Dear friends and family,
I feel I can no longer keep silent after what has happened these past few days. I am very concerned and deeply grieved by the behaviour of the local brother workers in Toowoomba this week towards my dear parents.
On Saturday afternoon on the 24 February 2024, they called my parents to tell them they no longer had a meeting and they could do what they liked. They did not suggest an alternative meeting for them.
Then on the 27 February 2024, my parents learnt that they had also contacted my sister on Saturday the 24 February 2024, who lives in New South Wales, to tell her that they had removed the meeting from my parent’s home and to tell my sister their story about my father’s spirit. This behaviour is typical of coercive control and well fits with spiritual abuse, and is completely unacceptable to any reasonable person, and also is unacceptable to God.
They have taken away a meeting from a man who cared so deeply for the congregation and above all else the for the children within this church. He has the heart of a shepherd. Why would they correct and discipline someone who has the heart of Christ? Why were they never curious about why this man is upset and grief stricken? And why would they feel it necessary to tell my sister about their decision, other than to defame his character?
To be so divisive within our family and spread rumours and their hateful stories to create disharmony between father and daughter is beyond comprehension. There is nothing of the fruit of the spirit of Christ in their actions.
Many of you might not know, but in January last year, the current overseer of Queensland told Courtney Hoffman and I to go and get Centrelink* and or a job in January 2023. (I had not yet been home 12 months from Kazakhstan with PTSD and anxiety from working overseas and being caught in civil unrest, and I needed trained professional help.) The reason given was that the money had run out.
He later discouraged Sheralee Jensen from returning to the work in early 2023. And he also told John Bowman to rest from the work and questioned his mental state mid-2023. There is a pattern with these men’s behaviour. And what makes it more revolting, is the lack of care shown in each of these situations for the individuals involved. Not once have I seen or heard of the heart and love of Christ in any of these stories.
Since I commenced work for the government, and have been quickly promoted into a leadership position, I have realised many things. Firstly, the conduct that is regarded as acceptable within the “Truth” is not the conduct that would be acceptable in a secular workplace. The behaviour they have engaged in over the weekend and towards those of us removed from the work, involves manipulation, deception, defamation, lack of due process, lack of natural justice and lack of appeal. In a secular workplace, their conduct would result in no longer having a job, no longer having staff work with them, and serious performance management processes.
I wish it to be known that I no longer belong to this group, and I am grateful to have learnt about the true spirit of love and care within a secular workplace, which is very different to what I experienced in my 13 years in the work. I am thankful to no longer be subject to the coercive control and wide ranging psychological and spiritual abuse that exists amongst this group.
I know this might be hard for some of you to read and digest this, but these are the appalling facts.
Belinda Young
February 28, 2024
*Centrelink: Social security, in Australia, refers to a system of social welfare payments provided by Australian Government to eligible Australian citizens, permanent residents, and limited international visitors. These payments are almost always administered by Centrelink, a program of Services Australia. (Source: Wikipedia)