A previous member of Alleluia! has graciously given us the text of the Alleluia! Community Covenant so that we might comment and discuss the various implications of this covenant on the average member.
The Alleluia Community Covenant
JESUS IS OUR LORD!
The Lord has called us to make a solemn covenant with Him and with one another to be a people of praise. We accept the Lordship of Jesus in our lives, individually and as a people. He has destroyed our isolation and joined us together.
We commit ourselves fully subordinate to our primary covenants to marriage, celibacy and the church, as brothers and sisters in the Lord, entrusting our lives to Him and to each other in Him. We promise to build up, exhort, admonish and listen to one another; to be quick to forgive and to ask forgiveness; to assist each other in seeking His perfect will in all things.
In His joy and peace, therefore, we yield our lives to Jesus; everything past, present and future and we agree to:
1. Love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. Be faithful to our commitments to community prayer, fellowship and service, seeking always the vision and the growth to which the Spirit is calling us.
3. Accept responsibility for community order.
4. Foster the growth of the community by accepting responsibility for a program of Christian initiation and formation in community life.
5. Recognize the headship of the coordinators and agree to obey, correct, and pray for them.
6. Accept our financial responsibility to the community.
7. Be held to this covenant and hold one another to it.
We promise to love one another and to call each other to holiness. We believe that this is the way God has chosen for our sanctification. We willingly ask Him to use it. We regard this as a solemn and serious commitment which we enter in good conscience, freely, and in faith.
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If you look at the Alleluia Community Covenant, you will notice that some of the lines could be quite freely interpretted.
When entering into "full covenant" status, the community member reads this covenant and signs his/her name to it. This signed document, one that proclaims to represent a solemn and serious commitment, in the hands of the misguided or unscrupulous leader, could be dangerous. For instance, take the line:
recognize...the coordinators (who are the elders or leaders of the community)...agree to obey...them.
How far does obedience go? Based on this covenant, it is only limited by, as the saying goes, what the market will bear. In other words, whatever they can get away with. If the member is easily intimidated, the sky's the limit.
There were people who, out of a desire to "give all to the Lord", gave their life's savings to the community along with all material goods they possessed. Did any leader try to stop them or advise them to hold on to something for their children or, perhaps, do it over time, in case their circumstances should change? No. Whatever was offered was taken, and in most cases was distributed to other members who did not and could not appreciate it. (I think most people would agree that you appreciate what you have worked for or what you have been deprived of and then, finally recieve, like those truly in great need.)
A common situation was a single working person who, when they joined the community, moved in with a family to become part of a "household" (this was the "preferred" living situation, so singles were told). He/she often divested him or herself of household goods which all went to the other community members. Afterall, where would these goods fit? Not in the tiny bedroom the single adult undoubtedly shared with another single adult.
But then, later, if he/she wanted to get married, was anything he/she had originally given away returned? No. Even when some households had more than enough, sometimes of items that even had sentimental value to the person who had originally divested him/herself of them, what had once been given was not returned.
The meaning of divest is:
1. to strip of clothing, ornament, etc.: The wind divested the trees of their leaves.
2. to strip or deprive (someone or something), esp. of property or rights; dispossess.
3. to rid of or free from: He divested himself of all responsibility for the decision.
The Alleluia Community taught that it was a holy thing to divest oneself of worldly goods. It was a good thing to not have "idols", as attachment to material things can lead to. But, rather than donate these items to the poor, they would be dispersed among the community members.
There was many a situation in which a single person, moving in with a household, or moving to a new household, needed some item (a blanket, pillow, towels, bed spread, rug, coat, blow dryer, etc) and had, when he/she had joined, given away just such items. Did anyone meet the need the single person now had? Usually, no.
Many of the community families had come from financially lower brackets and held on to things tightly. Also, many men had to leave good-paying jobs in larger cities in order to move to Augusta, GA to join the Alleluia Community. So, families who might have lived in comfort before, took a big drop in income and lifestyle "following the Lord" to Alleluia. They might have had good intentions doing this, but living it out, after the iniiitial move had been made, was often quite a bit more difficult. Alleluia taught that community members should live in close proximity to other members in order to truly be able to live committed community life.
I realize that I am getting into such a complicated area here that I probably need to tackle it in smaller chunks. But, I will leave what I have written and post it, in case it stimulates some thoughts for others, especially those who have had similar experiences.
Again, this is all a venture into the realm of the subjective vs. the objective. So, objectively speaking, the Alleluia Community encouraged people to divest themselves of their worldy goods, to hold all things in common (like they taught the members that the Acts of the Apostles Christian communities did)and to see that all members had their "needs" met before anyone indulged their own "wants".
But who is the judge of your needs and wants? Shouldn't it be, for instance, the parents for their own family? No. In Alleluia men met regularly and one of the things they did was to share their budgets. As you might imagine, there was pressure, both spoken and unspoken, to spend their money a certain way. If a need was "seen" by someone's head, they might encourage someone else to "meet that need". If your head suggested something to you, that pretty much meant you "had to" do it or else you would be looked upon as rebellious.
You know what- I can't seem to restrict myself to one small area. I am going to stop here for now. I hope others will post, based on some of the things I have shared here.
A few excerpts from leaflets and other publications the Alleluia Community has put out over the years:
"The New Testament teaches that Christians should live in committed, supportive relationships that affirm sound doctrines and properly ordered lifestyles. The independent lifestyle so characteristic of our modern society is opposed to these values and is contrary to the spirit of the New Testament. Today it is extremely difficult to maintain high Christian ideals, in faith and in practice, without living in a closely knit Christian community."
I'm sorry- but I must comment. Since I have left Alleluia, I have met so, so many wonderful, committed Christian singles and families who have high Christian ideals in faith and practice. Sometimes, we find just what we look for.
