Lakeview Christian Life Church

I attended the school run by this church, Lakeview Christian Academy. I was there from K through 12. The senior pastor’s wife was the principal at the time. She was once so upset by pre-teens talking in her class that she lined up the students facing the concrete block walls of the school. After she finished giving us a stern talking to, she called her husband, the senior pastor, on the cafeteria phone. He came down from his office and proceeded to preach to us in the same stern manner. He was walking behind all of us while talking. When he passed me, he placed his hand on the back of my head hard enough that my forehead hit the wall. The senior pastor wrapped up his talk quickly and left the room. After we were dismissed from the line up, I went to the bathroom to get a look in the mirror. I had an imprint on my forehead from the concrete block. I didn't report this incident to my teacher or parents and frankly they may not have responded well at the time. Why? From an early age, the idea that the senior pastor was an authority greater than my own father and mother had been firmly implanted. I am no longer a member of this church for this and other reasons. Now I understand that the senior pastor and his wife have retired, so things may have improved in that regard. I realize that this happened long ago and that severe behavior of that kind may have been more in fashion then. What concerns me is the dynamics of leadership that made me afraid to tell and the heavy application of anger as a disciplinary technique. If those things remain, the danger that I was in remains. If you raise children in this church and school, I think you can be confident they aren’t telling you everything. more

I grew up in this church, went to their school and my parents were completely devoted members. I remember giving my allowance and Christmas money to help build the church building. My parents gave much money. As I got older, I questioned where the money was going. They would ask the congregation from the pulpit to write personal checks directly to the apostle for $1000 dollars. When they didn't get enough money from that, they refinanced the property and stripped out the equity without telling the congregation. When I left they told me I was ""deceived"" and leaving the ""kingdom of God"" and that they hoped I would fail in life. They compared me to a sorcerer and said I would go to outer darkness when I died. After I left they pressured my family to cut all communication with me. So my family hasn't spoken to me in years. These experiences were a big stumbling block to my faith. I think the leaders of this church are wolves in sheeps clothing, and there are lots of church members who know it's wrong, but keep writing checks, keep showing up on Sunday, look the other way and assist the leaders in cutting down Christians. Who's deceived? I hope these reviews will save even one person from falling into their trap. I hope people will find the courage to leave. I found out after I left that people in the community call it the 'Stepford Church', because everybody wears a big smile and dresses well, but hides dark secrets and acts like a robot. Very true. more

I have read these reviews on here for several months now. I am a pastor myself in an independent ministry. I do not have personal experience with this group but I do know two very special people who were kicked out of this group. When I first met them they were very broken having just lost their church family as well as their children who have not spoken to their mom and dad since. It was prophesied to them by the leaders of this group that he would never preach other message or be used by God again but yet I have seen with my own eyes this dear brother preach to hundreds of people over the four years we have worked together and I have seen many make decisions for the Lord after he ministered. An obvious false prophecy spoken over him to try to intimidate him. It is very hard for me as a pastor to try to imagine someone in my church to not ever talk to a spouse, child or parent because they left the church. This is a horrible injustice being perpetrated on this flock of believers. Remember a true Shepherd will lay his life down for the Sheep, not try to destroy them. I think anyone who would do such as is being done here at lclc is a bully and in my book a true coward. To those still at this place I will say this, like any bondage it takes courage to make that first step towards freedom but the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Also no matter how hard it is once truth is revealed to you the ball is in your court at that point. To those who have left and lost their faith, I want you to realize that there is a huge difference between God's people and church people. Church people are very cruel and mean people but God's people will be there for you when nobody else will and love you with a great passion. Finally to the two daughters and one son of these two very beautiful people I know, I see how they pray for you, how they lay hands on pictures of you and how the tears fall on those pictures and how the love they have for you has not grown cold but is still very passionate. Weeping may endure for a night but joy is coming in the morning for these great people. God bless more

