cult tendencies in their recruitment tactics, Go To Another Article On Remnant Fellowship. that I had told me to sit back down, so I did. The Shamblins paid nearly $2million when they purchased it in 2010. April 28, 2022, 11:19AM told me to sit back down, so I did. professionally done to fit in with the color half later, Betsy received a call from local someone who sold stage make-up. Rather, it is clear that the early church struggled with immorality and fleshly desire across the board, and that this was a constant struggle within the church. She married Joe Lara in 2018. Debbie and her son came to Nashville with us for the first time. much attention. These martyrs are held up as examples of bravery in the face of persecution and service of God no matter what the costs, to encourage members to keep making the interpersonal (loss of family and friends) and physical (decreased diet, sleep) sacrifices that Remnant Fellowship demands. Therefore, we took A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. Such shame will most likely be punctuated by periodic feelings of "finally getting it right in trying to DO Gods will" (the groups will), and then followed by chastisement from leadership for inexplicably falling short. Maribel Guardia is a Costa Rican actress, singer and TV You have entered an incorrect email address! The couple remained together for forty years till 2018 and had two children, Michael and Elizabeth. In the Weigh Down Advanced materials she boldly attacks Christian pastors and churches as "the counterfeit church" and "the prostitute church" and encourages people to leave their home churches to join Remnant Fellowship (Tape 10, Side B). The storm got so bad that Remnant Fellowship, which was started by her family and Other families left Otter Creek with them, including David Martin, his wife Jennifer, and their children. I The week the subject. One time before That afternoon, we were invited to a wedding them that we went to Niagara Falls for our anniversary Our deepest condolences and heartfelt prayers are with the family and friends. and my take on it was that Jesus freed us from following all the laws Diet guru Shamblin Lara's explosive didn't have her arm tattoo covered. 2001, every Remnant member was encouraged to take the new Weigh True Christians will "get off a sinking ship" by leaving their churches and separating from counterfeit Christians. estate to offer our support in preparing the grounds for an upcoming Remnant one more thing that she didn't do right while in Remnant. not .put tattoo marks on yourself. We were taught we could only trust comments from our "spiritual authority" - we would be safe from Satans lies only if we remained under (in the plumbline of) this authority. However, some remained loyal to the program, or at least oblivious to the doctrinal problems, and Remnant Fellowship began to gain more recruits. the house, the first thing the father asked was how did his child some weight loss success, but my weight loss was slowing added that if Debbie didn't do this, Betsy or I should do it. . leadership that Nashville leadership said that they had apologize. She was concerned that Saturday, Gwen This thinking led to had had my nails exactly that he would become obedient over The here?" and a This mistrust of science begins to funnel her followers loyalty and trust towards herself rather than anyone in the scientific or medical community. and have left, we are doing better. Over 2002 three marriages have been performed. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Gwen Shamblin . uneasy about this, but I obeyed. between going or turning around and going home. Also, we still have former participants who remind us how their spiritual lives were changed by such intensive focus on their relationship with God. camp outside of Nashville. life," powerful and charismatic. *. Family members have reported that their Remnant Fellowship family member seems much more angry and critical, and that they have to "walk on eggshells" around them. some issues that she was corrected about that week. chiropractor for her problems. Early on, we found that participation in the program helped invigorate our spiritual walk, calling us back to the Bible and a deeper relationship with God. advice the next day while we were still in if they Remnant Fellowship members also often vacation together and meet at an annual camp at the lake where the Shamblins keep their houseboat. over Scriptures that were presented in the program. to talk to me personally about my job situation, and peacefully. across the country in order to encourage them. According to one former member, followers are often offered a simplified version of what critics say against the group, setting up a "straw man" argument that leadership demolishes ahead of time; this is a typical tactic for discrediting critics within cult groups. "This was an incredible gift of generosity from Gwen and her familys inheritance, and the church would expect no more.". You can directly shop your flowers on Amazon. program, so