Recently, Pastor Isaac Noriega announced to the Golden Dawn Tabernacle / Tabernaculo Emanuel congregants that they would be celebrating Thanksgiving together, in the new Omega Fellowship Hall that was recently opened in commemoration of Isaac and Lucy Noriega on August 7th, 2023.
Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that Isaac Noriega allows the church to celebrate. Rest assured, attendance at this Thanksgiving event is mandatory for all congregants.
This recent announcement is a good opportunity to discuss an interesting topic at GDT: fellowship.
Fellowship With Stringent Conditions
If one were to spend time at Golden Dawn Tabernacle, certain phrases said from the pulpit often repeated stand out, like “true love and fellowship is only found in the bride" and “there's no greater place, life than here.” These suggest a loving, strong community within the church. However, this impression is contradicted immediately by statements that discourage fellowship, like criticisms of merely wanting to "chit chat," "socialize," and references to cliques, and denouncements of carnal desires. Ironically, despite these mixed messages, the actual sense of fellowship and community at GDT seems to be severely lacking and nonexistent. This contradiction becomes even more evident considering the upcoming mandatory Thanksgiving event in 2023, which will be held in the new fellowship hall.
In the early days of GDT, there was a stronger sense of community and heartfelt fellowship. Historical photographs depict youths engaging in picnics, baseball games, and other communal activities. Church members used to spend time with their non-church families and peers from other message churches, participating in normal, healthy social activities. However, this changed as Isaac Norgia's rules became increasingly strict and isolating, leading to a gradual distancing from external family connections and members of other churches.
Before long, GDT evolved into a place where interaction was limited strictly to family and church members. Contact with external family members or individuals from other message churches was discouraged, as they were often labeled as "deceived," "blind," or "lost." Isaac's sermons reinforced this notion, emphasizing that true fellowship, love, and care could only be found within the church congregation. They were encouraged to unite in discussing the "word," primarily focused on his teachings. Despite this inward focus, which might have been expected to foster closeness and unity, the result was, paradoxically, quite the opposite.
Consequences of Current GDT Culture - Division and Mistrust
Today, it's disheartening to observe the division within the church. Many families are at odds with each other, with some choosing to associate only within their small circles, often referred to as cliques by Isaac. This division can be largely attributed to a pervasive culture of gossip that plagues the church, leading to long-standing grudges between individuals and entangling families in these disputes. Moreover, there is a prevalent fear among families about being reported to the church authorities for any perceived wrongdoing, leading to mistrust. This fear results in families being cautious and guarded, even when hosting guests in their homes.
Another factor contributing to the church's division is the relentless competition over material possessions. Members vie for the most luxurious homes, the newest Kirby vacuums, the trendiest clothes, vehicles, watches, sunglasses, Cutco knives, and more. Often, gatherings within the church devolve into critiques of the host's extravagant spending, labeled as vain and wasteful. Yet, ironically, those same guests frequently end up acquiring similar or even more lavish items themselves, perpetuating the cycle of materialistic competition.
Another barrier to genuine fellowship in the church is the existence of a caste-like system. This system is not just about the cliques and groups, but also involves perceived spiritual status. Some members refrain from inviting others to gatherings, looking down on them for not being 'spiritual' or 'holy' enough. There's a literal belief among them that demons can transfer through association with less spiritual members. For instance, there's a church member who offers massages only to a select few, claiming she is gifted and can sense bad spirits. Ironically, this selective approach didn't resonate with her own family, who eventually left the church.
The primary reason for the lack of fellowship among church members is the influence and direction of the ministry. Isaac Noriega and Reymundo "Rey" Aguirre, in particular, are known for visiting homes and sharing confidential information about other members, only to then share similar information about the very people they've spoken to. This practice has fostered a climate of distrust and fear within the church, leading many members to avoid engaging with one another.
April Meetings & Thanksgiving Events
Historically, GDT has hosted annual April meetings where multiple ministers and some of their congregations travel to Tucson, AZ to attend these meetings. While most people would assume these were tied to Easter, these services have always coincided with William Branham's birthday, April 6th, and not Easter. Isaac Noriega teaches that Easter is a pagan holiday. The April meetings have primarily drawn in other message churches from Latin America, especially churches that have benefitted from GDT's translation of William Branham's sermons.