I have to say that I am encouraged that people inside this group are starting to respond to these post. We hear your hearts beating. Today is Sunday! The first day of the week. You may be waking up this morning looking for a good loving church to take your family to. A church that worships God and preaches the Bible. You may live in the Bridgeville area in PA. You may say to your husband or Wife or kids. LOOK! here's a church, lets go visit there today! So like so many have done, you go and visit. You will walk in and the first thing you will notice is how nice and clean it is. The people will be dressed very well. So if you are dressed casual nice you'll be OK. If less than casual nice you may feel a bit uncomfortable. While the service proceeds people will be watching you and will probably send you a smile or two just so you feel welcome. After the service people will walk up to you and welcome you. Maybe make small talk and invite you to come back next week or even ask you to go out to lunch with them. Kinda like a first date. \r \r That is what happened to me years ago. I stayed 12 years. What started out nice ended like a nasty divorce. It has been the personal experience of many people over 30 plus years that you don't join this church then leave without major implications in your life. Read the many reviews here and you will see that many people have suffered severe trauma. PTSD. The leadership of this church are responsible for the abuse that goes on daily in this church. BEWARE!!!\r \r To the leadership. Your hearts are hard and filled with hate, malice and pride. God will hold you accountable for damaging his sheep. You will answer to God for what you have done. You have caused so many of his little ones to stumble. Some have even lost their faith in God because of the way you spiritually raped them. When you spoke we thought God was speaking to us, and when you condemned us we felt that God was condemning us. We learned later after we left and found healthy churches and councilors that God did not condemn us and that He loves us very much. \r \r Finally to the leadership of this church. Humble yourselves. Repent and turn away from the evil you are doing. Reach out to the people you have hurt. Make restitution to the many who sacrificed time, money and talent over the years. Good and loving christian people who only wanted to serve God and thought what you were teaching was from God. Our hearts were broken when we realized that your church was a fraud.\r \r The ball is in your court. I will keep praying.\r more

Well here we are again; another birdie is cast in to the outer darkness, and we all come out to see. We dig up our forgotten memories, rip open our long healed wounds and bang our fists against the bronze sky of LCLC demanding justice.\r What are we though? We are the fragments of families and ghost of old friends past. Paper tigers rattling plastic sabres. We are the raindrops that disappear after the storm passes. We are the forgotten and we are still trying to understand what that means,\r They call us evil because we dare to enjoy this life God has given us. We are deceived because we refuse to be afraid of the darkness. They judge us because we have discovered the truth.While the world is indeed filled with evil, it is also filled with just as much beauty and goodness. We may have practiced every type of evil, but the in the process we have discovered every type of forgiveness.\r The minute we learned to talk we were ordered to listen. There is only one man who can hear from God. Only our flock needs fed. Only our members need help. Out of 7 billion people God has chosen this place alone. We were clapped in irons and thrown into locked rooms. Told how to serve, where to serve, and who to serve. When we dared to question, when we had the utter audacity to ask why, we were thrown out. As easy as a turned back ,as simple as a shrug of the shoulders; parents forgot children and life long friends became strangers.\r What do we want you ask? Why all the anger and heartache? We want what all ghost want; to be remembered. We want our parents to love their children again. We want our friends to remember 20 years of laughter and love. We want to see people live in the full freedom of God's love, not in the gray, controlling bubble of one man's pride and paranoia.\r \r We cant turn off our love and hope with a switch, and deep down we know you can't either.\r \r We are here and we still love you\r \r Please don't forget about us..... more

I John 4:19 -21\r We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.\r \r I have personally have had words of hate and anger spoken to me from the leaders of this place. It is not Christ's love - just man's hatred. Luckily, I have found the Truth, and He has shown me HIS love, grace, compassion and forgiveness.\r \r LOVE is an ACTION word that is shown in the Bible many times. You cannot say that you still love someone who is no longer in Lakeview and not act upon it. I miss my family and want them back. Not talking or seeing loved ones is not the example Jesus set forth. He ate with the tax collectors, idolators and sinners. The Pharisees were irate about it. What are you - a Pharisee who acts like a Christian or a true follower of Jesus? more

FollowingChrist E. I would like to take a moment to refer to your previous post, not to be combative but simply to alleviate any confusion or deception that I can. I'm not speaking against the members. I still love many members very deeply. I'm being a light against doctrine and control that holds good Christians in pain by the throat. \r \r First of all, if no one has been told to shun anyone, why shun anyone? When family of mine left before I did (I had just finished college and gotten a job) I was told I should move out of my parents house as soon as possible the sooner the better and not go on the upcoming family vacation that had been planned for a year. After a friend of mine left, a group of us ran into that friend at a restaurant later. The entire group ignored him like they had never met him and only two of us said hi. The next week it got around to people in charge that we had talked to this person who left and we were told we shouldn't have. That's just two stories that happened to me personally and come to mind off the top of my head. \r \r I very specifically remember (because I remember thinking how horrible it was) that after a friend of mine left there were people praying in a church-wide prayer meeting that this friend would not find peace, not fit in, be uncomfortable, not be blessed and that they would be brought to an all time low so they felt they had nowhere else to go but back to the church.\r \r I hope this sheds some light on where some of us are coming from on this site. more

