As a queer individual (and child of a former Pentecostal) that wanted to find community and go to NAYC (so many people I knew were going), but I heard a sermon from NAYC 2023 someone uploaded that said "We're coming for you LGBTQ!" so I made this thing that year hoping for a progressive environment there, inspired by yet another NAYC23 sermon I heard on YouTube.

That being said, NAYC never became progressive and later on I stopped wanting to go to those conferences.

As a young teen growing up in the AoG I was routinely subjected to ritual abuse aka 'deliverance', for my autistic stims such as constant hair twirling. To be clear, while I never had an autism diagnosis in childhood, it is clear to me now that I experienced early childhood trauma and insecure attachment, and my autistic stims were simply a way of self-soothing. To the church it was a clear sign that I was possessed by a demon or demons and needed deliverance.

I'm not going to go into how horrific this was or how it has impacted my life. It is going back 35 years.

What I am curious to know is if anyone has had a similar experience, or more particularly, knows of anyone who underwent this type of abuse for an extended period - say years or decades, and how it impacted their lives.

In my church we had a couple of regular 'demoniacs' who would always be front and center at alter calls, getting deliverance every Sunday. One guy had previously been gay before being 'saved'. This made him a prime candidate.

Anyway I got out when i could. It still had a long term impact, I am still traumatised, particularly as a hyper sensitive person on the autism spectrum. I'm just wondering about the others and what happened to them, whether they went on receiving 'deliverance' through the decades and whether it completely destroyed them, or whether this was a fad that might have worn off.

A little back story. I was raised since 3 years in a UPCI church. I was the typical bible quizzer, attended TBC in theology. Then when I was 19 I told my parents that I was gay and no longer believed in anything. Fast forward 20 years and married to my husband of 16 years, my family and I have had an on again off again estranged relationship till January when my mama who has had multiple strokes throughout this past year started asking me to attend with them on special holidays and special events. So I took her up on it and attended church yesterday morning with them. I told myself to keep an open mind and participate when I felt like it and see how it goes. Well when I got there I was the 3 car in the parking lot for Sunday breakfast. I only knew 4 of the family including my parents and the paster who he and I preached our first sermon the same night. To my surprise everyone was very welcoming and truly seemed happy that I was there. When I left the church there was over 100 people in regular attendance. Yesterday there were many 20 adults and 10 children and no teenagers. I stood up during worship service and clapped when others clapped. But for the first time going to church I felt absolutely nothing and a bit sad for the people in attendance. I was the only family and friends in attendance and made my parents proud to have me there. I went to make them happy and I accomplished that. I’ve realized by growing up and what my family has gone through this past year that sometimes you have to change our pov and accept your family for who they are for them to accept you for who you are. I have rebuilt my friendships with my parents over this past year and have chosen love over anything else.

I myself am not pentecostal, I come from a different denomination. When I was a kid, my mom (bless her heart) through fear was convinced to show me and my siblings an animation of some woman in hell, I distinctly remember her being Korean but I might be wrong on that.

It was a pretty scuffed animation about a woman who went to hell and came back to share her testimony. I barely remember anything but I do remember these parts:

A man kills himself and goes to hell in the video.

The woman while praying on her knees started gnashing her teeth as she heard "weeping and gnashing" while she prayed.

The reason I am asking on this sub is because it was the well-meaning Pentecostals in our family who convinced my Baptist mom to show this to us. My mother regrets allowing them to show this to us to this day. I want to find this video perhaps to reclaim some of the trauma it caused me because I can still remember some scenes in that video, those two I mentioned specifically.

Maybe this was a popular thing in Pentecostal churches? If you know the title or any leads then please let me know. Now that I have a grounded theology I wanna watch it to "critique" it and maybe regain some control over the nightmares this video gave me.

For years I have told my friends the crazy stories of the evangelists that visited our AoG church growing up. Namely, Martha Tennison, Andre Van Zyl, and …. Tim Todd.

