AssemblyBoard

O.K. I have broken the rules already but let me explain. Recently I have been looking through some of George's poetry. Yes, they seem pretty substandard. I remember reading "The Seed Corn Broke" back in the 80's. It was painful. It went like this, Ba dump, Ba dump, Ba dump, sound of striking tin! repeat. Mind you at that time I blamed myself for "not getting it" So, I am recently reading all of this stuff again,(Too much time on my hands) and asking myself over and over, "How did someone with so little talent accomplish so much?" How is it that someone could publish such crap and so many eagerly buy it? This is the amazing thing about George!

How is it that someone could publish such crap and so many eagerly buy it?

Are you trying to say that George was the Andy Warhol of Evangelical Christianity? ;D

--Joe

Loretta and I watched one of those "true life profiles" the other night (I think it was dateline or something).

It was about a man who conned several women in the following way:  He would charm and pursue them and they would fall in love with him.  He would then reveal that he was a secret spy for Britain and he was going to make them a part of his "world".  It got to the point where the woman could not leave him for fear of what he would do.  They were asking their families for thousands of dollars in order to go to spy school and help support him.  Once he got the money, he would leave but most of the women were still loyal and believed he would return.

When the con was broken, many of the women still believed in him, were afraid for their lives, yet were still in love with him.   ???   In once case, this man held in this captivity two women in the same building.  He ordered one never to speak in English so the two never knew about the other.

So I think the answer to the question is going to lie somewhere in 1) the power of a brazen, narcissistic personality  2) our internal desires and motivations that want to believe the story

I had the same reaction to The Seed Corn Cracked.  But he was the man of God so the lack of my understanding was clearly because I lived on a lower plain.

It has been confirmed that George Geftakys is starting all over again, with a weekly Bible study and Sunday service at his home in Plymouth Village in Redlands, CA, located at 242 Carver Circle. He has also preached recently at a conference in Tanzania. He was invited by a brother named Herbert who is involved in a ministry that builds orphanages. Apparently George is attempting to gain a position of influence in that ministry. Amazing. He's like the Robert Duvall character in "The Apostle".

Kind of pathethic.  But then, that is all he knows.  Unless he gets to step 1 and admits he has a problem, he will just remain on the same destructive circle.

Do you know if at the Redlands Bible Study it is just the 70+ folks who live there?  Or has he attracted younger folks who have the energy and potential to start a campus ministry or at least bring their friends?  The key to concern is whether or not he has younger men involved.  If not, he is just doing spiritual self-gratification before people who think he is a fine preacher who shares glorious things they don't quite understand.

When I went to Amsterdam 2000 (as a Samaritan's Purse employee) I met lots of evangelists from Africa.  Most very simple and zealous and are open to any kind of attention from American Christians.  I realized with the connections I had how easy it would be for me (or anyone in America who does any kind of preaching however little) to get myself invited to Africa to preach.  I'll see if there are any of our African directors who would know what this ministry is.

How old is George anyway? 

FYI... Herbert is not a new found friend by GG. He has been involved with GG and Samuel for years, has been to GG's home, etc. He knows better. He probably likes having a link to the U.S. and its $$$.

Oh well.... don't think I'll be running out to Redlands anytime soon... can't find my Little Flock.

Hi friends---

It's interesting that you mention the study in Redlands. I've been driving out to Plymouth Village for
the studies, but all the way from Barstow. I have to drive a dilapidated 2006 Lexus all the way out there,
which is truly uncomfortable, and the car doesn't get very good gas mileage either. The Lord has called me to work
with George by divine appointment, in an effort to increase the attendance there, but getting out there has become a bit of a problem.

As always, the Lord will help me, but I thought I'd give you all the opportunity to help the Plymouth
Village ministry, and provide the new vehicle of transportation the Lord's servant so desperately needs.
I will make sure that any leftover funds from your blessed giving are handed over to the Plymouth Village study.  Bless you my friends. The Lord has been giving me visions of a 2008 Acura, with leather seats. Dear friends, won't you help fulfill this prophetic vision?  The Lord will richly bless you in the process.