When I was looking for someplace like Alleluia, many, many years ago, I found it. I also looked for and found so many uncommitted Christians. That helped convince me that Alleluia was the way to go.
Somehow I missed a bunch of very committed Christians who were also out there. They didn't live in community, so I perceived them as "not as committed as they could be". I wanted to give myself to the Lord 100% and this radical lifestyle of community seemed the only way to do it.
I have since found out that truly living as a Christian is radical. Being Christian is radical. It doesn't have to "look" radical. What is radical is what's happening inside of me. If it's not happening inside me, then nothing on the outside will make a difference. I can "appear" to be committed by living in a community, or a convent or monastery, or in a cave as a hermit, or by attending Mass three times a day, etc, but the Lord sees what is in my heart. Unfortunately, people often only see what is on the outside. That "seeing only the outside" led to my "blinders on" decision to join Alleluia during its very early days.
In answer to the question "Do all members of Alleluia live together?":
"No. WHen we talk about living in a Christian community, we are talking about living in a set of relationships such as love, generosity, deep faith, and commitment rather than a place. In fostering these type relationships and other Christian qualities, it helps to live in close proximity to each other. Many of the members have moved together in a number of neighborhood groupings..."
Notice the subtle suggestion that if you REALLY want to be a good Christian, you, of course, will live near other committed Christians. The possibility that one could live a committed Christian life a few miles away from other Christians is made to appear unlikely. Things like this contributed to putting pressure on members to move close together. I might mention that it is also easier to monitor people, what they say, do, how they live, if they are nearby. This is yet another aspect of community life that enabled "control" by the leaders.
I will post more at another time if there seems to be interest. I must say that Alleluia learned well from the mistakes of other communities and stayed below the radar, so to speak, in many ways. While other communities were being disbanded by this Bishop or that Archbishop, Alleluia managed to live in the shadows so no one important would notice they were just like these other communities that were being disbanded.
>From an Alleluia Community publication:
"For those who join Alleluia it is expected that they commit themselves in a primary way to living our Christian ideals in union with those who who have a similar desire and commitment. This means committing their time and resources, their whole lives, to the community to whatever extent is necessary to further its life and mission."
When I read this now, years after it was written, I shudder to think that I used to see it as proof that I was living a radical, committed life.
In reality, I was living a life that was structured so it would "further the purpose of its (Alleluia's) life and mission". The assumption in all this, of course, is that I was living as the Lord had called me to live. The logic of it was that "If God 'raised up' Alleluia and its 'elders', and if He had called me to Alleluia, then to follow the Lord was to follow Alleluia."
Of course, the basic premise may be flawed. I am sure Adrian could comment eloquently on this. But the idea that God had raised up Alleluia needs to be questioned. Also, even if He did raise it up, and the elders, for that matter too, who's to say they continued along the path He had intended? Yet, the assumption was that what God, supposedly, had called together, no man should put asunder, or even doubt, ever!
Adrian, maybe if I had taken some philosophy courses, I would have seen the errors in the community's thinking. Well, I am in good company in NOT having seen them. But, better late than never!-Anon.
>From another Alleluia Community publication:
"Growing out of our life together comes a network of support and institutions that could be identified as an alternate lifestyle. From our covenant comes a system of government that serves Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit. Through our elders come teachings and a pastoral network that have proven effective in guiding our relationships with one another and which foster an atmosphere where we are encouraged to draw closer to Jesus. We believe that by submitting to the leadership of the elders we are able to receive a flow of grace to build the community. This has led to very fruitful results, such as: a pastoral network that has proven to be a source of grace for all of us, community gatherings that effectively serve as a means of worship and fellowship building, a teaching program that deepens our spirituality, while providing practical instruction in the Christian life, an authority system that enables the teaching of Matt. 18:15-17 to be implemented. We have our own school which enables us to have the education of our children revolve around the nucleus of the community."
Again, I am shuddering to read this, something that was published for the community's 20th anniversary.
The Catholic Church teaches that good ends do not justify evil means. In the Alleluia Community this was often exactly the problem.
For instance, the local pro-life groups know they could count on Alleluia to provide lots (hundreds) of people for their activities on Roe vs Wade day every January. The way the community handled this was to let all members know that it was "highly encouraged" to attend the march or demonstration, or picketing, or whatever, that day.
Whether you were a mom with 3 children under the age of 5, one of whom had a cold, or a working person with a 30 min lunch break, you were expected to show up and participate, rain or shine.
If you were not there, at the next community gathering, you would be asked where you were. It might be asked in a seemingly casual, conversational way. ("Hey, I didn't see you on Wednesday at the march! Were you okay?") But it was clear that you had better have a very good excuse for not having been there. To say that you are pro-life but prefer to express your pro-life sentiments in other ways than picketing in the rain with your babies, one of whom has a cold, would not be acceptable. Afterall, the community had "highly encouraged" you to attend and participate. Were you really a committed member if you did not take this "encouragement" to heart? More often than not, the people who did not go, "manipulated" the facts when they explained their absence, so it would seem acceptable. I know this for a fact from many of these people themselves! I was among them one year!
So, in essence, the community is coercing members to turn out for these events by using peer pressure and the implication that you are proving yourself a poor community member and an uncommitted Christian if you do not show up. This may not be outright mind-control, but it is psychological manipulation and is not ethical.
Such conduct and practices by the community, to me, were justifying good ends even though evil means had been used to achieve them. Yes, a lot of people showed up to the pro-life activities. But I question the motivation of some of them for showing up.