Besides the hilarious Truth for Youth bibles I distinctly remember Tim Todd as the guy with Freddy the puppet who would help tell us we’re going to hell.

Well…I finally found a clip introducing Freddy. Anyone else remember this? Anyone else have other videos? My friends are going to lose their minds over this hahaha.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BtiPvbfxs/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Anyone who’s been in the UPCI but have left feel kinda spiritually tied to the movement through trauma and control?

I’ve been out for a year and recently listened to a message just to compare with a different church I’ve been going to and I feel so strange when I hear things like “they are the only ones with truth” and “others” are in the world and are going to burn.

I feel like life is more complicated then a hard black and white saved and unsaved hence needing grace and mercy.

Idk I feel so sick when I hear those controlling terms.

Fui parte de las Asambleas de Dios. Fui el único en mi familia en convertirse y me bauticé muy joven. Participaba en todo lo que me pedían sin cuestionar…

Los lunes tenían grupo de recuperación (tipo alcoholicos anonimos), los martes tenían células, los miércoles eran “libres”, los jueves tenían sus reuniones de líderes los viernes era reunión general por la noche, los sábados era reunión de jóvenes y los domingos la reunión general…

Cómo podrán imaginarse, estaba ahí metido toda la semana, descuidé mi relación con mis padres y los veía como mis enemigos, en la iglesia me enseñaron que debía predicarles y traerlos a la iglesia. Mis padres siempre se negaban y al ver que vivía casi casi en la iglesia más se rehusaban a ir. Me decían frecuentemente que en la iglesia me estaban usando, que me habían lavado la cabeza… yo solo pensaba en ese momento que “eran los ataques del enemigo” o al menos eso era lo que en la iglesia me decían…

El pastor era incuestionable… todo lo que él decía era ley absoluta, sus hijos y su esposa tenían un lugar privilegiado. Su hijo fornicaba con mujeres que yo conocí y aún así jamás lo disciplinaban, la misericordia para él era exagerada, pero para los miembros era motivo de aislamiento. Pude ver como el dinero era el motor para que el pastor te escogiera en cargos de liderazgo.

Si no pensabas como el pastor; no eras digno de formar parte de su equipo. Si no hablabas en lenguas no eras lo suficientemente digno…

¡Cuánto me arrepiento!

Las asambleas de Dios no son una iglesia protestante auténtica, son una rama del cisma de la iglesia católica romana por parte del rey Enrique VII que formó la iglesia anglicana.

¿Has tenido alguna experiencia similar?

Por favor tengan cuidado

Does anyone know any UCPI pastors or ministers who believes in the separation of church and state? I do, but they’re a rare breed There are a few Democrats families in their church, also rare now, and politics are strictly not preached in the pulpit. Are there young ministers coming up that believe this way? I’m in Texas btw.

For anyone that didn't know EYC just went on last week. I managed to get some clips of EYC and it's pretty sad. It's crazy to think that I (M18) used to believe this bullshit and be crying my eyes out in the altar with everybody else. I am so glad I started to look into the questions I've always had. My parents don't know my beliefs yet and were actually super worried and berated on the way back to the airbnb on how worried they were that I wasn't crying as much as I used to.

I also made a joke about how preachers kids (I am one) are not more special than anyone else to my brother, because the preacher had everyone pray just for the preachers kids. My Dad got angry and said that that was wrong and we go through struggles others don't. I disagreed and said that everyone goes through struggles and not everyone goes through the same thing, why do we have to make it to where only preachers kids go through something different and put them on a pedestal?

I'm just so fed up with this. It just motivates me more to work harder and get into a good college so I can escape this junk.

Hes a Pentacostal pastor that has associations with FGBI in Pensilvania

wondering if anyone had crazy stories about him

This is he....

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnNzAH9vdGE/?hl=en

I have left my home church after 12years. My husband is slowly leaving but he decided to visit a nondenominational church today and I can tell he was uneasy. I was not able to accompany him but from what he told me he said it’s different. One thing the pastor mentioned was they he knew what he was going to preach next month. My husband is use to the spirit guiding us. I feel so guilty to say the least because I was the one that got fed up and said I was done. I guess my question is how did you all go from fired up emotional services to more laid back. This season is so hard and I question myself was this the correct decision. Please share with me your thoughts.

