Gwen Shamblin Lara 16: Remnant after Gwen [Gwen and other RF leaders dead in plane crash]

[JermajestyDuggar]

4 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

They got into some outdoorsy places in the videos and it looked like it was just for show since she was never dressed like she could do anything  on an uneven terrain.

From the devotionals, she was not quite crazy enough to deny that exercise can have health benefits but it was usually portrayed as something that good Christians who don't eat can and are happy to avoid. Exercise was described as part of the slavery that Gwen could free you from and she seemed pretty proud that she was thin without exercising. 

Yes, I read a few testimonials where a young person would talk about how they had to push themselves to go to the gym every day even though they hated it. Then came Gwen Shamblin and they haven’t set foot in a gym ever since!

Edited June 1, 2021 by JermajestyDuggar

[throwaway9988]

5 hours ago, NarcissismKills said:

Yes, one can't help but wonder what did happen in the recent past and what will happen in the near future with the Angers regarding the new constellation of leadership within the Remnant Fellowship cult. Since they are stll participating in the cult, anything is possible. Tedd Anger appears to be a ruthless self-promoter. He had been in a role that put him high on the totem pole; he was Gwen's number one associate. Almost a stand-in for the missing, stay-at-home David Shamblin. The previous prominence of the Angers can't be overstated. They were constantly doing things together with the Shamblins. Two or three years ago Candace Anger and Erin Shamblin were up to some "girlish" hijinks and rather questionable escapades together. Probably the Angers were downgraded to make room for Joe on the stage at church. After all, Gwen didn't need a stand-in husband after she married Joe. There's much more room onstage now, and Tedd really did seem to like being in front of a crowd. Additionally, David Martin's presence had recently become even more stridently in your face after Tedd's eclipse. It felt like David was glad to have Tedd downgraded. 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Not sure we ever had the full scoop as to why, just speculation.   IIRC it was reported that the Angers got jobs or started a business outside of RF shindigs in 2019-ish and they stepped down from leadership at some point but I have no idea which happened first or whether it was a voluntary decision  or peer pressure. Somebody thought it might be financial issues, after Gwen's divorce? Or the stress of the leadership? If they got in some trouble  with Gwen and were told to step back I'm not sure we would know? 

I am also very curious about this. Did they voluntarily step down from leadership, and what was the accepted excuse for doing so? I wouldn’t have thought personal stress or businesses woud be an acceptable excuse, since Gwen tells everyone else that they need to die to themselves and put the needs of God and His Church first while putting their own personal needs last. Or was it involuntary? 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

28 minutes ago, luv2laugh said:

Ok, I better get some tea because I somehow missed this too and I’m his fan. 

Now I want tea and to watch his videos with you.  

Did anyone post a summary of this meeting thing people are talking about?  If not, can someone give me the TLDR as I'm confused and not going to watch WOACB at work....I know she's not reliable but if some here are confirming I'm curious as to the rumor.

[mghjuno]

I have a question for anyone with a personal connection to this church. I grew up in Brentwood & still live in a nearby town, and I keep getting surprised by the comments that she “encouraged people to move to Brentwood.” That’s not something that just anyone can do. Since this church had existed you would have to be extremely wealthy to move to Brentwood. (I’m a genXer who was lucky enough to buy a house long before the crazy Williamson County real estate bubble, or I’d be priced out of my own home town). So this makes me wonder, did she specifically try to attract the extremely wealthy to her church from out of town? 
 

OR is there any truth to the suspicion/rumors that I’ve heard that many members would live together in a house, maybe with several of them paying rent to her or the wealthy homeowner? Of course, “move to Brentwood” might just mean move to within an hour or less of the church which wouldn’t have been unreasonable for most people until this year when home prices went insane everywhere. 

[Xan]

@Pathologic Antagonist - Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight" is also in the movie "Arrival".  It's one of those songs that I love so much that I play it on a loop.  (The movie "Arrival" is also excellent.  Thought-provoking sci-fi.)

ETA:  @HerNameIsBuffy - I did watch the WOACB while I ate lunch.  Nothing new for anyone who has been reading here.  The only good things were some of the videos she posted of Gwen saying outrageous things about how their church was the only "one true church", etc.    She said the meeting was supposed to be private and had to do with what was no longer allowed for RF members.  They were only to believe fringe, rightwing sources like Candace Owens and that racism didn't exist.  Anyone who felt that someone was racist was just making themselves victims.  Katie Joy's comment was that some people got angry enough to get up and leave as the church hadn't been that political before now.  Whether it's true or not, we don't know.

