This article was written collaboratively with the help of Jim Hurley, who was Center Leader of Reading in 1974-75 and witnessed many of these private events between Stewart & Shirley & Gayle in 1975
After Debbie Tobias left there were different ‘sisters’ used to help
Stewart in writing out bible studies. They would write out the
verses on the file cards.
Gayle did some writing for Stewart and getting closer to the family
all the time and under Stewart’s eye.
After Stewart got the plane[April 1975], he started leaving Shirley home and taking young 18 yr old Gayle, around to the different centers.
Gayle always seemed to sleep at his feet,. “I don’t know of her ever being sent to the sister’s quarters” said Jim Hurley.
Shirley was getting increasingly upset with this, as well she should
have been! On several occasions while at their home, Stewart would
call Rem, Paul or Dave and other ‘older brothers’ like Jim Hurley too,
to ‘calm’ Shirley down. Jim tells you more about this here.
Usually after some sort of fight concerning his hanging out with female teenagers, particularly Gayle.- “He knew what he was doing!” said Jim.
“He could control the young girls but was losing control of Shirley. She was beginning to put her foot down.” Jim continued,
“He wasn’t going to allow her to ruin things for him.
He started to present her as a “freak out” over Gayle, yet all the
while he kept baiting her with his behavior, and he was getting away
with it. Why put up with her when Gayle adored him!”
The incident in the restaurant I heard about many times.
Jim Hurley, my husband, was there. He told me the exact details
as to demonstrate perhaps why Stewart later didn’t want older
brothers around. No witnesses! This is what I heard back then about it.
Gayle was sitting with Jim in a booth.
“Stewart was sitting with Shirley, they were arguing, or at least she
was. He was contemptively ‘cool’. Her fuse was already lit! Other
leaders were there. Those who knew the real deal, knew why Shirley was
so upset”, said Jim.
“Others may have not known and ‘judged by the moment’ and thought
Stewart was the victim. HA!
He set her up and knew how to push her buttons!
She was watching him and Gayle get ‘bonded’ and knew her time was
limited.
In a final burst of frustration, Shirley said out loud,
” You can’t control me, can you Stewart!!!”
“and she opened a jar of sugar, unscrewed the cap and slowly poured
the sugar over Stewart’s head. It mingled in his hair and beard and
slid down his shirt and pants and onto the floor.” Jim recalled.
“He had victory!”
All he had to do now, was sit there and remain silent.
The calmer he appeared, the more hysterical she looked.
“He knew what he was going to do and he knew how to punish her for
this! -This was going to cost her, everything!”
The rest was easy.
He was succeeding in driving Shirley nuts.
She knew that he could get the fellowships to believe anything he
told them.
He also knew that there was enough momentum to handle any exodus of
those who knew the scoop.
He had the fellowships in the palm of his hands!
He even boasted that he could be ‘backslide 5 years’ and they wouldn’t catch on!
She knew it was beyond her abilities to deal with and that he was out to take over a bunch of naive Jesus freaks and exploit them, much like he had exploited her, when he married her at 16 and she did what ever he told her without question- for years!
Here she was over 30, and able to finally ‘talk back’.
Well he was going to fix her but good!
“He would accuse her of adultery and these dumb lambs would actually feel sorry for him.” said Jim.
Why what girl in fellowship wouldn’t love to have a husband like
Stewart???
He was planning it for sometime.
He had Shirley parade in tight unbecoming ‘old looking’ compared to the sea of young girls spread out on the floor before him, listening to every word he said. It would be easy to get the fellowship to think she was perverse…
Then there were the young men, or boys, who wanted to be
“just like Stewart”.
He had a plan for them as well!
They were going to be as “eunichs” for the kingdom of ‘god’ while he would be ‘a Solomon’, the wisest of the wise and have many ‘mental’ concubines.
He was going to have some fun, dividing those whom he liked from
those he disliked. Ones he liked could be known later as ‘Gayle
helpers’…
He could ‘whip them into shape’ whatever ‘shape’ he wanted to make them.
Stewart didn’t care what YOUR MOTIVE WAS for being in fellowship, as long as you produced gain for him.
The more the ‘merrier’ for him…
Turn a buck, into his pocket every little bit helps!
Well anyway, back to the ‘good old days’, the time for the first
“1000 person Big Meeting” came and Stewart made the tragic
announcement!!! [4th July 1975]
Shirley gave him an ULTIMATUM-
“Come Home and be husband and father, or we won’t be here when you get back!”[meaning her and the children…]
But as all geniuses plan ahead, Stewart had it all figured out.
He announced to the meeting that she left and made it seem as though
she was telling him Jesus or her.
So of course he was ‘applauded’ for choosing Jesus….
by coming to the meeting and not giving in to her demands…
Why there wasn’t a person present
that couldn’t ‘feel his pain’, but I should have said
‘feel his gain!’….
He had another brother suggest that the fellowship pay
for his legal defense and get back his children for him.
After all, how could Stewart lead the fellowship if he couldn’t manage
his own family, bible basics 101, and to put away his wife, she had
to be an adulteress bible basics 102…
Soon after, he succeeded and got his kids back. He had a private
investigator claim Shirley was with another man in a bar, enough
said. She was backslidden…Alls ‘swell’ in the kingdom of Stewart.
