Gwen Shamblin: Skinny for Jesus

[Alisamer]

11 minutes ago, luv2laugh said:

Gwen proclaims only they have the truth but why aren’t they going out and sharing it? 

Maybe I'm cynical, but my gut reaction to this was basically $$$$$! Why go out and share Gwen's word with the world (many of whom are fattys they don't want showing up in their church) if they can get them to buy the WeighDown stuff, then be slowly indoctrinated through that? More money coming in that way, and if they stick with it and join the church there'll be another skinny mini with a dramatic success story for them to market. I think they DO evangelize, but it's through WeighDown. 

[sajetime]

15 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

Maybe I'm cynical, but my gut reaction to this was basically $$$$$! Why go out and share Gwen's word with the world (many of whom are fattys they don't want showing up in their church) if they can get them to buy the WeighDown stuff, then be slowly indoctrinated through that? More money coming in that way, and if they stick with it and join the church there'll be another skinny mini with a dramatic success story for them to market. I think they DO evangelize, but it's through WeighDown. 

That has been my experience. They reel you in with Weigh Down, and the introductory classes are fairly digestible -- nothing too controversial: Lose weight, strengthen your relationship with God? Okay. Sign me up! Meanwhile, class coordinators and classmates and church volunteers are love-bombing you with Facebook messages , sugary emoji-filled encouraging texts (they do a lot through the WhatsApp and MarcoPolo apps), even phone calls to see if they can pray for your and if your needs are being met. They invite you to upcoming events and festivals. But the further you get into the classes, the more intense/religious/indoctrinating the materials and messages become.

I think it's telling that they changed their pricing model of WD All Access ( a subscription service that allows one to watch all the videos/take all the classes/see all the recent sermons, etc.). Before one could pay $24.99 a month and cancel anytime. NOW, however, you sign up for a FULL YEAR CONTRACT of paying $24.99 per month; and you can't cancel unless you pay a $99 processing fee!

So now if you take an introductory course or two and then decide — as many do — that it's not for you, you're stuck paying.

Gwen has to pay for that divorce somehow!

[sajetime]

12 hours ago, Hane said:

I’m reminded of a  “diet doctor” who mentioned weight control and exercise classes run by “thin normalweights who used to be normal normalweights who thought they were fat.” I know a couple of women who referred to themselves as “huge” when they weighed 120 pounds.

Did anyone else look at the Remnant Wedding posts? Front and center on each page is its “color scheme.” All of the color schemes seem to be neutral pastels, like beiges and grays. Makes me wonder whether those are Gwen’s favorite colors and thus the only ones permitted.

It would seem that way. From what I've seen, Gwen has a certain aesthetic when it comes to fashion/decor and her followers -- either willingly or forcibly -- follow it, and it goes beyond the weddings. You won't see too many bright colors and hardly any patterns in their clothing; most stick to white/black/ecru/pastels. Women carry crossbody bags, because Gwen always does. And there is little individualism encouraged or tolerated. Every church service, Gwen's grandchildren and even her grown children are dressed to match her. There's a color palette for every event.

In Remnant, homes usually have a minimalist antique shabby chic/rustic elegant vibe -- lots of white/ecru, distressed wood, crystal chandeliers and silver serving pieces with not a lot of artwork.

[RFSurvivor_2]

6 hours ago, Florita said:

Question for the insiders: What's the deal with World Financial Group and RF? 

WFG was introduced to RF when Rob Day and his family joined the church in 2010. Rob and his family have successfully recruited dozens of RF members over the past 9 years, who are now prevalent members of WFG's ranks. WFG is now integrated with RF on a very deep level. It's a very interesting situation overall, seeing as WFG is a multilevel marketing scheme that is integrated into RF, which stems from WD, which is in many forms is multi-level marketing scheme in itself. Go figure.

Two very important elements to note about WFG and it's relationship with RF:

1. Rob Day is an extremely high ranking executive within WFG corporate. A few of his family members are high ranking members in the company as well.

