ECC BOT - What Can Be Done?

Welcome to De-Commissioned, a place for former members of the Great Commission movement (aka GCM, GCC, GCAC, GCI, the Blitz) to discuss problems they've experienced in the association's practices and theology.

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[Linda]

I know you are male. I know, for some reason, you changed your screen name and started a new account when posting the names of the BOT. And I probably know your name. Not that it matter

How do you know this?

[Digital Lynch Mob]

I know you are male. I know, for some reason, you changed your screen name and started a new account when posting the names of the BOT. And I probably know your name. Not that it matter

How do you know this?

Puff told me. jk

[Linda]

Is there some sleuthing going on about IP addresses? Because if you guys are doing that, you have crossed over into Scientology/cult territory. I really hope it hasn't come to that.

Puff, do you know why we now get a message telling us in red letters "! Website Not Secure" when we try to log in? This started a few weeks ago.

[Boggs]

Is there some sleuthing going on about IP addresses? Because if you guys are doing that, you have crossed over into Scientology/cult territory. I really hope it hasn't come to that.

Puff, do you know why we now get a message telling us in red letters "! Website Not Secure" when we try to log in? This started a few weeks ago.

The Website Not Secure message is not something to worry about. If you're using Google Chrome, they recently changed it to bring more attention to HTTP/HTTPS websites in general.

As far as I know our IPs are logged by the forum software and only available to the administrator. I don't think you need to worry about it.

[Greentruth]

Linda, always so quick to try and distort and accuse. My one unit I use always brings this up when logging on here, two others don’t. Not a computer expert, but believe it’s the different firewall.

[Greentruth]

I hope so, as I agree that tampering with security is no little thing.

[ShineTheLight]

I don't believe DLM did any type of security tampering or IP tracking, etc.  He's just an observant guy and I haven't been exceedingly careful to keep my identify super secret.

[Linda]

I was confused by DLM’s choice of words: “I know”. He/she pm’d me. He/she meant to say, “I think I know based on deduction.”

I hadn’t been concerned about the red warning until that moment. All is well.

[Rebel in a Good Way]

Jeromy (or one of his inner circle) said that they had traced IP addresses before.

Is there some sleuthing going on about IP addresses? Because if you guys are doing that, you have crossed over into Scientology/cult territory. I really hope it hasn't come to that.

Puff, do you know why we now get a message telling us in red letters "! Website Not Secure" when we try to log in? This started a few weeks ago.

A speculation again.  No one is looking at IP addresses.  I did notice a few people have private forum accesss...some long time users.  What does this mean.  Must be a more private forum as well?  Why not move the whole forum to a private format.  Then none of us would have issues with that.

[Greentruth]

Rebel, I believe he said he grabbed blonde’s itt address off of one his crude emails to him. Totally different and well warranted. It’s sad that it seems there is little legal action one can take when getting flooded with highly offensive acts

[freisetzen]

I have been told that he was told to cease and desist posting shortly after the Fox9 report was aired, or risk consequences from ECC leadership. I don't the whens, the wheres, and the whos, but this does suggest that some in ECC's leadership are not in the pocket of the Darling family as some have suggested. Indeed, the Darling family is probably just as unhappy with the BOT and the way this has been handled as the accusers are (though for different reasons, of course).

I'm glad for that. I've personally emailed the lawyer with examples of his and others speech as demonstrating reason some victims might be hesitant or even afraid to come forward. I'm glad it has led to a discussion filled with less harassment.

[Huldah]

Rebel, I believe he said he grabbed blonde’s itt address off of one his crude emails to him. Totally different and well warranted. It’s sad that it seems there is little legal action one can take when getting flooded with highly offensive acts

Twice I agree with GT in a single day! This is getting weird. 

[Greentruth]

Rebel, I believe he said he grabbed blonde’s itt address off of one his crude emails to him. Totally different and well warranted. It’s sad that it seems there is little legal action one can take when getting flooded with highly offensive acts

Twice I agree with GT in a single day! This is getting weird. 

I’m glad you agree Hulda.