The beast was born…
From that point on, the ‘spirit’ of the fellowship was under attack. Houses closed as warehouses opened, salaries collected, and dependence on the Cobu made it harder to leave.
Members were kept mentally and physically kept exhausted, becoming spiritually deprived of the Truth, having it replaced with ‘wormwood’, the devil had its foothold as Stewart sold out for his Lusts!!!
There were the loyalists.
They were saved, but swayed by their desire to remain in fellowship and or their dependence on the fellowship.
No matter how bad it seemed to get, Stewart could always point a finger
and let them know it was their fault and heap on the guilt.
They always needed to repent and better yet walk around in
figurative ‘sackcloth and ashes’.
They would be mistreated, abused and stay on for long periods of time, carrying the ‘hope’ that things were going to get better.
These hopes were only realized by their eventually leaving. By then, however, the brainwashing of blaming themselves and daily doses of guilt, left some bewildered for years to come.
Stewart gave parting gifts!
A curse would be pronounced on you when you were leaving fellowship.
He even told people that Jim killed himself over 10 years ago! This was said perhaps to scare others into submission and obedience.
In the summer of 1976, at a meeting in NYC, Stewart told me in front of the multitudes, that I was a suicide waiting to happen ~!
Thanks for the prophetic word Stew, I did have a few close
calls, since after all, you took away my hope of salvation…. for a
time.
Thanks be to Jesus that he showed me what a liar you {Stewart}
are!
The devil has been having quite a field day with the
Cobu, his ‘Cain child’.
I better end now for this part at least, as this is all part
of the “Never Ending Story”
Hopefully this account and others that are being presented, will cause those ‘faithfully departed members’ to find new hope in Jesus Christ the Lord Jesus Christ ~ not the facsimile created by Stewart~
[…and not the “Jesus Christ’ carpet cleaning cult….]which has made
Stewart a multi-millionaire, and left those who did the slave labor
with nothing but guilt that they could never please Jesus!
To those left behind, who have a false glimmer of hope that
Stewart would ever care enough to provide for you, any sort of
future, it can only be Death and Despair!
The sooner you get out the sooner you can begin to heal and get to know the ‘real love of Jesus’.
Stewart may raise his glass at a poolside toast and say,
“This Bud’s for you!”
YET YOU WILL NEVER BE ALLOWED TO BE THERE TO SHARE AS HE
SPENDS ‘HIS CHILDREN’S INHERITENCE!
‘You can stay part of Cobu and live in squalor ~ till you are no longer able to
produce work that will profit Stewart and then you will be cast out
into the street as refuse,with a parting directive to ‘go drop dead’, just as many before you were cast out or driven away.
The true Christians that were in the Ff/Cobu were persecuted and to
the ones that still love Jesus, praise God!
To those who are still hurting so bad, God bless you and comfort you! To those who are still IN and being misled, I pray Jesus protects them and leads them out safely into real fellowship.
To those who have failed to develop a true relationship with Jesus because of being misled, I pray they come to know him, the true loving savior and develop that right relationship with Jesus.
To those of us who fellowship together, I hope that our Savior raises
us up to do more service for him, in the manner of intent we tried to
do in the fellowship.
I ask you Lord Jesus to enable me to lead many people to You in Christ again in the time I have remaining on this earth and that they may not be caught up in any false teachings like that of the Cobu, by Stewart. I ask You to send Your Holy Spirit to convict him of his sins and lead him to true repentance. In Jesus name.Amen
GBU
Ave
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Ave 
Thank you for your wonderful articles,Ave.Sometimes it all seems so long ago,like it was all a dream,or should I say a nightmare!I was in COBU in Cleveland in the late 70’s.I have suffered terrible spiritual damage,to this day,from this cult.I would love to hear from former memebers,especially if they knew me back then.Donna Deming was my shepherd,and biggest influence at the time.Please feel free to contact me at Galgonedaft@aol.com My name back then was Alease Brink,I was from Euclid.God Bless,Alease
What really shocked me,was to hear that Stewart was in sexual relationships with a few female COBU members.As much as I despised Stewart,after I left,I always thought that he believed what he taught.I truly believed that he held himself to a high standard of moral conduct(as warped as his ideas about Christianity were.) We were not even allowed to date,God forbid,we were not even allowed to have a crush on someone.At COBU,that was referred to as “being into someone”,and sharply condemned.Of course,no one could ever get married(except Stewart,apparently) I had heard a rumor back in the late 70s,that Stewart had something going on with the sisters that lived at his house.It may or may not have been true,but at the time I did not believe it at all.I was shocked to hear that he had taken”half wives”,and pressured them into compromising situations sexually.At least,Jesus was able to use that situation to cause people to escape the COBU.Former COBU members,don’t give up on Jesus Christ,because of what you went through.What went on in that cult had very little to do with actual Christianity.
Did Stuart own a furniture store in Hackensack in 1970? I recall a store owner who was a draw to many young people to hang out. I believe it was called (Foggy Bottom) Lance P
I never heard of it but its possible as there were m embers who rented stores and invited people over to talk to and to give bible studies to as well as to recruit new members.