2. He also is an appointed leader (by Gwen) of RF. http://www.remnantfellowship.org/Our-Leaders/Rob-and-Tiffani-Day

3. From what I remember, Rob Day and some of his family are some of the highest donors to the church/cult. I suspect there are close ties to Rob and Gwen concerning WFG business dealings. WFG has benefited from RF and RF has benefited from WFG. It's a win-win situation.

[luv2laugh]

Yeah what's up with all of the matching clothes? It's really creepy.

[RFSurvivor_2]

17 minutes ago, luv2laugh said:

Yeah what's up with all of the matching clothes? It's really creepy.

One of the main focuses/goals of the church is to be "a unified body in christ". Gwen has elaborated this consistently, for she wants her "body of believers" to be "one". Not only does she want the church to be mentally, emotionally and spiritually the same and non-diverse, she wants control of the physical as well. Everything was scrutinized, from mannerisms, methodologies of carrying theirselves, to the music they listen to, and even the clothes that they wear; all of these elements were to be closely related and tied to one another. She doesn't encourage uniqueness, flashiness and excessiveness (ironic, I know). She touts that her people are the most diverse on this planet. Indeed there are many people who come from diverse walks of life however at the end of the day, their uniqueness and what makes them who they truly are is mostly lost.

I remember when I was younger, getting scolded by her (on a few occasions), some leaders and my own parent for consistently wearing dark clothing most of the time. I was told that I needed to "shine for God" and that my clothing choices were dark and "of satan". They preach and tout diversity, however Remnant Fellowship is one of the most inclusive groups I have ever been apart of. 

[luv2laugh]

7 minutes ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

One of the main focuses/goals of the church is to be "a unified body in christ". Gwen has elaborated this consistently that she wants her "body of believers" to be "one". Mannerisms, methodologies of carrying theirselves, the music they listen to, even the clothes that they wear all are to be closely related to one another. She doesn't encourage uniqueness, flashiness and excessiveness (ironic, I know). 

 I remember when I was younger, getting scolded by her, some leaders and my own parent for consistently wearing dark clothing. I was told that I needed to "shine for God" and that my clothing choices were dark and "of satan". They preach and tout diversity, however Remnant Fellowship is one of the most inclusive groups I have ever been apart of. 

How strange and creepy... I've seen a picture of women next to Gwen wearing red lipstick to match Gwen's red lipstick and all were wearing black. Can you elaborate on this more? I'm curious as I've seen pictures of women constantly all wearing white dresses or black dresses that look like fancy ball gowns. Is there a dress code? What stores are they all shopping at? Why do they always dress in fancy ball gowns for every single event? 

[RFSurvivor_2]

18 minutes ago, luv2laugh said:

How strange and creepy... Can you elaborate on this more? I'm curious as I've seen pictures of women constantly all wearing white dresses or black dresses that look like fancy ball gowns. Is there a dress code? What stores are they all shopping at? Why do they always dress in fancy ball gowns for every single event?

There are several events that occur each year that require formal and/or uniform attire. These events are completely separate from the attires of "You Can Overcome/WD" Wednesdays and Saturday Sermons. These events are:

1. Passover
2. Pentecost (in which EVERYONE in the congregation wears white as RF ceremony / tradition dictates)
3. Day of Atonement
4. Festival/Feast of Harvest
5. Christmas & Or (depending on which year) Christmas Eve service.

For the main ceremonies of Passover, Festival of Harvest, and Christmas ALL members are to be, and I quote from Gwen, "Dressed up as fine as one be for the glory of our father in heaven." These events are HUGE and attracts thousands of RF members around the world, so its no surprise that you, or any outsider is shown the result of these particular festivals. Flashy, shiny, pretty, and plenty are elements in which captures the eyes of those who view those pictures and digs deep into learning about RF and it's traditions.

