And I remember a brother teaching a sermon on "shoot cussin'" that was about as legalistic as any I'd ever heard. By the time he got done, no one could say much of anything, because nearly every word we said could be in some way related to a swear word. This was at FA in Indiana, the "mothership", right before my wife (at the time) and I left - actually were, more or less, presented an ultimatum that I knew wasn't scriptural, and chose to leave. My brother, Bill Schwan, had been kicked out publicly a few days before, vilified from the pulpit on a Sunday night, along with about 25 other people, including the entire Roach family. This was during the time when they had decided to "purify" the Body, by demanding 100% agreement with everything taught by HEF, and his designated surrogates. I don't know how many people ultimately left or were kicked out.
My wife and I moved back to Ohio, and later contacted WSBT-TV in South Bend, as they were doing a series on FA, and the deaths there. We were interviewed, and appeared in one of the segments, along with some others who had formerly attended FA. We spent some time healing and getting a grip on things before we started attending another church. We never did find a church that had the worship services and quality teaching that we had become used to, and our disagreement with HEF was over some issues that were hardly divisive ones. But, we were not given any room to disagree at all, and leaving was actually a relief.
Was FA a cult? In some ways, yes. Not a radical cult like the Branch Davidians, or the Moonies, or the Children of God, or God's Army, but there were cultish aspects. With the passage of time, the wounds have healed, and I have many fond memories of our time there, along with a few not-so-fond memories that have dulled with time. I still miss the worship services, and the fellowship with some of the people we were close to. I remember a Thanksgiving spent with Jerry Eckles and his wife, in a log cabin, in front of a fire in the fireplace, reading scripture and talking about it, and sharing experiences. I remember Rick and Sarah Carey, John and Debbie Whetstone, Jim Brenneman, Bill Fiel, Mark and Cathy Yotter, Andy and Melinda Roach, Cal and Caroline Roach, Sherwood and Mary Jo Roach, Mayrea Simpson, Audie Gates, and many others whose names I can't remember, but whose faces are forever etched in my memory.
God led us there for a reason, and He kept us through it, and out the other side. My life is richer for having been there.
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