link] [comments]


2023.03.25 01:19 P0IK Wanted to share a little dose of my photoshop catharsis regarding the recent toe-healing news story since John Lindell was my high school pastor back in the mid 2000s. Left the AG church in 2007 and I can't believe they have moved so far into the faith-healing territory. So greasy.

Wanted to share a little dose of my photoshop catharsis regarding the recent toe-healing news story since John Lindell was my high school pastor back in the mid 2000s. Left the AG church in 2007 and I can't believe they have moved so far into the faith-healing territory. So greasy. submitted by P0IK to Exvangelical [link] [comments]


2023.03.25 01:06 AlbaneseGummies327 Is the recent loss of modesty among Christians a telltale sign of end times apostasy?

For the last 2,000 years of church history from the 1st century all the way up to about the 1950's, faithful Christian women wore modest long dresses and head coverings during worship and prayer in churches. This was the standard in all denominations. Men were always at the head of the church (priest, pastor, etc).
Cultural modesty among Western Christians in particular has quickly disappeared by the turn of the 21st century in parallel to the rise of American secular entertainment media and pop culture.
Has modern secularism destroyed the humble modesty that once separated Christians from the rest of the pagan world?
submitted by AlbaneseGummies327 to TrueChristian [link] [comments]


2023.03.25 00:42 Cantardecantares Azalia, Azalia, where are you? #1

When he started the criminal case against Naason and his co-defendants, I realized a curious fact. People realized who Naason really was, an evil man who abused his power to hurt millions with faith, and specifically the girls and boys of his congregation, and that seemed like a good step towards justice. But even though I saw that, there was something that didn't seem to me, they painted Alondra Ocampo as the biggest villain. They had her as a cruel person who hurt people for pleasure and who also abused her power, but she had no power. The acts he committed were under the orders of Naason, and in his time under the orders of Samuel. In the news she is painted as Naason's main assistant who brought him girls, and the truth is that she was not the main one, she was really just the housekeeper from East Los Angeles, one of the bunch, she was at an even lower level than Susana Oaxaca. Alondra sometimes didn't even address Naason directly; it was her turn to report to someone higher up than her. Alondra did not have the glory or power that people think she had, that makes me laugh, if you really believe that, then let me tell you a name:
Azalia Rangel Garcia
Those of us who grew up and lived in the Hermosa Province saw how Azalia Rangel García turned into the pimp . And make no mistake, it is not Azalia Rangel Meléndez, as some media have reported for information given to them by a person who knows nothing, and only fabricates "facts". The legal name is Azalia Rangel Garcia who was born on August 13, 1978.
Azalia de Torreon grew up, like most of us, in a home indoctrinated by the teachings of the Light of the world. The strange thing was that her mother enrolled her in a Catholic school, according to her, so that she would be familiar with the catechism to be able to "defend" the lldm doctrine. In her adolescence, she experienced the traumatic farewell of her mother, who, as they say, died after choking on a piece of bread while studying for a 9am prayer. Her younger sister, Maria José, was the one who found her. They say her mother was a saint — what would she think of you, Azalia, if she knew everything you've done and what you've become? — As the older sister, she had to mature from that young age, now she was going to have to help take care of her little siblings, but the good thing is that she was not left alone, they were not left alone. At that time, Leonardo Baltazar, who became a godfather for Azalia, was a minister in the Torreon church. Leonardo and Dolores (Lola) , his wife, took care of the children of the Rangel Garcia home, there was great appreciation for them and they practically lived in the pastoral house. It didn't take long for Azalia's home to soon have a mother again, when her father, Javier Rangel, fell in love with María José's elementary school teacher, Ms. Rocio.
This is how Azalia grew up, and she decided to study law, she wanted to be a lawyer, she moved to Mexico City to study and while she was there, she stayed at the house of some brothers and was considered a "missionary" although because of her studying, she did not go frequently to church. Between the time she was studying and when she graduated, she met Naason, whom she began to help with APEM (Association of Professionals and Entrepreneurs of Mexico) plans. She became Naason's main personal assistant and in turn began a romance with him. As the romance became a little more notorious, in order to cover her affair, Azalia had to get married, and she ended up marrying Gadiel Meléndez Arroyo, a "young man" from Mexico City who had gone to study in England at the University of Cambridge (as one of his aunts boasted about). Gadiel already had a reputation not worthy of a believer because it was said that he had a boyfriend back on British soil. Gadiel's family has money, a lot of money. They are owners of bakeries in CDMX, who actually did not become rich because of the bread but because there was a shortage of sugar and luckily they were the only ones who had the product available and with that they made their millions possible. In the end he was the ideal candidate, and in order to cover his frowned upon homosexual tendencies, the marriage agreement with Azalea was reached.
Of course, the marriage between Azalia and Gadiel did not mean that her affair with Naason ended. She continued and she was still Naason's principal assistant. In the northern jurisdiction building, when it was still that ugly orange building, and when the Berea USA facilities were there, nobody, NOBODY came to Naason without first going through Azalia. Sometimes he would lock himself in the office “alone” for hours and tell Azalia not to let anyone in, not even his very own wife Alma. And it also happened that Pastor Naason locked himself in the office with Azalia to…. Well, you know, to "read the holy scriptures" ha.
In December 2014, when Naason ascended to the throne, the first assistant of the Apostle Njg was nothing more and nothing less than Azalia Rangel García. What a scandal because she was married, "how was she going to serve the SOG?" was gossiped about about. But as Naason said "I am the only one in charge here", well he did what a SOG had not done before, he had a married woman as his personal assistant, who alternated months with Naason and for about two weeks returned with her husband from from time to time, to try to "hide” their affair. And yes, then Oyuki, Becky, Susie, Sibia, Azalia's sisters, etc... came in, but none of them could take Azalia's place of power.
And look, before you say "she was a victim too", no, don't come to me with that shit. The others were victims because they were deceived by faith, even Alondra, but not Azalia. Azalia was not like the others, she was and still is Naason's right hand. Naason did not abuse her, she loved him just as he loved her. If there was someone Naason listened to and someone who gave Naason advice, yes, literally gave him advice, it was Azalia. Azalia recruited Naason's closest victims and if there was a girl Azalia didn't like, she had the power to get rid of her, to take away "her blessings". The most filthy and aberrant things that Naason did were with Azalia and with Azalia's help. Naason's darkest secrets are known by Azalia.
submitted by Cantardecantares to ExposingLLDM [link] [comments]


