Stow-in-the-Wold and the Exclusive Brethren
November 1st, 2008
Deep in the beautiful English Cotswolds, a battle is raging. The Exclusive Brethren, now past-masters at camouflage and political subterfuge, earlier this year submitted a comprehensive plan for a new Meeting Room in land situated on the outskirts of Stow-in-the-Wold.
Why the battle? There’s a number of reasons… but first the news article:
Gospel Hall proposal for Stow causes controversy
ThisIsGloucestershire
November 01, 2008Residents have branded a planned Gospel Hall in Stow-on-the-Wold as a ‘closed shop’.
More than 140 people packed into St Edward’s Hall to question Stow Exclusive Brethren’s plan to build a 600-strong meeting place and 81-space car park on a field next to Tesco at the town’s A429 Fosseway northern entrance.
Residents said the hall would not be for community use as the 120-strong reclusive Brethren do not open their doors to outside worshippers.Townspeople did not totally oppose the scheme, but said if the site was developed it should be dual purpose – with a doctor’s surgery or fire station.
The 4.5 acre agricultural plot outside Stow’s development boundary can only be built on for community use.
The Brethren didn’t attend the meeting as they had been advised it could ‘prejudice’ their case.
One resident said: “I was part of the Brethren. The Stow Brethren are sincere and honest, but I belive they are misguided.
“You can’t say that building is going to be used for community use. If you want to go into their building you have to ring up the corresponding elder.
“And you have to sit in a different part from them.”
Resident Kit Ayres said: “The biggest threat to us is the traffic created by these meetings.
“It’s a prime site. If we’re going to break the boundary let’s do it for community need, not to bring outsiders in who don’t bring anything to the town or spend a penny in it.”
Resident Steve Greenwold added: “The Exclusive Brethren have every right to have a meeting place but they have a hall already, which should be large enough.
“And I see no reason to build a large parking area. No other religious meeting, church or chapel in Stow has a large car park. Why are they special?”
Stow deputy mayor Robin Jones urged people to write to Cotswold District Council before the consultation deadline on November 21.
Source: ThisIsGloucestershire - Gospel Hall proposal for Stow causes controversy
The Exclusive Brethren have always called their meeting places - Meeting Rooms. Recently, following losing some planning applications, they started using the term ‘Gospel Hall’. Why would they do that? The answer is both historical and indicative.
The Exclusive Brethren are an extremist off-shoot from the Plymouth Brethren, who were formed in the 1820’s. The Exclusive Brethren, led by John Nelson Darby were the result of a major rift in the late 1840’s. The original Plymouth Brethren meet quietly and openly (they are also known as the Open Brethren) in their Gospel Halls and Chapels.
The Exclusive Brethren (also known as the Closed Brethren) met in Meeting Rooms and denied members of the public access to Holy Communion until they had been ‘vetted’. The Open Brethren act as independant churches with a local administration of elders. The Exclusive Brethren have a system that governs centrally - currently from Australia, led by accountant Bruce David Hales. The Australian Prime Minister recently described the Exclusive Brethren as: “… an extremist sect and cult … who break up families”.
To obfuscate their applications, the Exclusive Brethren have been busily renaming their thousands of Meeting Room Trusts to contain words that are not immediately identifiable as being related to the Exclusive Brethren. As a result, the assumption is that they are a harmless group of sincerely religious people who wouldn’t harm a fly. The truth is somewhat different - and they know it.
The Meetings
As is clearly displayed in their website (yes - they do have one - TheExclusiveBrethren.com) they have Sunday Morning Communion Meetings at 6:00AM - this means that they gather in those much appreciated weekend sleeping hours. We note that this fact is ‘conveniently’ not included in their Stow-in-the-Wold planning applications. We imagine that the residents might have something to say about cars passing their homes at 5:30 am on a Sunday - let alone the sound of car doors echoing across the beautiful English countryside on a still Sunday morning - pre-dawn. An hour later the cars will drive past again …
The ‘Defences’
An Exclusive Brethren Meeting Room is very distinctive. It has no windows, is air-conditioned and contains state-of-the-art digital recording equipment. The premises feature strong boltable front doors and occasionally a high canopy to enable coaches to disembark at the entrance doors.