I heard a story that Gayle had been in a very “suspicious” car accident that left her with some pretty bad brain damage.Is this true?Did people think Stewart had caused the accident?
There is no suspicion. Stuart made the horrible mistake of not putting down his landing gear when landing and Gayle was a passenger and due to the accident she has some brain damage.
You should pray for her if you care.
As far as sexuall allegations are concerned, I have yet to hear any real proof. Since this is the case, they will always remain mearly allegations.
Although we might wish to limit them to being allegations, if you search the net and see angelfire website, you can click on the inner links and read the testimonies by some of the sisters he has done wrong to, especially one called Anne.
Cobu Website by Mike M http://www.angelfire.com/nm/cobu/
Please tell me what happens when someone tries to leave. Does the group get them back to the facility and then hide them from the outside world so they can brainwash them? Is there any suspicion of foul play towards a member who tries to leave? I don’t want to post too much on a public website because I don’t know who reads this from the COBU group. I am concerned after reading as much as I have.
Jill
You bet there is some attempt to get them back but more importantly is to remind them that the COBU is the only place they can serve Jesus. And many do go right back into the world face first and mess up their lives because of this conditioning.
I know I did. Thank God he rescued me in spite of me. But then what father doesn’t give a child many chances.
My only advice is to pray and pray alot.
I had heard that Gayle had been in a car accident.I am not happy that she was injured,I just wanted to know if this story I heard was true or not.You can read just about anything on the web.
I thought that Stewart had publicly admitted “straying”with a woman,and then saying that he had missed the concept of “grace”,all along.Did he not come out and admit it?
Jill~
The Cobu brainwashed its members individually and collectively. Stewart was portrayed as having a relationship with the Holy Spirit and that he was treated like the pope.No one could ever challenge Stewart without him using his closest loyalists to attack and defame anyone who questioned his authority.Stewart also distanced himself from being questioned privately as time passed and he was elevated as head of the church in cobu world.
When someone joined they were uprooted and moved to a place where they received little world comforts and contact other than working for Christian Brothers Carpet Cleaning and when the IRS tried to interfere, members were told to sign their paychecks and ‘donate’ them back to Cobu so they could keep the money. The members were given food, shelter and later on clothing as needed and were taught not to trust the world for anything,nor to trust anyone outside of Cobu. They were also taught to constantly confess every idle thought that came into their heads so they were left unbalanced and not trusting in their own thoughts but instead relying on those Stewart placed over them.
As for those who were closest to Stewart, whom he used to execute his plans, he would ‘detrone’ them every so often to keep them ‘beat down’ emotionally and spiritually as well, so that no one could rise above him.
Anyone leaving Cobu often left only with the clothes on their backs and no money or direction to obtain any help or counselling. Many would return and re-submit to Cobu authority but have to ‘prove’ themselves with more self denial and more loyalty. Today there is an estimated 40 members still living ‘IN” and they are older and totally committed to Stewart and the lie they live.
Some who left after 10-20 years of servitude, have not been able to adjust to the world outside of Cobu and because of all the head games and preprogrammed thoughts, find it nearly impossible to join in any church fellowship for any length of time. Some who may not have been too brainwashed have gone onto college and other ministries, but that is only a few compared to the majority.
There have been an estimated 40,000 members over the years, some who stayed only briefly and others who spent years there.
Since all had to work and donate their salaries, no social security was ever paid on their accounts and no tax records exist for their benefit. At times some wanted to join together to start a class action suit against Cobu but nothing has ever been established as the paper ‘traill’ is well covered.
Stewart keeps nothing in his name, which protects him from Rico laws and IRS tax evasion. He owns his condo in Florida but all the business ventures and church are kept seperate and well dispursed. There are Christian Brothers Carpet Cleaning services in NYC Florida, Texas and Los Angeles, that are known but now run independently on paper [although you know he gets his share!] and they even have hired people that have no ties to Cobu which helps cover it up.
When taking donations for their ‘orphanage’ in Haiti, they accept anything which gets stored in the Scranton warehouse only to resurface in another company he had started called ” Olde Good Things’ which sells on ebay and at store locations across t he nation, being a well known reclamation service for antiquities and a multi million dollar operation, since most items were donated to the ‘church’ of Cobu and the members donate their salaries, so the profits are very high.. Where does that money go? who knows?
Stewart was a smart con man in the world and has managed to get very good financial advice on how to run his scam of operations! He is similar to Al Capone but avoided the mistakes that got Capone busted, namely how the IRS can track him, since he keeps most things out of his name.
He now has 4 airplanes, designated for the Haiti orphanage and the current members are so brainwashed t hat they easily manipulate any outsider Christians and obtain help from unwitting others.
They have real estate holding corps and stores all over, some based in either N or S Carolina [ I forget which one but did manage to contact them once]
The biggest thing that is imparted to current members is secrecy, loyalty and the delusion that they are elite and special only as long as they remain loyal to Stewart and the current Cobu administration, which are puppets of Stewart.
A few have escaped but needed extensive deprogramming and some services are obtainable through WellsSpring in Ohio ~ which helps deprogram and reintegrate members back into Christian communities, although it is expensive, so most who have managed to leave go into hiding.