Pentecost is...interesting. ALL members (in and out of town) were/are to wear white in reverence for the resurrection of christ. Pentecost also is known for being "confirmation" day. This day recognizes the history of the church as well as some of its more prevalent members. It also is known for recognizing high school graduates, college graduates, new babies / children not "confirmed before the church and the eyes of God". There are also a LOT of baptisms that happen as well around this time. This was a happy, joyus time of the year.

I used to call it "purity day". Whats funny yet bothersome is we would often go out in public casually for lunch or dinner (depending on when the sermon started), in all white, in large groups, spread throughout the city. Can you imagine dozens of people dressed in all white, all of a sudden showing up to your work establishment, all laughing, cheering, happy as can be? It would definitely raise some eyebrows indeed...

Day of Atonement was the opposite of Pentecost. It was as it says, a day of "atonement". A lot of dark themes as well as fearful sermons from Gwen would be spread around during this "ceremony". Public confessions, doom and gloom, you name it, that was a very major day for it. We used to wear ALL black that day. 

[luv2laugh]

39 minutes ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

There are several events that occur each year that require formal and/or uniform attire. These events are completely separate from the attires of "You Can Overcome/WD" Wednesdays and Saturday Sermons. These events are:

1. Passover
2. Pentecost (in which EVERYONE in the congregation wears white as RF ceremony / tradition dictates)
3. Day of Atonement
4. Festival/Feast of Harvest
5. Christmas & Or (depending on which year) Christmas Eve service.

For the main ceremonies of Passover, Festival of Harvest, and Christmas ALL members are to be, and I quote from Gwen, "Dressed up as fine as one be for the glory of our father in heaven." These events are HUGE and attracts thousands of RF members around the world, so its no surprise that you, or any outsider is shown the result of these particular festivals. Flashy, shiny, pretty, and plenty are elements in which captures the eyes of those who view those pictures and digs deep into learning about RF and it's traditions.

Pentecost is...interesting. ALL members (in and out of town) were/are to wear white in reverence for the resurrection of christ. Pentecost also is known for being "confirmation" day. This day recognizes the history of the church as well as some of its more prevalent members. It also is known for recognizing high school graduates, college graduates, new babies / children not "confirmed before the church and the eyes of God". There are also a LOT of baptisms that happen as well around this time. This was a happy, joyus time of the year.

 I used to call it "purity day". Whats funny yet bothersome is we would often go out in public casually for lunch or dinner (depending on when the sermon started), in all white, in large groups, spread throughout the city. Can you imagine dozens of people dressed in all white, all of a sudden showing up to your work establishment, all laughing, cheering, happy as can be? It would definitely raise some eyebrows indeed...

Day of Atonement was the opposite of Pentecost. It was as it says, a day of "atonement". A lot of dark themes as well as fearful sermons from Gwen would be spread around during this "ceremony". Public confessions, doom and gloom, you name it, that was a very major day for it. We used to wear ALL black that day. 

Wow, how insightful. Thank you very much for sharing. What was the dress code like for typical days of church? Are members required to buy clothes from expensive stores? Are they shamed if they are frugal in terms of spending money on fashion?

[zee_four]

2 hours ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

There are several events that occur each year that require formal and/or uniform attire. These events are completely separate from the attires of "You Can Overcome/WD" Wednesdays and Saturday Sermons. These events are:

1. Passover
2. Pentecost (in which EVERYONE in the congregation wears white as RF ceremony / tradition dictates)
3. Day of Atonement
4. Festival/Feast of Harvest
5. Christmas & Or (depending on which year) Christmas Eve service.

For the main ceremonies of Passover, Festival of Harvest, and Christmas ALL members are to be, and I quote from Gwen, "Dressed up as fine as one be for the glory of our father in heaven." These events are HUGE and attracts thousands of RF members around the world, so its no surprise that you, or any outsider is shown the result of these particular festivals. Flashy, shiny, pretty, and plenty are elements in which captures the eyes of those who view those pictures and digs deep into learning about RF and it's traditions.

