Category: Communications

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: JD Smith <XXXXX@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Nov 30, 2015 at 12:42 PM
Subject: Re: mailing list
To: Gayle Erwin <gayle@XXXXX.org>

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Gayle Erwin <gayle@XXXXX.org>
Date: Fri, Nov 27, 2015 at 5:31 AM
Subject: Re: mailing list
To: JD Smith <XXXXX@gmail.com>

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: JD Smith <XXXXX@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Nov 25, 2015 at 5:28 PM
Subject: Re: of interest to you
To: Gayle Erwin <gayle@XXXXX.org>

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: JD Smith <XXXX@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 4:14 PM
Subject: Re: of interest to you
To: Gayle Erwin <gayle@XXXXX.org>

Gayle,

———- Forwarded message ———-

From: Gayle Erwin <gayle@XXXXX.org>
Date: Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 3:45 PM
Subject: of interest to you
To: Smith JD <XXXXX@gmail.com>

Hello J. D.,

I received your email asking for my help in putting the GFA controversy to rest in a godly manner. You are, of course, aware of my resignation, along with Damian Kyle and Skip Heitzig, from the board of GFA. This ended 30 years of board service for me.

I have waited and watched to see how the news of ECFA expulsion would play out and what degree of candor and openness would follow. I can wait no longer.

The document attached to this letter is the report I made originally to KP and, afterward, the Board of GFA, of my investigation of the charges made in behalf of yourself and the Diaspora of GFA. This is the first time the initial report has been made public and I hope it will be of some comfort to you and your group.

When I first presented the conclusions of my investigation to KP  (with David Carroll present) KP glanced at it, declared that he was a speed reader, and began what I will simply call an ugly scene filled with expressions I don’t wish to repeat. I presented this same report to the Board of GFA. The ugly scene began again. My recommendation was that we confess, make restitution and change, and that I be granted permission to meet with you. The board rejected my findings and I was instructed to write the public report which was sent to you. Although the board was very pleased with the report, the agony of having written it has not left me. I apologize to you for the report that was sent to you. Some of the report I wrote with the hope that it would become true and that I was making progress in some intense mental and spiritual combat with KP. The financial part that I dismissed, I later learned was true. Please forgive me.

Hopefully we can have that face-to-face meeting in the future and simply speak of kingdom things.

Blessings,

Gayle Erwin
gayle@XXXXX.org
From the highways and hedges handing out invitations

To view Gayle’s original report, click HERE.

After nearly a year of attempting to privately address our concerns as a group with GFA leaders and staff, Diaspora removed the password from this website.

We believe the public—current and potential supporters—have a right to discern for themselves whether or not our concerns are valid as they make decisions regarding how to invest the Lord’s money.

Since several independent articles have been written about our concerns on the Internet, we felt the public should now have access to the primary information on which we base our concerns.

On April 5, 2015, the board members of the GFA Germany office notified the Diaspora that they would soon be shutting down their office. The official announcement was emailed to us on May 13.

“Because of my age and since no suitable, competent successor could be found, we will stop the work and shut down the German branch of Gospel for Asia.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We had our last annual board meeting on May 9th and officially decided to shut down the German branch of Gospel for Asia after 24 years of service. Below you will find our official letter which has been sent out to sponsors and friends.

We want to ask the different GFA departments in the US and in India to stop sending us any further material, because we don’t need it anymore – the office is closed! Also please stop forwarding us any free book requests and delete our contact details from the German website.

It was a joy to serve the Lord together with all of you – we will not forget you. May the Lord continue to bless you all.

Your friends from Germany,

Pastor W., R. and U.

Dear mission partner,

24 years ago we founded the German branch of the international mission movement Gospel for Asia with the primary objective to encourage Christians in the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) to actively take part in the Great Commission through supporting native GFA missionaries in South Asia by our sponsorship programme. Many Christians from different denominations made use of our offer and innumerable people were allowed to get to know Jesus on our mission fields before it is too late.

I was the leader of the German branch of Gospel for Asia for the last 24 years. I am almost 84 years old by now. Because of my age and since no suitable, competent successor could be found, we will stop the work and shut down the German branch of Gospel for Asia.

Many blessed but also intense years lay behind us which we as a team will never forget. The generosity of our sponsors and friends is big to this day and so we are a little sad to announce that the time has come to ask you to stop sending any further donations to our German GFA office.

Would you please inform your bank to cancel existing standing orders. Furthermore please don’t transfer any more donations to our bank accounts:

Germany:   xxxxx     Switzerland:   xxxxx     Austria:   xxxxx

You are welcome to continue to support Gospel for Asia in the future. We invite you to get to know our GFA office in Great Britain and we encourage you to visit its internet page:

www.gfauk.org

!! The sponsorship programme for our missionaries stops at once !! For logistical reasons our complete missionary database has been already divided up directly by our GFA head office in South India to all other international GFA offices. Through this the monthly support of all GFA missionaries who were supported by our German office is secured! Please do not return the documents of the missionaries to us.

For all donations in 2015 the tax deductible receipts will be sent out without demand of the donator (for the tax office in Germany) at the beginning of the New Year 2016.

As a team we would like to say goodbye to you and on behalf of Gospel for Asia we want to thank you that you have so faithfully stayed with us, so that innumerable people could be saved in South Asia for ever.

May the Lord continue to bless you.

In Christ,

Pastor W. M.