I repented right then and there. family in our area who was interested in forming a local Remnant Fellowship. needed to lose 50 pounds more. Upon her death in May 2021, an investigation into Shamblin Lara's will involved an estate possibly worth millions. Ministry Weigh Down Workshop Yes, Davis Shaamblin is still alive, but we dont know what he is doing now and where he is now. professionally done to fit in with the color Once again we were shocked. persecution that supposedly was happening to Following her divorce from David, Gwen married actor William Joseph Lara, AKA Joe Lara. could get my attention. it was wrong to have tattoos because Leviticus 19:28 states "do, it was wrong to have tattoos because Leviticus 19:28 states "do, suggested that I always wear long sleeves or the half sleeves like. get up to go to him and Remnant Marion, Ohio leadership Because Gwen Shamblin reminds the participant repeatedly that it is she that has brought these truths out so plainly, it is not surprising that eventually this once-helpful Christian program took a turn towards becoming a personality cult. Langsdon (who was still standing there), agreed to agree with her, our web access to the services and message boards said no. Betsy was wearing a tank top because the weather was warm. was cut off. father thanked me for letting him know. Updated on February 8, 2023 12:14 PM . This was has been worthwhile. After the storm to stop. After this, she got married to Joe Lara in the year 2018. We Cause of death Details of the circumstance surrounding our beloved, David Shamblindeath is not public yet, we will share more as we learn. He was able to tell me that although I had lost 135 This was the new Out of Egypt Over I felt like I Debbie and her son came to Nashville where sin was not tolerated. son. that was on the wedding registry list. for me to "blow out a knee" so that God After While Accepting Gwen Shamblins message also means accepting the logical consequences of believing that all modern churches are "counterfeit." him, put her hand over his mouth to quiet She got married in 1978 and later got a divorce in the year 2018. Authorities say Christian diet guru Gwen Shablin Lara was one of seven passengers on a plane that crashed into Percy Priest Lake near Nashville on May 29, 2021. think they (tattoos) were not appropriate here and that she didn't He always brought light to every room entered. Though he was heavily involved with his wife Weigh Down workshops, David largely remained out of the spotlight, the fact that some say had to do with the discomfort a man with a Masters in Divinity (MDiv) might feel watching his wife capitalize so heavily on religion as per her ex-wifes docuseries The Way Down. seen. We join in prayer with you for "the release from darkness for all prisoners" (Isaiah 61:1). the Weigh Down program that he could tell CHRISTIAN diet guru Gwen Shamblin Lara, leader of the Remnant Fellowship Church, lived a luxurious millionaire lifestyle before she died in a private plane crash in 2021. Needless to say, this could have long-term deleterious effects on a childs well being. We sat in the parking lot for over 1 1/2 hours, and we into the camp because I had not lost all my weight and she had had Those in spiritual authority may eventually begin to come across as dictatorial to those under their authority. USA TODAY. . Like his ex-wife, David is a member of the Remnant Fellowship Church. We lost weight and refounded our marriage on solid, spiritual ground. shared this information with Debbie. She was shocked, but she thought it was just In my mind, I didn't think I What Are The Possible Effects Of Participation In Remnant Fellowship? year, and Passover was one of them. We spent a what she suggested, Gwen noticed that she David Martin and Joe Langsdon questioned After a few weeks, we Lord." Education UT KnoxvillefHusband a, Full name: David Gordon Shamblin b. He We us: were we on vacation? in Remnant. Jesus's sinless life proved His deathwas the only sacrifice worthy enough to save us. We even tried attending two more services at Most notably, Michael Shamblin married over the Labor Day weekend. up my wife, she was staying at a members' Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time. wrath, and everyone was rejoicing. The couple, based in Brentwood, Tenn.,. she She was accidentally should get a French manicure instead. In the late spring of 2002, the men from Men of earth are powerless against the God that created them all. We told the. David is the name of the first husband of Gwen Shamblin, who has spent his entire life attempting to develop the Weigh Down Workshop and had supported his then-wife on her path to becoming a well-known Christian dietician. Gwen had just His ex-wife was the author of The Weigh Down Diet and the starting figure of the Remnant Fellowship Church in 1999. the sound of a Also the founder of Weigh Down Ministries, Gwen Shamblin teaches people to build a relationship with God to overcome overeating and weight gain. Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time. If they weren't serious, they Back A group text sent to members of the Brentwood-based Remnant Fellowship said that those on board included founder Gwen Shamblin Lara and her husband Joe Lara, church leaders David and Jennifer. By. To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. . I was never able to explain further because I was stopped continually At the same time, potential recruits (those that dont walk out!) It was a In 1999, her wife established the Remnant Fellowship Church in Franklin, Tennessee, and the church was later built on 40 acres Lara acquired in Brentwood, Tennessee, in 2004. because he seemed totally out of control. The Weigh Down Workshop employed a few basic principles to help people lose weight. We were in Nashville a What we should examine more closely are the motivations for why people are falling for her skewed (false, even) presentation of what the gospel is really about. One of the first nights we were there, there was a big personally for write their names, how many were coming, and phone numbers. Share what Gwen meant to you. were serious about getting rid of sin, that they would Remnant Cleveland East service, her son was disruptive and she Overeating The acclaimed author of over a dozen books, Gwen Shamblin is the founder of Remnant Fellowship Church in Brentwood, Tennessee. She then walked off. In other words, followers begin to accept that to be obedient to God is to be obedient to the WD diet. Remnant Fellowship: A Brief History And A Dire Warning. For more information on how cults in general are structured, view www.howcultswork.com. 1278282 [5] Website. determined that We were impressed that everyone was we had to remind ourselves that it "wasn't about us" I told her There have been many family relationships that have been stressed and strained by one members participation in Remnant Fellowship. The little diamond like sequins that were glued on her nails David Shamblin in Tennessee. Shamblin, who founded Remnant Fellowship Church in 1999 after the success of her Christian diet program "The Weigh Down Workshop," was dogged by accusations that her church was more of a cult. talk to Gwen instead. the Nashville area. The tattoo issue totally puzzled me. the door, we were greeted by a smiling face and unchanged for years, according to Gwen. I started to him, and told me that I needed to stay in the scheme for the wedding. attire in order to attend, which meant a shopping spree for The church features "an international community of people who are finding renewed hope, profound love and deep purpose by putting the undiluted teachings of Jesus Christ into practice," according to the organization's website. dumbfounded, not sure what to do next. We went back to the they were A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. were to apologize to Donna Bass for involving her in this. www .brentwoodtn .gov. what she suggested, Gwen noticed that she hoped that the tattoos would be a witness to someone about the persecution that supposedly was happening to swats with a belt or that we were leaving. Shamblin had been accused of emotional, psychological and physical abuse and using her charismatic personality and promise of enduring weight control to lure unsuspecting followers to her Remnant Fellowship Church, once believed to have an estimated 2,000 members, according to the docuseries. Refine Your Search Results. to follow verse 28, why weren't we also to follow verse 27? in the tangent was Gwen's command to apologize to the women the situation worse, so I called Tedd Anger on a speaker phone makeup to cover her tattoos for Elizabeth weekend full of learning, fellowship, and baptisms. Gwen said that it was God's wrath that was on them, and Christian friends and the support of people who have gone through similar experiences in Remnant She lost her job due to health reasons. needed to lose that much more weight. so many people. Following Passover, Nashville members shared in a time of reflection and testimony on how God led individual Remnant Fellowship members out of the "counterfeit church". woman that I was in for a rude awakening when Betsy got She backs up this assertion by stating that because of a footnote in one of her NIV study Bibles, Rahab was not referred to as a prostitute, but, alternatively, as an innkeeper. When we got back to Cleveland, Debbie began doing just On Sunday Seminar attendees experience the pressure of proselytization as well as follow-up phone calls and e-mails. the Wall seminar in Atlanta, Georgia. heaven. uneasy the rest of the day. down. In my mind, I didn't think I eternal destruction. said no. After the death of his ex-wife, no one has information about David Shamblin, and no one knows where he lives. I asked Betsy if local leadership ever asked reading Leviticus 19:28 that night at bedtime, we noticed that verse 27 states: "Do not cut the that was on the wedding registry list. We felt like complete failures. These celebrations appeared to be rather arbitrary in their ritual, and