Pentecost is...interesting. ALL members (in and out of town) were/are to wear white in reverence for the resurrection of christ. Pentecost also is known for being "confirmation" day. This day recognizes the history of the church as well as some of its more prevalent members. It also is known for recognizing high school graduates, college graduates, new babies / children not "confirmed before the church and the eyes of God". There are also a LOT of baptisms that happen as well around this time. This was a happy, joyus time of the year.

I used to call it "purity day". Whats funny yet bothersome is we would often go out in public casually for lunch or dinner (depending on when the sermon started), in all white, in large groups, spread throughout the city. Can you imagine dozens of people dressed in all white, all of a sudden showing up to your work establishment, all laughing, cheering, happy as can be? It would definitely raise some eyebrows indeed...

Day of Atonement was the opposite of Pentecost. It was as it says, a day of "atonement". A lot of dark themes as well as fearful sermons from Gwen would be spread around during this "ceremony". Public confessions, doom and gloom, you name it, that was a very major day for it. We used to wear ALL black that day. 

Is Day of Atonement Yom Kippur? I was raised Catholic but had one Jewish step grandparent and was part of  Jewish sorority in college, I babysat for the Chabad rabbi and his wife (think fundie Jews, it's a branch of hassidism). Do you fast and things like that? Because that's taken straight from the Jewish High Holiday.

Did you guys have Passover seders? I'm wondering how much of Judaism is infused into the pseudo Jewish holidays, I would imagine it's a lot like the misnamed Jews for Jesus (who actual Jews aren't big fans of)

[RFSurvivor_2]

2 hours ago, luv2laugh said:

Wow, how insightful. Thank you very much for sharing. What was the dress code like for typical days of church? Are members required to buy clothes from expensive stores? Are they shamed if they are frugal in terms of spending money on fashion?

Thank you, glad to be able to share some insight and "insider info" so to speak.

The dress code for Wednesdays were casual and business casual. Since service was during the middle of the week, that sort of attire was appropriate since members were just getting off of work and the like.

The dress code for Saturdays is business casual, but with emphasis on it being "nicer" than Wednesday nights.

Members are not required to purchase clothes from specific stores, however they are encouraged to think frugally and to be financially conscious of their spending habits.  Getting designer clothes via thrift shopping and co-signment purchases were praised highly the church. Most RF members were encouraged to purchase within their means, however wearing nicer clothes is not frowned upon. If anything it allows said member to show off "God's blessings for obedience" and such. However if one is living in excess (such as racking up unnecessary debt) and is causing issues with his/her family and those around him/her, it will would be addressed which seems logical seeing as Gwen, once again, preaches frugality and living within one's means.

Nothing too "exciting" there, haha!

50 minutes ago, zee_four said:

Is Day of Atonement Yom Kippur? I was raised Catholic but had one Jewish step grandparent and was part of  Jewish sorority in college, I babysat for the Chabad rabbi and his wife (think fundie Jews, it's a branch of hassidism). Do you fast and things like that? Because that's taken straight from the Jewish High Holiday.

Did you guys have Passover seders? I'm wondering how much of Judaism is infused into the pseudo Jewish holidays, I would imagine it's a lot like the misnamed Jews for Jesus (who actual Jews aren't big fans of)

1. Is Day of Atonement Yom Kippur?

-Yes it is!

Remnant Fellowship (attempts) to follow Jewish holidays and traditions such as Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement and Passover. They also follow a Catholic based holiday called "All Saints Day", which is the day after Halloween (or whenever Saturday falls on whatever weekend, usually celebrated the last weekend of October). The exact "date" of "All Saints Day" is on Nov 1st.

2. Did you guys have Passover seders?

-Indeed we did!