There has been reports of suicides, accidents and other deaths. Most if not all who have left have been branded as backsliders and those who remain in fellowship have been seriously trained not to trust any former members or outsiders.
A few years back when Gayle had her accident, they changed some things ‘corporately’ so that the aging members now have health insurance through their Scranton address.
Last year the warehouse in Scranton had a ‘fire’ which eliminated many assets which were also reported to be heavily insured…
The orphanage is a front that allows them to obtain government grants and donations. Most monies go for ‘administration’ but some orphans are at least ‘fed’.Abuses have been discussed over the years. Some sisters who were brought down there on rotation from the NYC area were often ‘packed’ with up to $15,000 cash each under their clothing to smuggle in money that went “where”?….
Sexual abuse reports from the ‘half wives’ has been documented by a few who had the guts to tell all…One brave sister named Anne has her ‘testimony’ as to what Stewart did to her and others, posted on the Angelfire site to which you can find it in our ‘links section’ on the xcobu4Jesus yahoo group. or at http://www.angelfire.com/nm/cobu/
Stewart demasculated the brothers verbally and that kept them in check to not give into their flesh to seek marriage and many brothers today have either never been married or failed in their marriages as a result .The minutes of the brothers meeting with Stewart is available on the Angelfire site as well. http://www.angelfire.com/nm/cobu/
Undercover reporters have also tried to infiltrate the Cobu. One female reporter almost succumbed to the brainwashing while obtaining materials for her newspaper article.
Surfacely the ‘brethren’ that are still “IN” talk only biblically and in a religious ‘double speak’ so that they go undetected by the casual observer and can interact minimally for business purposes, as though they received ‘spiritual lobotomies’…It is very hard to rescue any of those who are left, but hope is still maintained so that by befriending any of them, that one day they may see the light and be freed from their enslavement to Cobu.
GBU~!
Ave
You can contact many former members through :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/XCobu4Jesus/ This is an open to join in one click group, I started several years ago that you can join without having to provide personal info if that is a concern.There are also a few moderators with differing experiences from Cobu between the 70’s – 90’s to offer help and guidance for any needs.You can also request any type of help there and I will try to help you any way possible.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/X-Cobu/ This is a group of former members and it is private, so you need to request membership and identify yourself to the moderator only.Some members are active in ministries, some have no church affiliations and others are just there for friends.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ex-cobu/ This is an unmoderated group that has former member emails along with alot of spam since it is unmoderated but you may find some beneficial information in the archives.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cobu_Survivors This is a closed private group which is moderated as well and there are some good former members there as well that may help.
http://www.angelfire.com/nm/cobu/ This site has many pictures and testimonies from former members and info on reunions and gatherings.
GBU~!
Ave
If you leave COBU,you can not remain friends with anyone who is still in it.This is very painful at first,because the other members of the group have become your “brothers and sisters”,and you love them.They are your closest friends in the world.It’s not like you can say”I’m going to be Baptist now,and you are COBU,but we can still be close friends.Once you leave,you are the enemy.COBU members are only allowed to speak to you if they are trying to scare and coerce you into going back.No casual conversations.I dont know of anyone being kidnapped by the COBU,but I have heard of someone being kidnapped OUT of it.If Stewart can get someone yo come back,he will assign them to live in a state faraway from their family and friends,to break “outside ties. If you leave,they will keep calling you,and stopping by your house.They will refer to you as a “spiritual suicide”,a backslider,7 times more evil than before you were saved,a dog returning to it’s vomit.I remember one time,going to the house of a girl who had left COBU.My guardian took me with her,to try to get this girl back.The girl had a record player,and my guardian put on a record,and turned it on.The song was called “You’ve Been Left Behind”.The song was about Jesus coming back for his Church,and someone being left behind…because they were not “ready”,or worthy to be taken.It ended with some words like”There’s no time to change your mind,the Father spoke,the demons dined,the Son has come,and you’ve been left behind…” I thought we were there to rescur this poor girl,spiritually,but now I can see how it was all planned out to scare her into returning.Fortunately,she was too smart to return to the COBU,so our efforts were in vain.
For some details about Gayle’s accident, see this court document:
Cut and paste this link in your browser:
http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/06D1130P.pdf
Sample paragraph from document:
The following facts are undisputed. On February 7, 2002, Gayle Traill was injured in a
car accident in Exuma, Bahamas. Compl. ¶ 5. At the time of the accident, Mrs. Traill was a
passenger in a rental car operated by her husband, Pastor Stewart Traill. Id. The Traills were in
the Bahamas due to airplane trouble they experienced on their way to Haiti to work at an
orphanage owned by COBU. See Defendant COBU’s Brief Statement of Material Facts (“Def.’s
Statement”) ¶¶ 3, 4. Following the accident, Mrs. Traill filed a worker’s compensation claim
with American Home seeking coverage for her injuries. See id. ¶ 7; see also Plaintiff American
Home Assurance Company’s Statement of Material Facts (“Pl.’s Statement”) ¶ 4. American
Home denied Mrs. Traill’s worker’s compensation claim on March 1, 2002. See Def.’s
Statement ¶ 8; Pl.’s Statement ¶ 5. Following the denial of her claim, Mrs. Traill filed a claim
petition with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Bureau of
Since i left the church physicaly in 1975 and last communicated with anyone was in 1981. I haven t been alble to be consistant in any one church. Its all Business. Unless you develeped a secure one christian person freindship. Real fellowpship doesn’t exsit!! The Maturity/trust is not there. So I leave alot up to God to send those to me when I need them the most!! And he never fails me!! I do miss studing the Bible with other christians!!