WOACB also said that Joe brought a lot of the rightwing beliefs in with him and convinced Gwen to go along.  I don't quite believe this.  I think the rightwing stuff worked for her as far as keeping people "under authority" and I don't think Joe had as much influence as he might have hoped.

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by Xan

[JermajestyDuggar]

30 minutes ago, mghjuno said:

I have a question for anyone with a personal connection to this church. I grew up in Brentwood & still live in a nearby town, and I keep getting surprised by the comments that she “encouraged people to move to Brentwood.” That’s not something that just anyone can do. Since this church had existed you would have to be extremely wealthy to move to Brentwood. (I’m a genXer who was lucky enough to buy a house long before the crazy Williamson County real estate bubble, or I’d be priced out of my own home town). So this makes me wonder, did she specifically try to attract the extremely wealthy to her church from out of town? 
 

OR is there any truth to the suspicion/rumors that I’ve heard that many members would live together in a house, maybe with several of them paying rent to her or the wealthy homeowner? Of course, “move to Brentwood” might just mean move to within an hour or less of the church which wouldn’t have been unreasonable for most people until this year when home prices went insane everywhere. 

I could be remembering wrong, but they were encouraged to move to Brentwood but sometimes couldn’t afford it. I think some live very close to Brentwood but not directly in it. And I also think some did move in with RF folks. Like they would live in the basement of an RF member. I don’t know if those were long term arrangements. But they did encourage people to at least move near Brentwood. 

Edited June 1, 2021 by JermajestyDuggar

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

52 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I’ve heard of those. You were supposed to use your own hair if possible so if it was accidentally seen, it could match your head hair. So you kept all the hair that fell out when you brushed it. 

I really need to hurry to get someplace, but here is a video showing that! (The whole video is interesting, but it's cued up to the start of the part with the "rat".

 

[Don'tlikekoolaid]

This whole thing reminds me of HBO’s series the Righteous Gemstones.  I keep expecting John Goodman to pop up outta the background.  Sorry can’t post link.  It’s so worth watching this satire on mega churches.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

5 hours ago, NarcissismKills said:

Two or three years ago Candace Anger and Erin Shamblin were up to some "girlish" hijinks and rather questionable escapades together.

Can you elaborate on this?  I'm curious.

[throwaway9988]

14 minutes ago, mghjuno said:

I have a question for anyone with a personal connection to this church. I grew up in Brentwood & still live in a nearby town, and I keep getting surprised by the comments that she “encouraged people to move to Brentwood.” That’s not something that just anyone can do. Since this church had existed you would have to be extremely wealthy to move to Brentwood. (I’m a genXer who was lucky enough to buy a house long before the crazy Williamson County real estate bubble, or I’d be priced out of my own home town). So this makes me wonder, did she specifically try to attract the extremely wealthy to her church from out of town? 
 

OR is there any truth to the suspicion/rumors that I’ve heard that many members would live together in a house, maybe with several of them paying rent to her or the wealthy homeowner? Of course, “move to Brentwood” might just mean move to within an hour or less of the church which wouldn’t have been unreasonable for most people until this year when home prices went insane everywhere. 

The members who cant afford brentwood end up in franklin, antioch, nashville, wherever. Gwen wasnt forcing anyone to live in brentwood specifically but she and other leaders do strongly encourage most members to move to their area of Tennessee. They say it is so that you can be around likeminded believers and strengthen your faith without satan being able to pull you off the vine, but in reality it functions to isolate you from your friends, family, and support system and give Remnant leaders more control over you.
 

And yes, for a time there were many families living together in the same houses in Brentwood; but as far as I know, that stopped well over ten years ago because if I recall correctly, the Brentwood City Council made that illegal (reportedly, they didnt like Remnant and they didnt like the idea of tons and tons of Remnant members moving to Brentwood and having enough votes to put a Remnant member on the city council). Remnant members do still live in each other’s basements from time to time in the areas surrounding brentwood though, and I can’t say for sure that it never happens anymore in Brentwood if they keep a low profile or it is just 1-2 people. 

Edited June 1, 2021 by throwaway9988

[pupper]

Does anyone think that the plane crash could end being framed as a "left wing terrorist" hit on Trump supporters and Christianity as a whole? I know it sounds crazy but crazy things are being proposed by Trumpists with mind boggling frequency.

[hoipolloi]

Re: cults gonna cult so no lawsuits. True enough, perhaps, but still wouldn't bet against the lure of the cult's money+power vacuum to bring on a leadership struggle, which will probably involve lawsuits.

Magical thinking, perhaps, but I just don't see RF sticking together for any length of time under Michael & Elizabeth or anyone else. RF truly was a personality cult constructed & maintained by Gwen, as explained in that excellent Dr. Grande video. 