2023.03.24 22:53 elosoblancobjj How would you respond?

This is in reference to a question I posed during a Protestant hot seat session:
Q: Jesus established a chain through Peter which has continued to this day through the popes - How come we are OK being separated from that line? How do other church justify breaking from this line?
A: The bible passage you’re referring to is found in Matthew 16:13-19:
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
As you point out, Roman Catholics interpret this passage as Jesus establishing the papacy starting with Peter. But that’s definitely not the only way to understand the text. Reading the passage we see that Jesus was drawing out the disciples personal faith stance. He started out with a leading question - “who do others say I am?” - followed by a defining question - “who do you say I am?” Jesus had chosen and called these very disciples. And though they knew Jesus was somebody special, their understanding of Jesus as Messiah was a progressive journey. And so here’s a critical turning point where Jesus asks them (not just Peter) - are you like others still in the “Jesus is a special person” category or have you come to a deeper conclusion about me? Note that Jesus didn’t force the issue, he just asked - “who do you say I am?”
Peter was first out of the gate to answer, but that’s not to say that he’s the only one who had a light bulb moment with respect to Jesus. Jesus rejoiced that he/they had finally understood, and then asserted that on the profession of Peter’s faith he would build his church.
One of the very simple ways to understand Jesus’ declaration regarding Peter is that he would build his church through those who, like Peter, recognized Jesus to be more than just a prophet, but to be the Messiah. Peter and the rest of the disciples (less Judas) would be instrumental in the launch of the church. Think of them as some of the original pioneers, but not as popes. In fact this is exactly what we find in scripture. In Ephesians 2:20-19 we read Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. Jesus is the cornerstone and all the apostles are equal. If anything, Jesus fulfils the role of pope.
A few more things to note: Jesus did build his church through those who professed him as Messiah. This is what happened on the day of Pentecost when the church was born (cf Acts 2). And yes, Peter was a key spokesperson that day, but not the only one to be indwelt by the Spirit, and to speak in foreign languages. Later when God used persecution to scatter the church (cf Acts 8ff), it is everyday believers that the Spirit used to build the church. They preached the gospel in the very locations that they sought refuge. This is how the gospel and the church started going global. Jesus never said “Peter you will be the first pope.” In fact there is no mention of any pope or papal office in scripture. This is significant because it tells us that those present that day didn’t understand Jesus to be anointing Peter as pope or to instituting the papacy. That only happened years later, arguably some 400 years later when Christianity became the dominant religion of Rome. Catholics will obviously disagree with this point as they trace the papacy back to Peter. But historically speaking, the early church wasn’t structured by anything resembling the papacy of today. Elders were established in local churches (cf Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5). And not by succession or birth right but by virtue of their faith in Jesus and character. If there was ever meant to be a pope it should have been the apostle Paul. He was called by Jesus, established as an apostle to the Gentiles (think church planter extraordinaire), and wrote 12 books of the New Testament to Peter’s 2. He travelled further abroad than Peter, planted more churches, and wrote more to build churches up in our most holy faith. Note that Paul also confronted Peter (cf Galatians 2:11ff). After his resurrection and prior to his ascension Jesus commissioned his followers to go make disciples and to grow his kingdom (aka build his church). We find these commissions in both Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:7-8. Jesus always commissioned his followers as a whole. No special mention is made of Peter. That’s not to say that Peter was unimportant. It just points to the fact that Peter wasn’t a pope to which Jesus passed on his baton. This is consistent with the ways of Jesus, and teaching of the New Testament. The whole notion of a papal hierarchy with succession is actually very un-Jesus and un-New Testament like.
All this to say that Peter was instrumental in God’s plan to build his church. But not as pope, nor was he alone. What we see in the New Testament is the Spirit of God using people who like Peter confessed Jesus as the promised Messiah to build his church. So really, we “haven’t separated ourselves from that line,” we simply don’t see Jesus ever having established the papacy. Hope this helps, lots more could be said but I’m trying to keep things short (ish).
submitted by elosoblancobjj to DebateACatholic [link] [comments]


