New Directions after the Assembly
What are FAM's (former Assembly members) doing and thinking today? Relocation, recovery,
struggles, prayer requests, new interests,
career moves, education, accomplishments, graduations, ministries.....And
new ways of thinking about their Assembly experience, different
approaches to God, the Bible, prayer, church, etc.
Prayer Requests Even
though this phrase may bring shudders to some, we'll put it first, as
there are some urgent needs. It's great that we can now pray and support
one another in our own personal needs and prayer requests, which seldom
happened in Assembly prayer meetings. Latest update Jan 10, 2008.
~·~
January 21, 2008 Dave Mauldin
posted this update: " I have just finished to the final interview of my
Oral History Project on the Assembly. I feel extremely privileged to have
obtained the current-member-leader interview. As this material will be
held in archives at Cal State Fullerton and be made available for
research and possibly publication, I feel as if I have completed the most
significant work of my life! While working on the interviews both
interviewer (myself) and narrator were amazed at the insights revealed in
our discussions. Also the spontaneous laughter was priceless. I know now
that research of this kind will be a big part of the rest of my life. A
wish I have would be for current members and former members to be able to
find some common ground to communicate on as I have on this project!"
~·~
An unnamed
FAM has a
blog, TH in SoC:
Who broke my church? Who broke my
faith? Who can fix this mess?, on a number of important issues in society
and in evangelicalism, as well as a couple of posts on his/her
Assembly
experience.
~·~
Gordon W., formerly of the San Luis Obispo Assembly, shares what he has
learned about
personal evangelism since leaving the Assembly.
~·~
Flora,
formerly of the Ottawa Assembly, has suffered from chemical
sensitivity since at least age 13. She became completely disabled in 1987.
She has written a book,
Convenient, "Safe" and Deadly, detailing the
health impacts of our chemical lifestlye, which was published last year.
Read her
article,
The Value of a Human Life, and visit her
website, Health Risk Navigation, Inc.
~·~
AK Becky E., formerly of the
Fullerton Assembly, went on a three-month
mission trip to Africa, after
completing training at Torchbearers International in Capernwray, England.
She gave us permission to post the emails she sent home to family and
friends.
~·~
An AK who had a wild and rocky time after the family left the Assembly in
2003 found the US military a productive place to channel the hyperdrive.
"There is nothing I love more than the challenge of doing well..."
~·~
The following obituary was published in the
Orange County Register:
"
David S. Kennedy, 41, passed away
October 13 2007. Survived by wife, Christine; children, James (11),
Rachel (9), Ben (5), Faith (3); mother, Peggy, and sister, Kathy...." The Kennedys
were in fellowship in the West LA Assembly prior to 2003. Please pray for
the family.
~·~
Tamilla P. is in China, and
has published a
book about her experiences,
This Mysterious Love: Hard
Lessons Learned by a Black Girl in China. Tamilla also contributed
the
excerpt from Henri Nouwen's book
Out of Solitude,
in which he
makes the point that
being is more important than having or doing.
~·~
Report from Annandale
"Overall, the post-Assembly folks here in Annandale are doing well.
They're using their many gifts to serve God in new places and new ways.
Music, missions, youth ministry, small group Bible studies, hospitality,
prayer, & drama are just a few areas that come to mind when I think of
the ministries the families and couples here have been involved in. It
didn't happen overnight, but I really think we're all moving on in
positive and healthy ways." --Becky W.
~·~
Information on
Dr. Sunday Ochenjele's medical endeavors in Nigeria is profiled, and he explains his
position
vis a vis the
Assembly.
Wayne Mathews
, Champaign, IL, talks about his current medical missions
project.
~·~
Marine Lance
Corporal Abraham
Simpson, nineteen-year-old son of Jim and Maria Simpson, formerly of
the Fullerton Assembly, was killed in action in Fallujah on November 9,
2004. Abe had a strong Christian testimony, and wanted to serve
his country in a good cause. In
October, 2005, Maria Simpson found an
essay Abe had written in his
senior year of high school, which shows a turning point in his life.
Here is the 2008
newsletter from
Jim and Maria. Their middle son, Paul, has joined the Marines. All
Hartman has
alerted us to a website put up by Xerox Corporation to give
everyone a way of thanking our troops overseas.
~·~
Dan Buss, formerly of the St. Louis Assembly, was taken to glory in
2007. He left some
last words for us.
~·~
Therapist Mary Jo Cysewski runs a
monthly support group for people born
or raised in high-demand groups. Mary Jo has an extensive background in
counseling people from groups of this kind, and has led two support
groups for adult former Assembly members.
~·~
Former Assembly members are beginning to realize they need some
specialized counseling after their experience with such a high-demand
group.
Several have gone to
Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center and
received real help. The article explains the ongoing need for donations
to Wellspring to give these folks the treatment they need. (Donations
are tax-deductible and can be designated specifically for the Victims
Assistance Fund: The Assembly.)
~·~
There are a few "third anniversary" (2006) updates on
St. Louis folks.
~·~
Kathy C., who was involved in the Fullerton Assembly from its
beginnings until the 1980's, tells about finally
finishing college
in 2006.
~·~
Gretchen W. of Omaha writes in 2004 about the
steps
their family has taken toward healing in the past year and presents a
penetrating analysis of the former Omaha Assembly.
~·~
Two of the
Sjogren boys in Omaha raise money on a regular basis for what they
say is an orphanage for children with AIDS. A number of
comments have
been made on this by Brent T. and "Anonymous in Nigeria."
2/08 Update: It has come to our
attention that Herbert in Tanzania in involved in an orphanage ministry.
Possible the Sjogren boys contribute to him, rather than to Samuel.
~·~
Remedy Drive, now based out of
Lincoln, NE, is trying to
run their band like
a business and expand
their fan base. Their
MySpace is
here.
You Tube shows David Reisinger doing a segment on Remedy Drive for
MyScene.
Here
is another
YouTube clip.
~·~
Joe D. writes about getting involved in
Pro-Life Ministries.
"The goal of this article", he says, "is not to bash George Geftakys
but to take a fresh look at a critical issue that may have been largely
ignored by us in the past."
~·~
Brad Mathias, who grew up in the Tuscola, IL, Assembly, tells about
his second career in Christian music production, (after being a
successful chiropractor), plus his current plunge into seminary in 2005.
~·~
Ginger Geftakys is part-time faculty at CSUF in the Elementary and
Bilingual Education Department. In 2006 she was a
winner of the Titan Education Excellence Award. She is also selling her
artwork, and can be reached at
gingergift@aol.com.
~·~
The information on
David Geftakys' current activities posted 2005 on the Assembly
bulletin board has now been added
here, as well as more current info from 2007.
~·~
Al Hartman
gives his testimony, from the time of his salvation, through his years
in the Assembly, through years of discouragement after leaving the
Assembly, and up to July, 2003 and his involvement on the
Assembly bulletin board.
~·~
Joe Miller tells about his time in the Assembly, why he left in 1991,
and where he is now.
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