These annual services would typically start with evening services from Thursday through Saturday, and two services on Sunday, with each service usually having a visiting minister preach a sermon. On Saturday night and in between Sunday's services, there were sometimes fellowship lunches or dinners where the congregants would be able to gather and eat together.
Below are some pictures showing these activities from the April 2006 April Meetings.
For a lot of people who attended, the annual April meetings were a highlight of their year and an exciting time as they got to meet new people, fellowship with old friends from other churches, and for the young people, a faint hope that they might find a spouse.
People's eagerness to fellowship and socialize greatly bothered Isaac Noriega. Over the years, he started to crack down on the April meetings, disinviting some churches, and becoming more and more exclusive. He also put a stop to the April meetings fellowship hall lunches and dinners and instead required communion and foot washing for the April services.
Nearly a decade ago, in 2014, Isaac Noriega decided that the church needed to celebrate Thanksgiving together as a church. The event did not go well and there was a general lack of enthusiasm from the congregants which upset Isaac Noriega.
According to a former congregant who attended the event, "I remember it was somewhat of a disaster because they forced everybody to dress up in formal attire. And Isaac got very upset because no one came up to him to shake his hand. After that, it became a required tradition that you had to go greet him."
Based on how poorly it went, the 2014 Thanksgiving event was not repeated until this year's upcoming attempt. Perhaps it might come as a surprise to Isaac Noriega that the rare, mandatory socialization at his whim is not the best way to encourage people to socialize after decades of telling them all that socialization is bad.
In reading the Two Pioneers book, it is evident that Isaac Noriega has a disdain for normal, healthy fellowshipping and social activities under the guise that he is holier and better than all that:
Page 29: These church members were more interested in their religious societies and social life in the church. Often, their priority was to gather in the eating area rather than concentrating on the Word.
Page 176: Because this is a WORD assembly and not merely a social church, through God's leadership, Brother Isaac has preached more than five thousand messages; this has included teaching fifty-eight books of the Bible in detailed verse-by-verse studies and succinctly highlighting the main points of the remaining eight books.
Page 195: How many of you remember that I said, "We are not a social church; we are a Word church"? And by the grace of God, God has made us a Word assembly. That's what we have to understand, that God did not come and build a little place for social gatherings, though we are a people that have social lives and such. But some churches, that's all it is. And this is why many times we spend two and a half hours preaching. If this was anything other than a Word-based ministry, we would just preach fifteen minutes and go home. But remember, we are a Worda ssembly.
Conclusion
The sad reality at GDT is this: fellowship and socialization are taught as a carnal, bad thing by Pastor Isaac Noriega unless he begrudgingly approves of it on exceedingly rare occasions. This is done under the guise that the people should be concentrating on the WORD and nothing else. However, if you feed a plant too much water, it will die. The same thing can happen in a church. Church leaders should set their egos aside and strive to have a healthy balance where social and spiritual needs can be met.
It's particularly disheartening to consider the impact of this situation on the children and teenagers in the church, for whom this environment is their only reality. They are compelled to adopt a facade of hypocrisy to stay off the ministry's radar and to behave cautiously to avoid the attention of informers or the so-called whisper network.
The lack of genuine friendships and social interaction is unhealthy and detrimental to their social development. Isaac often criticizes fellowship by claiming that families gather only to criticize the ministry. Perhaps such gatherings and open discussions are necessary for people to acknowledge the severity of this issue.
We hope that the congregants at GDT can find some joy in their forced Thanksgiving celebration this year. Remember that it doesn't have to be this way, and it is possible to have normal, healthy social interactions when you are not subject to the whims of a high control group.
Do you have any information you'd like to share about this topic? Feel free to comment below, or you can contact us directly at our Contact Us page or via our social media accounts below.
Archived Comments
9 comment(s) imported from the original site:
Brother Berean — November 18, 2023
I think this is just the beginning of the new chapter for these poor people. Especially with Isaac getting more senile. What more confirmation is needed to see that Isaac is the head of the home and family.
