Recovering Grace asked former Advanced Training Institute (ATI) students what they remembered about the Christmas holidays — and the preparations for them — at the various training centers at which they served. While some of the students had pleasant memories, others remembered stress-filled weeks of onerous, highly-detailed work, culminating in large events that they were too tired to truly enjoy.
Moscow Training Center
Moscow, Russia
I remember the weeks before Bill Gothard came to the Moscow Training Center (MTC) at Christmas in 1996 and 1999 when I was there. We were all very busy cleaning and decorating so it would be just the way he liked it. We had to decorate the trees and shape the garlands just so, everything carefully spaced. It looked nice when we were done. And I myself, being a perfectionist, thought it was great. But there was a lot of pressure — if it looked nice but not the way he liked it, it had to be redone. — MC
My family was at the MTC for Christmas 1996 and helped get ready for the pensioner banquets. My sisters and I also helped wrap gifts for the orphans. I remember we were told to wrap the presents in such a way that you couldn’t see any tape and to make sure the patterns lined up perfectly because that’s the way Mr. Gothard liked it. My sisters and I thought this was ridiculous since we couldn’t envision a scenario where he would actually get close enough to inspect them before the orphans ripped into them. But the mother in charge was really nervous about it. I had to wrap a box that was bent, which meant it was impossible for it to be perfect, though it looked pretty incredible to me. But when I showed it to the Mom in charge, she looked so worried. I just didn’t get it. — LB
Christmas in Moscow, 1992. That is a good memory for me. I can’t think about it without smiling. The group was small and warm. We did a gift exchange and had a good time. — MS
My memories of Christmas at the MTC are even more spotty than those from the rest of my year there. I was so very sick then and hardly left the orphanage family apartment where my family was staying. This is how I managed to avoid any personal contact with BG. My parents, on the other hand, got to go to a meeting for the orphanage parents where Bill told everyone that “Christians can’t handle freedom” and it was understood that he was the one who needed to make the rules. My mom was also chastised by someone less than half her age for wanting to give a miniature swiss army knife to one of the older orphan boys [called “leaders in training, or “LITs”]. In a horrified, gasping voice, this person said to my mom, “Oh, Mrs. H, I would never give a knife to an LIT! ” (As if the boy didn’t know where all the knives were in the kitchen!) I also remember one of the girls wrapping all of Mrs. M’s presents with no tape showing! — KG
The Northwoods
Upstate Michigan
I remember loving Christmas at the Northwoods, mostly because it was more of a close-knit group of people. We lived in a separate house, so we celebrated on our own, then had an open house in the evening for any staff or ALERT guys who couldn’t go home. Honestly, I loved Christmas. The lodge was mostly shut down, so we didn’t go in for meals or anything other than to socialize. We got to be a family instead of being staff, and I loved it. — AK
Dallas Training Center
Dallas, Texas
We celebrated Christmas in 1994 at Excel. One evening, we all attended the Christmas cantata at First Baptist Church, I think. We were cautioned beforehand that there was a short bit of interpretive dance during the performance. We had a great time, and once back at the Dallas Training Center (DTC) we laughed uproariously about the completely un-scandalous dancing. (Not that I approved of dancing back then.) We also went riding one evening to look at Christmas lights. I had a very good time at Excel in general, and it was fun being there just before the holidays. — SJ
Indianapolis Training Center
Indianapolis, Indiana
I remember going to the Indianapolis Training Center (ITC) Christmas conference my first year on the Institute’s headquarters staff. All of the Christmas decorations were so beautiful, and I was completely in awe of the enormous tree — I think it must have been 50 feet tall at least. (I had no idea, that year, of the thousands of hours of backbreaking work that had gone into that day’s celebration.) The food was wonderful, and the programs and entertainment were all so inspiring. (And, for once, the garish red carpet didn’t seem out of place.) That was the year that all the girls on staff received a nice faux pearl necklace as a gift. I still have, and occasionally wear, mine. — WA
For my family at the ITC, Christmas was a nightmare. Most of the staff went home, and the families who stayed were responsible for running everything. The rest of the year, normal work days for me were 10 to 12 hours (I was still in high school), but during the Christmas season I was lucky to get four hours of sleep a night because I had to take over security at night on top of full work days. Three weeks of that is impossible. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were a nightmare. One year, we actually had a full 30 minutes uninterrupted to open gifts together as a family. I’m not sure if it was the same for all staff families at ITC, but that was our life every year. — SS
The stress at the MTC was pretty high with cleaning and decorating and needing to get everything perfect, and I didn't understand why thing were made such a big deal. But I loved Christmas at the MTC all the same. It was beautiful with everything so perfectly decorated. One year I got to climb up the ladders in the dining room and uncrumple and reshape the garland. I like heights and loved the chance to be on a ladder. Another year I helped put the lights and bows on the Christmas tree. We used way more lights than I thought was possible to put on a tree, but the effect was amazing! I had Mr. Gothard up on a pretty high pedestal at that time in my life and was thrilled with the prospect of him coming and getting to see him and maybe even talk to him. Back then he was one of my heros and I thought he could do no wrong. I took every chance to hear him speak and drank in every word like it was almost inspired. I loved the pensioner meetings and getting a chance to bless those who came. It was a lot of work but I felt it was worth it. And my favorite thing was the Bible distributions just after Christmas. I have mostly good memories from the Christmases I spent at the MTC, despite the high stress and perfectionism.