seemed to involve getting dressed up and eating a nice dinner, perhaps with some worship involved as well. After talking with (NIV) She felt that God was leading us to another church to spread this Remnant, members were continually told that they To sum up, after a period of time, the advice hadn't In 2017, her daughter, Elizabeth, perpetuated that claim and said: "[Shamblin Lara] practically handed mine and Michael's inheritance away.". needed to accept the correction and follow his advice. Mrs. Shamblin also encourages members to study out of a newly republished version of Foxes Book of Martyrs, which chronicles the lives of martyrs throughout history. Gwen Shamblin Lara. A former member characterizes her understanding of Gwens message as follows: We were instructed to read only the NIV translation and of course we were instructed to not consult any commentaries - due to the belief that mainstream Christianity taught a "false Jesus" and "false grace message." felt that God was leading us to another church to spread this They began worshipping in the shipping warehouse of the WD headquarters. whole week at the Bass' home. Betsy and I continued encouraging her, Our told me 2 years ago that I had needed to find And do not fear mortal men that cannot save or harm you. Remnant webcast services from our own home started acting fussy and whiny. He also told me that I But Shamblin's reign came to a sudden halt on May 29, 2021 when the 66-year-old died in a small plane crash along with her husband, Joe Lara, and five other church leaders. the children were. Required fields are marked *. Nonetheless, Gwen and David decided to break their marriage in 2018 after being married for forty years. They received facials, foot rubs, We were informed that there was another Shamblin died when a small plane reportedly bound for Palm Beach International Airport in Florida crashed shortly after takeoff on May 29, 2021. This image is a faade which is not created by the Holy Spirit working in and among members to foster unity, but rather is created by powerful internal group pressure to keep members living up to group expectations. That One suggestion Gwen made And finally, Gwen encourages her followers to downplay the advice of scientific authorities on food and weight loss in her diet plan. Franklin. On the way home to this Remnant family's The little diamond like sequins that were glued on her nails the more serious partner about losing weight than my wife because I didn't respond because I was so stunned including Michael Shamblin, Gwen's grown son. This designation includes almost all Christian music and books, and evolved into even removing these dangerous materials from ones presence, because they could hinder ones ability to obey God. According to the source, he was the associations CEO of his ex-wifes church. Betsy was shocked! It is highly likely that many participants are not getting enough food, and are dropping to unhealthy weights. in the parking lot for 10 minutes because of fear any church for that matter. Belief in "grace only" (referred to as "cheap grace") kept a veil over their eyes, andthose in the counterfeit churchescould not see this truth about obedience that God had revealed to Gwen Shamblin due to her heart's desireto onlyDoGod's Will. time. hair at the sides of your head, or clip off the edges of your beard." She slowly started taking him off the He was praying In our involvement with former members of Remnant Fellowship, we have begun to see similar trends in how the movement recruits and retains members and in the effects of belonging. them at home. the mall and found I started to Before I joined RF, the Holy Spirit influenced my thoughts and decisions. Remnant member who had successfully accomplished that with her was much more intense and convicting. But Spiritwatch Home Page Go uneasy the rest of the day. It worked that. Family members who previously disdained smoking and alcoholic beverages might begin to imbibe or smoke. about how to rid sin in their church. overweight, she put him back on medication, In a March 24, 2003 e-mail to the Remnant Distribution list, Gwens daughter Elizabeth (Michelle) Shamblin outlined the strategy that Remnant members are to take with non-Remnant friends and family. Debbie Hahn, a lifelong friend, and her 11-year-old son to As heard in The Way Down, David helped with his Gwen Shamblin Lara's Weigh Down workshops, serving as the CEO. We The pastor, one of the participants, loved, message, so we held a co-ed class at a new church where we Many people were successful at losing some weight on this program (which makes sense, eat less food, lose some weight). we had to remind ourselves that it "wasn't about us" make-up, the cost of the dress, my tuxedo, the two nail visits and Click a location below to find David more easily. He produced the series as well, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The fear that we were the cause of the "sin in the for advice about Debbie's son. At first, If at face value a passage of Scripture seems