Sleepy Church Member — November 18, 2023
The Native wanna be masseuse, is one of the most toxic freeloading, self righteous, jealous person in there. Her whole life is dedicated to calling Rey and Isaac about people instead of fixing up their eyesore trailer and devaluing our houses
Golden Dawn — November 18, 2023
Issac dijo que los diaconos “votaron” 😄😄😄, por esta reunion de action de grasias .. 😄😄… Muy buen chiste.. Alguien lo cree??? Como dijo el puluquero cuando Issac reunió a su gavinete para elegir a Mateo como pastor… " Nadie se opuso, bonche de maricas"… NADIE VOTA POR NADA, LE TIENEN MIEDO!!!! Estas reuniones son terriblemente horrorosas, ya que es la oportunidad para el ministerio de verificar quien se junta con quien, quien le habla a quien, vemos como la gente escoge estresadamente el lugar donde se sentaran, el lenguaje corporal es muy importante para todos…. de alli salen chismes, falsos, calumnias, de TODO, MENOS AMOR. la gente se fija en todito, hasta quien sirven la comida y a quien tienen castigados…. estan traganfose unos a otros y pues claro no tienen otra cosa emocionante que hacer. Issac hace estas reuniones porque quiere mas atencion, su mente le juega juegos y el a la gente, la mayoria no quieren ir, pero le van a dar lo que el pida, alli formaditos para saludar al sicopata que les a destruido sus familias y vidas… La HIPOCRECIA SE RESPIRA ALLI… Y SI NO VAS…. A LA HORCA!!!! viejito mañoso….tiene a la gente embrujada… Eso no action de grasias, es actcon de desgracia… HORROR…
Guest — November 18, 2023
Sounds like a fun Un-Thanksgiving to me. I went there for many years I have never missed the control I lived under.
Golden Dawn — November 18, 2023
Issac dijo que los diaconos votaron por esta reunion de accion de grasias… 😄😄😄… ALLI NADIE VOTA , HACEN LO QUE EL QUIERE. Alli es donde vigilan quien se junta con quien, quien habla con quien, la gente escoge su lugar extremadamente temerosos ya que Alli todos se vigilan y de alli salen chismes , congeturas, pleitos, una asamblea completamente TOXICA, el lenguaje corporal , es una facinacion para todos… Issac quiere mas atencion, y la gente le da lo que el quiere. no tienen otra opcion!!! Alli afuercitas a saludarlo, Al que Les destruye sus vidas y sus familias y le dan una sonrizota.. La HIPOCRECIA, florence a todo lo que da, es un verdadero HORROR.
Richard — November 18, 2023
These words remind me of the Shalom tabernacle and Hugo, a whole topic of socializing and the social, back in the 90s, at the beginning of all this madness, the jealous, envious, competitive and territorial nature of Hugo Castillo began to corrupt the principles and goals of the Shalom community. Maybe it was from the beginning back in the 80s, but I didn’t realize it, I was enthralled, mesmerized by the message that was preached. There is a moment, a point where a religious community that is growing, goes from being an open, inclusive community, to being a closed, sectarian community, with a jealous, competitive and insecure sectarian leader who needs to control and subjugate everything and everyone. And yes, the community was growing, problems were coming, and that is when you noticed how unprepared and without good foundations on the part of the leadership. And we are enthralled with being the “chosen ones”, the “special ones”, the “advanced ones”. How deluded we were!!!! We were common people, almost among the most ignorant and poor, and we believed ourselves superior to the rest for the simple fact of believing certain beliefs and following certain men. Hugo had no choice but to manipulate situations, manipulate the word of God, manipulate quotes from the message and abuse our credulity and unconditional support. And we as blind fanatics saying amen to everything the cult leader said, for the simple fact that we were the chosen ones and we had someone there in the pulpit who believed himself to be the voice of God. My God!!!! a recipe for collective madness. I recently experienced a situation that reminded me of all that:
I met a family where the mother (let’s call her Lidia, an older person and currently with cognitive impairment problems) was the one in charge and the one who had the last word, Gustavo, the husband, lowered his head when she spoke. Lidia is a rough woman, a little brute, she never wanted to nor allowed herself to be educated. You can’t say anything to her because she gets angry. Gustavo is a subjugated man, he has no friends, he cannot have them nor could he ever have them because of her sick and fanciful jealousy. Gustavo is tamed!!! Lidia’s words: I tamed Gustavo. Some years I interacted with Gustavo, a calm, hard-working man, from home to work and from work to home. His only satisfaction is eating a