Slick 50

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[MidnightRider]

I don’t understand what you’all are talking about. What is Slick50?

What is Slick50? What is its place in the history of GCx?

[snoopy]

Gene,



Slick 50 is an “oil substitute” that is sold via multi level sales.



In the Marching to Zion book, Larry Pile documents some of the crazy happenings involving McCotter recruiting people to sell it. I kind of skimmed through those pages, plus, it was a while ago that I read it, but I think there was recruiting for the ministry and recruiting for sales going on.

[exshep]

Jim McCotter used to run a multi-level marketing scheme with Slick 50, a fuel additive. Some the members apartments were packed to ceiling with cases of the stuff. There was a running joke that an elder would check on the efforts at evangelism and slick 50 receipts at the time. One former member had a derisive doggaral. “Go out the door and do something nifty. Praise the Lord and sell that Slick 50.” It does remind me of Jesus and the moneychangers. Feel free to post if you have any other questions.

[MidnightRider]

ex-shep, Thanks for the info on Slick50. That explains the occasional references I heard about the stuff when I was in GCx. But the multi-level marketing of it had already blown over.

But I do see on the Slick 50 web page that you can buy it at the big auto parts stores. In case anybody wanted some, for old times’ sake. 8-)

[askingquestionsaboutGCI]

ex-shep wrote:

Jim McCotter used to run a multi-level marketing scheme with Slick 50, a fuel additive. Some the members apartments were packed to ceiling with cases of the stuff.

~~~
This is very interesting to me.  Apparently, Slick 50's connection to GC* is NOT a thing of the past.  As recently as early this year (2007), we were approached by a GC missionary (home on furlough, trying to raise more support) and he brought this product with him, trying to sell some to help raise funds for his next year abroad.

This is my first posting on this site.  I just ran across it yesterday and I must freely admit that I'm feeling a bit creeped-out by much of what I'm reading.  I've been a member of a church that Dennis Clark planted here in Maryland (before he left for Colorado).  I've always had this vague feeling of things being slightly "off" at this church, but could never put my finger on it.  And never tried to in the past, because quite honestly, this church saved my marriage.  But now that my husband and I are past that point in our lives, I think the rose-colored-glasses have come off, and we're starting to question things around us.

I hope others are still posting here.  It doesn't look very busy on here!!

[AgathaL'Orange]

We're still here!!!  We've just been busy!

Wow, Slick 50 is still being sold?  Crazy!  

Asking what's your story?  You should post it somewhere.  We'd love to hear it.

[puff of purple smoke]

Asking what's your story?  You should post it somewhere.  We'd love to hear it.

(askingquestionsaboutGCI's introduction moved here.)

[damaged_goods]

Slick 50!! Oh, does that bring back the memories!

I never sold it and was not involved in any of the marketing schemes. But I do have a gem of a story to share.

There were a couple of brothers in the work who had been members of a fraternity off campus. And so, because of their connections with that fraternity, a demonstration was set up at the frat house. I was one of a few brothers who went along, sort of as moral support.

The main feature of the presentation was a machine that was supposed to simulate the heat and pressure of an automobile engine. A ball bearing was placed in the machine along with a commensurate amount of oil. The person conducting the test would turn the machine on and the bearing would spin. He would then lower a handle which placed pressure on the bearing. With just oil, there was supposed to be a screeching noise and a distinct burning smell. The point being that the oil was not enough of a protectorant. Then, Slick 50 was added and neither was supposed to occur.

Well, it didn't quite go down that way.

With just the oil, the demonstrator had to apply more pressure than he originally thought. It was rather uncomfortable (well, in all honesty, kind of funny) to watch him applying more and more pressure, starting to perspire and turn red, even using the weight of his body on the lever, until he finally got the stated results. But when Slick 50 was added, the results were worse. He brought the lever down with minimal pressure and smoke started to bellow from the chamber that held the ball bearing. Reckoning that this was a frat house, you can imagine the comments and laughter that ensued.

The truth of the matter is that the machine was probably broken, since Slick 50 does not denegrate the lubrication effectiveness of oil (that is not an endorsement).

As I look back, it seems the leaders in the East Lansing work were always trying to come up with some sort of get rich quick scheme. There was Shaklee and Amway (both of which require hard work and patience for success), there was Slick 50, and then there were a variety of telemarketing ideas. I can recall that many brothers originally from Iowa would write on a calender the minimum amount of days they needed to work (Manpower temp) to pay their bills - and when they reached that amount, they would not work again that month. It was almost as if successful employment was looked down upon. This was certainly true if one could not get time off for retreats and conferences. That model was unmanagable and so I doubt it continues to this day. In fact, I suspect that many ideas that were once advocated and even enforced have gone by the wayside.

Does anyone recall the disdain with which insurance was viewed? I mean ANY insurance? I still have a tape in which McCotter calls insurance 'the work of the devil'.

[maranatha]

"Does anyone recall the disdain with which insurance was viewed? I mean ANY insurance? I still have a tape in which McCotter calls insurance 'the work of the devil'."


Yeah.  early 80's.  If I remember correctly,  the reason to not have insurance was that the Lord is returning soon and we needed to pour our resources out for Christ.  

Cool thought.  Not very realistic.(not having insurance)  Though I seriously do wish that He would have come by now.

Maybe tomorrow?

[AgathaL'Orange]

A lot of people still think retirement funds and saving is bad too.

[searching]

Taking a career advancement was also looked down upon, funny you would think that they would need people to advance in thier careers so they could give more financially.

[nateswinton]

Yea, savings and insurance were both scoffed at by at least one pastor in our church.  Tax exempt status was pretty much abused to the nth degree as well.

[Massman]

I just attended a seminar at Faithwalkers.

Very balanced and reasonable, put on by a guy named Bob Bartlett.

He wrote a book called Solomons 7 secrets to finance or something like that.

It was great.  Talked about fighting off the beast of debt, the power of saving young, the blessings of honoring God in giving.

He also encouraged us strongly to make sure we were not underinsured.  Used some examples of someone that got stuck there.

I think a balance of trusting in God fully for our provision and moving forward intelligently to advance ourselves would be good.

The area of money is such an important topic in my opionion.

[namaste]

I think a balance of trusting in God fully for our provision and moving forward intelligently to advance ourselves would be good.

YES!!!


 :wink:

[maranatha]