To quote FollowingChristE. - ""We have never been told to shun you.""\r \r Well, that's.......totally inaccurate. \r \r This staggering claim prompted me to pull up my good ole Gmail archives in order to retrieve this specific directive, delivered to all of the young people of the church shortly after a few of their young friends left the church. The author? None other than the pastor's daughter. Allow me to quote the entire text of the email:\r \r ""Hello Everyone- \r \r I am writing this email with my Dad in the room. He wanted to make sure that everyone remembers to take off *name redacted* and any of the *names redacted* boys' email addresess. He said that includes the Gmail chat. In addition, he is asking 3 things:\r \r 1. please make sure that their names are not on this particular email that will be passed around or on any other emails.\r 2. to please pass the email to anyone you don't see listed in the Singles and Youth Group throughout the churches\r 3. that we not bother them since they are under their parents roof\r \r He asked that we all be discreet in this matter. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact him.\r \r Sincerely, \r *name redacted*\r \r \r Wow. Pretty incriminating. And about 40 people received this same email, so it's little use to try and dodge the meaning here. Sure sounds like a pretty clear instruction to me: shun these people and ask no questions. That was the message I got anyway, and I was IN the church. \r \r Oh, and ChristianS.? You'll notice I redacted the names of the email above. We strive to leave out specific names on these reviews, not because we are cowards, but because we do respect the right to privacy, which includes our own. So please don't insinuate that we are shrinking from the light. On the contrary, we are the only ones who seem willing to step into it.\r \r Thanks and have a nice day. more

You know what? Enough. Stop playing games. This is real. That's your real son you haven't spoken to in 3 years. That's your real daughter you kicked out of your house. Those are your real parents you don't speak to because somebody told you not to. Those are your real, lifelong friends whose e-mails you don't return.\r \r People aren't disposable, and you can't twist Scripture enough to make them so. Your church isn't special. Your beliefs aren't special. God's presence? *Of course He's at your church.* He's omnipresent. Your unique doctrines? Google ""Latter Rain"" sometime. It's an obscure little alley off of the Assemblies of God street, and you're not even on the Wikipedia. But guess what? Ten other guys you never heard of are. This has all been done. \r \r Look around. Start calculating. People are leaking in droves, driven off by the ignorance and hatred of the Pastor, of the Pastor's wife who can't control her paranoia. Those are people you are expected to never speak to again. This was a once-thriving church of 500. It will never see 300 again. \r \r Keep calculating. Who benefits in all this? Start with the tangibles. 10% off your gross, plus 5%, for as long as you live. What's that going to? Are you truly building up heavenly treasures? Or lining earthly James pockets. What family makes a comfortable living? Every son in ""ministry."" Whose retirement is assured? Who lives in the nicest houses, flies around the country in private jets? \r \r ""Stay off of Facebook, stay off the internet, stay out of public schools, don't make friends with the world. Cut off your family, your blood, if they speak out against us. Build and defend our wall with the Sword and the Trowel."" Is this to protect you? Or to hold you in? What are they afraid you'll see if you peek over that wall?\r \r Stop. There is too much world, too much life, too much freedom, to fritter it away in a graceless prison. There are far more voices than Norman James, Senior or Junior. People who will unconditionally wish you well, not pray daily for your death like Becky James if you stray. Too many beautiful, broken, brilliant people to befriend. Love of family to rediscover.\r \r Enough. more