Reverend Burt O'Leary
P.O. Box 2222
Barstow, Ca., 92233
(no personal checks please)

The nucleus of the group is those George siphoned off from Mike Alamanzor's meeting. One of them is now George's right hand man, David Miller, who moved from northern CA about 8 months ago. Don't know if there are students among them, but there is at least one single and one family who have left another church. Hadn't heard that Burt O'Leary was among them!

Herbert and Emily Mwaimu are from Korogwe Tanzania and were/are involved with the Geftakys ministry since before George's excommunication.
Is this David Miller connected to Mike Miller perchance??

Article about Herbert's work:
http://africaharvestofhope.org/Hope/?p=6

Korogwe:
http://africaharvestofhope.org/pics/v/Korogwe/

Herbert Mwaimu and ??:
http://africaharvestofhope.org/pics/v/Korogwe/DSC_0049a.JPG.html

Herbert and Emily:
http://africaharvestofhope.org/pics/v/Korogwe/PA260051.JPG.html
http://africaharvestofhope.org/pics/v/Korogwe/district+comissioner.JPG.html

Picture of old car that we heard many stories about:
http://africaharvestofhope.org/pics/v/Korogwe/PA270109.JPG.html
http://africaharvestofhope.org/pics/v/Korogwe/PA270141.JPG.html

Herbert and Emily's new car:
http://africaharvestofhope.org/pics/v/Korogwe/P1020914.JPG.html

Contact:
http://africaharvestofhope.org/Contact.html

Marcia

Thanks Marcia, for the info on Herbert. David and Jessica Miller were in the San Francisco Assembly. Apparently David is in his early thirties and has been with the Geftakys ministry for 18 years. I doubt there is any connection with any of the Chuck Miller siblings--Mike, Pat M., Chris S., etc.

Dave,

Regarding your question about GG's current age, he is 13 years older than I am.  He was born in October, if I remember correctly.  Sooooo, that would make him 79, pushing 80.

Perhaps you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but they seem to be able to pull all the old ones off!

Tom Maddux

18 years ago David Miller would have been a young teenager.

Dave Miller is no relation to Mike and family.  I don't think he has been in fellowship 18 years.  He started coming to meetings in San Francisco (SF hasn't been around that long).  He was one of the most obnoxious and ambitious brothers in the group.  His personality definitely fits the bill to be someone very much interested in being George's right hand man.  He is extremely callous and driven.  I remember the morning that Chuck Sullivan died (Dave's former roommate) -- since coffee had been banned from the house while Chuck was on the special cancer diet -- Dave said in front of Chuck's widow, "does that mean we can drink coffee again?"  What a guy.  He was also one of those special group of men that were looking for just the right kind of girl so that they could lead (read dominiate) a wife.  Jessica was a sweet Phillipino girl. What a shame to hear of their outcome.

  What I thought about when I heard this news about GG "starting up again" was I wonder what all the GG defenders from Riverside, Pasadena, WLA, etc. are thinking now?  What I mean is this bunch went to great pains to "rescue" George from the "terrible injustice" of his excommunication and now finally had to admit that GG is really a power hungry cult leader who wants to dominate lives and make a living off of them!

  What these "defenders" of GG and his system must admit (if they are honest) is that their plan to reform GG did not work.  In fact their propping him up possibly kept him from getting to the step # 1 that Dave S. talked about where a person finally admits they have a problem.

  I would like to hear from Mike Almanzor, the leaders in WLA, Pasadena, etc. re. their own need to acknowledge their bad judgment that helped GG continue in denial. 

   I know there will be those who will say that we should just "forgive and forget" but this phrase has been often wrenched out the proper biblical and moral context by some.  Forgiveness is not some kind of detached absolution that ignores our moral defects----- forgiving is meant to have an effect in the actual heart/life (see the book of James, etc.).  The main transformation of grace is that we are brought to the place of honesty in our lives ---- the opposite of this is the stubborn refusal to admit our sin (as GG demonstrates).

