Leavenworth, Kansas Family Integrated Church

[Jana814]

Isn't this like third nursing home place they have been asked to leave. 

[Coconut Flan]

I don't know any facts, I'm just speculating.  I do know where my mother lives (assisted living) that they also have a council and they ousted one of the churches that was coming in and are in the process of getting another one.  Some of the residents thought there was (too much) proselytizing. 

I know the Catholics are found to be inoffensive at that facility.  The priest is given a list of who has signed in on their registration papers as Catholic and he sticks to those people.  Anyone is welcome to the services or to talk to him, but he won't go looking for anyone not on his list. 

They aren't currently holding services in the nursing home portion of this retirement facility.  I keep fighting this one.  Not all places for "the elderly" are nursing homes. 

[Jana814]

15 minutes ago, Coconut Flan said:

 

I know the Catholics are found to be inoffensive at that facility.  The priest is given a list of who has signed in on their registration papers as Catholic and he sticks to those people.  Anyone is welcome to the services or to talk to him, but he won't go looking for anyone not on his list. 

So glad the priest does that (goes off a list). Steve would never go off a list & he would probably be pissed if people didn't want him in their room. 

[SPHASH]

3 hours ago, Jana814 said:

So glad the priIst does that (goes off a li st). Steve would never go off a list & he would probably be pissed if people didn't want him in their room. 

He did badger a resident so bad they gave in and he wheeled them out of their room really fast in case they backed out.

[Leila25]

We lived in Leavenworth 2 years ago when my husband attended a military school and lived 1 mile from the nursing facility where the Maxwell "church" was located.   Leavenworth is a very Catholic town. (There is an order of nuns maybe a mile from the maxwell "church").  A catholic hospital, school, and several parishes.   What surprised me is there was NO marketing about this "church".  You would think the Maxwells would have signs and pamphlets all over Leavenworth/Lansing to turn Catholics their way. Never had a maxwell knock on my door passing out tracts ( LDS missionaries and JW did, however).    So in my observation,. This was/is a very exclusive church not focused on reaching out except to the local nursing facility residents and to themselves.    

 

I did encounter a maxwell one time. Teri was shopping in the produce section of the local Dillon's (Kroger).   Our eyes met for a split second and I looked away.   I did notice she wore Apple earbuds during the shopping trip as I saw her again when I was checking out.  

[Foudeb]

Would they really try to attract people though? Selling yourself that way would involve making allowances to make themselves look more palatable. I would have though that would run against the grain for the Maxwells - they're more into doing their own thing on their own terms and hoping some poor souls will be following their exact way of doing things.

[Jana814]

8 hours ago, SPHASH said:

He did badger a resident so bad they gave in and he wheeled them out of their room really fast in case they backed out.

Was this Steve or one of the kids.   Dosen't surprise me at all. 

[kpmom]

23 minutes ago, Jana814 said:

Was this Steve or one if the kids.   Dosen't surprise me at all. 

It was Steve.  I searched their site for a bit but can't find the Dad's Corner.

Steve wrote that he had asked a resident every week if he'd like to come to their service.  Every week the man refused.  Finally one week the man agreed and Steve grabbed the man's wheelchair and hurried him down the hall to wherever they held their services before the man could change his mind.

It's possible stuff like that got them thrown out of that particular nursing home, but who knows?

ETA: I've always pictured Steve cackling and popping wheelies with the man's chair as he hurries him down the hall.

[Jana814]

I just don't get Steve. Why can't he accepted that some old man wants nothing to do with him or the church service. 

[crawfishgirl]

2 hours ago, Foudeb said:

Would they really try to attract people though? Selling yourself that way would involve making allowances to make themselves look more palatable. I would have though that would run against the grain for the Maxwells - they're more into doing their own thing on their own terms and hoping some poor souls will be following their exact way of doing things.

True, but if they are opening a new church, then they will need to attract people to attend.  Otherwise, why have a new website advertising it?  Their current website is geared towards the purchase of their products.

[socalrules]

I don't think it would ever cross Steve's mind that there can be deeply religious people that would want nothing to do with Steve's version of Christianity. 

[molecule]

I had wondered if this was truly a Maxwell site or if it was going to be a Maxwell parody site, so I checked the whois registration. It seems legit, as it is owned by Christopher Maxwell. I was kind of hoping for a parody site, because it surely would be more interesting than the blog has been lately.

[Palimpsest]

19 hours ago, kpmom said:

Now is this different from their "church" that they link to on their web site? : http://www.titus2.com/families-for-Jesus-fellowship.html

Also, I notice on the one on their web site they talk about other families joining them (in addition to "the elderly")

I think their original ministry to the "elderly" did involve a couple of other families who disappeared mysteriously never to be mentioned again.  Certainly they haven't featured in Maxwell photo-ops or been mentioned on the blog for years. 

The Maxwells do know at least one other family that has been honored with Stevehovah's rubber-stamp of theological approval.  There was another little girl who was baptized at the same time as Abby and Bethany.  They borrowed a church with a baptistry and Steve presided.  I was amused by Sarah's reporting: "Before the service began, Dad and the dads had a little meeting going over the basics."  [Emphasis mine.]  So the dads baptized their own daughters but Steve made sure they did it right.