 

[ManyGoats]

5 hours ago, Howl said:

I wonder if a photo exists of Gwen with just regular hair, not bouffanted to the max. 

I always thought she looked pretty in this photo. Her hair is teased but not to a ridiculous height.

[Jasmar]

17 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

@jasmar, is that one of your goats in your avatar? I live not that far from the Carl Sandberg Home in Flat Rock, NC and it's a nice place to visit occasionally.  There is the house tour and then there are the goats! I think the last time I was up there,  a doe was birthing a kid.  That was very cool!  

Yes, that was one of our first two goats, Junia. She’s a mini Nubian. We knew absolutely nothing about goats when we got her and a herd mate, as kids, from some friends who were moving and selling their herd. She was goofy and hilarious! We really miss them all.

[ManyGoats]

18 hours ago, Jasmar said:

@ManyGoats, I love your avatar, too! We had to give up our goaties a couple of years ago when my oldest daughter’s health took a turn for the worse, and we really miss them. They’re so awesome!

Check out mamallama's avatar. It has a similar look!

@mamallama I hope I didn't commit a faux pas by copying and pasting your fabulous avatar.

[bloopbloopdoop]

gwen's dogs are so cuuuuuute and dopey. I hope they're doing okay amidst all this. Also, I bet the reason she got such giant dogs is because they make her feel so much smaller by comparison, like her hair. As someone with a history of ED I love big dogs for this exact reason. 

[RTR]

When I was doing the Weighdown diet in the mid-90s, this is how I remember Gwen looking on the materials I had.  She/Weighdown Workshop got dropped by my church (and many, many others) like a hot potato when she started RF.  Her hair looked thick, reasonably healthy, and far less bouffant than her hair in recent years. 

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by RTR
Typo

[JenniferJuniper]

24 minutes ago, hoipolloi said:

Re: cults gonna cult so no lawsuits. True enough, perhaps, but still wouldn't bet against the lure of the cult's money+power vacuum to bring on a leadership struggle, which will probably involve lawsuits.

Yep.  There will be lawsuits, and hopefully they'll contribute to the fractures within the cult.  With enough money, some of the participants can form their own cults!  I think TN has a short statute of limitations, so the estates will likely only have a year to file. 

[mghjuno]

41 minutes ago, throwaway9988 said:

The members who cant afford brentwood end up in franklin, antioch, nashville, wherever. Gwen wasnt forcing anyone to live in brentwood specifically but she and other leaders do strongly encourage most members to move to their area of Tennessee. They say it is so that you can be around likeminded believers and strengthen your faith without satan being able to pull you off the vine, but in reality it functions to isolate you from your friends, family, and support system and give Remnant leaders more control over you.
 

And yes, for a time there were many families living together in the same houses in Brentwood; but as far as I know, that stopped well over ten years ago because if I recall correctly, the Brentwood City Council made that illegal (reportedly, they didnt like Remnant and they didnt like the idea of tons and tons of Remnant members moving to Brentwood and having enough votes to put a Remnant member on the city council). Remnant members do still live in each other’s basements from time to time in the areas surrounding brentwood though, and I can’t say for sure that it never happens anymore in Brentwood if they keep a low profile or it is just 1-2 people. 

Thanks for the reply! Hoo boy I bet Brentwood city council really didn’t/doesn’t like them. I have a feeling they like them even less now that international media has picked up on the “leaders of Brentwood TN cult” story 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

36 minutes ago, ManyGoats said:

I always thought she looked pretty in this photo. Her hair is teased but not to a ridiculous height.

I actually really like that.  If I could get that kind of body without teasing I would.  Maybe her hair was the same kind of slippery slope some people go down with plastic surgery.  If a little is good then more in better and pretty soon people are stifling "yikes" when they see you.  

24 minutes ago, bloopbloopdoop said:

gwen's dogs are so cuuuuuute and dopey. I hope they're doing okay amidst all this. Also, I bet the reason she got such giant dogs is because they make her feel so much smaller by comparison, like her hair. As someone with a history of ED I love big dogs for this exact reason. 

I have a giant dog and history of ED...I am not going to examine that too closely for myself.  

[quiversR4hunting]

1 minute ago, JenniferJuniper said:

Yep.  There will be lawsuits, and hopefully they'll contribute to the fractures within the cult.  With enough money, some of the participants can form their own cults!  I think TN has a short statute of limitations, so the estates will likely only have a year to file. 

If Michael or Elizabeth are unhappy with the cult and know enough about the finances they could contest the estate if they see the gravy train ending. However, Elizabeth (or her camp) has already made a few statements so if Michael is not happy with how things have gone for him in the cult he may sue for a fair part of the ministry/weigh down; etc.