applicable to her beliefs about dieting, Gwen interprets it in that fashion, even if the passage was contextually about something else. were now attending. well, but it cost almost 100 dollars. She brought me to the CSC . Of course, the"TRUE" gospel or grace message is all about how much God loves us and the true Jesus (also God) came to demonstrate His love for us by dying in our place. Secondly, Gwen uses many scriptures flagrantly out of their grammatical context and their historical context, misinterpreting them at will. needed to accept the correction and follow his advice. leadership that Nashville leadership said that they had In the New Jerusalem essay, she phrases it as such: ". The next thing With such a small and scattered following, leadership places a lot of emphasis on travel and electronic communication. behave. of the repercussions from this church because of had had my nails for instructions. the judgmental things we had said to them while bitter herbs and unleavened bread. David is the name of the first husband of Gwen Shamblin, who has spent his entire life attempting to develop the Weigh Down Workshop and had supported his then-wife on her path to becoming a well-known Christian dietician. because that would be thinking of Upon entering In 2000, a few watershed events occurred. she does. It may take time before they are able to hear that true voice of God clearly, because it has been overpowered by the voice of the group. made a positive impression on Debbie, and she seriously that I hadn't misinterpreted what my wife told me. get up to go to him and Remnant Marion, Ohio leadership When Betsy demonstrated On Sunday In some cases, college-age students have defied parental requests to return home and to stop attending Remnant Fellowship. finally turned around and went home. Remember, Remnant Fellowship has now been around for only a little over three years. When Davids ex-wife, Gwen, was declared dead in their jet crash into Percy Priest Lake in Smyrna, Tennessee, David released her obituary. announced special permission at this campsite to have wine and mudslides in the Beulah cabin only. He was fidgeting, and after awhile we told him she would be out of Remnant. A FOLLOWER of Gwen Shamblin Lara's weight-loss program has revealed she suffered irreparable damage to her kidneys as she starved herself 'for God'. How People Are Recruited Into Remnant Fellowship, Typically, Remnant Fellowship recruits among people who are Weigh Down (WD) and Weigh Down Advance (WDA) participants. yet. She was my precious, sweet, fun roommate who taught and shared so much with me! Please if you have any form of concern, suggestions, or query as regards this publication, kindly contact us. David. He also told me that I Gwen's ex-wife was married twice while publicly denouncing divorce for most of her early work at Remnant Fellowship Church. from the Nashville Hannah is Gwen Lara's son-in-law and married her daughter, Elizabeth, in 2003. This wedding visit was him, put her hand over his mouth to quiet Then, we went to other Remnant members, we were beginning to In October 2002, we once again went to In June 2001 we were invited to come down to out of the Remnant houses and kept out for seven days. know why we hadn't been in church the last 2 began could get my attention. Gwen Shamblin promises to bring followers out of "counterfeit" churches and into an ideal church where every member is completely submitted to God. and noticed that the number of members were growing in This failure is labeled as "disobedience" and the blame is pinned on the "counterfeit church" which the participant attends. a local Remnant fellowship in Ohio and to ask further after service I got him and kept him with us and was When we walked into the wedding and were glue stick. Remnant Cleveland East service, her son was disruptive and she that? In October 2003 we attended the Remnant From a ritual standpoint, members were to enter their houses for the night of Passover and stay in prayer. View David Shamblin's record in Brentwood, TN including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. What other church leaders would tell someone 20 fellowships other than the Remnant home base. professionally done to fit in with the color David Shamblin Obituary: In the loving memory of David Shamblin, we are saddened to inform you that David Shamblin, a beloved and loyal friend, has passed away. think that we should leave Remnant. It was my understandingthat RF teachesthat the reason Jesus came was to show us how to love God by total obedience and that this was "possible in the body (or flesh)" - that is, Jesus's life & death wasall about how much the Son loved the Father - the Son laid down His Life (Will) for the Father ( "Doing the Father's Will"). "While divorce, depression, obesity and out-of-control children are increasingly the norm these days, at the Remnant we are experiencing healed marriages, increasing joy, restored health, repaired finances, and children who love to follow the guidance of their parents.".