I have experiences with Northridge Christian Life Church near Cleveland Ohio, also under the apostleship of Norman James and wanted to post here to reach this audience and be a light where I can. So without further ado from Cleveland...\r \r It has taken me over a year to gather the courage and my thoughts to write this. First of all, know that I'm not writing this in a spirit of accusation or bitterness. I simply want to relate my experiences and the results of my choices to provide guidance. If you are attending this place and read this, this is not an attack. I want to provide as much information as possible so people can make informed decisions of their own free will as God intended. \r I grew up affiliatedthis place and knew nothing different for over 20 years. I was taught that the only relationships I should have should be with others in the same place or affiliated churches (Lakeview Christian Life Church for one or others in Columbus and Maine). These churches were considered to be the only churches with the ""truth"". Authority is extremely controlling. It was also very legalistic. Legalism was hidden behind a ""just as"" doctrine that held people to unattainable standards. Books, movies, music, entire genres were prohibited from the pulpit. Clothing/modesty rules were very specific and strictly enforced. There was no room for free will. It was do it this way or you are wrong and will be reprimanded. \r Love was conditional. If you were ""strong"", according to their standards, you were held up as an example and applauded. They left no room for weakness. You were simply reprimanded for not being strong. \r Scripture was twisted and cherry picked such as 2 Corinthians 6:14 ""Do not be unequally yoked to unbelievers"". They used this scripture to prohibit marriage simply because one party spoke in tongues and the other didn't. One was considered born again and the other wasn't. Never mind that both parties grew up there and attended in the same capacity and were both and still are both dedicated believers. \r I saw people shun my parents when I was still ""in"" and experience it now that I'm out. When my brother and parents left, shunning them was flat out not an option in my heart. One thing that made me angry before I left was how people treated me as if my family had died. I wanted to shout ""They're not dead! They're still alive and faithfully serving God"" When my husband and I (then dating) made the decision to leave I was immediately left for dead. Not a single person reached out to me. Literally NO ONE. My husband on the other hand was bombarded. Calls, texts, visits, can we talk, can we pray, remember the good times etc. Rumors were spread. The hardest thing after I left, and it still is, is the complete lack of closure. People as close as family to me never even said goodbye. One day we were like family and two days later nothing to this day. I just can't understand it. I literally get the same feeling when I try to think about infinity as when I try to understand their shunning. Unfathomable is the best word I can think to describe it. I would give almost anything to restore relationships with family and friends that I love. \r more

After being out for so long now I still have nightmares where no matter what we as a family did, it was never good enough or just plain enough. It's disheartening. And- the rules change to keep the flock unsettled. A quiet word here or there from the Sr pastor's wife kept my family life in flux and a spirit of fear active. Because the only Christianity I ever learned came from the pulpit there I always thought I was the problem- they heard from God- who was I to question. At the same time the pastor told us in the ministry training school that we were given a brain for a reason. I guess once people begin to use that brain questions are inevitable. I still miss my old friends and prayer partners terribly. I miss the huge holidays gatherings we had at our home and the parties we had that included the entire church membership- not all came but all were invited. I thought that was a natural part of family life. Then my best friend stopped taking my calls- don't know why, but I miss her still. My family has been Out of Lakeview for 8 year now. I am finally starting to live again. After being kicked out I was treated for PTSD. Being a church member shouldn't cause such a thing. It took moving all the way across the country to be able to go out of the house without fear. Fear of seeing my former brothers and sisters in public and having them turn their backs on me rather than ay hello. There s life after Lakeview- itjust took a long time to find it.We were members for over 30 years- then we were kicked out! Though it's been traumatic, in the extreme, it's probably the best thing to have happened to us. We only live here so long and it's painful to think that so many years were spent badly. Many people there are good, loving people- but all I can think to say is that they and we were kept so long through fear. No one has the right to interfere with families. The leadership has no problem destroying marriages and forcing families to be ripped apart. I don't know why anyone stays, but then we did... for a very long time. more

I'll back off my snottiness to Thank Y., correcting his or her grammar was out of bounds, unkind, ungracious. We have found a better way out here and that's not it. I apologize, Thank Y. more

Sorry my English, my name is Rafael Oliveira, .... My family and I suffered massive wounds here in BRAZIL. I pray that through these reviews that some people can be freed from the curse. Only those who lived there know what I'm talking about .... today we are still recovering, .... the love of Christ and the support of other brothers. This site helped me see that we are not alone .... love to sing a song: ""IT'S GOOD TO BE FREE"" .... Do you understand me? \r \r Love to you all. JESUS CHRIST is the only one worthy of all honor and glory.\r \r I would like to share experiences, share words of love and affection that can build us up in Christ. Bye!\r \r My E-mail/Facebook is \r \r rafael.oliveiras\r (G M A I L . C O M) more