Hi Linda~
Our relationship with Jesus is what keeps us going. He never fails us no matter how hard life gets, He carries us through it all!
I was in many churches over the years, some sang well, some did good works, some tried – others were mechanical and plastic and trying to make on their own merit..
Some are pre-trib- some mid-trib some post trib~ Jesus said in this life we all face trib~ so being prepared always and ready to give account , always and being urgent in season and out…
Still I feel out of season most of the time nowadays since Jim’s gone. I thought we’d be back together during end days, preaching and teaching, warning against the lies and false doctrines – shining a light to the path ….but Jim’s gone over a year now – at least he’s at peace I suppose as the dead know nothing~ but he did want to see the end times and live in the.. guess he forgot about that now as he made it through to the other side , gone on before us and we all will follow in the Lord’s timing..
Jesus never fails me. I am a failure by worldly standards, perhaps, but He keeps me in perfect peace as long as I trust in Him and watch each sun set and sunrise~
GBU~
Ave
I was a member for a couple of years in the mid 70’s in Massachusetts and saw much that was perverted and wrong with this group. I was a frequent fellowship visitor the night they drove one of the brothers to commit suicide in the house by berating him in the center of a circle for hours. After I left I helped a couple of others leave by sneaking them out in the middle of the night along with a couple of others – was proud of the fact that they proclaimed me a “wolf” in their publications. Was wondering if anyone knew if a young lady (in the 70’s) was still with this cult …. Barbara Begley her name was at the time. Any news? I think about her from time to time and about her sweet spirit.
Hi~ I do recall her name and do hope she got out. There are other former members in touch by internet. I will ask around and also invite you to my group which has links to the others, some are social, some combo social-religious,some just for support, all are to reconnect with lost friends and to find out news about the group. Last I heard there were about 40 die-hards who complied with everything Stewart wanted and so they remained and aged with the group.I too got some out and wish there was a way to get the others to leave. What Stewart did and does is criminal as he built his earthly empire by the slave labor of those seeking initially to serve Jesus and find their place in this world.
You can go to http://x-cobu4Jesus.ning.com and browse the tabs and connect to the other groups.I was already saved when I joined in April 1975 to learn how to more effectively street witness and read the bible. I thank God I was able to be led out when it first started turning into a sci-fi ‘borg’ assimilating members from all over and funneling them into the rat infested warehouses of Manhattan to crucify their flesh and vaccuum out mafia catering halls etc.. Amazing how twisted Stewart was and that evil spirit he possessed or rather possessed him so that he beguiled and lured so many to spiritual shipwreck~! GBU~! Ave Cosgriff Hurley SINY1975~Phili 1976
I recall disputing un/holy behavior by My peers soon after I became a Christian. I rejected so called (Calvinism) even as a babe. Never following (gurus). Say did this Stuart own a store in Hackensack, N.J. in 1970? I recall a character like him drawing teens into his store to hang out a lot. LanceP
They did have storefronts and small apts all over the area around the time you mention. It might however have been the COGS [children of god] as they were also active in the area or perhaps the Moonies{?} I dont recall them ever owning any store back then, but perhaps they rented one as they did in other towns- I beleive that around 1970-75 Stewart used to buy and sell used vaccuum cleaners but sold them at flea markets as well as taught some members how to fix vacs so they could also sell at flea markets. Back then he didnt have as strong or deep hold over the early members as he did later on, although he had some diehard loyalists from the start. I didnt meet & join til Spring 1975 at their Staten Island fellowship & then I left the Phili one in July 76 when it began to turn cult- or obvious cult – that is to say a few months after they began collecting everyones paychecks and shifting people from houses & apts into dirty old cheap warehouses where they operated like the Borg~ forcing people to work as slave labor to prove devotion to God – breaking their backs & spirits through exhausting work that benefited only Stewart & his elite…More than 40,000 people are said to have been members of it at some time or another but thanks be to God most escaped and still retained faith in Jesus, just were the wiser for their experience and some much less likely to be conned again, while others still were by other aberrant churches and small groups.
I was commisioned by the Church of Bible Understanding to produce the Color coded Bible which was given to Stewart at the Big Meeting. It was fun to be studying the Bible that way in Manhatten but after two years The Lord sent me to Canada to continue to serve The Lord in Windsor Ontario. Know this that your suffering produces a good character. The Sun shines on everyone. God’s love is here for everyone. Men loved darkness rather than light because there deeds were evil. Let us remember the Good Stewart did and Gayle and Shirley too. Let us ask God to forgive them for there mistakes. Acquire the virtues. Be diligent and work out your own salvation. If you need me just call 519-971-7988
Terry Coulombe
ST is a two-faced bigot. He probably treated you with respect and other people like kraap. His mother looks stuck-up and overdressed in her photo. Narcissist? Anyhow, I bet he got his kids jumping through hoops over his estate. That Donald Jr. should sue him for child abuse, because I saw him beat him like a dog in Atlantic City.