From one of their websites, here is the Rule of Life for Alleluia Members. I must say that having lived what is now put in writing for them, it is very hard to order one's life properly in regards to raising a family and church membership when you have all these other time consuming commitments which the Alleluia Community leadership expects adherence to legalistically. I have read some blogs from children of community members (these kids are now adults and no longer in the community). They were "formed" very legalistically in the community school. As long as they appeared "outwardly" to do what they were supposed to be doing, they were considered to be "okay" and so was their family. Of course, evidence that appearances are not proof of anything is the many girls who were considered to be "okay" and then got pregnant (in high school and/or without the benefit of marriage) and the many boys who assisted them, as well as the numerous drinkers and drug users. The adult members rejected much worldly wisdom that is just plain common sense in exchange for over-spiritualizing everything. If their kids were having problems, rather than going to a good doctor or counselor, they used "counselors" who were community members (untrained and inexperienced, or, even if experienced, still untrained) and heavy use of deliverance was resorted to. This, sometimes, band-aided the problem for a time. Often the real problem was that the kids felt like second-class citizens because their parents put ALleluia first, not them. But usually the problems returned and usually bigger and badder.
My experience there was one of appearances and going along with the crowd being all important. What was in your heart didn't seem to matter. For instance, alcoholics were "strongly encouraged" (psychologically coerced) to sign a written agreement that they would not drink at all while members of ALleluia. Were they given help, support or encouraged to go to AA? No. They just had to "appear" to be okay in this area. As you might imagine, stuffing problems like this way down had some pretty grim results (including car wrecks, divorces, child abuse, etc). But these were always related to the community in such a way that the community itself was never perceived as the problem.
They were very concerned with how the community appeared to the outside world too, and did a lot to appear to be a "good thing" for the city. I notice that they still are engaged in such activities, like sponsoring a Glory Run in Augusta (5K run) and other activities that keep them high profile in just the way they want to be seen. They have, in the past, don't know about now, had community members who wrote for the local newspaper and so ensured them appearing in a good light to the city. I know the appearance aspect to be important because I myself was involved in leadership-sponsored endeavors to accomplish the goal of making the community palatable and even desirable to others. At the time, I thought I was doing God's work. In retrospect, I realize that I was falling in with the crowd to be a good little community member and support whatever the leadership supported. So, here is their rule of life, which mimics monastic rules in its structure (making it "appear" to be a "holy" sort of thing), but in its content is still the same scary stuff that lays out a pathway for members that supports the whims of the leaders and pays for them too.
-Anon.
Official Documentation
Written by Alleluia Community
Saturday, 12 January 2008 02:14
Rule of Life
1 For the sake of our individual holiness and to help us live in solidarity...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to have a daily prayer time.43
2. For the sake of raising up a unified family unit pleasing to the Lord and for solidarity with other holy families...
each Alleluia family will be faithful to pray together daily.44
3. For the sake of both our ongoing solidarity and our faithfulness to commitments to community prayer, fellowship and service...
each Alleluia member will be faithful in attendance and punctuality when the community or subgroups of the community gather, unless released from this commitment.45
4. For the sake of building up and maintaining our common life, and so that we may be faithful to our commitment to community service...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to serve on a Community service team, outreach ministry, or other Community service.46
5. For the sake of our formation in God’s ways, our personal spiritual growth and Christian maturity...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to undertake an ongoing program of spiritual study and Scripture reading.47
6. For the sake of keeping our commitment to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and the commitment to destroy our isolation...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to make space in his/her life for spending time with other Community members outside of scheduled meetings and, to the degree possible, live in close proximity to other Community members.48
7. For the sake of being faithful to the Scriptural command to “go into every nation and make disciples”...
each Alleluia member will seek opportunities to share Jesus and our
communal life in Him with others through Christian hospitality,
evangelism and other good works.49
8. For the sake of personal growth in holiness and to insure that our individual lives and the lives of our families are lived in solidarity with other individuals and families...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to a headship relationship of care and accountability.50
9. For the sake of living out our call to be an extended family...
each Alleluia member with children will work to bring and lead their children, high school age or younger, into participation in the life of the Community and to educate them as godly sons and daughters.51
10. For the sake of humbling and disposing ourselves before the Lord, and for aiding us in seeking God’s will for us as a people...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to fast weekly.52
11. For the sake of being faithful to our call to be a people of praise and in our call to live in His joy and peace...
each Alleluia member will strive to be Christlike in every thought so that we might all radiate the joy and peace of being God’s people.53
12. For the sake of our covenant call to sanctification...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to dedicate his/her life individually, and with this people, to holiness. Each member will seek the highest
standards of morality and cultural expression. These cultural expressions include such things as media use,54 modesty,55 fashion,56 customs of dating and courtship, etc.57
13. For the sake of living out our commitment to foster the growth of the community by accepting responsibility for a program of Christian initiation and formation in community life...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to complete, assent to, review regularly, and live out the teachings of the Alleluia Formation program.58
14. For the sake of our call to communal prayer,...
each Full Covenant member of Alleluia will be faithful in his/her participation in the Alleluia Prayer Watch.59
15. For the sake of aiding individuals in living as stewards rather than owners of God’s resources, and to provide resources for our common mission, and to make resources available for Christian generosity...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to prepare a monthly budget and to plan his/her time so as to provide for his/her family, live within his/her means, and seek to live a life of Christian simplicity.60
16. For the sake of accepting our financial responsibility to the community...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to keep our current Community financial agreements.61
17. For the sake of keeping our basic commitment to live under the Lordship of Jesus...
each Alleluia member will be in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and filled with and open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.62
18. For the sake of our vision to be a multi-denominational people...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to be in good standing in his/her denominational church and will respect other’s denominational differences, while seeking to live a life based on all that is good and true.63
19. For the sake of honoring the Lord’s Day, and recognizing that setting aside a day of rest and focus on the Lord builds us as a people...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to acknowledge the beginning and end of the Lord’s Day and will limit to a minimum business activity and travel that is not for spiritual or recreational purposes.64
20. For the sake of maintaining our love for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and to keep our commitment to build up, exhort, admonish and listen to one another, and to be quick to forgive and to ask forgiveness...