2023.03.24 22:22 pa_agape_love Cried in public last night while meeting with a woman from my old church. She told me the devil was deceiving me and that it was people not God that had hurt me.

Essentially I worked at a church for 8 months as a youth pastor, and what I experienced caused me to start questioning everything. I’ve deconstructed my faith. I was previously what I would call a progressive christian that had been “discipled” at a fundamentalist church, thought God was calling me into ministry, stepped into ministry, had my fire for the Lord snuffed out by what I saw behind the scenes and experienced.
Essentially last night I told this woman a bit of my story and then she told me I should start praying, reading my Bible, and listening to worship music again, because she just couldn’t believe that I still wasn’t the same Bible beating, evangelist I used to be. I told her crying that I didn’t understand why God would have called me to such a horrible shit storm. And she said we don’t know but maybe it’s for His glory. And as I cried and listened to her I was aware of how crazy all this things I used to think sounded as they came out of her mouth, and how I was acutely aware that she has a cult mindset, like I used to, and how’s there’s a good chance she will probably never “wake up” from the toxicity that is American Evangelicalism. And so for me, for her, for the death of the person I was, and for what happened to me while I worked at the church — I cried. I bawled. At an upscale sushi restaurant. And wiped my mascara stained face all over their nice fabric napkins. Because the tears wouldn’t stop coming.
I don’t hate her. I think I more feel sad for her. I feel sad for the person I was and don’t think I’ll ever be again. Sad for the fact that she thought what she was saying was helping.
Today I’ve been listening to people’s “deconstruction” playlists on Spotify, and just got this text from her:
———— “I read this today and felt led to share it with you:
“Before you were led astray, you were so faithful to Messiah. Why have you now turned away from what is right and true? Who has deceived you? The One who enfolded you into his grace is not behind this false teaching that you’ve embraced. Not at all! Don’t you know that when you allow even a little lie into your heart, it can permeate your entire belief system? Deep in my heart I have faith that the Lord Jesus the Anointed One, who lives in you, will bring you back around to the truth. And I’m convinced that those who agitate you, whoever they think they are, will be brought under God’s judgment!” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭TPT‬‬
Jesus loves you so much and so do I!! ————
I know she thinks this was loving but man, it’s crazy how self righteous this seems now being on the other side of deconstructing. She told me she’d love to get dinner with me again and that I can call her anytime and ask her what she thinks about things as I work through them. I don’t think I want to meet with her again.
submitted by pa_agape_love to exchristian [link] [comments]


2023.03.24 22:15 pa_agape_love Cried in public last night while meeting with a woman from my old church. She told me the devil was deceiving me and that it was people not God that had hurt me.