I am sorry, but Gail is a ***. Big hips, stooped, flat chested, hook nose, frizzy hair. I guess she sort of looks like Michelle Phillips around the eyes, but that’s it . Imagine ST ********** her with *********. Yuck!
Does anyone remember the address of the apartment building the church owned in NYC?
I don’t remember anymore, however Dave Pindell might remember it as he was there in NYC long after I left. Actually I left in Phili and returned to NYC as my home town with my family and visited the apts in NYC and stayed over a few times but I was out by July 76. Perhaps one of the other readers will remember and post it here. GBU~! Ave
Found this online after posting:http://www.angelfire.com/nm/cobu/doc25.jpg
Mike has been collecting alot of info from days gone by, that have helped alot of former members to reconnect 🙂 GBU~!Ave
Found this online after posting: http://www.angelfire.com/nm/cobu/doc25.jpg
I also have one from when I worked at the print shop in Worcester, Ma.
Maybe you might remember Dave Pindell? He also worked in the print shop ~! GBU~! Ave
Don’t remember anyone’s name, just remember working there. Not a happy time for me, way too much condemnation.
We have put up our website of our thoughts on who Stewart Traill always was and the effects he had on many as well as how we got free from his influence
While it is essential for former members to come to the realization that they were manipulated by a madman for his own gain and that the service they thought they were offering up to God was done erantly by following a manipulative man who quenched the Spirit in others and caused them to doubt their own good common sense, it is still equally important to not go from one trapping into another, such as one false religious system into yet another one. What was lacking for most in the Cobu was direction from the Holy Spirit who did reach out to each of us and for many was still ignored as they sought outward signs and wonders to establish them as followers of Christ replacing ritual for true direction.
In this day and age many churches still lack the bread needed to help former cult members of any false flock and so when seeking help many are once again ensnared into religious settings that still are keeping them from rightly following our Savior by wrongly applying the Word of God in their lives.
Know this that there is no ritual that can save a person other than surrendering themselves to Christ, seeking his forgiveness [which He grants to those with a broken heart] and then actively seeking to learn how to please Him.
Many false prophets have arisen in these latter days as was prophesied that the ‘spirit of antichrist’ is already among us. http://biblehub.com/1_john/2-18.htm How then do we test the spirit? http://biblehub.com/1_john/4-1.htm
How do we take heed according to the Word? http://biblehub.com/1_john/4-1.htm Study and show yourselves approved http://biblehub.com/2_timothy/2-15.htm rightly dividing the Word of Truth [ the scriptures ] which many fail to properly negotiate.
The Lord tells us to ‘come now let us reason together says the Lord”.http://biblehub.com/isaiah/1-18.htm The Lord will come down and reason with us~ Scripture says that anywhere two or more are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.http://biblehub.com/matthew/18-20.htm This applies even to reading the Word. The Spirit and the Word always agree http://biblehub.com/1_thessalonians/1-5.htm
The Word alone remains a mystery to those who are perishing [ not seeking the truth of our Lord]
[1 Corinthians 1:18] For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
There are those who wrongly use traditions and rituals as the plumbline [ And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” I answered, “A plumb line.” And the Lord replied, “I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins.http://biblehub.com/amos/7-8.htm ]
when attempting to discern the mind of Christ in their lives.
How sadly that their ignorance often leads into another form of spiritual bondage~! [my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children http://biblehub.com/hosea/4-6.htm ]
“If you, Israel, will return, then return to me,” declares the LORD. “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, http://biblehub.com/jeremiah/4-1.htm ] You may think to call out as ‘Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’http://biblehub.com/matthew/7-22.htm
While to some its as simple as jumping over a crack, or some other compulsive disorder, to others its the benchmark by which they gauge all their own actions. To whom much is given, much is required, small things will be forgiven so such a person may not lose their salvation but could lose precious time in service tp our Lord as a result of not maturing in Christ and still behaving as children relying on the milk of the Word converted to curds and whey, then thinking they are eating the meat of the Word when they never got passed eating cheese.Many never put away the childish things.http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/13-11.htm
Others may not be so ‘lucky’ as the Word predicts there will be a great falling away in latter days due to the lack of knowledge of our Holy One which is through ignorance and or poor choices.. Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for it will not come unless the rebellion takes place first and the man of sin, who is destined for destruction, is revealed. http://biblehub.com/2_thessalonians/2-3.htm
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, http://biblehub.com/luke/4-18.htm
Therefore to be convinced of anything else that is of the Spirit of God one must renounce the workings of satan in their lives – in all areas of their lives that they are aware of.”Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! http://biblehub.com/ezekiel/14-6.htm Many commonly accepted ‘practices’are actually divinations that the Lord detests.
They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! http://biblehub.com/2_timothy/3-5.htm
Now when it comes to any recommended website, I found that a reply I had given on the closed membered x-cobu site had been taken and copied and presented on another site out of context and without affording me the continuation in explaining my position, as to why I reject the silly practices some have been committed to.
