"George is silently leading"

February 4, 2004
By a former member of the Sacramento assembly

My story begins about eight years ago when I began to meet on the campus of Sacramento City College with a group called "The Bible Study" or "Studies in the New Testament," as they are now called on that campus.

I had just come out of a difficult relationship. Love, support, and direction were needed and I was already a Christian. I had spent years at different churches, so this was not something completely new to me.

I was well versed in the bible and had the opportunity to study it in both Hebrew and Greek. However, at the time the group approached me I was quite vulnerable.

The Saints made me feel loved and welcomed.

It all started by attending their campus bible studies and then an invitation to have dinner at one of their houses, at a "leading brother's home." After dinner there was a bible study.

They were meeting in a home at that time by Sacramento State College and were holding a bible study on that campus too, with "campus workers," as they call them.

Activities and outreaches were booming at the time I came in. This was what they called "a new work God." They met on Tuesdays for prayer meetings, Wednesdays for bible studies and Sundays for church and outreach.

Since they were not an official "testimony to Jesus" at that time, the sisters did not yet wear head coverings, which they do teach sisters should eventually wear.

I continued to get involved in more and more activities. Soon I was going out to all their outreaches, which included car washes, where they washed cars for free, symbolizing God's free gift of salvation and they witnessed the gospel.

They always made sure that someone followed up at every even by inviting people to meetings. We also witnessed door-to-door two-by-two and preached the gospel at fresh produce markets.

There were "sister homes" and "brother homes," where people like me would go for dinner.

Slowly, the "Saints and the "assembly of Sacramento" consumed my whole life.

They encouraged me to not spend too much time with any friends outside, but to bring them to the Assembly.

After a while they even hinted that my family could be a big problem in my walk with God.

As all this was going on they invited me to their campus conference, where they hoped I would agree to do campus work and then attend more conferences in LA with "brother George," as they called him.

By this time they expected me to have a head covering, because it was a "testimony".

At conferences we stayed at other Saint's houses and had meals with them. We went to two to three meetings a day on a subject for a weekend, which often fell on holidays, since they do not celebrate them. And if I chose to stay with my family at Christmas, that was not putting God above all things. Can you imagine the tension and concern this caused with my family?

The guilt was heavy.

George was the only one to preach at these conferences. People at the conferences were primarily college students. At these conferences we were encouraged to buy books written by George Geftakys and often tithed on Sundays.

I wondered where all the money went, especially when the group had no name, was not registered, and did not pay taxes. The response was that this was a gift and it benefited the work of missionaries abroad. But later it came out that the missionaries saw little if any of the money, despite their hard work.

George Geftakys spent years traveling and preaching. And many gatherings/groups like the one in Sacramento emerged, which were called "testimonies." George often criticized other groups. He would criticize the way they met and the music they played. We used no music and only sang hymns.

George often stated that he had left the Plymouth Brethren due to their teachings, and another church he was once involved in as an elder. However, later I discovered that he was asked to leave because of his inappropriate behavior towards women.

I decided despite my reservations to become a committed sister to the group.

The leading brother in Sacramento immediately asked his wife to go through the "Anchors" with me. These are the basics of worship, prayer, reading the bible and fellowship (Acts 2:42). The so-called "anchors" were applied both individually in one's life and corporately. This was when they explained to me what each meeting meant.

They also made me go through the "Handbook to Happiness" written by a psychologist named Solomon. The reason for going through this book was so a member would know how Christ was to be the center of your life. It described the soul life verses the Christ centered life and covered body, soul, and spirit and how each related to God. They had all these diagrams and circles to make you see how your life would look like if "self" was at the center; for example depression, fear, lust, etc.

This should have been a warning to me.

At this stage, the sisters and the leader's wives began to instruct me on how to be a submissive sister. I was never to lead over a brother. I could only make suggestions. The brothers lead the meetings at all times. A sister was entreated (scolded) if she did not submit as instructed. Even if I went witnessing two-by-two with a 13 or 15-year-old boy, he was to lead.

Boys are taught at a very young age that they are to lead over the sisters and in the house of God.

I was also to later learn that they followed strong discipline regarding children. They taught that children must be in constant subjection to their parents. Children are trained to sit on mats through long meetings without crying or complaining. You might say that a sort of behavior modification takes place, with both children and adults. Children are often spanked and at times this went too far.