each Alleluia member agrees to avoid gossip, slander, divisiveness or a party spirit [factions] and to live out the principles and methods of Matthew 18:15-17.65
21. For the sake of maintaining our love for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and to keep our commitment to build up one another...
each Alleluia member will diligently strive to honor others in speech and outward expressions of love, deference and respect.66
22. For the sake of keeping our commitment to maintain community order and to be faithful to recognize the headship of the coordinators (government), and to obey, correct and pray for them...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to live by the agreements of the community government and make them his/her own. Each member will be faithful to offer correction and input to the appropriate authority and pray for community leaders.67
23. For the sake of maintaining a clear witness to God’s design in Scripture and the eternal law in the midst of a culture of personal and family confusion...
each Alleluia member will strive to be faithful to live out Scriptural models of the roles of men, women, children and family.68
24. For the sake of our call to be a spiritual army and our call to heal the whole man...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to war against the devil, his/her own flesh, and the errors of a worldly wisdom that denies Christ, and will seek ministry in areas that hinder his/her ability to live a holy life or live our common life.69
25. For the sake of maintaining community order...
each Alleluia member will be faithful to read and respond appropriately to community communications, such as: consultations, the Dove, prayer chains, words, memos, etc.70
26. For the sake of building supportive relationships as part of an extended family network...
each woman will seek a supportive relationship with an Older Woman.71
27. For the sake of maintaining our unity...
each Underway member agrees to live out our Covenant by coming to understand and live out our Rule of Life.72
28. For the sake of maintaining our commitment as a community to live totally, radically and faithfully for Jesus...
each Alleluia member agrees that this is the way God has chosen for his/her sanctification and that he/she has chosen this way in good conscience, freely and in faith, and further agrees to be called to the highest standard of community life. 73
http://yeslordtest.mfst.net/index.php/full-listing
The documents of importance to the Alleluia Community may be found at that web address.
Here is a quote from there:
"By choosing to be a member of a covenant community, each member has agreed to focus his/her free will toward having a common purpose and living a common life.
This requires a level of deference that witnesses to the unity spoken of in John 17:21."
(That is: that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.)
As I have read through many of these documents, there are phrases here and there that give me a terrible feeling when I read them. This is because I KNOW how so many of the lines that read as good ideas or such spiritual concepts are actually lived out as means to the leaders' ends.
Imagine being told that your failure to support a certain activity was failing to support John 17:21! You might fall in line pretty quickly, unless you had the knowledge and ability to verbally joust with the leaders on this. And even if you did, eventually, if all else failed, you would be a candidate for the next deliverance session to help you get set free from the demons that were preventing you from focusing your free will on
"having a common purpose and living a common life".
I am no theologian or philosopher, and maybe Adrian can comment here, but focusing my free will on living a common life doesn't seem to be what I have free will for. It seems to be a misuse of the term. I mean, it seems like free will is not the proper term for that sentence. Maybe I am wrong. But I DO know that that is a typical sentence that would be used to "prove" to a community member that they need to fall in line with what the community is doing.
I go to a parish church in which no one has signed any agreements but all the activities they sponsor are well attended and well supported with workers and needed supplies. Why is this? It's because the Catholics there are of like mind about many things. No one has to be told to be there, be there on time, ask forgiveness for being late, etc. No one has to be told to make their donation or make sure they show up with a cake or a drink to contribute to the dinner or to attend the mission, etc. Yet all these things happen anyway and they happen whether or not every single member is there (or has or doesn't have a good excuse for not being there). Yet, in the Alleluia Community, I had always wondered what would have happened if they actually had given people a free choice of whether to attend this or that, tithe, come to the community school, etc. I think they are so afraid that no one will show up and pay up, or not enough people will to keep the other-wise non-working elders financially supported that there is no way they are going to give anyone free choice to exercise their free will.
Please note that these payers are to be prayed out loud on every prayer watch. Talk about legalism. Also, some of them really do not make any sense except to further inculcate into the members that they must do as they are told and keep conforming to be part of the group. Also, members are often "guilted" into conforming.
The problem with the whole thing is that it is not a living, growing relationship like a marriage is. It is stunted by the very written words that they "think" give it life.
Notice the prayers against various demonic forces. That is another area that has been twisted to the desires of the leadership over the years. It's amazing how someone with a convincing manner and a spiritual affect can make someone else look like they need deliverance. I don't have time to go into it right now, but if you have not read Adrian's "More than the Devil's Due", I would highly recommend it.
Official Documentation
Friday, 11 January 2008 21:50
Prayer Watch
Receiving the Watch
I receive the watch, ready and able to fulfill my responsibility. May God return to you ten-fold blessing for the time and energy you have invested on your watch.
The following prayers will be prayed out loud as part of each prayer watch
Beginning Prayer
Father God, I undertake this watch as a solemn responsibility on behalf of all my brothers and sisters in the Alleluia Community. I undertake it as part of fulfilling my covenant commitment. I will endeavor to be faithful to fulfill the purpose of the watch and to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I ask you to keep me alert and mindful and I ask you to hear our prayers as a community. It is our desire to live our lives fully under the Lordship, the protection, and the provision of Jesus. This is our primary prayer. We ask you to respond only to those prayers which live up to our primary prayer. We want to live fully, totally, and radically for Jesus and to further the coming of His kingdom. Forgive us for all the ways that we fall short of this commitment. We ask you to remove any barriers that would hinder our prayers or our warfare.
The Covenant Prayer
Lord help each other of us to live our Covenant under the power and anointing of Your Holy Spirit. Lord, as I read the words of our Covenant, enable us with Your grace to live them fully for Your glory
The Alleluia Community Covenant
Jesus is our Lord!
