Dear Merlin,
This letter is also addressed to Reid, Paul and Joshua.
It has come to our attention that you are spreading the word that we are speaking to people to gather support for us having lost our Sunday meeting and asking them to speak up on our behalf. THIS IS NOT TRUE. We have NOT requested of ONE single person to reach out to any one of you with respect to our meeting being “taken away”. We encourage you to ask anyone that have written you about the removal of our meeting whether we had asked them to do so.
We continue with our Sunday meeting. Nothing to take away. We enjoy it when others attend our Sunday meeting on an ad-hoc basis to add to our number.
Note the following for the record:
- With respect to our Sunday meeting, we have not gone looking for support from any person whatsoever.
- Many people have however heard of the decision regarding our meeting and have reached out to US. Many of those people we have never even met before. Most of those people have shared with us their frustrations with the workers in BC and the mishandling of issues (see 3 below).
- We have communicated the following concerns to you (as have many others):
- Handling of CSA issues and suppression of transparency. (Why is there still no general notification of current CSA investigations in BC in order that victims be made aware. Also there has been no notification of members stepping down from Merlin’s CSA committee, why not?);
- The unacceptable treatment, silencing and bullying of sister workers;
- Overseers and workers’ abuse of power;
- Suggested changes to restore trust and a healthy foundation for our fellowship.
- We have communicated with friends regarding the manner in which you, as ministers in a position of trust have been conducting yourselves. One such issue is bold faced lying and below is a recent example:
- Reid and Joshua, you have spoken to people this past week suggesting that you have been trying to arrange to meet with us and that we have not accepted this – HOW do you manage to lie so blatantly? You know that after Gospel meeting when we greeted you at the door that we INVITED you to come to our place. Specifically, you Joshua. We were genuinely pleased to see you when you took Paul’s place with Reid and we specifically said to you after your first Gospel meeting “thank you for a Gospel message today and please come and visit us anytime”. You know that we invited you directly more than once and you, Reid, know and heard that invitation after Gospel meeting. You have our cell phone numbers and email addresses and we have not received a single request to meet.
- If anyone of you did send requests to meet with us and if we declined or if you did not receive a reply from us: please forward the time-stamped communication to us and everyone on this letter.
There have been meetings with concerned friends in BC where you are KNOWN to have LIED and be very clear: several people present in those meetings KNOW the truth. How do you expect the friends in our fellowship to have any trust in the ministry when you yourselves don’t follow the most basic Doctrine?
Merlin, we understand that communication was sent to elders recently regarding baptism arrangements. While we had heard of it, we never received any details. We then contacted Reid by text to ask if there were recent communications and were told there was communication about baptism, but without any details. We still have not received details from Reid or anyone else. This does beg the question whether you, Merlin, Paul, Joshua and Reid consider our children as unworthy of baptism? Interestingly, our text to Reid was recent and further evidence of how there has been ample opportunity for Reid and Joshua to make contact to meet with us.
Kind regards
Jeremy and Leonie Tomlinson
WINGS Note: See more at
https://wingsfortruth.info/2023/05/11/suggestions-to-address-serious-concerns-about-the-ministry/
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Hi all. I would like to provide context and subsequent events, as we didn’t realize this letter had been posted to Wings (we have no problem with it being posted). This letter was sent to the workers on June 10, 2023.
In fairness to Reid Goodkey, after being caught lying, he and Joshua Tschetter visited our home in Sunday evening June 18th. Paul Chiu did not join them. Reid admitted that he lied about us drumming up support and about us refusing to visit with them. He also admitted to preaching AT us in Gospel Meeting about “drumming up support” when he had no proof. Reid apologized and we accepted the apology. (Given how the meeting ended though, it is hard to imagine that the apology was sincere, but I would like to be wrong about this). Reid then proceeded to provide the “reasons” our meeting has been “removed”:
• We ENCOURAGE alcohol consumption. NOTHING is further from the truth. I myself don’t even drink alcohol. The only thing is that we don’t hide the fact that we have wine in the house and serve it on occasion. They are using Titus 1: 6-9 as justification. Some years ago a worker told us “you are the only elders that drink and serve wine”. We replied that we are the only ones who don’t hide it when the workers visit as we serve God and not the workers.
• I have short hair – even though Reid admitted there is no DOCTRINE to actually support the outward appearance rules that have become so entrenched in this fellowship.