Our position and standing with God AND within the Kingdom of God is based on and solely upon what Christ did for us through his death, burial and resurrection and our acceptance thereof. Grace... what Christ did - not of our own works. \r \r When I attended this church, it was all 'works' based to get a better place in the Kingdom of God - but after leaving, I learned that is not scriptural. And, the works were to be within the 4 walls of the church only and its members. Based on the works mentality, all of us were like work horses, striving and simply wearing ourselves out. \r \r But Jesus said “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt 11:28)\r \r Looking back, where was the joy unspeakable that drew others to Christ? How did we lift up Jesus in our lives so that others would be drawn to him? (John 12:32) Because relationships outside of the church were not allowed and elitism was practiced and preached regularly, we never impacted those hurting around us! \r \r The Spirit of the Living God lives in us to be change agents in our world and to be vessels of healing and life to those around us. \r \r Living a Spirit led but Bible centered life is exciting and full of joy and awe inspiring every single day! \r \r For those still at this church and its affiliates, your fellow Christians who have left are NOT your enemy - we are still your family. We pray for you to be released from the bondage of works, seclusion, alienation and elitism. \r \r May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)\r \r God bless you and may you come into the fullness of life in Christ and with your ALL of your family and friends.\r \r --- Lastly, may you prayerfully consider the following and ask God to show you His will for your life --- \r \r Ephesians 2:4-9\r \r But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved ([a]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).\r \r And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us [b]joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One). He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.\r \r For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved ([c]delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] \r more

There are many good places to worship and/ or become more involved with the body of Christ. This church is not one of those places. The leadership believes that they hold the ""keys to the Kingdom"" and that those outside their fold are lost or less than. There is a strong sense of community and faith, if that's what you're looking for. However, know that the price you'll have pay to belong to this body of believers is steep. Membership requires relinquishment of certain rights as to how you; raise and educate your children (K-12 and undergrad), interact with those outside the church body (including dating), choose a suitable career/job, utilize the internet/ social media/ secular entertainment and handle family finances, etc. They ""strongly encourage"" the enrollment of members' children to attend the church school, and ""strongly discourage"" member/ family participation in secular (non church approved) activities, recreational teams. The church requires sacrifice from its members; usually in the form of total loss of relationship with family members and friends who choose to worship eleswhere or who question the practices of the church leadership. They believe it shows the member's level of commitment to both the church body and their trust in the leadership. If/when when you make the choice to visit, I promise you'll be seduced by the welcome, the praise and worship, the warmth shown by the members who hug and greet you, the order/ structure of the program and the decorum of the members themselves, the ""line upon line"" Biblical teaching and the behavior/ discipline you see in the youth. I was. Then take a moment and note little things like the policeman they have on site, the ushers who walk around like secret service, the entry doors that are locked after service begins, etc. and ask yourself why. I was lucky. I got out with my family intact. Be careful! more

If you as do I believe the people of this church are misguided and deceived, then let's pray for them that their eyes may be opened to see the truth. Also pray that broken families can be reunited. We who are Christians have all been saved by grace, not by works. When we stand before the Lord, we will answer to him and not to any man. Those of us who grew up going to any Christian church have this Bible verse deep in our memories: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. Be sure that the church you choose to attend teaches the Bible. Get to know your Bible. There does not seem to be any other church that I have found anyway with so many cautionary reviews as this one so if nothing else that should tell you something. I have only seen one person recommend this church to this point why is this? Hmmm... \r Possibly the members are forbidden to write anything else other than Thank Y continually making sure their review stays on top. Maybe they are all hoping we will get tired of posting and this will all just go away. I don't know why suddenly there is so much activity about this but I am thankful that the truth is being revealed so others are not deceived. more

Thank Y. you state scripture in your review and the last lines talk about forgiveness. Can you explain how you show forgiveness. Why is it that when people leave you are not allowed to talk to ""ex"" members. When I left my church I did not experience any of that and am still welcomed back and am considered close friends with those from my previous church. It seems as if forgiveness and scripture is a bit twisted from LCLC's point of view. I also used to go to your church and was disowned from my family members after I left. If I were to come back to your church what would happen? Church is not supposed to be made up of man made rules but of a place that is safe and welcoming and teaching through scripture that has not been misused by man. The reviews here are on account of people's personal experiences, mostly horrific. If your church is good then what can you say about it that shows that it is good. One day when Christ returns we will all be held accountable for our own actions and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You will not be standing before any other leader, apostle, prophet etc...The scripture that comes to mind is :\r Matthew 23:\r Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make atheir phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.\r 13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.\r \r I do not say this out of hate in any way. I am just hopeful that you will share your side more in depth and know that scripture is our source of Authority and that we should abide by it...faith hope and love....\r \r where is the love? more

