My name is Pastor Tom Mitchell. I went to ggwo for about 7 yrs. Upon my release from prison, many years ago a group on outreach down on baltimores Block led me to Christ. After my release my daughter was attending a Bible club named Noah's Ark in our neighborhood and when i went to check it out, I found that the people were from GGWO. At the time of my arrival from prison, my wife, was doing about $200.00 a day worth of herion. A lady in the church offered to take my wife in for as long as necessary to help her cold turkey. Well a miracle happened that night, and I don't say this lightly, but for me, I layed on the floor of Central Booking for 9 days throwing up and convulsing and didn't sleep over 5 mins for 42 days. This lady told me that my wife would be supernaturally delivered that night and you know what? She was absolutley right. After 5 hours my wife was delivered and in the noon rap that day after falling asleep for a few hours before she went. When i came home from prison I was asked to give my testimony in front of about 2000 people. After the service many came up to myself and my wife and hugged us and welcomed us, but there was still that crowd that even after years when we would go to sit by them would lock their purse and move to the next row.
Pastor Stevens was always nice to me, called me on a few occasions even as busy of a man that he was. One year my wife and i really wanted to go to Convention but couldn't afford it. Well about 2 hrs before convention started that year we received a call from Pastor's secretary stating that we had two tickets waiting for us to attend convention for free. They gave us money for our rent that we have yet til today been able to pay. We met many great people a GGWO. I preached down at the Salvation Army for years and was given pretty much free reign, in other words I wasn't micromanaged. I received my license to preach in June of 2002, but went to another church that I was called to and received my ordination.
Now let's get down to bussiness. Many of the reports that I have read, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that whoever is writing these things has been wounded in one way or the other by the ministry. But let me ask you, was that all the fault of the ministry? Come on let's be real, people followed Pastor Stevens around like he was the Messiah. There was so much Pastor worship going on at GGWO it was ridiculous.I never shook Pastors hand too much, but if you wanted to it felt many times as if you were involved in the Running of the Bulls in Pompona Italy (I believe it is.) I hate to break your bubble, but Pator Stevens was not and is not GOD!
The Bible tells us to clearly test the Spirits and also in 1 Jn 2:27 "you have no need that anyone should insruct you. That's the Holy Spirit's job. But you got lazy and took a man at his word and believe me much was true what he said and some was off, but now your mad because you feel deceived, when if you would have been about your bussiness and studied out the things he was teaching you would have found what I have found in almost every ministry in the world and that is, that man is not perfect though you desired perfection from Pastor Stevens. Look when I go to any assembly i have learned to eat the chicken and throw out the bones and that's how it is. And about all these indiscresions at ggwo, get over it, they happen in almost every church. Unless your looking for that church that practices sinless perfection, and from what I heard somewhere, that place is yet to come. Instead of knocking people and kicking them when their down, (if they are) that's God's job to deal with them, not yours, listen to the words in Phil 4:8
Look when I attended ggwo I went looking for the Life of the Lord. I went expecting from God Himself, not a man. And you know what there are some wonderful people there who are actually experiencing that very LIFE. Her i will make a constructive suggestion for GGWO. I beleive that the Body there should be broke down into many, many small home groups, because the Lord really makes Himself availible to those who gather together in His name, where there are 2 or 3, but I'd say no more than 16. Instead of saying things to tear down, lets say something that might help this ministry that has truly helped so many others like myself.
You know the 6 no seventh thing that God hates, someone who sows discord among the brethren. I now live in PA and am looking for a Pastor's job wherever the Lord leads. Instead of fault finding, which is real easy especially for those of you who thrive on it, instead I think I'll be praying for those at GGWO, from Pastor Stevens to the guy who sweeps the parking lot. And if your one of the one's who beleive that you have been really wronged by the ministry, here is a suggestion from a guy i know named Jesus; " pray for those who dispitefully use you" What a concept, pray for GGWO.