The Lord has called us to make a solemn covenant with Him and with one another to be a people of praise. We accept the Lordship of Jesus in our lives, individually and as a people. He has destroyed our isolation and joined us together.
We commit ourselves fully subordinate to our primary covenants to marriage, celibacy and the church, as brothers and sisters in the Lord, entrusting our lives to Him and to each other in Him. We promise to build up, exhort, admonish and listen to one another; to be quick to forgive and to ask forgiveness; to assist each other in seeking His perfect will in all things.
In His joy and peace, therefore, we yield our lives to Jesus; everything past, present and future and we agree to:
1. Love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ
2. Be faithful to our commitments to community prayer, fellowship and service, seeking always the vision and the growth to which the Spirit is calling us.
3. Accept responsibility for community order.
4. Foster the growth of the community by accepting responsibility for a program of Christian initiation and formation in community life.
5. Recognize the headship of the coordinators and agree to obey, correct, and pray for them.
6. Accept our financial responsibility to the community.
7. Be held to this covenant and to hold one another to it.
We promise to love one another and to call each other to holiness. We believe that this is the way God has chosen for our sanctification. We willingly ask Him to use it. We regard this as a solemn and serious commitment which we enter in good conscience, freely, and in faith.
The Ten Words Prayer
Lord we believe you have given us Ten Words to guide us in living out our covenant. Help us as a people to:
1. Be holy.
2. Be one.
3. Owe no man.
4. Heal the whole man.
5. Prepare for tribulation.
6. Become an alternate society.
7. Join as a spiritual army.
8. Prophecy to the church.
9. Raise up shepherds.
10. Take possession of the land.
Spiritual Warfare
Father you have shown us that we are resisted in living fully for you and for one another by the work of Satan and his evil spirits. We believe you have revealed a number of strongholds and other controlling spirits who war against us. We ask that you send angels to war in our behalf against these demonic forces. Guard and protect our Intercessory and Spiritual Warfare teams.
We specifically pray against the strongholds of:
Witchcraft, Mammon, Confusion, Rebellion
And other strong spirits:
Death/Infirmity, Pride, Lust, Sorcery, Prayerlessness, Obtuse spirit, Gluttony, Insecurity/Rejection, Deception and any other spirit that is harassing us individually or communally.
"I command you stronghold and spirits to leave us now - be gone in the Name of Jesus."
The Prayer for Unity
Father, You have called us into a unity that is difficult in this age because of the many denominational divisions. Help us to be faithful to our individual denominational calls in the manner which guards and protects the work of unity which You are doing in the Alleluia Community
Prayer for Leadership
Father, you have instituted leadership and authority as a means of guiding, protecting, and providing for us. Lord, we ask for grace for our Elders, Pastoral Coordinators, Support Group Heads, Hand maids, Head Servants, Office Staff, School Staff, and the spouses and families of all you have called to lead this Alleluia people. We ask You to bless husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, and all who are in roles of family leadership. We ask You to bless our church and governmental Leaders. Lord, Strengthen us as a people to follow the leadership You have placed over us, and to support it wholeheartedly through encouragement, correction, prayer, and openness.
Prayer for Protection and Good Health
Lord Jesus, we ask for Your protecting hand over all of our people. We pray that you will keep us from serious illness and that You will adjust our lifestyles where needed so that we can continue to live fully to build Your kingdom. We ask that You protect us from any form of calamity or accident and that You help us be prudent, careful, and attentive in all our undertakings. We ask You to protect all of our homes, cars, and possessions from thievery or vandalism and protect all of our people from any acts of violence. We ask you, Lord, to bring peace to each of our neighborhoods. Protect us when traveling and protect and sustain all those who are temporarily living or staying in locations outside of our usual domain. Lord, we ask that you protect us from all the designs of the enemy to hurt or hinder us. We acknowledge that You are sovereign over every area of our life. Lord, we trust in You.
Prayer for Provision
Lord Jesus, we ask You to provide for our physical and material needs individually and as a people. We ask You to provide well-paying, meaningful jobs for the unemployed and the underemployed in our midst. Lord, teach us to be provident and resourceful and help us to in live Christian simplicity so that we may expend ourselves and our resources in building your kingdom.
Prayer for Generations
Lord Jesus, you are the author and finisher of all life. You value us from the moment we are conceived until and beyond the moment we die. Please guard and protect all pregnant mothers and unborn children. Help us to be a people who respect and foster life; and especially to be a people who live under the law of love. Help us, Lord Jesus, to be willing and able to have families and to raise them up in a way pleasing to you. Give us the fortitude to withstand the spirit of the age, and the gentleness to help each person come into their own unique and personal relationship with you. Help our fellowships, our youth development program, and our school to be blessings to our children and aids to our parents in passing on the light you have given us. Help each person as they grow towards maturity to make wise life decisions, especially concerning college, career choices; and dating, courtship, and marriage. Help each of our single people called to marriage to find worthy spouses and help each of our unmarried singles to find their joy in loving and serving you. Strengthen our marriages; help each one be a true reflection of Christ and His church. Help us to be fruitful and productive in our middle-age years, living our lives for you and not ourselves. Help us to be a haven for the elderly and a support for those who care for them. Lord Jesus, may we be a community for all ages. Help us to sustain our life as a people through many generations.
Outreach Prayer
Father, you have not created us for ourselves: you have made us for yourself and for others. Help us as a people to reach out of our life and be a blessing to many. Invigorate our outreach programs and help them be fruitful in bringing people under the umbrella of your love. Help us to evangelize the lost, to teach those in need of instruction and to serve those made needy by the circumstances of their lives. Keep us from all condescension. Let us love others as you love them. Help us to be sources of healing for the broken-hearted and help us point the way toward you to a sin-sick generation. Help us always to incorporate new people into our Alleluia life and to exhibit the warm heart of hospitality. Lord, bless and gift all those who are specifically tasked by us in the areas of music, outreach, evangelism, and social service, and help all of us to be conduits of you saving love.