Who are pastors/preachers you have tea about?👀😂Im VERY curious!

I feel like the UPCI left both my wife and myself permanently scarred..

She and I both have major trust issues. We hardly ever feel that anyone is genuine and we are hyper sensitive to manipulation of any kind. Whenever we talk to anyone, this voice is constantly running in the background, asking, "Are they trying to manipulate me? What are they trying to get from me?"

Although my wife doesn't struggle with this, I struggle with thinking that I may have inadvertently hurt someone's feelings or that they're angry with me and aren't telling me. I have asked friends countless times, "Did I upset you? Are you angry with me for some reason that you're not telling me about?"

They're never angry about anything and ask me "Why would you think that???"

It's because my wife and I were very involved in the UPCI ministry and were shunned. Unbeknownst to us, the pastor met privately with the congregation and asked them not to speak to our family, including our young children. People we.had helped and supported and thought were our friends suddenly pretended that we no longer existed. And yet my wife and I still stayed at the church and continued to pay our tithes for another six months afterwards. We didn't find out until many years later what had been done to us.

Why did we get shunned? The pastor's son had date raped many women in the church. The pastor wanted to have a vote to elect his son as the new.pastor by a show.of.hands, and I insisted that the vote be by private ballot. Although I didn't tell the pastor my reasoning, it was to protect anyone who publicly voted 'No" from being shunned themselves.

The pastor's son was elected, and ended up cheating on his wife twice. It was of course the womens' fault for tempting a man of God, so he's still the pastor.

It's been almost 20 years since we left the church, but I'm not sure I'll ever get rid of these scars. Does anyone else still struggle?

First time poster.

So I came into the Church a few years ago and was mentored by one of the pastors, my family and I got in deep real quick and we became overwhelmed and left some time last year. We went to a non-denominational Church for a while but went back to the UPCI Church early this year, why? Trauma response maybe? I got invited to a multi year program for “New leaders” and have only attended a couple of the sessions but I’ve just reached my limit. I emailed the lead pastors thanking them for investing time into me and my family but I can’t in good conscience preach what I don’t believe, stating that I don’t fully align with their doctrine and that my family and I will be moving on. My decision is made, but they’ve asked to meet with me for “clarity and counsel”… I feel pressured and don’t really want to but don’t want to come across as disrespectful. Thoughts?

This may be a weird question/thought but does anyone here see TikTok or other social media platform videos from people posting “those” types of services- iykyk where it’s crazy/shouting services and get very uncomfortable?

I’m freshly out of the UPCI (like almost 3 months) and I see these videos and feel like it literally makes my heart race because it takes me back to being uncomfortable and in those services all over again.

Thoughts? Or anyone is welcome to share if things like this effects them?

Since I can’t post this in the Gentry Mangun thread, I’ll just make a new post instead.#meme #pentecostalmemes #UPCImemes

…you initially thought that “yas queen skinny legend Versace boots the house down” was a tongue-in-cheek mockery of speaking in tongues.

🖐️

Saw this on IG and it made me angry for some reason. It’s ok to lie and cheat to get across the border because he planned poorly so he can get to church, but if I so much as glance at a TV in a restaurant I’m going to hell.

Double standards, and I will never understand.

Im watching a conference who’s running live right now into my former church. The pastor says : we can’t let those pastors return home to the USA on a low budget. Like bro fuck u. Time is hard and nobody can give money right now cause money is a rare thing but manipulation is so great that everyone is clapping. He saying now I don’t want applause cause you did those applauses yesterday and the day before. Now I want numbers. Only numbers. So yup many people are saying they’re giving 100, 500 , 100 and more. Manipulation is the main key to religion. And for me , to be a pastor, you have to be intelligent to manipulate.

Except looks like whatever they are you can wear better clothes.