I remember hopping from house to house to house for years by myself or with my family. We would break bread and share passover meals with 3-5 or more families during passover time. There also would be readings of the story of Moses, the 10 commandments and also readings from Matthew, Mark, Luke an John. The readings of the story of Jesus Christ were mostly focused on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remnant Fellowship Passover was a combo of the Celebration of the life and works of Moses, the creation of 10 Commandments and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remnant Fellowship is very VERY Pseudo Jewish in a lot of events, mannerisms, holidays and philosophies.

3. Did we fast?


-Yes...

Fasting is a foundational "spiritual" element to the Weighdown and Remnant Fellowship principles. RF members (who could physically do it) were encouraged to fast for 24 hours before the big Passover celebration. If you medically could not do this, you were advised not do participate. RF members also were encouraged to fast if they were fighting a "food demon", need to be spiritually cleansed, and/or have their "reset buttons" pressed to "refocus on God and off the food". This was VERY common.

Most individuals in the church who fasted were doing it for weight  related reasons and unfortunately as actual studies and research shows, fasting primarily to loose weight is NOT entirely healthy.  Fasting isn't inherently evil, however the church/Gwen taught members how to utilize it the wrong way, despite even some of her own teachings contradicting her methodologies. Fasting in the church often involved 1 to 7 day weeks of no eating, drinking water and maybe diet soda or juice. Gwen and her leadership as well as some members encouraged and praised others for fasting for insane amounts of days. This unfortunately created adverse mental and physical effects on its members including myself and @RFsurvivor, who also fasted (starved) ourselves to loose weight and become "closer to God".

[zee_four]

44 minutes ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

Thank you, glad to be able to share some insight and "insider info" so to speak.

The dress code for Wednesdays were casual and business casual. Since service was during the middle of the week, that sort of attire was appropriate since members were just getting off of work and the like.

The dress code for Saturdays is business casual, but with emphasis on it being "nicer" than Wednesday nights.

Members are not required to purchase clothes from specific stores, however they are encouraged to think frugally and to be financially conscious of their spending habits.  Getting designer clothes via thrift shopping and co-signment purchases were praised highly the church. Most RF members were encouraged to purchase within their means, however wearing nicer clothes is not frowned upon. If anything it allows said member to show off "God's blessings for obedience" and such. However if one is living in excess (such as racking up unnecessary debt) and is causing issues with his/her family and those around him/her, it will would be addressed which seems logical seeing as Gwen, once again, preaches frugality and living within one's means.

Nothing too "exciting" there, haha!

1. Is Day of Atonement Yom Kippur?

-Yes it is!

Remnant Fellowship (attempts) to follow Jewish holidays and traditions such as Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement and Passover. They also follow a Catholic based holiday called "All Saints Day", which is the day after Halloween (or whenever Saturday falls on whatever weekend, usually celebrated the last weekend of October). The exact "date" of "All Saints Day" is on Nov 1st.

2. Did you guys have Passover seders?

-Indeed we did!

I remember hopping from house to house to house for years by myself or with my family. We would break bread and share passover meals with 3-5 or more families during passover time. There also would be readings of the story of Moses, the 10 commandments and also readings from Matthew, Mark, Luke an John. The readings of the story of Jesus Christ were mostly focused on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remnant Fellowship Passover was a combo of the Celebration of the life and works of Moses, the creation of 10 Commandments and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remnant Fellowship is very VERY Pseudo Jewish in a lot of events, mannerisms, holidays and philosophies.

3. Did we fast?


-Yes...

Fasting is a foundational "spiritual" element to the Weighdown and Remnant Fellowship principles. RF members (who could physically do it) were encouraged to fast for 24 hours before the big Passover celebration. If you medically could not do this, you were advised not do participate. RF members also were encouraged to fast if they were fighting a "food demon", need to be spiritually cleansed, and/or have their "reset buttons" pressed to "refocus on God and off the food". This was VERY common.