One other matter of point is that it was taken without expressed permission as everything discussed on a different site that was posted that it was not allowed to be copied to other sites without permission as it was expressly meant for the individuals it was referring to and not such that would be of any value to outsiders since it was an ongoing issue with a complicated past.
My statement was taken and posted and there was at the time no way to respond on that other site although I contacted the site administrator and never received any reply.
I was not asked permission nore consulted but the entire ‘argument’ [for lack of a better descroption] was “silly” and was a poor attempt to deceive would be applicants to those holding such rituals.
It wasnt til years later after ignoring my email to that administrator that the entire matter came to light once more as they were apparently using the site for a new applicant and came accross the inconcluded matter and rather than heeding what was suggested, yielded once more to ‘familiar’ spirits and sought to set out to attack me for what they were doing that I dsaw no profit in spiritually.
Suffice to say if your gut feeling tells you something is amiss – listen~! The Holy Spirit does try to lead us into the truth but religious familiar spirits will attempt to lure you into an argument or silly controversy to obtain some sort of perverted satisfaction.
No further reply is being given to this other site owner since the last reply submitted he came off as the bible says ‘right in his own eyes’ – as though he were right which is only meant to deceive the reader.
The rules of the first site where the silly message was first presented as though it were from God ~ was broken away from, so that all threads could be presented and discussed to arrive at their conclusions was ended. When this individual or whoever took that reply and then presented it to their own followers, it deceptively challenged me to a reply which was not forthcoming, since I was never engaged to defend the gospel on these matters and never allowed to make further comment on that site [neve rbeing a member so not able to post but my post that had been placed there was hijacked off the first site and posted as if I placed it on the 2nd site — all folly – and while I had limited contact with that 2nd site owner for a time, they never told me they were copying my posts to their site to set up for scorn and to mislead others with. I was not made aware of it, but stumbled upon it at the time it was still an issue on the first site and while in communication with those involved.
That was very deceptive and as such it demonstrates falsiy in your religious practice there. That in itself is also sin.
While some churches may use blessed water to annoint with or others use practices such as ‘oiling’ ~ either or other practices, in and of themselves may be harmless but is of little if any value. Its merely being ‘religious’.
Well meaning members are misled as they will then substitute it for the healing power of God in their lives.
For the record, there is no amount of oil you can dump over one’s head that will actually heal them other than believing in the Holy Spirit’s healing power and not the ritual that you or anyone can push as a cure all.
That in itself is holding a form of religion but in action denying its power~!!
A false witness and any who call themselves a prophet will not go unpunished [False prophets and those who seek their guidance will all be punished for their sins.http://biblehub.com/ezekiel/14-10.htm ] Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD. http://biblehub.com/jeremiah/23-28.htm But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. http://biblehub.com/mark/7-7.htm
So I implore you and the others with you, if this be your current situation, to repent of such religious practices and stop using spirits to guide you~!!
Now the Holy Spirit says clearly that in the latter days some people will abandon the faith by following deceitful spirits, the teachings of demons… http://biblehub.com/1_timothy/4-1.htm
Spirits that many have erantly followed over the centuries, particularly religious spirits have led many to the slaughter rather than to the true light of Christ. They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. http://biblehub.com/revelation/16-14.htm These spirits are sent about on earth to deceive as many as they can, even the elect~! for lack of knowledge many are deceived and that later leads to them falling away, as they fail and then think that God has abandoned them, when He has not~ it is they who chose to walk down the wrong path and stumble to the slaughter.
Rescue those who are stumbling to the slaughter~!
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. http://biblehub.com/proverbs/24-11.htm
While much of this may be hard for some to digest, if you are not prey to this situation, dont seek to be ~ as some of those who are ensnared by this delusion are still resisting the Holy Spirit and so this may be falling on deaf ears and may even roll off their backs as water to a duck, perhaps if considered it one portion at a time and do your own biblical research, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and to bind any & every hindering spirit that have been preventing you from arriving a the full knowledge of the Truth~!
With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. http://biblehub.com/romans/9-1.htm
Let me be clear~ It is not my intention to chastise anyone or to confuse you or to cause you to stumble.
It is my intention to shed light on the human practices some now embrace for in their zeal and human intentions, I see that they may desire to do good and have been on this course for many years, yet are blinded to a few things that have hindered their progress in their attempt to serve our Lord.
My desire is that all come into the full knowledge of the Truth and that our labors not be in vain~ Many will say to our Lord on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ http://biblehub.com/matthew/7-22.htm ~
To me I see such individuals as hanging onto a cliff by a rock which is their humanly traditional religious doctrine and hanging on tightly to it and can neither go up nor down, yet if they were to reach out and grab onto Jesus as the Rock and let go of the rock they now cling to, they would be set free and could then climb off the cliff and have their feet set on solid ground~
For in order to serve Jesus faithfully and not any pretenders to His throne, you have to go the way He directs you, not the way you have settled on or chosen.
