Feb. 2006

Hi all Some of you may see/have seen this article:

Elders sacked in church 'cult' purge http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/02/26/1140888749214.html

CONGREGATION members at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Camberwell have been advised to dissociate themselves from a cult-like group to which most of them belong. They were told in church yesterday that their 15 elders — members of the secretive group within the Presbyterian Church known as the Fellowship — had been sacked for failing to carry out their duties. The Presbytery of Melbourne East, the group of regional church leaders responsible for member churches, also excommunicated the elders.

Two other links are helpful for further info:

The Spirit of Things - ABC Radio transcript http://www.abc.net.au/rn/relig/spirit/stories/s1519357.htm

Fractured Fellowship - the book the Pres Church published about The Fellowship in 1999 http://www.pcvic.org.au/candn/books/Fellowship.pdf

And two books which may also be useful:

--Fractured Families: The Story of a Melbourne Cult, by Morag Zwartz A detailed account of some of the damage The Fellowship caused

--The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, by David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen An expose of how spiritual abuse happens and how to recognise it.