I learned how to become what they taught was a Christian, becoming completely ingrained in all of this. And also learned how to teach what I was taught. My whole life was the fellowship. Co-workers and family were frightened by my state of mind. I went from an energetic, positive, open-minded, strong and independent woman, to a docile, quiet, negative, judgmental, religious, and submissive woman.

I lost all my previous Christian friends and became a nightmare to my family, which I heavily condemned at the time for their lack of involvement.

My isolation became complete when I moved into a sister's home, where I would learn how to be the perfect (Proverbs 31) woman and wife.

In my heart I bled. I knew something was wrong, but was so involved that I did not know how to break free.

After moving into one of their homes it seemed like I was 13 or 15 years old.

There were chores, curfew, babysitting, bread making, and teaching requirements. If these were not followed I bore the consequences, which the leading brother or his wife decided upon. They would correct me abut what had been done or not done.

I constantly had to learn how to die to myself.

They even tried to make me quit my job, but thank God I stood my ground and refused. Though I am a career woman, when women marry within the assembly, they typically quit working.

I could go on and on regarding how a woman was to be; though this could end up about twenty pages long.

The bottom line is that women were treated like little more than slaves were. But the Saints pretended that their marriages were great. However, many women looked as if they had just overcome cancer. Often women were beat to make them obey or be submissive.

I knew that I had had enough after moving into a sister's home. Here, I was confronted with a list of chores, which had to be done by 10:30 every night.

We were told to invite people to our home for dinner every Wednesdays and Sunday. Due to this I spent many late nights cooking and stressing out over completing my work.

My schedule included:

Monday: 6:00 AM prayer meeting for the campus and then full-time work. After work babysitting or discipling of other sisters;

Tuesday: 7:00 AM devotions and prayer, work, dinner and a 7:00 PM prayer meeting.

Wednesdays: Devotions, work, dinner, bible study and go out to see people.

Thursday: Devotions, work, dinner and outreach.

Friday: Devotions, work, dinner and some type of meeting.

Saturday: 7:30 AM tape meeting, chores, dinner, sister's meeting, prayer for the brothers and cooking.

Sunday: Worship, lunch, outreach, dinner and outreach.

A little extreme?

Yes.

This life of exhaustion, constant suppression, verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse led me to a breaking point. But I had to stay strong for the sake of my job, which helped me to not have a nervous breakdown.

My health drastically deteriorated and I began to show all the symptoms related to stress. I gained weight, began to have severe headaches, stomach problems, spasms in my colon, panic attacks, etc. I saw a doctor and he told me to immediately take care of myself or there would be no repairing the damage.

I knew then that I had to flee. But was so scared, lonely, and isolated from the world, other than my co-workers.

One day I just left.

I received 29 calls for three days straight.

I was rebuked and told that I was a reviler and cut off from God's kingdom. Some went as far as to say that I was one of "Satan's pawns."

Overnight people that were once my friends, to whom I had given my all, became my worst enemies.

They soon excommunicated me and publicly slandered my name. It was requested that no one speak to me.

They denied every wrong.

I sent an email to the Saints trying to explain what happened to me months later and sought help at a Church where the pastors had heard of this fellowship and were willing to help me.

I hoped that some day others in the group would see the deception and abuse.

After I left others did too. And a few months later it was revealed that George had been sexually active with many of the sisters.

Questions also arose about where all the money went and about George's character.

A letter was read in all the assemblies regarding the sexual allegations against George and other bad behavior.

At this point it was said that George would not preach anymore and he was asked to repent.

Many fellowships broke up.

Sadly, the groups in Sacramento, San Francisco, Pasadena and Riverside continue to meet.

The group in Sacramento is meeting in a home again by McClellan Air Force Base.

George sold his home in Los Angeles and has apparently moved to Riverside.

But there are still plans to have another campus conference. And the assemblies are beginning to regroup again and go after poor innocent students, who don't know about George.

My concern is that campuses such as Sacramento State, Sacramento City, American River and San Francisco State College should be warned.

George is silently leading.

This group just about destroyed my life. And I went through two years of torture trying to get my head straight after leaving.