Communication Prayer
Lord Jesus, the Father called you the "Word made flesh." You are the perfectly clear communication. Lord, help our communications with everyone to be clear. Help us to be active listeners as well as clear speakers and writers. Bless especially all official communications of our community; those who receive them and those who prepare them.
Prayer Against Terrorism
Father God, we recognize that you are in charge of everything that happens, including this terrible war against terrorism.
We acknowledge that our victory is not in our might, but our humility before you. As such, we pray that you will bring our nation into a season of repentance and ultimately revival. We also pray for all those who suffer from the violence brought about by terrorism. Lord, protect our military men and women, police and fire personnel and all those responsible for our safety, and bring righteousness to our world. Through your name and through the blood of your precious Son, Jesus Christ, we come against our common enemy, Satan and his evil demons, and we say, "Begone! Cease and desist! Flee from any nation or people involved in perpetuating any acts of violence."
Oh, gracious Father, hear the prayers of your people. Protect us, and those we love. We pray for your victory and your justice. May your name be honored and glorified by all peoples until the end of time. Amen.
Closing Prayer (Commitment to continue if needed)
Father, I am preparing to pass the watch on to another brother or sister. I am committed to remaining on watch until positive contact has been made with another Full Covenant member of Alleluia. I ask you to facilitate the process of me faithfully passing on the watch. I pray for my replacement and ask you fill the coming watch with zeal and sensitivity to the leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Passing the Watch
I pass you the watch in solemn trust an pray God's blessing on your time with Him on our behalf.
Hi Anon,
Thank you so much for all of your comments. You bring a interesting perspective to the goings-on of life in Alleluia! ! I have a few questions for you.
First, based on this last comment of yours, could explain Prayer Watch a little more? When does it occur, who participates, how long does the "watch" last.
Second, what do the numbers after each Rule of Life represent. Is there a book that this is taken from and these numbers represent the paragraphs or some other indexing?
Third, are there others who are reading your comments and our postings that you are aware of or have directed here? and do you know if present Alleluia! members have found this blog?
Thanks, and glad to hear you found a healthy parish community. Very Glad...
PS My youngest received his First Communion today. A happy day for us.
A couple of comments -- OK, three.
1) This is REALLY Boring stuff. The only interesting thing about it is that Alleluia! takes it so seriously.
2) While reading it, I was reminded of a book I'm currently reading: Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader, which is about the Kim dynasty in North Korea. People talk in much the same way there.
3) "Anonymous" kindly suggests that I may have something to say about freedom. Let me point to instead to the late Pope John Paul II. He said that freedom is an essential characteristic of the person, that freedom is intended for love. Another name for freedom is self-determination and the best way to exercise freedom is in generous gift of self. In POP we often learned about freedom in terms of being "free to obey" and disobedience to community leaders was juxtaposed with worldly licentiousness. (Our logicians call that a false dilemma.)
You are right about parish life. What is really vital is to recognize that covenant communities are not (as parishes are) organic constituent parts of the People of God. They are religious clubs, organizations. They are not "local manifestations of the Body of Christ," nor are they an integral part of the Church. Their leaders are not pastors and they have no divine authority.
I'm not "Anon" but I can answer some of these questions (if anyone still wants to know).
"could explain Prayer Watch a little more? When does it occur, who participates, how long does the 'watch' last."" The prayer watch is a constant activity. Each full covenant member is assigned 1 hour per week (every week, taking into account their availability) to pray primarily for the community. At night, it simultaneously functions as a neighborhood watch usually with two male members essentially patrolling the area.
"what do the numbers after each Rule of Life represent" You can see here: "(Please note the footnotes are not included in this online document. For the complete document contact the Alleluia Office.)" Those numbers are footnotes; I don't know why they weren't cleaned up, probably time.
"do you know if present Alleluia! members have found this blog" As of now, at least one, though I haven't pointed any others here.
I was very intrigued with this conversation. I'm sure anyone can tell just from reading this, that there have been hurt feelings and broken relationships; there have been leaders who have abused leadership roles; and there will be other problems in the future. But, community leadership has recognized and acknowledged these issues and is doing their best to combat and fix them, and I guarantee that anyone who has been hurt can contact the community and they will to their best to help any healing that needs to happen.
About needing stuff, (this kinda stuck out at me), I asked 4 random community members (who happened to be on facebook) and was able to get a blanket (one of the examples) in under 30 seconds. The people who have spare blankets seem pretty generous with them. I told them afterward about it being an experiment, so technically I didn't actually get any blankets, but they were available.
Concerning the documents...a lot of focus seems to be on the potential for leadership abuse. The focus seems to be on "agree to obey", but not agree to correct. It is agreed that a member who is being improperly led would correct his/her leader. Obviously, good spiritual alignment is necessary for this arrangement to work in the slightest.
I highly recommend anyone truly interested in what makes Alleluia stick out to visit. No one is coerced or forced to join (or forced to stay). Trial memberships available (called "underway") and no one is invited to sign the covenant (becoming "full covenant" members) without fully understand what they are agreeing to (at least that's the goal).
I pray that God can bring healing to any of these Anonymous former Alleluia members who need it. And I sincerely hope that my comments prove useful to any who come across this page. Jesus loves you all.
Dear flobi,
Have you read the letter from Cardinal Hickey to the Mother of God community on this blog:
http://covenantcommunities.blogspot.com/2007/01/cardinal-hickeys-letter-to-mother-of.html
When Alleluia! conforms to these requirements, I will consider it fixed. Has it?