There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death….http://biblehub.com/proverbs/16-25.htm
Remember that in latter days there will be times of great distress http://biblehub.com/luke/21-23.htm and truth will be lacking in the public square~
in other words : Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed. http://biblehub.com/isaiah/59-14.htm
Consider todays world and read in Romans 1 :
God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
How we see this rising up every where~!! Then to consider Mathew 24~ Read it again~! then go on to 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 and compare that to what you see happening in the world around you. We are entering into living in desperate times.
Many hold wrongly onto the belief that when two are grinding at the wheel and one is taken that it in itself is a good thing – a rapture of sorts and while those holding onto a pre-trib rapture philosophy, they are failing to prepare for battle – the battle for their very souls that is coming to all of us as Jesus said “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” http://biblehub.com/john/16-33.htm
In Revelations http://biblehub.com/revelation/2-10.htm Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
We each will pass through our own Job-like experiences as well as a form of flood or fire or lion’s den, each according to the purpose and glory of God and the ability He will give us to endure.
So whether it happens to us individually or collectively, it will happen ~!!
Ultimately we each will face our demons before we are finished with the race we are in.
This life is the testing ground for our place in eternity.To him who endures to the end, will receive the crown of life as the Bible promises~!!
For encouragement : Read 2 Bible passages that repeat David’s Song of Praise for his deliverande~ 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18 Remember that anywhere 2 or more are gathered in My Name, I will be in the midst of them.
There is safety in a multitude of counselors ~ [When seeking interpretation of God’s message to us, always remember there is safety in a multitude of counselors ~
Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory. http://biblehub.com/proverbs/11-14.htm
For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory. http://biblehub.com/proverbs/24-6.htm
Also remember that you need to seek out biblically what and or who are those ‘counselors’ that will lead and guide you into all truth~
“Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors”. http://biblehub.com/psalms/119-24.htm
“Your statutes, LORD, stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days.” http://biblehub.com/psalms/93-5.htm
But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you/us into all the truth.
He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. http://biblehub.com/john/16-13.htm
The Spirit is the Holy Spirit, not those religious/familiar spirits who masquerade as being of diving inspiration when they are not~! – For many embrace those seducing spirits and succumb to or those lying spirits that they choose to believe, but the one and only Holy Spirit of God who was one with Jesus as Jesus was the Word made flesh to dwell among us and showed us that He always was fulfilling the Scriptures – the inspired word of God given by the Spirit of God which is why the Spirit and the Word [ Holy Spirit and Jesus] are always one with the Father [God] which is the mystery that is spoken of three in one as we have only one God who has reached out to us through His own Holy Spirit and His only begotten son – Jesus~!
Jesus told us at the end of His earthly ministry that he was to go back to His Father and would send us the Counselor – the Spirit of Truth~!!
Jesus told us that the Truth will set us free as the Spirit of Truth will guide us into all truth~ and will reveal to us His servants what we need to know, when we need to know it~!
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. http://biblehub.com/john/14-6.htm
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. http://biblehub.com/john/10-9.htm
What is pasture to sheep? It is where they feed~ The Bible is our pasture~!!
We are His sheep – He is the good shepherd~!
Nicodemus didnt understand this til he went to Jesus and asked and was told : Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
The water spoken of is the Word~! Jesus is the Word~ The Bible is the written Word – It is our survival handbook to make it out of this world alive~! How do we become cleansed? How do we get washed? [to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, http://biblehub.com/ephesians/5-26.htm ] that is to show the way as with each of us – we are to be washed –
Remember when Jesus washed the apostles feet ? He told them that they needed to have their feet washed ~Why? Their feet stood upon the earth – representing their bodily connection to standing in this world ,where they came from, where they were, where they were going – which Jesus told them was unclean unless He washed them – their feet only as He said the body was clean – and then as a servant He washed them.
Peter initially misunderstood as many today also misunderstand~ he refused to have Jesus wash his feet but then Jesus explained it was necessary or Peter would have no part in [the salvation] Jesus offered us.
Peter then, still not quite understanding fully, said to Jesus to then also wash his hands as well ~ but Jesus told him that the body was clean [since Jesus came to save the world=his children] where we go in life holds with it whatever transgressions or trespasses we commit which by washing our feet, Jesus shows us that we will be forgiven our trespasses, knowing we will at times fail – for all have fallen short of the glory of God~ which is also why we need a Savior and why Jesus was brought into this world for us, as God so loved the world – not the physical land so much as those of us He created and live here.
Prayerfully approach the Bible, ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to confirm in your heart the things I have said here and continue on to study and show yourself as a workman approved who can rightly divide the Word of Truth – that is to be able to find the corresponding verses which will confirm and further explain God’s plan for you in this world.
GBU~! God Bless You~!
Ave
It is good for members to break the Cobu code of Omertà and tell the stories of the abuse they suffered. I am constantly told when i bring up the past that we should just “move on” but no one wants to answer how that is any different than the counsel they would have given 25 or so years ago. The saying is sure. They check out but they don’t leave. It made me glad to see some here express their frustration and anger at their treatment. Because i found in my own healing process that unless you can touch the pain and give it to God it remains with you. ONly God is able to heal the hurts of the past. Thanks for considering my thoughts as I always consider the thoughts of others.
Reblogged this on About the Forever Family/CoBU.