Essentially I worked at a church for 8 months as a youth pastor, and what I experienced caused me to start questioning everything. I’ve deconstructed my faith. I was previously what I would call a progressive christian that had been “discipled” at a fundamentalist church, thought God was calling me into ministry, stepped into ministry, had my fire for the Lord snuffed out by what I saw behind the scenes and experienced.
Essentially last night I told this woman a bit of my story and then she told me I should start praying, reading my Bible, and listening to worship music again, because she just couldn’t believe that I still wasn’t the same Bible beating, evangelist I used to be. I told her crying that I didn’t understand why God would have called me to such a horrible shit storm. And she said we don’t know but maybe it’s for His glory. And as I cried and listened to her I was aware of how crazy all this things I used to think sounded as they came out of her mouth, and how I was acutely aware that she has a cult mindset, like I used to, and how’s there’s a good chance she will probably never “wake up” from the toxicity that is American Evangelicalism. And so for me, for her, for the death of the person I was, and for what happened to me while I worked at the church — I cried. I bawled. At an upscale sushi restaurant. And wiped my mascara stained face all over their nice fabric napkins. Because the tears wouldn’t stop coming.
I don’t hate her. I think I more feel sad for her. I feel sad for the person I was and don’t think I’ll ever be again. Sad for the fact that she thought what she was saying was helping.
Today I’ve been listening to people’s “deconstruction” playlists on Spotify, and just got this text from her:
———— “I read this today and felt led to share it with you:
“Before you were led astray, you were so faithful to Messiah. Why have you now turned away from what is right and true? Who has deceived you? The One who enfolded you into his grace is not behind this false teaching that you’ve embraced. Not at all! Don’t you know that when you allow even a little lie into your heart, it can permeate your entire belief system? Deep in my heart I have faith that the Lord Jesus the Anointed One, who lives in you, will bring you back around to the truth. And I’m convinced that those who agitate you, whoever they think they are, will be brought under God’s judgment!” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭TPT‬‬
Jesus loves you so much and so do I!! ————
I was just incredibly triggered by this entire experience.
submitted by pa_agape_love to Exvangelical [link] [comments]


2023.03.24 21:57 NaturalDay9517 YMCA Camp Duncan/ Camp Independence from Chicago Illinois