Well, for one thing, Alleluia is not a Catholic community, so much of that document would not apply, and that is, making sure that the teachings are in line with the Catechism and Catholic traditions. However, on the same line, a lot of effort is made by the pastoral team to make sure that any teachings are in line with the clear message of the Bible (and frankly, if anyone or anything disagrees with the Bible, I'm going to trust the Bible rather, even being a Catholic myself), though I think the results are effectively the same.
Locally, I believe the Catholic Bishop (and his predecessor) is quite fond of Alleluia, though I know of no similar document from him; the Catholic Churches nearby have a number of their staff (including at least a priest and a deacon) who are members. Even the Pope is aware of and views favorably Alleluia Community (both Benedict & JP2 before him). Clergy of other denominations are also members and all members are not only encouraged to be active in their church, but required (by their own agreement) to participate in their church.
But frankly, I don't see how that document applies. It is a document primarily rearranging the organization of a community under the jurisdiction of a bishop, by that bishop, in order to facilitate correction of problems acknowledged but not fully described therein. Perhaps you could be more specific about which problems you think Alleluia has that are in this document.
Also, it might be noted that I am not an authorized Alleluia representative. I am an "underway" member who has only been "underway" for a year (or so) and all I am saying is simply from experience.
Flobi,
"Perhaps you could be more specific about which problems you think Alleluia has that are in this document."
All of them.
"Well, for one thing, Alleluia is not a Catholic community, so much of that document would not apply, and that is, making sure that the teachings are in line with the Catechism and Catholic traditions."
This is the crux of the problem. A community which has 95% of its members as Catholics but does not place themselves under the bishop is already in error. Alleluia is guilty of all of the problems Bishop Hickey found in Mother of God. It deviates from the teachings of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church.
Good luck.
"All of them." Then I should quote the letter for a tad.
"I believe there is a great need to clarify the meaning of..." then the letter lists a number of Catholic doctrines that, as far as I've seen, the Alleluia Community does (appropriately) not address (positively or negatively) to the members as a whole as they do not apply to a good many of the members, specifically those who are Protestant, Jewish and other orthodoxies, i.e. non-Catholic whose denominations may not support the same views. When the Catholic members of the Alleluia Community gather for a specifically Catholic event, it is generally at the leadership of Catholic clergy as part of the local diocese. Otherwise, the community focuses on the things we have in common, which are not necessarily in that list.
"But the materials I have read convince me that too many see the prayer meeting as more central, more satisfying, more important than the Eucharist." Prayer meeting attendance is very central to the community, however, ALL Alleluia Community activities and views are subordinate in importance to the members responsibility to their own church and family, including the church responsibilities related to the Eucharist. If it is found that a member cannot fulfill their obligations to their church or family while remaining a member of the community, they are freely released from any community obligation hindering that. However, that does not discount the responsibility (which has voluntarily been undertaken by each member, I might add) to participate in community when it is not hindering those things. These are all, after all, special things the Lord has given us that help us draw closer to Him.
"There is also need to clarify for the members of this community the authentic Catholic understanding of the essential goodness of creation and the dignity of the human person, a point so central in the Holy Father's teaching and in the long tradition of the Church." What I've seen of the Alleluia Community view is virtually identical to the Catholic Church on contraception, abortion, the value of human life in general at every age. Community members are encouraged to participate in anti-abortion events, help the less fortunate and value one another as well as all people as gifts from God. Both of these have an extremely high view of the value of human life, from (and before) conception till (and even after) the grave.
"Every effort must be made to achieve a correct understanding of marriage" I have personally recently gone through the Alleluia teachings on marriage. Also, having recently been married in the Catholic church, I was also required to go through specifically Catholic teachings on it. They are in sync. Additionally, the priest who preformed the ceremony grew up in the Alleluia Community, the deacon, currently a member and the pastor of the church itself also a member of Alleluia. Many of the marital resources used by members of Alleluia are actually Catholic in origin.
"I have deep concerns about the Toronto Blessing, from the Vineyard Church, 'resting in the Spirit'" Never heard of it. Some research..."slaying in the spirit" or "the falling phenomenon" appears to be the same thing and I have heard of it. Haven't seen it in 15 years. It is possible that it came about like that and has since been corrected. The rest of the document seems to be on corrective measures, not really listing issues anymore.
Back to quoting you then, Lisa A,
"A community which has 95% of its members as Catholics but does not place themselves under the bishop is already in error." The most recent interaction between Bishop Boland (of the Savannah diocese) and the Alleluia Community was April 28th. He specifically visited with the Alleluia Community in 2004 (I was not a member then). I am certain that if there are any issues needing to be dealt with in this manner, the numerous Catholic clergy who are members of Alleluia would bring it either to the attention of the Bishop, the community leaders or both. Fact is, just because neither you nor I am specifically enlightened to the interaction between the community leaders and the church leaders does mean it is lacking. All indications from the church and the community seem to say that it is not lacking and a very positive view of each other has been presented by each.
"Alleluia is guilty of all of the problems Bishop Hickey found in Mother of God. It deviates from the teachings of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church." You have said nothing that would lead me to this conclusion. If there is something in the community that is not 100% how God wants it to be, would that be a surprise? I will tell you that the community is definitely not 100% how God wants it to be because we have all fallen short of the Glory of God. No where on Earth is perfect; no where can be perfect in this fallen world. But Alleluia is a special gift from God to its members, to the community at large and to the church. God has graced Alleluia with a special collection of leaders who love Him and members who want to serve Him.
what i dont understand is what the dating and courtship rules are...why are these things not expanded on?