Most individuals in the church who fasted were doing it for weight  related reasons and unfortunately as actual studies and research shows, fasting primarily to loose weight is NOT entirely healthy.  Fasting isn't inherently evil, however the church/Gwen taught members how to utilize it the wrong way, despite even some of her own teachings contradicting her methodologies. Fasting in the church often involved 1 to 7 day weeks of no eating, drinking water and maybe diet soda or juice. Gwen and her leadership as well as some members encouraged and praised others for fasting for insane amounts of days. This unfortunately created adverse mental and physical effects on its members including myself and @RFsurvivor, who also fasted (starved) ourselves to loose weight and become "closer to God".

Wow thank you so so so much for sharing your story! I guess the closest I've gotten to fundamentalism is through Hassidic Jews and LDS (Hassidic Jews from college where my sorority sisters all turned super conservative/orthodox/hasidic Jewish instead of following the more common reform college Judaism group, LDS from where I grew up in western CO not far from Utah) You're incredibly strong for leaving, and I hope you find all the support you need here!

Sorry for so many questions, but for Passover when you said break bread, did you guys actually eat bread? Or was it unleavened matzah, since in Judaism leavened bread or chamaitz, isn't kashrut or kosher for Passover?

[RFSurvivor_2]

1 minute ago, zee_four said:

Wow thank you so so so much for sharing your story! I guess the closest I've gotten to fundamentalism is through Hassidic Jews and LDS (Hassidic Jews from college where my sorority sisters all turned super conservative/orthodox/hasidic Jewish instead of following the more common reform college Judaism group, LDS from where I grew up in western CO not far from Utah) You're incredibly strong for leaving, and I hope you find all the support you need here!

Sorry for so many questions, but for Passover when you said break bread, did you guys actually eat bread? Or was it unleavened matzah, since in Judaism leavened bread or chamaitz, isn't kashrut or kosher for Passover?

No need to apologize for the questions, it’s all good!

We ate unleavened bread, unleavened matzah or unleavened pita, along with bitter herbs and cooked lamb. Washed down with water and / or wine.

[SilverBeach]

20 hours ago, WorseThan1Thinks said:

And this part of how cults work.

Gwen and her fake church are the dictionary definition of cult, complete with brainwashing and mind control.  I hate cults, so much deception,  preying on the human need to belong and feel like you are part of something larger than yourself. Destroying families. Lies, lies, and more lies. This is a dangerous organization and I hope something cataclysmic happens to end it. It is a good candidate for the A&E cult series.

7 hours ago, luv2laugh said:

Gwen proclaims only they have the truth but why aren’t they going out and sharing it? 

Because she is making enough money, and getting enough narcissistic supply, without sharing it.

[WorseThan1Thinks]

48 minutes ago, SilverBeach said:

Gwen and her fake church are the dictionary definition of cult, complete with brainwashing and mind control.  I hate cults, so much deception,  preying on the human need to belong and feel like you are part of something larger than yourself. Destroying families. Lies, lies, and more lies. This is a dangerous organization and I hope something cataclysmic happens to end it. It is a good candidate for the A&E cult series.

 

When I went through the long painful process of losing my spouse to Remnant, one of the MANY things I saw were all the lies.  Lies from Remnant leaders, Gwen herself, and of course my spouse.  Whenever forced to defend/protect Gwen or Remnant or their actions, I got the impression anything goes.  And lies were perfectly fine then.  So casually told, it seemed second nature.

@RFsurvivor, @RFSurvivor_2 Can you shed light on the attitude taken when defending Gwen and/or Remnant in regards to little white lies, stretching the truth, to full fledged lies to your face?  And, related, how they ABSOLUTELY DEMONIZE people they don't like (critics, those who left, etc).  I saw many examples of this across many different people who left Remnant, but their spouse (now ex-spouse) stayed in.  (e.g.  Multiple examples of a person who left Remnant that was being abused, but somehow Gwen/Remnant would turn this completely around and demonize the actual victim who left Remnant and the abuser (still in Remnant) was so sweet and innocent and gentle, etc.

