Reformed Churches Dueling Over Young Woman

[Jerome]

http://ubcfayetteville.wordpress.com/

I’m writing to call you to a special season of prayer for one of our families. Andy and Patty Grove have been going through an awful ordeal that has hit them physically, emotionally, mentally, and certainly spiritually.

Catherine, the Grove’s daughter, disappeared from Fayetteville on July 2, 2013. She left everything and found her way to Wells, TX to join with a group called The Church of Wells. She had been corresponding with leaders of this group for several months and was led to believe that she needed their help in her spiritual journey.

Time and space does not permit a full explanation, but I’d like to give you as much as I can at this point. The Church of Wells has “elders” that are all young men in their older 20’s / early 30’s, who studied at credible institutions. Their theology (to a point) is somewhat orthodox, but their methods and practices are not

Catherine is in the middle of all this, and the Groves have been completely cutoff from contact with Catherine. They remain in Wells to garner support and encouragement from the community of believers in the town and region (north to Tyler and south to Lufkin). Media outlets are picking up the story, and this is not the first time this group has made headlines. Authorities are aware of the situation. It must be stated, however, that Catherine (26) has not requested to leave, which has complicated the hope to rescue her. She is weak, apparently deceived, and in need of rescuing from outside of herself.

http://www.thechurchofwells.com/

Most, if not all of you have heard about the crowd of individuals (some of which were pastors) which came to one of our properties demanding that Catherine would be brought out. I, Sean Morris, had spoken to some individuals there who explained their intent of joining the crowd. They appealed to me, generally, by saying, “If the rumors or reports are not true, then bring Catherine out...we want to see it for ourselves.” I told these men how unreasonable it is that a 26-year-old young lady should be brought before such a billowing crowd of people, for, it is no atmosphere where scripturally based conviction and careful reason would prevail, but rather peer pressure, coercion, misguided emotion, and perhaps energetic force (God knows what would have happened), and furthermore, we would not have brought her out against her own choice and will. And now, the accusations and fears which the Groves have made and voiced are not reaching a 100 person crowd in Wells, but the entire region of East Texas, our very own carnal families whom we love dearly, and beyond. Despite the fact that Catherine was not even in this house so that she could have been brought out, all my reasoning with certain individuals proved futile because they were overtaken in emotional alarm, being seized therewith because of the foul and untrue reports of Andy and Patty Grove. In contradiction to the report of the Groves, the police force judged Catherine’s condition to be well and safe on three separate occasions. At one of these police investigations (which was propelled by the unfounded accusations of the Groves) the top four authorities of this entire county made a personal visit (Sheriff James Campbell, Chief Deputy Radcliffe, and men of two subsequent ranks), and again, Catherine was well and desirous to stay.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Morris has all the classic sounds of a cult leader. He claims that sound doctrine can't prevail over a mob mentality, yet it is he who is invoking his own members to be a mob of kidnappers.

 

[glazer1972]

This church of Wells is not far up the road from us. I have read the testimony of one lady involved in it. It pretty much seemed like a works based salvation to me.

 

[salzer mtn]

Everyone should be rescued from a works based religion.

 

[Jerome]

Jacksonville Texas Daily Progress Sept. 27, 2013

The sister of 26-year-old Catherine Grove is supporting her younger sister's decision to stay with the controversial Church of Wells and away from her parents, who are trying desperately to get her to return home. During a telephone interview this week from her home in Fayetteville, Ark., Amy Grove said her sister, Catherine, sought out Church of Wells parishioners because she wanted new friends in a community who could help her escape her controlling parents. “I think she's trying to get protection from my family,” the 30-year-old said.

During the almost two-hour interview, Amy Grove talked about what it was like to grow up in a four-daughter missionary family under a minister father. Amy Grove described her parents as “manipulative” and “controlling” as she outlined a life she said was fraught with constant, sometimes violent, conflict between parent and child. Amy contends that one time, her father burned boxes of her books. She claims the girls were not allowed to have a door on their shared bedroom, nor were they allowed to watch TV, use computers, watch Disney movies or write in diaries. Always controlling, the Groves used a brain injury Amy suffered as an excuse to gain legal custody of her, she said.

Catherine sought out the Church of Wells as a way of breaking free, according to Amy. Amy said she herself did the same by running away to a women's shelter, immersing herself in the Episcopal Church, and ultimately getting married only to escape her parents. “I had to marry a man to protect myself,” Amy said.

 

[glazer1972]

Jacksonville Texas Daily Progress Sept. 27, 2013

I can't say if that's true or not but even if that were true it would seem as if she has in essence jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

 

[Jerome]

Yes, FWIW her parents' Baptist church is aligned with the '9 Marks' faction (Mark Dever), while the church she fled to looks to the teachings of 'Sovereign Grace' Baptist Rolfe Barnard.


KETK-TV ― Catherine Grove's siblings speak out

It's totally radical and different from what we growed up believing

Jacksonville Daily Progress ― Catherine Grove: 'I desire to stay here'

Youtube ― Catherine Grove's Testimony of Salvation and Baptism

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Didn't we do this thread already? I can't find it, but it sounds very familiar from the recent past.