What's New? This page contains details of updates and changes to the TOLC website over the last couple of months.

Contents:

What's New on the website
How you can help us

More books..

Support TOLC

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What's New on the website

• HOT TOPIC: Henry Kriete's open letter and the subsequent aftermath in the ICOC. Also contains many links for further information and discussion boards on the web.

• 12 November 2003:
  Added Let us prey, a report from The Guardian, to the media reports page.
  Added My God is your God or you're going to hell to the media reports page.
  Added Church volunteer accused of sexually assualting five year old boy to the media reports page.
  Added Praying on Ryerson students to the media reports page.
  Added UW's fight against a harmful faith to the media reports page.

• 27 July 2003:
  Added a link to The Salt Lake City branch of the ICOC responds to Kip McKean. Will the other ICOC churches cut their links with Salt Lake, or join them in criticising the views Kip McKean has expressed?

• 15 July 2003:
  Added a "From Babylon to Zion", a letter by Kip McKean in response to the crisis in the ICOC.

  McKean resigned as leader of the ICOC in November 2002, and has recently taken up the position of evangelist in the Portland branch of the church.

• 5 June 2003:
  Added Cult members: help, forgiveness, a letter to The Boston Globe, to the media reports page. The letter is by Steven Hassan, a licensed mental health counselor and leading expert on cults.
  Added 'Boston Movement' Apologizes, a report from Christianity Today, to the media reports page.

• 3 June 2003:
  Added REVEAL letter to ICOC Elder Al Baird to the articles page. This letter was sent to Los Angeles ICC elder Al Baird in March, 2003. To date, there has been no response. However, REVEAL's offer in this letter applies to any ICC congregations/leaders/members, and it is now being circulated publicly for their benefit.

• 1 June 2003:
  Something different. Normally we post information or publish links about the International Church of Christ. Today, we invite current and former members of the ICOC to read about a different group, not connected with the ICOC. In fact, this group is not even a church. But we think you may be able to make some useful comparisons with the ICOC.

  Read now.

  You can read about other groups in the links section.

• 23 May 2003:
  Added a new letter by Marty and Cathy Wooten. Marty and Cathy Wooten have published an open letter to all members of the ICOC, "especially to the membership of the Central Region of the Los Angeles International Church and the Northern Federation World Sector". The letter details what they describe as the series of events that began to unfold in the Northern Federation World Sector which culminated in they consider to be their wrongful and unscriptural termination in September 2002. The letter does not make easy reading.

• 18 May 2003:
  Added a link to London ICOC Updates, a new website put up by members of the London Church of Christ, documenting correspondence between church members about the current situation in the church, to the Henry Kriete page.

• 17 May 2003:
  Added A Christian community falters, a report from The Boston Globe on the crisis in the ICC, including an interview with Kip McKean, to the media reports page.

• 4 May 2003:
  Added link to Soul savers, a documentary from BBC Radio 1, to the media reports page. Emma B looks at cult busters and some of the 'most dangerous' spiritual influences. She visits a service by the ICC, a church banned on 34 campuses in the UK. This report can be heard in its original audio from the BBC website.

• 21 April 2003:
  Added Experience raises question of 'cult', to the media reports page.
  Added ICOC posts major apology, a report from the Christian Chronicle in Los Angeles, to the media reports page.

• 18 April 2003:
  Added UK ICOC: Statement from directors - All but three staff members of the UK ICOC are made redundant because of financial crisis.

• 12 April 2003:
  Added ICOC, DPI and HOPE Worldwide financial documents.

• 27 March 2003:
  Added Church near Fordham considered a cult to the media reports page.

• 26 March 2003:
  Added a link to the UK Open Forum, a brand new discussion message board for those who are or have been associated with the London International Church of Christ, to the Henry Kriete letter and aftermath page.

• 15 March 2003:
  Added RyeSAC worried by aggresive religious recruiting, a report regarding the Toronto Church of Christ, to the media reports page.

• 13 March 2003:
  Added Trapped by faith? to the media reports page.

• 11 March 2003:
  Added Strings attached - former members of Charlotte Church say the group is a cult that preys on the young and lonely to the media reports page.
  Added Cutting ICC's strings to the media reports page.
  Added ICC took daughter's savings to the media reports page.
  Added If you're not careful, you may be next to the media reports page.

• 10 March 2003:
  Added Cults on campus: Cults prey on new students' feelings of alienation, experts say, a report from San Diego, to the media reports page.
  Added Church group sparks warning, a report from Reading in the UK, to the media reports page.

• 9 March 2003:
  Added Daniel Eng's story: "Something died that night" to the articles page.

• 6 March 2003:
  Added Marty Wooten responds to the open letter of Henry Kriete to the articles page.

• 5 March 2003:
  Added Leadership lifestyles of the International Churches of Christ to the links page.