We have been praying for years for you! Please know that there is life and joy and freedom ultimately in Christ and there are other churches that preach the Word and churches that don't ask us to alienate our family and loved ones. If you need help, support, a place to stay, there are plenty of former SHCC, LCLC members who are thriving since we left. God is good - in Christ all things are possible. Christ gives us ABUNDANT life. Gossip, slander, alienation of loved ones are NOT His ways. Please know that if you are questioning, there is a large support group available to you. We are praying for you - God can heal and restore the years the locusts have eaten. The Body of Christ is diverse and vast - there are plenty of true, loyal followers of Christ beyond the 4 walls of SHCC/LCLC and related few churches. Please don't ever take any ""man's"" word, go to the BIble yourself and ask God for His will to be done in your life as His will is done in heaven - where does He want you? If you feel the call to leave, God will provide. There is a large group of us across the world praying for you and loving you - ready to welcome you. May you have the ABUNDANT life Christ gives us including restored relationships with your loved ones. Bless you fellow family member in Christ. more

Psalm 118:6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)\r The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?\r \r Take courage those of you who read these reviews and feel trapped at LCLC; trust in God and BE in the place that He has for you. Do not waste your life from a ""fear of man""; if God has called you elsewhere, go in the strength of the Holy Spirit. But listen carefully for His direction - wait on His timing, and who knows, maybe God will be gracious and rescue not only you when He gives you the ""GO NOW""... Ironically, you can take strength from words of Scripture that you have heard many times, ""Greater is He, who is in you, than he who is in the world."" Yes, be courageous! God is able to set you free INDEED! \r \r And to Noonecares, please know so many are praying for you and many others as we long for our loved ones to be set free by The Truth that indeed does set free. While I was there, I was in prayer daily for the church and for the leadership to lead with truth rather than through fear. Although it took me many years to actually leave. Yes, I too was afraid of the estrangement that would surely follow (and did) -- but could it be a new day is coming? Please know that my life became so much better after I left as I began following the Holy Spirit directly rather than wasting so much emotion and anxiety trying to reconcile the ""words of man"" (the ""apostolic"" edicts etc) with what it actually said in the Bible. The Grace of God is saving me each day from ""the world"" in which I live, not my own efforts, or 'The Law""/i.e. the LCLC house publication on how to live. Now I do not have to sort through what is put forth as ""a new revelation of the word of God"" with the constant agida in my spirit over of these ""prophecies or teachings"" bearing such inconsistencies with Scripture. (i.e., ""Call me Dad"" - Bible says, ""Call no man Father."") What a healing breath of fresh air to read the Word of God allowing the Holy Spirit to directly lead me! & Guess what! I have found MANY wonderful churches -- true churches where people loved me -- as a unique being -- and allowed me to pursue God's specific calling AND stay in fellowship with them even though from time to time I have relocated to fulfill such.I hope it is a new day for you very soon. Maybe it is as covert practices are seeing the light of day, and what God sees is being unveiled for all. \r \r More for courage:\r Psalm 27:11-14 (NASB)\r \r Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a level path because of my foes. Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.\r \r 1 John 4:7-21 - excerpt - (NASB)\r God Is Love\r \r Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us... There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear ... more

As a former member that was lucky enough to leave with the majority of my family intact, I just wanted to say this page has been a huge source of inspiration for my first college English paper. ""Please write a multi-angle personal narrative paper about an event that changed your life,"" if I recall her words. There would have been a time where I would have mindlessly written some droll that would served the purpose of appeasing her and I would have moved on with my life. But time has certainly changed. I'm going to write about a very real event that, in a very real way, has changed my life. Even through all the pain, heartache, and suffering, I think my journey through this place has changed me for the better. For the first time in our lives, we can think clearly. Freely. I can't explain how marvelous it felt to pick my own college, without sitting down with Norman James and explaining why I didn't want to be a business major who commuted to school every day. I was never meant to be there. My career choice reflects that. I want to work with people that have mental illnesses, as a psychiatrist. I'm fairly certain that I could open a booming business in the sanctuary.... more