I wonder what will happen to her house? I wonder if she have an estate plan and who the executor is and how it was divided. I have a feeling she figured she would live forever. I think zillowgonewild (on IG) will need to watch for her house to go on the market. 

I also wonder how many weeks they church will be closed to services. On the leadership page they still have (Besides Michael, Erin & Elizabeth):  Joseph & Maria Langsdon, Mark & Therese Jost, Kent & Regina Smith, Durville & Sara Patton, Eldon & Sara Gormsen, Chris & Beth Ancona, David & Anique Leaman, Terri Meadors, Rusty & Lisa Henry, March & Tish Dunn, Patrick & Amy Stites, Todd & Leda Kubiak, Chris & Helen Boerman, Russ & Melanie Morgan, Adam & Corri Barnhart, Tom & Jennifer Quinn, Jason & Ashley Hamilton & Tim and Rachael Purdy. That is 17 other couples and one single lady. The interesting thing is, I clicked on a few of the profiles and they were all testimonies; not their leadership role is in the church. For example, I went to the Holy Family Catholic Church in Brentwood and went to the staff and there are profile pics and what they are to the church (admin assistant, pastor, deacon, counselor, sacristan, facilities, finance, etc. https://holyfamilycc.com/staff-council/ I googled a Methodist church same thing: https://bumc.net/staff/ 

[throwaway9988]

32 minutes ago, bloopbloopdoop said:

gwen's dogs are so cuuuuuute and dopey. I hope they're doing okay amidst all this. Also, I bet the reason she got such giant dogs is because they make her feel so much smaller by comparison, like her hair. As someone with a history of ED I love big dogs for this exact reason. 

That pic is pretty old, I think it is from the original weigh down or the first sequel exodus out of egypt. Sadly, those dogs (Chaucer and Virginia) both died many years ago, one following fairly quickly after the other, but they had good full lives

Edited June 1, 2021 by throwaway9988

[MamaJunebug]

2 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I’ve heard of those. You were supposed to use your own hair if possible so if it was accidentally seen, it could match your head hair. So you kept all the hair that fell out when you brushed it. 

If you have a good fortune to see the movie “I remember mama,” the item that the main character wants so much for her high school graduation is a vanity set that includes a hair keeper.

[bloopbloopdoop]

7 minutes ago, throwaway9988 said:

That pic is pretty old, I think it is from the original weigh down or the first sequel exodus out of egypt. Sadly, those dogs (Chaucer and Virginia) both died many years ago, one following fairly quickly after the other, but they had good full lives

noooo ? I was dreading someone would say this. rip Chaucer and Virginia. (Was Virginia named after Virginia Woolf? If so I think it would have been more fitting for her to be named Woolf, as a dog. oh well... far too late now)

[HerNameIsBuffy]

28 minutes ago, quiversR4hunting said:

If Michael or Elizabeth are unhappy with the cult and know enough about the finances they could contest the estate if they see the gravy train ending. However, Elizabeth (or her camp) has already made a few statements so if Michael is not happy with how things have gone for him in the cult he may sue for a fair part of the ministry/weigh down; etc.

I wonder what will happen to her house? I wonder if she have an estate plan and who the executor is and how it was divided. I have a feeling she figured she would live forever. I think zillowgonewild (on IG) will need to watch for her house to go on the market. 

I also wonder how many weeks they church will be closed to services. On the leadership page they still have (Besides Michael, Erin & Elizabeth):  Joseph & Maria Langsdon, Mark & Therese Jost, Kent & Regina Smith, Durville & Sara Patton, Eldon & Sara Gormsen, Chris & Beth Ancona, David & Anique Leaman, Terri Meadors, Rusty & Lisa Henry, March & Tish Dunn, Patrick & Amy Stites, Todd & Leda Kubiak, Chris & Helen Boerman, Russ & Melanie Morgan, Adam & Corri Barnhart, Tom & Jennifer Quinn, Jason & Ashley Hamilton & Tim and Rachael Purdy. That is 17 other couples and one single lady. The interesting thing is, I clicked on a few of the profiles and they were all testimonies; not their leadership role is in the church. For example, I went to the Holy Family Catholic Church in Brentwood and went to the staff and there are profile pics and what they are to the church (admin assistant, pastor, deacon, counselor, sacristan, facilities, finance, etc. https://holyfamilycc.com/staff-council/ I googled a Methodist church same thing: https://bumc.net/staff/ 

Of those surnames you've mentioned I have distant relatives with 5 of them all but one from Tennessee, albeit the other side of the state.  Apropos of nothing and probably a total coincidence but ew.