[SJWaterford]

I don't know if it's been shared that Gwen and Joe's wedding is August 18, 2018 from what I hear. 

[quiversR4hunting]

Question about the theme colors. 

Does the "church" perform funerals? I'm Catholic, so to me it's a no brainer, if a church goer dies thefuneral would be at the church (no matter the denomination), so with this cult it doesn't seem like something Gwen would do for her members. Back to color and attire, if the "church" does conduct funerals, is the theme black and fancy or business attire? Or something else?

[AliceInFundyland]

The appropriation of Judaism is so wrong, on so many levels. 

I agree with @SilverBeach. This would be a good candidate for A&E’s cult show. I believe it’s all up and streaming if anyone hasn’t gotten to check it out. Pretty good coverage of known and less known groups.

[MarblesMom]

6 hours ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

Can you imagine dozens of people dressed in all white, all of a sudden showing up to your work establishment, all laughing, cheering, happy as can be? It would definitely raise some eyebrows indeed...

Reminds me of a time we went to Souplantation in CA one night, and it was empty.  Before the sun went down.

At sunset, it was mobbed with Jews coming from the end of Yom Kippur.  We had no idea why the place became a madhouse of hungry families all at once.

We figured it out.

[RFSurvivor_2]

6 hours ago, quiversR4hunting said:

Question about the theme colors. 

Does the "church" perform funerals? I'm Catholic, so to me it's a no brainer, if a church goer dies thefuneral would be at the church (no matter the denomination), so with this cult it doesn't seem like something Gwen would do for her members. Back to color and attire, if the "church" does conduct funerals, is the theme black and fancy or business attire? Or something else?

Funerals are not performed by RF as a whole. They are of a private matter in which some church members and leadership (Gwen attends by default) are selected to attend. They are typically small ceremonies that focus on celebrating the life of the deceased individual. Attire is up to the deceased member's family. Funerals are extremely hush-hush and private. If the member who has passed was a prominent, they would have a Saturday sermon dedicated to that individual. 

For example, close to a decade or so ago an RF leader passed away due to brain cancer. His funeral was small and private, however the following Saturday sermon was dedicated to him. Another RF member passed a few years ago but there wasn't a sermon dedicated to her. From what I remember, it was because the family wanted to keep it private, even through word got out and spread like wildfire.

[WorseThan1Thinks]

On 7/20/2018 at 4:17 PM, RFsurvivor said:

Elizabeth did have major health issues with some of the later pregnancies and I think that may have had a long term impact on her that is only made worse from the weigh down teachings. 

 

On 1/5/2018 at 6:16 AM, BabyBottlePop said:

I'm really curious how members of this group have healthy pregnancies if they are eating so little. Are they allowed to eat more when pregnant? 

 

On 11/28/2017 at 9:39 AM, kpmom said:

The picture of her daughter standing next to her very tall husband worries me.

Something about her face, her mouth in particular, reminds me of the way Karen Carpenter looked towards the end of her life.

She has had 5 pregnancies, so maybe she's not as bad off as I'm thinking, but she just doesn't look healthy in that picture.

 

On 11/27/2017 at 8:23 PM, BabyBottlePop said:

It's ironic that her church is called Remnent since she seems to be wasting away. 

I'm surprised her daughter has been able to carry pregnancies! 

We don't know their lives but it seems like unhealthy living to me.

 

2 hours ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

Funerals are extremely hush-hush and private.

Gwen's daughter Elizabeth did lose a baby boy (Henley) within months of his birth.  I think back in 2012.  I remember the whole thing being handled so oddly.  And, I kept thinking how are they going to explain this with all of their constant 'blessings and curses' teachings.  That if you follow God, you will have all these blessings and if you don't, you'll have the opposite.  The typical Christian understanding is that we live in a fallen world and tragedy can strike anyone.  But they teach so much about if you follow God, God will bless you.  There is just so much 'blessings and curses' teachings there.  So then, how would Gwen explain this?  

