This blog is for the silenced, the marginalized, and the victims of the many types of abuse that the leadership and members of Liberty Church in O'Fallon Missouri have inflicted on their members and any who opposed their love for control. These are the stories of the witnesses:
*I took a brief break from posting stories because of all of the people who have come to me asking questions and telling me their stories about how Liberty has hurt them. NONE of the leadership or those who are in sin have contacted any of us. Here is Hollie's recap of our protest. I also had to allow some people more time to write their stories since they were so difficult for them to write. The stories of the abuse continue now.
Hollie's Story Continued
"It's been ??? days since I decided to picket Liberty Church to warn the community that it was unsafe and that pastor was spiritually abusive--the same pastor who sat with my dad while my mom lay dying 5 years earlier almost to the day.
I barely slept the night before the demonstration, 4 hours, maybe 3. Anything below 5 and you kind of stop counting. Just after sunrise Sunday morning we grabbed McDs on our way out of town and started on the 2-hour trek to O’Fallon with the 4 kids quietly zoning out. Before we got to the church, Jon stopped at QT. He got some kind of cinnamon donut thing and offered me some. The smell of the truck from the donut made my bacon, egg and cheese biscuit come back up, and at that moment I regretted that I had eaten anything at all.
Jared’s big smile greeted us in the parking lot near our demonstration site. His positive energy diffused my sickness, at least temporarily, lol. Though I had been briefed on our legal rights, having a possible run-in with Liberty’s head of security (a retired? north county police officer) still made my knees buckle. Those first few steps toward the sidewalk with my sign in hand felt about as steady as my first steps to the bathroom after giving birth.
God spared me lingering anguish, for the two people I was absolutely avoiding the most—scary cop and the pastor—drove by as I was just getting to the intersection. I smiled and waved mechanically. Every voice save one screamed in my head a battery of things: “What are you doing??” “This is insane!” “You’re picketing a church—YOUR old church.” “There must be a special place in hell for people who picket churches.” “Just stop right now. Call this whole thing off before any more people see you.”
The quietest voice said to take a deep breath. “I know everything inside of you feels backward right now. Sometimes it does Hollie.” I took another deep breath and pulled myself up. I clutched my sign with both hands. The shaking was almost visible. I quickly realized it bothered me less if one hand was waving, so I waved like crazy. And smiled.
Confusion or smiles and waves is what most of my old church gave me as they turned in. This wasn’t so bad. We had great exposure to a busy overpass and several in the community stopped to ask what was going on. I handed them my 4-page explanation.
As we stood on the sidewalk, people began telling their stories. “Liberty protected my abuser” was the sign two older women held. And as they spoke, it was clear they had processed the abuse they experienced at Liberty and not only forgiven their abusers but loved their current non-abusive churches. Yet they stood just as resolutely as those of us whose abuse was still fresh and raw.
You can love someone in Christ and still call for him to step down. You can forgive your abuser and still warn those who will come into contact with him. This is a loving thing to do. These women weren’t bitter or out for vengeance. They were protecting others. Had they spoken up louder when they went through it themselves, perhaps more people would’ve been spared the devastation David’s abuse caused since them. It was a solidifying moment for me."
Do you have a story to tell? Has Liberty Church hurt you? Email your story to petertkintz@gmail.com and I will have it posted!
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