• The previous elder of our meeting didn’t approve of the meeting being placed in our home when he and his wife retired around 2008. There is nothing further from the truth. This elderly faithful man wrote to Merlin a couple of weeks ago requesting that the meeting be reinstated officially and people be added. HOW would he have been against us getting the meeting 15 years ago? They are twisting the words of an elderly man who now suffers from Parkinson’s, which is beyond cruel.
• Our reaction when we were told the meeting is being taken away. Think about this reason for a second: “we are taking your meeting away because of how you reacted when we told you we are taking your meeting away”…….. this is grasping at straws.
• Balancing the meeting numbers – this is the reason we were provided on Feb 11th when we were informed the meeting is being taken away. Jeremy asked Paul Chiu THREE times that evening whether this was the complete and only reason. THREE times Paul replied “yes”. Jeremy told Paul that it had come to our attention that he had previously said to others (NEVER to us) that he would not add people to our Sunday meeting because of my hair. Paul admitted he had said that but insisted my hair had nothing to do with their decision, which has now also been proven to be a flagrant lie.
The meeting on Sunday evening lasted almost 3 hours. At one point Reid accused me of “poking holes in all his arguments”. I replied that it is very easy to poke holes in a decision that is not led by God’s Spirit. We also reminded them of 1 Tim 5:19 “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses” and 1 Tim 5:21 “….to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favouritism”. After almost 3 hours Reid asked to be excused and they left.
NO-ONE has EVER come to us directly with any complaint about our meeting or our conduct. Reid stated that “people have voiced concerns about us” yet could not provide one example. There is much more that can be said, sorry this is now so long already.
Leonie
These so-called “Overseers” and “shepherds” of the flock are a JOKE! Completely ill-equipped to manage the current mess, and clueless on solutions to move forward.
Have meetings WITHOUT the workers and call it a day!
Well, now you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have been part of an authoritarian cult. Having an unsanctioned meeting is exactly what drove the flood of excommunications in Alberta. The workers purged anyone who attended or associated with an outcast. Good luck with the unapproved meeting, but I hope you are at least clearly informing the attendees of the risks before they come. They might be put out of the truth and given over to Satan and even disowned by their family. It can be pretty traumatic to see when others are impacted by following you in rebellion.
Well at least we now know that being “put out of the truth” is one of the best things about the Alberta excommunication mess. The ONLY people “put out” were the ones who stood strong with integrity and courage to truly honour the teachings of Christ. And we also now know who are those of the fellowship willing to turn against those courageous souls and side with the vicious, mean-spirited, dishonest workers. We see you and we remember who you are. If any were “given over to Satan”, it is these cowards and every worker who stood silent and watched the carnage.
Please sue for defamation, make the workers sit for a deposition, and ask them where the money goes. The legal system exists to prevent dishonest people from destroying lives like these false prophesy are doing to your family. Poke holes, poke the bear, and help the workers understand they will be held accountable when they lie and abuse the congregation.
Wow. They are acting more and more disgusting as more and more unfolds. I think they’re scared. Their kingdom is crumbling from under their feet and they have nowhere to run.
💯% Absolute correct!! Each and every guilty one will also be hold responsible, for families falling appart, and on the day of judgement, they will have to give account of everything they did!!
Reading this letter and others like these reminds me that all loving people sometimes are and should be filled with wrath because of love. We must remember that anger is not the opposite of love but hate is. The final form of hate is indifference.
The indifference towards this couple and all the unheard and demoralized victims is wretched. This indifference is beyond hate and is not of God. God will have his Justice and He expects us to fight for it.
‘Let Justice roll down like waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.’’ (Amos 5:24)
Unfortunately what we are witnessing is 120 years of ” you don’t question the workers.”. Now that the friends are asking hard questions the workers feel there authority slipping away. When people are afraid of the workers more than God, that’s a pretty serious problem. It’s what we see in this thread.
Skip, any chance you are in/from Cali, maybe a cousin to Lou? 🙂
Yes!
Interesting, moderator!
What was the reasoning behind not posting my previous comment?
These old cronies are no longer in charge. It’s your house and by golly your rules. Don’t come rolling up in the driveway with stipulations when you’ve never lifted a finger to help with the yard work or pitch in for rent, or even help with the mortgage.
Act like a servant and take the lowest seat. Bravo to you for your bravado. We need to see more of this.
Agree!