19 hours ago, kpmom said:

And Steve lists himself as pastor (with what training?) and Teri as the pastor's wife.  That's fairly recent I believe.  So, it looks like Steve is building his own little church fiefdom now that his traveling shows are drying up.

Yeah.  Apparently anyone and their dog can call themselves a pastor in the US with no training or regulation at all.  I expect he'll rent a place at a stripmall and bus "the elderly" in every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.  

So help me, if I were the resident Steve wheeled out of my room at speed to one of his services - I'd have screamed bloody murder.

 

[Jana814]

I think they have a hard time keeping families in their church because Steve is a controlling nutcase. If anyone questions what he says he get pissed & won't listen to anyone else opinion. 

[libriatrix]

On May 31, 2016 at 7:25 AM, quiversR4hunting said:

I wonder what the DIL families think of the Maxwillen affect? Elissa's family seems very fundie but I wonder if Maxwells are a new level even to them...they have to be right? Elissa's family was at least into 4-H.

Yes, it would be hard for the Maxwells not to be a new level of fundie to anybody.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

On 5/29/2016 at 11:40 PM, Jingerale said:

Has anyone seen this website yet? Their only post titled "A Family Integrated Church?" is dated two days ago.

http://leavenworthfamilyintegratedchurch.com/

This was a Vision Forum movement--Family Integrated Church. No age separation .It's a code for Gothard types to find welcoming churches.

[anjulibai]

I think one Thanksgiving several years ago, when they post what each Maxwell was thankful for, several said they were thankful for their pastor, not mentioning it was Steve. A couple of people commented asking who their pastor was because didn't they home church? It's weird that they would think of Steve, their own father, as their pastor.

[Jana814]

54 minutes ago, anjulibai said:

I think one Thanksgiving several years ago, when they post what each Maxwell was thankful for, several said they were thankful for their pastor, not mentioning it was Steve. A couple of people commented asking who their pastor was because didn't they home church? It's weird that they would think of Steve, their own father, as their pastor.

I remember reading that. I also thought it was weird. 

[Dandruff]

6 hours ago, Foudeb said:

Would they really try to attract people though? Selling yourself that way would involve making allowances to make themselves look more palatable. I would have though that would run against the grain for the Maxwells - they're more into doing their own thing on their own terms and hoping some poor souls will be following their exact way of doing things.

They lure children.  They went to the Leavenworth county fair last summer and one of the daughters wore a (nightmare-inducing, IMO) clown costume, called "Lolly".  They did balloon art and handed out tracts. 

[sparkles]

2 hours ago, anjulibai said:

I think one Thanksgiving several years ago, when they post what each Maxwell was thankful for, several said they were thankful for their pastor, not mentioning it was Steve. A couple of people commented asking who their pastor was because didn't they home church? It's weird that they would think of Steve, their own father, as their pastor.

Quote

Tanya says:

November 28, 2014 at 1:04 am

Happy Thanksgiving Maxwells! Liked your lists! Noticed that Jesse commented on being thankful for your church and pastor. Just curious…..is your family not doing the retirement home ministry on Sundays anymore? Maybe one day soon you could do a blog post and catch us up on your church 
Blessings!
>>>>>>
Dad’s the pastor of our church and we meet in an assisted living.

I think it's just speculation that they're no longer holding forth at the assisted living facility, but it sure will be interesting to see where this new church thing is going.

Curiuos that they mentioned in that same November post that Mary had finished her work but hadn't officially graduated yet. So basically, they held off on her graduation til March 2015 so they could claim 30 years of home schooling. Kinda fudged that a bit, didn't you Steve?

[kpmom]

2 hours ago, Dandruff said:

They lure children.  They went to the Leavenworth county fair last summer and one of the daughters wore a (nightmare-inducing, IMO) clown costume, called "Lolly".  They did balloon art and handed out tracts. 

Just checked and this year's fair is July 26-30.  Wonder if Lolly the nightmare clown will make another appearance?

[fundiefan]

I really can't imagine they were invited into the nursing homes with full knowledge of who and what they are, so I can totally see them getting asked to leave/not come back, once the crazy really comes out and 'the elderly' have had enough of death and condescension.  

[FloraKitty35]

I realize that many elderly people that are in nursing homes/assisted living facilities are lonely, but the Maxwell's make spending quality time with Oscar the Therapy Cat seem more enjoyable.  

[PennySycamore]

How old are Abby and Bethany?  They don't appear to be at the age of reason yet.  What is the difference between baptizing a little kid (below the age of reason) and infant baptism anyway?

[anjulibai]

3 minutes ago, PennySycamore said:

How old are Abby and Bethany?  They don't appear to be at the age of reason yet.  What is the difference between baptizing a little kid (below the age of reason) and infant baptism anyway?

Abby just turned 8 on the 19th and Bethany will be 6 in August. 

I'm not sure I see a difference, either. Neither is old enough to understand the implications of baptism.