Though I am no longer in the Alleluia community, I can answer the dating policy. It's pretty simple: Community members agree to prohibit their children from exclusive or romantic relationships (boyfriend/girlfriend, going steady, dating, etc.) until after they complete high school, for better or worse, but I really don't feel like discussing the better or worse. Like other agreements, this is common knowledge and new members do not join ignorant of it.
Interesting blog. I'm glad I ran across it. I was a member of the Alleluia community many years ago. I left after I discerned for myself that the community was nothing more than a mind controlling assembly of men acting under the guise of spirituality. I think the initial thrust of the community was honest and well-meaning. However, as time went on things really got out of hand. From what I am reading on this blog the community is still misguided and misoriented and definitely needs to be under the leadership of a church--not left on it's own.
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
I lived in the Alleluia! community some time back. The handling of my "leaving" (I chose to leave) by the community Elders was horrible and affected my ability to trust in GOD's love for me.
I just wanted to connect a moment. I'm stunned that I found this.
Thank you.
I hope you will keep updating your content constantly as you have one dedicated reader here.
Anonymous certainly has a LOT to say and always has. I put my name on the Alleluia Community Covenant and will put it here, Trish Sanford. The Bishop of Savannah is fully aware and has approved every teaching ever given in Alleluia, just as his predecessor did. He just last month celebrated Mass with us in honor of his 15 years as the spiritual shepherd of our Catholic Fellowship. He is constantly amazed and praises the vocations that have grown out of community life. We have four Covenant priests, one underway (still discerning), two permanent deacons, at least five priests not raised in Community who have chosen to be Associates to publicly support what we do, and a score of missionaries and religious lay people. You will know a tree by its fruit. What fruit have bitter pundits borne here?
People who do not know what they are talking about sure like to talk about it alot. I need few er words. Come and see. Alleluia is an open book and welcomes guests.
Not everyone is called to Alleluia and it actually takes years before anyone is allowed to make a life time commitment. You have to know what the life is completely and have lived it. So any implication that people are forced into this life is ridiculous.
All of the things you mention as fanatic -which are not even accurate descriptions of Alleluia today - such as living together and sharing your possesions are all found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You should take your indignance with a radical Christian lifestyle up with Christ, Himself, he described it for us, we are just doing are best to live it.
The disgruntled ex-members who comment on sites like this are by far people who for many varied reasons could not live the life they promised to, after years of discerning. They have to blame community. Just as a spouse blames their ex when they are divorced. They broke their promise and were free to leave and did so. It is a shame they cannot do so without slandering the community they freely joined, and which continues to live their lives for Christ as best they can without speaking ill of anyone.
We are not perfect, but we love Christ, try to follow Him as best we can and yes, try to lay down our lives and worldly possessions for Him. The world would be a better place if everyone did that and stopped taking anonymously labeled slaps at others.
Anonymous certainly has a LOT to say and always has. I put my name on the Alleluia Community Covenant and will put it here, Trish Sanford. The Bishop of Savannah is fully aware and has approved every teaching ever given in Alleluia, just as his predecessor did. He just last month celebrated Mass with us in honor of his 15 years as the spiritual shepherd of our Catholic Fellowship. He is constantly amazed and praises the vocations that have grown out of community life. We have four Covenant priests, one underway (still discerning), two permanent deacons, at least five priests not raised in Community who have chosen to be Associates to publicly support what we do, and a score of missionaries and religious lay people. You will know a tree by its fruit. What fruit have bitter pundits borne here?
People who do not know what they are talking about sure like to talk about it alot. I need few er words. Come and see. Alleluia is an open book and welcomes guests.
Not everyone is called to Alleluia and it actually takes years before anyone is allowed to make a life time commitment. You have to know what the life is completely and have lived it. So any implication that people are forced into this life is ridiculous.
All of the things you mention as fanatic -which are not even accurate descriptions of Alleluia today - such as living together and sharing your possesions are all found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You should take your indignance with a radical Christian lifestyle up with Christ, Himself, he described it for us, we are just doing are best to live it.
The disgruntled ex-members who comment on sites like this are by far people who for many varied reasons could not live the life they promised to, after years of discerning. They have to blame community. Just as a spouse blames their ex when they are divorced. They broke their promise and were free to leave and did so. It is a shame they cannot do so without slandering the community they freely joined, and which continues to live their lives for Christ as best they can without speaking ill of anyone.
We are not perfect, but we love Christ, try to follow Him as best we can and yes, try to lay down our lives and worldly possessions for Him. The world would be a better place if everyone did that and stopped taking anonymously labeled slaps at others.
Trish--
"Come and see". Really? I know enough of these communities to know that I'd rather not waste my time seeing how people throw their lives away because they think they are "special" and "called". We are all called to the discipleship not just you in Alleluia! or other covenant communities. We are called to discipleship NOT to be members of these communities. From what I see of those members who have left in good standing from Alleluia and their attempts to explain headship and various other teachings (which are contrary to Catholic teaching) have left me wondering why anyone would follow such garbage. If you want to stay there, fine. Your freedoms are and will be quashed. I'm trying to help those whose conscience have them question these groups, this way of life. They want out. Let them go. You convince me of nothing.
--lisa a.
Okay, I'm a teenager that goes to the Alleluia Community School. I see that lisa a. doesnt like us at all. But lisa I just want to let you know that from what I can see, no one comes here without really wanting to. I look at other people that dont like the idea of Alleluia and the problem is that they dont understand what it really is. So unless you can tell me that you fully understand what Alleluia is then you shouldnt give it a bad name. You know nothing and honestly from what i know of the people that left is that they wanted to and we let them. I dont think that anyone that leaves some type of community or religious group is not talked about. Everyone has a tendency to talk and thats just human nature. But for me as young as I am, I just want to know why you care so much about Alleluia Community when you havent even been there. What does it do to you? please answer...thank you
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