    The Bible--- in the context of forgiveness--- seeks to "recover" the person damaged by their sin via the process of repentance.  The Biblical story of Joseph and his brothers illustrates this "process" perfectly as Joseph puts his bros, (and himself) through a whole lot of pain to bring them to the point where they finally admit to their culpability many years earlier when they abused Joseph.   Joseph loved his brethren too much to just "forgive and forget," and through this recovery process God worked in a wonderful way.

   Will the Riverside, WLA, Pasadena, and other defenders of GG now admit their own failures?  Will they not search their own motives and see that they maybe were more interested in propping up GG and his system in an effort to preserve their positions of power in the group?  Until they do they are very much out of sync with the God of truth and grace.

                                                                   God Bless,  Mark C.

   I have to admit this guy is amazing! He is George Geftakys, he is going to keep it up until the day he croaks! I find it inspiring, it is a testament to endurance, like turning on the radio to hear Vin Scully announce the Dodger game for the 45th year in a row, like the cover on a box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda! Some things never change! (Speaking for myself) My life is constantly  moving through a rapid dynamic of confusion and missed apointments. The world is moving so fast I just can't keep up! So I find it  refreshing/nostagic to look at this sick *&^*% *$^%$%#@ keep going!  Go! George Go!

I personally would like to see some bad George poetry.  So I can mock it.  ;D

Anybody have some?

Part of one of GG's poems is here - http://www.geftakysassembly.com/Articles/Documents/ApocalypsePoem.htm (http://www.geftakysassembly.com/Articles/Documents/ApocalypsePoem.htm), and here is another one http://www.geftakysassembly.com/Articles/AssemblyHistory/SpringSeminar2000Side2.jpg (http://www.geftakysassembly.com/Articles/AssemblyHistory/SpringSeminar2000Side2.jpg).

Here's a link to a great interview with David Augsberger on "Forgiveness and Its Imitations" - http://www.nacronline.com/dox/library/forgive.shtml (http://www.nacronline.com/dox/library/forgive.shtml)- posted yesterday on Assembly Reflections.

Margaret

the odds of a narcissist like george ever changing or stopping are very low. he will never stop looking for people that will buy what he's selling and feed his ego, and he will always eventually find some. i think realistically the best we can do is minimize the damage by continuing to keep the information about him freely available, increasing the chance that the people who choose to give him their loyalty will at least be making informed decisions.

one thing is for certain - no matter how hard he struggles to build his reputation as an apostle, no matter how many people he dupes and dominates: the way he will be remembered by the internet, by history, and by anyone who cares about the truth is as yet another corrupt egotistical evangelical opportunist, one of the less successful of his kind.

brian

 I just looked at Mike Warnke's website. It show an itinerary that is booked!  (He is scheduled for meetings in So Cal. I would like to go and ask him some questions.) Anyway it looks like he has made a comeback.  I wonder if anyone has ever completed a study on this subject? How many "ruined" ministers have you heard of that have made a "comeback"?

Jimmy Swaggart!

Thank you so much for those links, Margaret.  So many big words, because I is smart and has large vocabulary (besides, if you can't understand half of what I say, you will think you are the one with the problem!)  The first poem...for some reason, that screams "Occult!" to me.  Something about the way the words are phrased, and look at the picture.  Am I mistaken, or is there an eye down there?  Isn't that a Masonic symbol?  Opinions?

But the second one...get this, you'll LOVE IT!  He writes this entire thing about a flaming lily, which is SUCH a traditional Christian symbol, no?  *snort*  So, I am already suspicious because of the other poem and google "lily of the flame."  I then discover that the flame lily is the national flower of Zimbabwe.  Yeah, it's the national flower of Zimbabwe and that inspired a WHOLE FREAKING SEMINAR!!!!!!  You know, all that time spent in Africa.  Do I know that for sure?  Of course not.  But it seems like the idea has some merit, at least.

Well, I suppose he had to get his inspiration somehow... :rofl:

We all knew this day would come:

http://www.news3online.com/index.php?code=7B215k54hWG908yL4uhM

Nice.   ;)