"Everything had to be just how bill wanted it",,,,,the guy actually thinks he is God, or next in line.................
I do wonder where in the chain the fear of Bill begins. So many people I know who still defend ATI think of him as a good man, but the people under him as crazy. Yet, by leadership, he was universally treated as a deity commanding absolute adherence. The TC I was at also decorated according to his taste--but why did they all do that? Did no center leadership ever just decorate for fun?
Eagle Springs decorated for fun. But that was because BG only made it out there every 4yrs or so. I was ever-so-happy that he never came around because it was always incredibly stressful.
Also, the fact that almost everyone went home over Christmas break (most of December) was the best thing ever. The place was quiet and peaceful. And I could wear pants the entire time w/o anyone asking any questions :-P. No one cared when we got up or when we went to bed, and often didn't care about what we were doing during the day, either (or what movies we watched ;-)).
The most hectic part of the "break" was going to Christmas conference. I always felt sorry for the Indy staff 'cause it always seemed like they got the short end of that stick.
IBLP endorses the observance of Christmas while frowning on Halloween, yet the two are equally unbiblical. From what I've observed, Christians tend to either observe the world's holidays such as Christmas and Easter, or the biblical holidays, but not both.
If you are interested, there is an article entitled "When to Meet" on my biblicalchurchmeeting.com website that touches on the subject.
Just another form of legalism In my estimation. Not to mention relying on the genetic fallacy.
Yeah, sorry about that, I guess. I don't really know. I basically just sit down and write whatever the voices tell me to say.
"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." Romans 14:5
Thompson, don't be guilty of the same thing Gothard is guilty of. Salvation is not a product of our outward works or observances but it is rather an inward transformation worked out by Christ.
"O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth , crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Galations 3:1-3
The simplicity of Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." has no conditions other than gathering in Christ's name. It does not read "where two or three are gathered in my name and the worship service is conducted on the correct day and with the correct sequence of events..."
I would also be careful about advertising "God's material blessings on your life" as results of your faithfulness in obeying the fourth commandment. It sounds an awful lot like the so-called prosperity gospel. I would have liked to seen what the apostles would have thought about those ideas of material blessings since most of them were persecuted, tortured, and murdered in Christ's name.
That being said, I am in partial agreement with you that our churches have become social clubs that observe traditions that are not rooted in scripture. I am all about changing the American Christian culture - but it cannot be done with outwardly conforming our church services - you'll just have a new breed of legalists. Christ laid out exactly how to bring about cultural change.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
Justin, thanks for the thoughtful reply, brother. I agree that salvation is not a product of our outward works or observances, but it is rather an inward transformation worked out by Christ, just like you said. Of course, I wouldn't imply otherwise, and my site doesn't. It basically just says Christians should do the things God says they should do in church instead of not doing them.
And I agree that the conditions of Christ being in our midst are only meeting in his name, and do not include meeting on the correct day and following the commandments God gave for church. Nothing in my website implies that Christ would not fulfill his promise in Matthew 18:20 unless we do those other things God said we should also do. It simply points out that we should do those other things.
As far as advertising God's material blessings as a result of obeying the 4th commandment goes, thanks, and I will definitely think about that. The reason I threw that in was that God sometimes does give incentives in the Bible where he says obey him and these good things will happen, and don't obey and these bad things will happen. So since material things and circumstances really changed drastically for the better after the fact, I figured I should say something. But I see your point, and I don't want to make the mistake that you're talking about, so maybe I'll change some of that.
And I really like the fact that you mentioned about how God says he will forgive us and heal our land when we do what it says in 2 Chronicles 7:14. My website just kind of coldly says, "Here's what God said to do, we aren't doing it, and we should do it." But it doesn't say what we really need to do, which is humble ourselves, and pray and seek his face, and turn from our wicked ways, like that verse says. Thanks for saying that. This is really good. I think I've got some work to do.
My family was in Russia for the month of December in 96 or 97 to help with the pensioner meetings. It was a TON of work to get everything just perfect. I remember being assigned to decorate a small christmas tree in the main lobby, and after carefully draping the beaded garland and spacing the red velvet bows just so (and being very proud of the near perfect job I did), I was told to re-decorate it.... twice. When my poppa said made a comment about that incident to one of the department heads, he got stuck in the dish room for the rest of our stay. He laughs about that to this day.
WOW--"Christians can't handle freedom" (!!!!) It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Manipulation is not love. and IS 58:6- says "to loose the bonds of wickedness, to let the oppressed go free, to break every yoke, to share yr bread with the hungry, that you bring to your house the poor who were cast out, when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh. 'Then your light shall break forth like the morning, and your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard, and you shall be called the repairer of the breach the restorer of streets to dwell in." A description of Jesus and true freedom.
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