• 4 March 2003:
  Unavailable on the net since 1997, Sue has given permission for her diary to be redistributed in light of Henry Kriete's open letter. You can read Sue Condon's Diary: "The Emperor's New Clothes" on the articles page.
  Added Religious cult recruits SA students, a report from South Africa, to the media reports page.

• 3 March 2003:
  Added Disciples with a devotion to discipline, a report from The Times (London), to the media reports page.
  Added Student describes experience with International Church of Christ to the media reports page.
  Added Controversial religious group recruiting in the area to the media reports page.
  Added SU says no to campus club to the media reports page.
  Added 'Boston Movement' founder quits, a report from the March 2003 edition of Christianity Today, to the media reports page.
  Added Kip McKean resigns as head of ICOC to the media reports page.
  Added McKean's resignation signals new chapter for ICOC to the media reports page.

• 2 March 2003:
  The section detailing Henry Kriete's open letter and the subsequent aftermath in the ICOC has been updated with more information.

• 25 February 2003:
  HOT NEWS : Henry Kriete's open letter and subsequent aftermath in the ICOC. Are big changes afoot in the ICOC? Read more here.

• November 2002:
  BREAKING NEWS : Kip McKean resigns as leader of the ICC. Read more here.

• 4 July 2002:
  Added The church of much dispute to the media reports page.
  Added Aislynn's story: A former disciple tells about her experiences in the International Churches of Christ to the media reports page.

• 3 July 2002:
  Added 'Coffee, a chat and I was caught' to the media reports page.

• 21 June 2002:
  Added Church seeks club status, a report from George Mason University, to the media reports page.

• 20 June 2002:
  Added Questionable club on campus, a report from the University of Colorado at Boulder, to the media reports page.

• 18 June 2002:
  Added Worshipping at Canton High School to the media reports page.
  Added The Church of Christ in Canton to the media reports page.
  Added Some background on the Boston Church of Christ to the media reports page.
  Added Columnist skeptical about church's motives to the media reports page.

• 17 June 2002:
  Added Cults on campus - The Bible is your guide to the media reports page.
  Added Students easy targets for cult groups to the media reports page.
  Added Statement regarding unsanctioned religious group at Holy Cross to the media reports page.
  Added Holy Cross says international church uses cult-like methods to the media reports page.

• 13 June 2002:
  Added For Christ's sake: Cult-like groups pose potential threat to college students to the media reports page.

• 10 June 2002:
  Added E-Board should tread with caution to the media reports page.
  Added J.D.'s story: A former leader leaves the church after a year, a story from the University of Nevada, to the media reports page.
  Added A brief history of the ICOC, a story from the University of Nevada, to the media reports page.
  Added Controversial religious group hits MTSU to the media reports page.
  Added Campus group labeled destructive; group leader refutes accusations to the media reports page.
  Added Students, staff disagree on religious organization to the media reports page.
  Added Flyers issued to raise awareness to the media reports page.
  Added What in the Lord's Name is Going On?, a report from Harvard, to the media reports page.
  Added The story of one former student member of the BCC, a report from Harvard, to the media reports page.
  Added The story of one student recruited by the BCC, a report from Harvard, to the media reports page.

• 6 June 2002:
  Added Cults hunting students, a report from New Zealand, to the media reports page.
  Added Cult fiction? New religious sect suspected of coercion in Oxford to the media reports page.
  Added Movie star reveals his secret to the media reports page.
  Added Arrival of cult specialist in Las Vegas stirs debate to the media reports page.
  

  Don't forget to check out the Books section, for useful texts about religious cults, and how to help loved ones involved in destructive groups.

• 5 March 2002:
  Ayman Akshar, the founder of TOLC, died this morning at 7:10 GMT at the age of 42. You can read more about Ayman on his personal website at www.aymanakshar.com.

  Ayman touched so many lives with his good humour, energy, kindness and belief in what was right. Life won't be the same without him.

• 12 February 2002:
  Added ICC statistics to the articles page.

• 15 November 2001:
  Added Cult following to the media reports page.
  Added Cults on Campus, a report from Birmingham University, to the media reports page.

• 11 November 2001:
  BREAKING NEWS : Kip McKean takes "sabbatical" as leader of the ICC. Read more here.

How you can help us

If you're a former member of the ICC and would like to write about your experiences please contact us. Every week we hear from people who have been influenced by the true stories about others' experiences inside the ICC. By reading other people's experiences it has helped them come to terms with their involvement in the ICC, and on occasion helped them make that difficult decision to leave. If your story helps just one person in making a decision as to whether to leave the ICC it will have been worthwhile. You can read some of the testimonies we have already placed on the web here. Our thanks once again to all those who have helped make this website a valuable resource. With your help we can make it even better. (All email sent to us is treated in the strictest confidence.)