After seven years of treatment for my mental health, I've decided to post this publicly, hoping that history will not repeat itself with other trainees or camp counselors. I'm trying this again before another victim attempts to take their own life, and I pray that this post will reach as many as victims silenced by that camp management.
Believe it or not, I and others tried to shed light on what it's exposed here, but in the end, we were betrayed by VPs, Directors, and Counselors from Camp Duncan/Independence and MacLean. Incidents and reports of harassment are 'investigated' locally, and we are told that Y Human Resources has covered up for them for decades. When some of the staff did due diligence and detected wrongdoings, they were blackmailed, and 99% quit those camps in fear for their careers. They have a pattern of swiping severe issues under the rug and using their power to oppress innocents.
Background
  1. I'm from London; my parents have worked and breathed YMCA since childhood. In 2008, I decided to travel to the US through the Y and wanted the experience of living in a summer camp. It's a dream for most people born in the 90s, raised watching American movies, and in love with America.
  2. The camps I've mentioned are famous for mainly hiring foreigners. Initially, it was all fun, and despite the expected issues, I thought I had a great summer ahead. After a month, a boy from Ukraine left camp accused of ch*ld p*rn. The young boy barely spoke English. He was placed inside the VP's office and almost forced to confess. Everybody watched him cry and beg for mercy; he kept saying, 'I take care of my little sisters; I’m not like this.’ The local staff told him that NOBODY would believe him and that things were resolved internally; they showed him a fake search history that was allegedly done online; when he said he would turn himself into the police and prove his innocence, they took him to Chicago downtown, paid for a cheap hotel overnight—the next day sent him back home. Everybody later realized the accuser did that because she was in love with a counselor dating the Ukrainian boy kicked out of camp. Our supervisor told us never to talk about that incident, or we’ll be sent home just like him or worse. That raised a red flag for the rest of us and the beginning of our nightmares.
  3. They would advertise gala/fundraisers, and at first, we were so moved by the initiative. The organizers will bring the local authorities and politicians. I remember wealthy people donating the most expensive gifts, objects, trips, gift certificates, and money. Our group was responsible for helping with physical labor and even asked to talk about our backgrounds to the VIP attending those galas. I thought I was making a difference and learning values I could use back home; however, my rose-tinted glasses broke when I and others watched some of the camp leadership keep the best gifts to themselves and use the money donated to do year-round raffles. One of the surgeons from Camp Independence was suspicious. Still, the VP then used her connections from the local community to convince him to stop the ‘nonsense’ and baseless suspicion. The camp VP used paid publicity and constantly posted on her Facebook page articles to deflect. We saw them also changing price tags on the prizes to make more profit and shred paperwork that could cause trouble. I used to report to YMCA NY up to that point and sent them an email asking for guidance. After a week, someone from the Y in NY suggested that I leave that camp as they were aware of their unprofessional practices, but there was nothing they could do since previous foreigners ended up changing their stories, afraid of retaliation. I left after six months but kept in touch with my friends.
  4. The VP and her partner at the camp had their favorite camp counselors. They were taken out to dinner, praised constantly, and after a while, we watched random witch hunts due to petty gossip and sick minds sitting on a throne. The favorite counselors had their own click and would serve as their VP/Director's baby and house sitters; also, the privileged and chosen ones acted as camp spies being rewarded for helping keep camp a ‘happy place’ as they say. It was a sh*t show of gossip and drama only found in reality shows.
  5. I was raised in a loving household, my parents conquered everything by working hard, and we were taught to love God and one another without prejudice. When I got there, the paperwork and some kindred hearts made me happy until I saw a friend from Europe ask to visit a local worship Sunday service. Hell broke loose; my friend was publicly mocked by her supervisor, who would humiliate her daily, gave her horrible nicknames we didn’t understand then, and treated her as a cheap worker hired without a contract or proper documentation. They started criticizing her in the kitchen, then moved her to another department, and nothing she did was right before their eyes. A camp director seemed to vomit all her religious traumas onto the Christian staff. She kept saying that church shouldn’t exist, they are a big scam, and that Jesus is just a bigot. She didn’t mess with me because I told her I was Muslim, and they knew nothing about my faith. Ironically, one of their favorite counselors shouted at the staff lounge that the Y will stop hiring counselors with a religious background. My friend left camp before summer that year, started drinking non-stop, and told me she lost her faith years ago. Why did this have to happen? This camp director would also pull her hair and scream profanities almost every day when her bosses were not around, laugh uncontrollably, and show satisfaction when someone got hurt. The VP or president of those camps would spend weeks w/out speaking to her staff, paranoid and controlling even personal their lives. We saw her accuse us of speaking words we didn’t even know existed and ride her golf cart around camp trying to find someone to pick a public fight. Narcissism is the most important word I’ve learned during my time at camp. It’s sad!
  6. The favorite camp counselors would often use our personal belonging without permission (snacks, electronics, movies, and even money would disappear), but when brought to the directors' attention, the typical reply was:
-Resolve this situation amongst yourselves. We have bigger things to worry about. Some of us tried to defend the counselors being abused but subtle threats and constant warnings that immigration would believe Americans and not immigrants, silenced the counselors successfully. Are Ignorance and power in the hands of sick people common at the Y?
8) I know the world is not perfect, and the only evidence I can offer right now would be thru social media to expose this colossal cancer visible and allows the victims w/out fear or retaliation to come forward. In the past, the VP, President, and directors from the mentioned camp deleted all of our posts and emails and blocked us from Camp Duncan facebook page. My parents tried to call YMCA Metropolitan of Chicago, and were transferred to the Human Resources director who was really kind but off records, said that Camp Duncan makes way too much money and the complaints addressed seemed unbelievable. Well, I’m sending this email, but our group is planning on going to social media. Those women can even threaten to sue us like they did before but now things are different and other platforms will scream justice. They can also keep summoning old camp staff to post positive things about them, this time things are different, and were won't be afraid anymore.
Have you had this kind of experience as a camp counselor? People, please don't be afraid to come forward at this time. It's different now and there are genuine human beings that care about your story.
submitted by NaturalDay9517 to CampCamp [link] [comments]


2023.03.24 21:30 NaturalDay9517 YMCA Camp Duncan/ Camp Independence from Chicago Illinois