@RFSurvivor_2Do you have any details on how that whole thing transpired?  Any thoughts on Henley's death and how Gwen handled the death of her first born grandson (it was right around Passover, wasn't it?)  

I remember thinking (assuming) it might be due in part to how frail Erin was.  Now they say it was SIDS and that very well might be true, but I also know if it was more than that, they would say it was SIDS.  I obviously can't say what it was, but I can't just blindly assume it was SIDS just because they say so, not after what I've seen from that place.

With all due respect, may baby Henley rest in peace and I'm sorry for the pain Brandon and Elizabeth felt.  But I think it's a fair question/issue to bring up.  Because, what if?  What if it was in part from an unhealthy pregnancy due to Gwen's lifestyle and attitude regarding food. 

[sajetime]

3 hours ago, WorseThan1Thinks said:

Do you have any details on how that whole thing transpired?  Any thoughts on Henley's death and how Gwen handled the death of her first born grandson (it was right around Passover, wasn't it?)  

I remember thinking (assuming) it might be due in part to how frail Erin was.  Now they say it was SIDS and that very well might be true, but I also know if it was more than that, they would say it was SIDS.  I obviously can't say what it was, but I can't just blindly assume it was SIDS just because they say so, not after what I've seen from that place.

With all due respect, may baby Henley rest in peace and I'm sorry for the pain Brandon and Elizabeth felt.  But I think it's a fair question/issue to bring up.  Because, what if?  What if it was in part from an unhealthy pregnancy due to Gwen's lifestyle and attitude regarding food. 

I was in classes (but not a member) around that time. I recall them announcing the birth and sending out a Christmas card that had his name ... and then he was never mentioned again. And I am certainly sorry about the loss of a child and respect the privacy of a couple who loses a child. But I always wondered what had happened; no one ever spoke of it.

I know that Gwen lost a child (her third and in the last trimester, I believe), as well -- she mentioned in at least one or more classes that she had expected a son named Matthew.

[Ozlsn]

11 hours ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

Funerals are extremely hush-hush and private. If the member who has passed was a prominent, they would have a Saturday sermon dedicated to that individual. 

The hush-hush part seems really odd to me. Is the deceased member allowed to be talked about? Named? What is the rationale for the funerals being kept quiet?

 

4 hours ago, sajetime said:

I recall them announcing the birth and sending out a Christmas card that had his name ... and then he was never mentioned again. And I am certainly sorry about the loss of a child and respect the privacy of a couple who loses a child. But I always wondered what had happened; no one ever spoke of it.

I honestly think that would be terrible as a parent, to have no one able to acknowledge that your child had lived and had been a major part of your life.  I can't imagine it's particularly good as a widow/er, child, friend, sibling etc either. The secrecy just seems.. unhelpful.

Going very carefully to births in Remnant, what are the birthweights like? I would suspect on the low end, especially in the more 'successful' members.

[Anonymousguest]

5 hours ago, sajetime said:

know that Gwen lost a child (her third and in the last trimester, I believe), as well -- she mentioned in at least one or more classes that she had expected a son named Matthew.

I remember her loss being mentioned in the WD book, in a "I was even able to maintain my weight through a emotionally trying 3rd trimester loss". 

[quiversR4hunting]

39 minutes ago, Ozlsn said:

12 hours ago, RFSurvivor_2 said:

they would have a Saturday sermon dedicated to that individual. 

The hush-hush part seems really odd to me. Is the deceased member allowed to be talked about? Named? What is the rationale for the funerals being kept quiet?

That is what I find odd too. The secrecy and the prosperity type gospel I wonder if they think death is because a person is bad. 

As for the news of death spreading like wildfire, in my mind it should so friends and family can come console and support each other.