_______________________________________________

GOSPEL FOR ASIA – Deutschland

Tel.: xxxxx * Fax:xxxxx

Email: infogermany@gfa.org

Internet: http://www.gfa.org/germany

P.S.: GFA, USA would like to receive our addresses. If you DON’T want us to forward your address, please inform our office latest until 31.05.2015. Thank you!

Note: GFA never informed us of, or invited us to, a May 2015 meeting. Nor has GFA introduced us to Greg. We have not received any communication from GFA (except for some individual apologies) or the Board since their final report on March 26, 2015.

Though Greg’s emailed invitation to meet was sent to many individuals in the Diaspora (excluding JD), we responded to him as a unified group.

As of April 22, 2015, we have not heard any response from Greg to our group, nor have we ever received any communication directly from GFA leadership regarding this meeting.

“We have had no communication at all from GFA leadership stating your official role as their representative, so once again we ask that if GFA leadership really does want to meet with representatives of the Diaspora to discuss the five areas of sin that we outlined in our initial letter to them, then GFA leadership needs to contact us at info@gfadiaspora.com.”

From: GFA Diaspora <info@gfadiaspora.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 17, 2015 at 11:28 PM
Subject: Re: re: GFA Diaspora and Reconciliation
To: Greg
Cc: [GFA leaders]

Greg,

Thank you for your heart to bring healing and reconciliation between members of the Diaspora and Gospel for Asia. Unfortunately, both you and GFA leadership seem to still be missing the main point that we have attempted to drive home over and over again. That point being that the goal of the Diaspora is not about obtaining healing and reconciliation regarding the numerous individual hurts that have occurred over the years. Those hurts are but symptoms of much deeper, systemic sin that has permeated the very core of how GFA operates. The personal testimonies that were provided were but examples of the hurt caused by that sin, and are evidence of a much deeper and more serious issue.

In our initial letter to the leadership and boards of GFA, we very clearly outlined five specific areas of sin that we believe must be addressed through brokenness and true repentance (not just apologies) on the part of GFA leadership. It is those five areas of sin that we had wanted to meet with GFA’s leadership and board of directors to discuss, not individual hurts and grievances.

Most of us in the Diaspora who were hurt have already forgiven GFA leadership. For some of us who were hurt very deeply it is still a struggle, but there are others in the Diaspora who were not hurt at all. We are all part of the Diaspora simply because we want to see the systemic sin at GFA addressed and the ministry brought back into the light where the Lord can use it for His glory and the furtherance of His kingdom.

Please understand this clearly: As the Diaspora, we are not looking for the kind of meeting where we can have a “safe environment” to share our “heart and … hurts and receive needed closure”. What we had desired was a meeting with GFA senior leadership, which would have also included members of the board of directors (specifically those who are not related to KP), a neutral third-party mediator, and a small representative group of the Diaspora.

In your conversations with JD and M. you were very defensive and supportive of many of GFA’s actions, and in your email to us you also misrepresented the facts regarding your discussions with JD and GFA relative to scheduling such a meeting. Your actions have shown that you have a strong bias toward GFA which disqualifies you from serving as an impartial mediator.

If you will recall, JD made it very clear that any requests for a meeting should come directly from a member of GFA’s senior leadership or the board, not a third party. We have had no communication at all from GFA leadership stating your official role as their representative, so once again we ask that if GFA leadership really does want to meet with representatives of the Diaspora to discuss the five areas of sin that we outlined in our initial letter to them, then GFA leadership needs to contact us at info@gfadiaspora.com.

Just to be clear, we have been more than willing to meet with GFA leadership and the board in the past, and at no time have we ever said no to meeting with them to discuss our concerns as outlined in our letter to them. The US board of directors have already done an “investigation” and have communicated to us that they consider the matter closed, so we are confused as to why a big push for a meeting is occurring now. Because the board considers the matter closed, we are willing to consider a meeting even at this late stage, but do not consider ourselves under any obligation to do so. If GFA leadership and the board truly want to meet (and this is not just a PR stunt) then these requirements are all that we are requesting:

1. The request for a meeting would come directly from GFA leadership only. (Preferably the board of directors since they’ve previously communicated that they consider this matter closed. It would be ideal if they were the ones to open the dialogue again since they are ultimately responsible for the oversight of GFA.)

2. The meeting would consist of:
-GFA senior leadership (including KP, Daniel P[xxxx], Pat E[xxxx], John B[xxxx] and David C[xxxx]) as well as members of the US and Canada boards.
-A representative sample of the Diaspora
-A truly neutral third-party mediator (e.g. local pastor, someone from a Christian mediation service, etc.)

3. It would be held at a neutral location (not the GFA campus) and mediated by a neutral third-party as stated above.

4. A clearly defined purpose and agenda would be pre-determined. The primary purpose would be to address the five areas of sin we outlined in our original letter to GFA. While we welcome the opportunity to discuss past hurts and seek reconciliation for those wronged, that should not and cannot be the primary focus of the meeting.

Again, we appreciate your heart in this matter, but it is clear that the kind of meeting you are desiring to bring together does not address the true issues at hand, and that you are not the right person to be acting as mediator. That being said, we are asking that you please no longer contact members of the Diaspora directly, and that you remove from your contacts our email addresses that were given to you by GFA.

In Christ,
The Diaspora

BCC: [US and Canada Board Members]

From: [Greg]
Date: April 16, 2015 at 11:14:21 PM CDT
To: [individually, to most Diaspora members, excluding JD]
Subject: re: GFA Diaspora and Reconciliation

[read entire post here]