Have you or your kids been to Soul Survivor?

[Coffeeandcards]

You might want to read this if so:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/04/12/mike-pilavachi-soul-survivor-charity-watchdog/

I’m in this world and know ex gappers and staff members at SS, they definitely did not know and were totally shocked by the allegations.
I’m all for calling out inappropriate, abusive or illegal behaviour but it’s very unfair to claim that anyone else in this world must have known and done nothing. Maybe some did but even then we don’t know what they knew. Let’s reserve judgement.
The telegraph reporting read to me like a completely religiously illiterate reporter. That does damage because when they say things that are just clearly rubbish (like SS got special treatment by having its own money when EVERY single C of E parish has its own money) it undermines the other things they are saying.

As do I and I can tell you that concerns were raised as early as 2002- they were ignored. In fact MP was made Godfather to staff members children after that.
If victims say they reported it and were ignored- I believe them.

It’s very telling the number of people wanting to pray for Mike and SS staff, whilst casually disregarding the people who have come forward. A fair few brand new Twitter accounts aggressively defending it too.

The Telegraph exposed this and I am glad, I couldn’t care less about the image of SS, it has arrogantly and wilfully brushed things under the carpet for years.
The Ltd companies and charities associated with them need investigation too.

I could give you a whole lot of examples that can prove what I am saying is true but I am not going to identify myself on here. I have sent everything I know to the Charities commission this week.

https://mrsglw.wordpress.com/2023/05/01/scrutinising-soul-survivor/

@woodhill

Yes St Andrews church

Sorry @Sameynamey I meant ex staff members who are now in other places. I don’t know what the current staff know or don’t know.

I’m not trying to defend anything.

@Minierme I apologise too as my reply was very defensive. Years of suppressed anger about this and relief it’s coming out. Thank you and sorry from my end.

I know two ex staff who were aware and chose to ignore- part of of the original dream team/survivor records in early 2000’s. One is a vicar elsewhere in London now. MP propelled his career. It’s an in joke that they were never called to lead in run down, poor areas, always wealthy ones with a very nice vicarage!

Staff remain working for SS in Watford who were there at the same time.

https://mrsglw.wordpress.com/2023/05/14/the-soul-survivor-situation-a-timeline/

I have been reading some of the blogs linked to in the above timeline - by Mrs God Loves Women and came across a reference to the video highlights of Soul Survivor.

I decided to watch it and note my own reactions. I am not a Christian worshipper and have never been to either Soul Survivor or any similar event but I noticed:

The emotional response stirred in me by the music - who could resist?
The images of togetherness (hands on shoulders during the prayer) - again, who could resist?
The wholesome images: camping, volleyball, grass, running...'muscular Christianity' for the 21st Century.
The 'lifestyle shots': dancing, the packed auditorium, the cream-topped lattes...
A lot of focus on young men in the video - is the young man on stage at 0:45 from the Soul Survivor Watford team?
Several of the young women highlighted in the video seemed to be pregnant?

Any youth festival could produce a similar emotionally-stirring video, but there is also the undercurrent of the narrated message: 'this will change your life'.

Interested in other people's comments.

@Sameynamey
I am intrigued by the references to 'careers' being made within the Anglican church via Soul Survivor and the gap year-bible college-curacy-parish pathway...

Coming from a secular perspective, I admit that I had naively thought that people within the church would not apply the same kind of ambition/networking/career building techniques that are seen in the wider world. Obviously everyone needs to earn a living, but I had imagined something more akin to a life of humility, tea and sandwiches?

I totally understand why you would have read my post that way. I should have been more careful and mindful in how I wrote.

I am trying not to out myself , google the people who were in the original group with Mike (who moved from St Andrews Chorley).

Look where they went afterwards- Gumbels involved with this too ( many of them were signed to survivor records at the time).

These people were late teens, early twenties, mostly did youth leadership, then went to become worship leaders then ordained. Familiar pathway and favoured by being in MP gang.

St Aldgate’s, HTB and SS. The same people who also went on expensive trips all over the world to help ‘plant’ new churches and sing. Who funded this? I suspect it was tithed but I don’t know.

From what I saw, there was no humbleness, there was lots of money, private schools for many of their children and rock star status chasing.

There is so much I want to say but can’t. I did challenge it twenty years ago and I was turned on and it was unpleasant to say the least.

What I will say is that some of these people were very middle class, white and well educated but had emotional trauma from the homes they had come from and I think this made them susceptible to MP and the ‘cult’ of SS.

Why is there private schools for their children?

I completely get the "poor vicars" that are entitled to all sorts of funds and charities aren't actually very poor in reality in many cases (yes large 4 bed + house in London where people struggle to afford a flat...)

And yes I know if a case (not SS) where a vicar had an affair with a member of their congregation.... so they just got moved to a different area to start afresh with said woman 🙄.

They use the clergy bursary funds in the London private schools. The one that I am thinking of did not want their children mixing with the very racially diverse and generally poor children in the local school because they did not speak English (60%+).

The other one that was/is very wealthy due to being a Christian pop star and I think his were paid for from his own earnings.

Ah didnt realise they could do private school. People I knew used clergy bursaries for school uniform/trips/music though. And then house exchanges or holiday homes for vicars ... and sometimes tax credits as was as their declared income was low despite all their living costs being paid for!

Traditionally due to the large vicarage’s the vicars were described as a middle class man living in an upper class house on an lower class wage!

It's not a bad gig these days with cost of.living really is it?!

https://twitter.com/davidgate/status/1658108772009619463?s=46&t=oe6Lr-bMkSpnC5WBu8BQOw

you seen this?

No council tax, no rent, most of utility bills paid, pension, entertaining allowance. Clergy fund for school fees, lump sum on retirement, not bad.

I have never understood why clergy are exempt from council tax.

Yeah but then you retire with no house and very late in life to start paying a mortgage, if you'd even get approved for one as you're not working any more.

They aren’t. The church just pays it as part of their terms and conditions.

Even if you factor in all the possible benefits it’s akin to being a senior teacher, hardly mega bucks.

You really can’t claim that clergy are in it for the money. The idea is laughable.

Ok but this one has a house already that is rented out. Really, if you don’t know the ins and outs, how can you defend?

You live rent free in west London, no council tax, most of your utility bills paid for. Private school covered by clergy bursary and business class flights paid for to mission abroad. Entertaining budget and royalties from survivor records.

You would need to be earning over £600k plus to support that lifestyle ordinarily.