[Rebel in a Good Way]

Thanks for doing this, freisetzen. 

I have been told that he was told to cease and desist posting shortly after the Fox9 report was aired, or risk consequences from ECC leadership. I don't the whens, the wheres, and the whos, but this does suggest that some in ECC's leadership are not in the pocket of the Darling family as some have suggested. Indeed, the Darling family is probably just as unhappy with the BOT and the way this has been handled as the accusers are (though for different reasons, of course).

I'm glad for that. I've personally emailed the lawyer with examples of his and others speech as demonstrating reason some victims might be hesitant or even afraid to come forward. I'm glad it has led to a discussion filled with less harassment.

[Linda]

I've been thinking about the question of the BOT and the lack of transparency on the part of the ECC pastors in keeping their names a secret.

As I process the comments here, the talking points are something like: ECC will only release the names of the Trustees (mind you, these are the people who are responsible for the integrity of the disbursement of the donated funds) to a select group of members (ones they deem responsible enough to handle such delicate information). That should be a huge red flag to all members.

But I would like to add another dimension to this. When all this alleged behavior was happening, and documents were apparently being generated offering $50,000 to the van Dycks in exchange for silence, and NDAs among the pastors were apparently signed, I was a member of ECC. My husband and I donated a lot of money to our church. If I find out that money was offered in exchange for silence, I have a vested interest in knowing about it because it would have been some of my money.

So, those of you who think it is not the business of non-ECC members to know about who is hearing the results of the investigation and deciding which documents to release, I beg to differ. I also would like to know if any hush money offers were made and/or signed and money was paid out in exchange for silence in other instances.

Follow up question:

Was the BOT involved in the $50,000 offer? Since they are the trustees they should have signed off on that. I would be curious as to whether or not they were in on that discussion or even informed of it.

[Janet Easson Martin]

 

Interesting Parallels with “Athlete A”

“Athlete A” is a Netflix documentary film surrounding the events of the outstanding gymnast, Maggie Nichols, (who earned her way to the final team for the Rio Olympics trials) first reporting to her mom the sexual molestation (confirmed by fellow team members) by Larry Nassar; and Maggie’s parents reporting to the President of the USA Gymnastics Association along with other USA gymnast team members and college gymnasts under Nassar’s “medical care” reporting.

One of the first things Maggie’s parents were told by this administrator was aggravatingly identical to what the elders in GCx seemed to have been audaciously trained ( likely by MCotter) as a first response - ‘No one has ever said something like that before.’ Time after time that is the outright deceitful excuse told to victims of spiritual abuse in so many GCx churches.

Next, they are told not to do anything on their part because it will impede the ‘right thing being done.’ The Nichols were told not to contact the police because they would take care of that. They were also told not to discuss it with anyone as it might interfere with a fair investigation which they would take care of. How similar to GCx’s ECC Church! You couldn’t know who the BOT were because it might impede with the investigation. What I wonder is if that was used as a way to keep away new accounts of abuse by the abusive pastor in question because they couldn’t get that information to unknown members of the BOT. As is the long-standing practice of GCx, they were likely abusively controlling information IN and information OUT.

Members of the USA gymnast team became so accustomed to verbal berating and even being literally slapped around that they saw themselves as powerless to stand up for themselves. There was a strong correlation present in too many GCx leaders who trained under McCotter who was very good at verbal cuts and gut punches in his “teachings” so as to reduce his following to what he labeled immature and selfish Christians who didn’t love Jesus near enough to deserve his attention. Why would they then believe they were “spiritual” enough to discern a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

[Janet Easson Martin]

Interesting Parallels with “Athlete A”    

(Continued)

There is another parallel which appears toward the end of the “Athlete A” documentary. Both organizations requested affected members to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements accompanied by large sums of money. Victim, McKayla Maroney (USA Olympic Gymnast 2012), felt she was forced to sign an NDA for which they astoundingly gave her $1.25 million to keep quiet. ECC requested victim, Suzanne, sign an NDA to keep her silence, and offered her a sum in the tens of thousands. She did not sign it.