Every Meeting Room has a sturdy steel-barred gate which remains padlocked both when the Exclusive Brethren are there and when they are not there! A high wall surrounds the property - the Exclusive Brethren favor 6′ chain-linked fences which they hurriedly erect - sometimes before planning permission has been granted.
Some properties even have traffic defences that would stop a tank!
What are they so afraid of? No-one is really sure … but when asked they quote the scripture that relates to the disciples of Jesus Christ meeting in Jerusalem when they “bolted their door through fear of the Jews“! This ridiculous comparison throws light on the Australian Prime Minister’s accuracy - the Exclusive Brethren will do whatever the current Leader tells them to do - no matter how daft or meaningless. It is the classic symptom of a cult.
The fact remains however, that this act of paranoia defies most Fire and Safety Regulations - particularly as it relates to a Public Place of Worship. It is against the law for defences to be placed so that Emergency Services cannot gain access. As an example, see the following photo taken of the defences being erected in Reading, Berkshire AFTER the Exclusive Brethren were gathered!
But wait a minute - did someone say ‘Public Place of Worship’?
Tax-Exemption
All Exclusive Brethren Meeting Rooms are tax-exempt on the basis that they are ‘public places of worship’. Up until the 1960’s their Meeting Rooms used to have an ‘All Are Welcome‘ sign outside - but following a dictate from the then Leader, these were taken down and replaced by a board which conveys anything but a sense of welcome! A would-be visitor is instructed to call a telephone number. Their motives for wanting to visit will be carefully assessed. A home-visit will be set up where the individual will be interrogated. Eventually (and only very rarely) will a visitor be allowed access and as a final insult, will be asked to sit apart from the main congregation.
And yet they claim they are a public place of worship?
In these harsh economic times, here is an opportunity for all municipalities and local councils to take a long hard look at this group. The Exclusive Brethren are a very wealthy group of people. Their Leader Bruce Hales recently boasted that the Australian Exclusive Brethren contribute over AUS$2 Billion to the Australian GNP annually! Why then are local tax payers being asked to cover the cost of having an ugly fortress in their town to which they are blatantly not invited?
Read more at: http://peebs.net/Municipality/
We recommend that the citizens of Stow-in-the-Wold take a long hard look at this planning application. We reproduce links to some of the images and factors below. At the conclusion to this background report, there is a link to a place where Comments may be made direct to the Cotswold District Council.
It is time that the Exclusive Brethren are called to task for their misleading and carefully camouflaged planning applications - and time that their abuse of the tax-exemption privileges are reviewed.
Cotswold District Council - Planning Documents
Cotswold District Council - Submit a Comment on the Application
We recommend you do this now - all comments must be received before November 21st according to the news article.
The assessments of local people are patently accurate and require serious consideration by planning authorities.
The underhand and duplicitous machinations of Exclusive Brethren people are well-documented. Possessed of funds they do little or nothing for society and their claim to a ‘place of PUBLIC worship’ is tested and found untrue. They contrive to make it impossible to enter their gatherings and are patently sectarian and given to claim exemption from local taxes. Intense scrutiny is here required and if they resile from examination in a public inquiry they forfeit their claim to be considered. Perhaps an injunction must be placed on them to be transparent and honest, a difficult demand on an isolationist and secretive sect of Christendom. Let the tribunal hear from those who have been ostracised by the “LORD’S ANOINTED’ and the truth cannot then be hidden and informed decisions made.
a correction for local resident Kit Ayres who said “If we’re going to break the boundary let’s do it for community need, not to bring outsiders in who don’t bring anything to the town or spend a penny in it.”
Oh, I’m sure they’ll be spending a penny in it!
By the obstacles put up to outsiders and the vetting used to judge a non church member who wishes to attend a meeting, is this not a racist and homophobic organisation?
Re comment 2 above. The cost of a P in Stow in the Wold is now 20p since the district council got its hands on the toilets. However, this illustrates how little the Bretheren spend locally, yet expect the community to bend over backwards to accommodate them.