~~~

[MidnightRider]

This is very interesting to me.  Apparently, Slick 50's connection to GC* is NOT a thing of the past.  As recently as early this year (2007), we were approached by a GC missionary (home on furlough, trying to raise more support) and he brought this product with him, trying to sell some to help raise funds for his next year abroad.

It is possible that the Slick50 he was trying to sell you was manufactured 25 years ago, and had just been dumped on him by a GCx elder.  8-)

I heard that there were elders who had a garage full of the stuff. They had been encouraged to buy it and were never able to resell it.

There is some info about Slick50-selling in the book _Marching to Zion_.

[MidnightRider]

"Does anyone recall the disdain with which insurance was viewed? I mean ANY insurance? I still have a tape in which McCotter calls insurance 'the work of the devil'."

Yeah.  early 80's.  If I remember correctly,  the reason to not have insurance was that the Lord is returning soon and we needed to pour our resources out for Christ.  

Yes, we were told that when in was in GCx back in the early 1980s. Life insurance was bad because the church should take care of the widows and orphans. Health insurance was bad because we were supposed to help the sick.

Of course, we (including the leaders) were all in our 20s and 30s, so what did we know about how much money it takes to support a widow? or how much it takes to pay for an average hospital stay?

Buying a house (or expensive car) was bad because Jesus might come back, and there you would have put all your $$ into that house instead of gospel tracts. You would feel SO embarassed.  :roll:

As for Jesus coming back any day now, that is probably best left for another time. Lunch is over and I have to get back to work.

[lone gone]

Slick 50 is now sold in discount stores like Walmart. If there is still a MLM
( multi-Level-Marketing) scheme involved with it there cannot be much of a market.

When I was in AMes, after Slick 50 faded away, McCotter started LEI - Life Enterprises International....  It's main products were aloe vera liquids and gels. Many got hooked in for their starter kits and never sold a bottle.

I got in on both schemes at the bottom most level.... where I stayed because there was no one left to sponsor.

There was even a scandal when one brother who was a team leader left the church, repudiated everything that he had once espoused and  started a new MLM scheme from which to make himself rich. I remember the talk about selling out for godless mammon and that he would pierce himself with many pang for seeking riches.

[puff of purple smoke]

Funny footnote in Part Four of Marching To Zion:

^[64] Slick 50 produces “engine treatments” designed to make automobile engines run better. According to a report in the Skeptics Dictionary [http://skepdic.com/slick50.html] the basic ingredient in the Slick 50 products, and in similar products from other companies, is PTFE, also known as Teflon®. The report also cites DuPont, the maker of Teflon®, to the effect that “Teflon is not useful as an ingredient in oil additives or oils used for internal combustion engines.”

 

[Captain Bible]

Slick 50 Is a thing of the past! Move over Slick 50 The new 50 is here!

Zolder50!!!! 

(In May 2001, a team of 30 people from two Great Commission Churches, H20 (a church in Bowling Green, Ohio) and the Rock (a church in Fort Collins, Colorado), joined together to explore Amsterdam as a possible location to start a church.

In August 2001, it was determined that God was indeed behind the idea to develop and lead a team of people to Amsterdam in order to start Zolder50. )

From http://www.amsterdam50.nl/1/index.php