After seven years of treatment for my mental health, I've decided to post this publicly, hoping that history will not repeat itself with other trainees or camp counselors. I'm trying this again before another victim attempts to take their own life, and I pray that this post will reach as many as victims silenced by that camp management.
Believe it or not, I and others tried to shed light on what it's exposed here, but in the end, we were betrayed by VPs, Directors, and Counselors from Camp Duncan/Independence and MacLean. Incidents and reports of harassment are 'investigated' locally, and we are told that Y Human Resources has covered up for them for decades. When some of the staff did due diligence and detected wrongdoings, they were blackmailed, and 99% quit those camps in fear for their careers. They have a pattern of swiping severe issues under the rug and using their power to oppress innocents.
Background
1) I'm from London; my parents have worked and breathed YMCA since childhood. In 2008, I decided to travel to the US through the Y and wanted the experience of living in a summer camp. It's a dream for most people born in the 90s, raised watching American movies, and in love with America.
2) The camps I've mentioned are famous for mainly hiring foreigners. Initially, it was all fun, and despite the expected issues, I thought I had a great summer ahead. After a month, a boy from Ukraine left camp accused of ch*ld p*rn. The young boy barely spoke English. He was placed inside the VP's office and almost forced to confess. Everybody watched him cry and beg for mercy; he kept saying, 'I take care of my little sisters; I’m not like this.’ The local staff told him that NOBODY would believe him and that things were resolved internally; they showed him a fake search history that was allegedly done online; when he said he would turn himself into the police and prove his innocence, they took him to Chicago downtown, paid for a cheap hotel overnight—the next day sent him back home. Everybody later realized the accuser did that because she was in love with a counselor dating the Ukrainian boy kicked out of camp. Our supervisor told us never to talk about that incident, or we’ll be sent home just like him or worse. That raised a red flag for the rest of us and the beginning of our nightmares.
4) They would advertise gala/fundraisers, and at first, we were so moved by the initiative. The organizers will bring the local authorities and politicians. I remember wealthy people donating the most expensive gifts, objects, trips, gift certificates, and money. Our group was responsible for helping with physical labor and even asked to talk about our backgrounds to the VIP attending those galas. I thought I was making a difference and learning values I could use back home; however, my rose-tinted glasses broke when I and others watched some of the camp leadership keep the best gifts to themselves and use the money donated to do year-round raffles. One of the surgeons from Camp Independence was suspicious. Still, the VP then used her connections from the local community to convince him to stop the ‘nonsense’ and baseless suspicion. The camp VP used paid publicity and constantly posted on her Facebook page articles to deflect. We saw them also changing price tags on the prizes to make more profit and shred paperwork that could cause trouble. I used to report to YMCA NY up to that point and sent them an email asking for guidance. After a week, someone from the Y in NY suggested that I leave that camp as they were aware of their unprofessional practices, but there was nothing they could do since previous foreigners ended up changing their stories, afraid of retaliation. I left after six months but kept in touch with my friends.
5) The VP and her partner at the camp had their favorite camp counselors. They were taken out to dinner, praised constantly, and after a while, we watched random witch hunts due to petty gossip and sick minds sitting on a throne. The favorite counselors had their own click and would serve as their VP/Director's baby and house sitters; also, the privileged and chosen ones acted as camp spies being rewarded for helping keep camp a ‘happy place’ as they say. It was a sh*t show of gossip and drama only found in reality shows.
6) I was raised in a loving household, my parents conquered everything by working hard, and we were taught to love God and one another without prejudice. When I got there, the paperwork and some kindred hearts made me happy until I saw a friend from Europe ask to visit a local worship Sunday service. Hell broke loose; my friend was publicly mocked by her supervisor, who would humiliate her daily, gave her horrible nicknames we didn’t understand then, and treated her as a cheap worker hired without a contract or proper documentation. They started criticizing her in the kitchen, then moved her to another department, and nothing she did was right before their eyes. A camp director seemed to vomit all her religious traumas onto the Christian staff. She kept saying that church shouldn’t exist, they are a big scam, and that Jesus is just a bigot. She didn’t mess with me because I told her I was Muslim, and they knew nothing about my faith. Ironically, one of their favorite counselors shouted at the staff lounge that the Y will stop hiring counselors with a religious background. My friend left camp before summer that year, started drinking non-stop, and told me she lost her faith years ago. Why did this have to happen? This camp director would also pull her hair and scream profanities almost every day when her bosses were not around, laugh uncontrollably, and show satisfaction when someone got hurt. The VP or president of those camps would spend weeks w/out speaking to her staff, paranoid and controlling even personal their lives. We saw her accuse us of speaking words we didn’t even know existed and ride her golf cart around camp trying to find someone to pick a public fight. Narcissism is the most important word I’ve learned during my time at camp. It’s sad!
7) The favorite camp counselors would often use our personal belonging without permission (snacks, electronics, movies, and even money would disappear), but when brought to the directors' attention, the typical reply was:
-Resolve this situation amongst yourselves. We have bigger things to worry about. Some of us tried to defend the counselors being abused but subtle threats and constant warnings that immigration would believe Americans and not immigrants, silenced the counselors successfully. Are Ignorance and power in the hands of sick people common at the Y?
8) I know the world is not perfect, and the only evidence I can offer right now would be thru social media to expose this colossal cancer visible and allows the victims w/out fear or retaliation to come forward. In the past, the VP, President, and directors from the mentioned camp deleted all of our posts and emails and blocked us from Camp Duncan facebook page. My parents tried to call YMCA Metropolitan of Chicago, and were transferred to the Human Resources director who was really kind but off records, said that Camp Duncan makes way too much money and the complaints addressed seemed unbelievable. Well, I’m sending this email, but our group is planning on going to social media. Those women can even threaten to sue us like they did before but now things are different and other platforms will scream justice. They can also keep summoning old camp staff to post positive things about them, this time things are different, and were won't be afraid anymore.
Have you had this kind of experience as a camp counselor? People, please don't be afraid to come forward at this time. It's different now and there are genuine human beings that care about your story.
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2023.03.24 20:54 wonderingsocrates 'committed christian' mark meadows ordered to testify before a federal grand jury investigating Trump's actions to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol

meadows has been quite vocal on his christian faith:
Meadows’ Christian faith is one of the core parts of his identity. In his official biography, Meadows calls himself “above all ... a deeply committed Christian, and someone who has demonstrated a devotion to his faith even in the highest pressure environments.” He said helping secure the release of a Christian imprisoned by the Sudanese government was one of his proudest accomplishments. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article241029966.html
meadows discusses his faith on cbn https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2017/novembefreedom-caucus-leader-rep-mark-meadows-god-gets-the-credit
meadows' discusses his faith w/ the christian post https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZVQFtCTBrA 'knowing myself to be a committed christian...' - (go to 10.30 mark): https://www.c-span.org/video/?431640-1/mark-meadows-tells-senate-cancel-recess-finish-health-care
Meadows, a onetime North Carolina congressman who describes himself as a committed Christian, details the lead-up to the [trump] photo op in his new book, The Chief’s Chief, published in December. Meadows notes his concern upon observing the growing crowd of demonstrators outside the White House in the days before the photo op, writing: “[I] noticed that the crowds were getting a little too close to [the church] for my liking.” https://religionnews.com/2021/12/10/in-new-book-mark-meadows-confirms-trump-bible-photo-op-was-ivankas-idea/
Meadows has also emphasized his Christian values — campaign materials describe him as a “Christian conservative businessman” — and he sits on the Foreign Affairs subcommittee on human rights. [...] https://rollcall.com/2015/07/28/mark-meadows-a-brief-biography-2/
Meadows acknowledged the pastors’ political influence. “Perhaps your congregations want you to keep quiet from the pulpit. Perhaps your congregation says, ‘Well, we don’t want to get political.’ And you know what, if you decide to yield to that, I can tell you that you’re not hearing from our heavenly father. Because if you censor your own speech, the enemy has already won, guys.” Perkins praised Meadows as chairman of the Freedom Caucus for “leading a band of conservative warriors.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-is-trump-chief-of-staff-mark-meadows-shadow-job-keep-the-evangelicals-on-board-the-trump-train
'Above all, Congressman Meadows is a deeply committed Christian, and someone who has continuously demonstrated a devotion to his faith even in the highest pressure environments.' https://www.cpi.org/staff/mark-meadows/
why meadows is in the news today:
POINT OF PRIVILEGE — MARK MEADOWS and other top former DONALD TRUMP aides may be forced to testify in the federal investigation into the 2020 election aftermath after a federal judge ruled that they could not avoid testifying due on executive privilege grounds, ABC’s John Santucci, Katherine Faulders and Jonathan Karl scooped. Judge BERYL HOWELL last week said subpoenas from special counsel JACK SMITH could go forward, though Trump will probably appeal that decision. In addition to Meadows, the ruling affects KEN CUCCINELLI, NICK LUNA, JOHN McENTEE, STEPHEN MILLER, ROBERT O’BRIEN, JOHN RATCLIFFE and DAN SCAVINO.
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