Unless of course you were flipping tables over or trying to hijack the event
![Cool 8-)](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif)
No, I didn’t think it appropriate to promote a particular church there. At the time I considered myself a seeker as much as everyone else.steve-in-kville wrote:I'm obviously quite new to this Seekers Gathering, but if someone is welcome here on the forum, they should be welcome there too.
Unless of course you were flipping tables over or trying to hijack the event
Have any such people come to these meetings to try to promote such beliefs?Ernie wrote:We had the same parameters for the first Seekers Gathering.
So no, it was not put there to exclude Josh in particular.
One of the goals of this gathering is to promote the good and break down barriers between kingdom Christians. Loyalist, one-true-church, and rebaptizers from any denomination (e.g. COGIM, OOGB, CoC, Orthodox, Catholic, and some Apostolics) are not in position to help break down such barriers.
I don't think the Seeker's Gathering is a MennoNet meetup, it has a different purpose. I think a smaller group of like-minded people who are trying to start something are inviting newcomers to hear what they are doing, and they don't want that to be a place where people coming from different places discuss or debate the various points of view. To me, that's quite reasonable. I am not coming from the same place on some of these issues, I am glad that the recordings will be available.steve-in-kville wrote:I'm obviously quite new to this Seekers Gathering, but if someone is welcome here on the forum, they should be welcome there too.
Unless of course you were flipping tables over or trying to hijack the event
To make this about a stance you took 4 years ago, completely unrelated to the Seekers Gathering, seems like quite a stretch to me. I note with interest your wording "I am stuck in the COGICM". I thought you really wanted to be there. Have you had a change of heart?Josh wrote:Have any such people come to these meetings to try to promote such beliefs?Ernie wrote:We had the same parameters for the first Seekers Gathering.
So no, it was not put there to exclude Josh in particular.
One of the goals of this gathering is to promote the good and break down barriers between kingdom Christians. Loyalist, one-true-church, and rebaptizers from any denomination (e.g. COGIM, OOGB, CoC, Orthodox, Catholic, and some Apostolics) are not in position to help break down such barriers.
All I can see is walls going up at this meeting by explicitly excluding COGICM members, when literally the only one who would come is me, and I don’t have a history of promoting such things.
As I’ve stated before, the main reason I am stuck in the COGICM is because my stance on holding an abuser accountable left me without any other options where I live. Given what has since happened with CAM and how I was treated before that scandal broke, I hope you’ll be sympathetic to where I find myself now. I am simply not welcome in a Mid-West, Beachy, or Charity church.
In reality, what you’ve done is exclude me for the stance I took. Do you think I took the wrong stance 4 years ago?
Yes. I encouraged that in 2018.Bootstrap wrote:I assume people coming from a different Mennonite perspective could hold a similar event. I assume people who want a MennoNet meetup could organize one. Each kind of event would have a different purpose.
I’m quite glad to be where I am. However, I literally ran out of other options, and mostly for the stances I took regarding abuse. For this reason, I’m not very happy about being excluded from something like this.GaryK wrote:To make this about a stance you took 4 years ago, completely unrelated to the Seekers Gathering, seems like quite a stretch to me. I note with interest your wording "I am stuck in the COGICM". I thought you really wanted to be there. Have you had a change of heart?Josh wrote:Have any such people come to these meetings to try to promote such beliefs?Ernie wrote:We had the same parameters for the first Seekers Gathering.
So no, it was not put there to exclude Josh in particular.
One of the goals of this gathering is to promote the good and break down barriers between kingdom Christians. Loyalist, one-true-church, and rebaptizers from any denomination (e.g. COGIM, OOGB, CoC, Orthodox, Catholic, and some Apostolics) are not in position to help break down such barriers.
All I can see is walls going up at this meeting by explicitly excluding COGICM members, when literally the only one who would come is me, and I don’t have a history of promoting such things.
As I’ve stated before, the main reason I am stuck in the COGICM is because my stance on holding an abuser accountable left me without any other options where I live. Given what has since happened with CAM and how I was treated before that scandal broke, I hope you’ll be sympathetic to where I find myself now. I am simply not welcome in a Mid-West, Beachy, or Charity church.
In reality, what you’ve done is exclude me for the stance I took. Do you think I took the wrong stance 4 years ago?
Don't worry, my entire fellowship is banned as well. Not that I really qualify as a seeker.steve-in-kville wrote:So... perhaps I'm reading way too far into this "gathering." Certain people here on the board are banned but yet others can bring random people that you never met??Ernie wrote:Yes, we would be glad to have your contribution! Bring some folks along.