good barbecue, being surrounded by his family and grandchildren, watching a little TV and the next day continuing to work and earning a little money to continue having that routine. With him we talk about work, tools, a little about the news and until then, I can’t talk to him about deeper things, he’s like blocked, he’s like in basic, superficial mode. I see that Lidia controls Gustavo’s life, she is his voice. He told me on one occasion: I don’t know how to speak… His children are grown up, they have their own families, but also, they are quite basic when you talk to them. One of his daughters told me that Lidia was always aggressive and rough with them, no affection, the whole family knows that Lidia is like that, but everyone keeps their mouths shut. Relatives say: Lidia is like that. I asked that daughter: what does your father do when your mother gets aggressive with you? And she answers me: nothing, dad never did or does anything about it, he stays silent, lowers his head. I experienced some unpleasant situations with them, she is used to commanding and her condition of cognitive deterioration is worse, she has no brakes. She becomes unpleasant, aggressive, destructive, rude, she doesn’t talk much, but the little she does talk is unpleasant to me. Gustavo and his children are so used to it that they don’t even realize that she becomes destructive and unpleasant. On several occasions I had to set limits for her, because I see that Gustavo and her children do not set limits for her, they do not know how to set limits. And not knowing how to identify violence or aggression and not knowing how to set limits is transferred to the personal lives of all of her children. On several occasions I told Gustavo: I am waiting for you to set limits for your wife, you know that she is not right in the head. But he remains silent… Sometimes I think that he is an accomplice, I think that he is as jealous and envious as she is, and she is his voice. They have been together for 50 years, they were formed together, they are not going to change, the children have the possibility of having a different life, if they want. Perhaps that lifestyle is so familiar and “normal” to them that they possibly continue with those family customs, since it is the example that they had and they don’t know anything else. Changing these customs means learning new customs, new lifestyles, learning to set limits, learning to identify, learning to discern, being brave and talking about those issues that are not talked about, learning to stand up for themselves.
Golden Dawn — November 19, 2023
Hay siiii . Lo mismo!!! Conocemos a la perfeccion a todos los personajes que conforman el ministerio… Personas con complejos muy marcados, y con mucha falta de identidad, encuentran su oportunidad de " elevarse" sobre los demás con su puestos vendido que desempeñan, Ademas llenos de concupisencias, queriendo ser los mejores a cuestan de la disiplina que aplican a la congregacion, el atropeyamiento de quien sea, aun de sus propios hijos, que son las prinsipales victimas, los hacen unos moustros acusadores de Todo lo que ven, son casadores de chismes, llebando y trayendo, si pudieamos ver de los seres sobrenaturales de lo que estan poseidos, entonses quizas, tendriamos la mejor evidencia, Ellos mismos alimentan a Issac en sus locuras y lo mantiene de Todo a Todo.
Richard — November 19, 2023
Te vienen a hablar estos “hermanitos” y sabes que son la extensión de su amado líder. El que les promete vida eterna si se someten a todos los caprichos y necesidades del liderazgo. Yo ya tengo poca tolerancia a ese tipo de chifladuras. Cuidé a mi madre sus últimos 7 años (una buena mujer, media inocente y crédula) pero quedó chiflada después de 40 años de fanatismo por su amado líder. No le deseo a nadie lo que pasé con ella, era como cuidar a una persona que su mente está dominada por alguien otro. Y cuando veo algo parecido a eso me alejo… Me da mucha bronca que el resto de la gente se quede callada ante abusos, manipulaciones y agresiones. Al abusador agresivo y manipulador lo puedo llegar a entender, lo que no entiendo es al resto que no hace nada al respecto, no entiendo a los que permiten que eso sea así. No sé que pensar, si son tontos, si nacieron tontos, o se hacen los tontos por no entrar en conflicto. Que esperan para hacer algo al respecto? cuantos mas años estás bajo amenazas, sometimiento y miedo y lo aceptas, más se destruyen las neuronas en el cerebro. Porque razonar y tomar conciencia de la situación te lleva directamente al conflicto. Y como no queremos entrar en conflicto entonces nos quedamos callados, dejamos de razonar para estar en paz, y solo dejamos que las cosas sucedan… Y el día que me toca ser humillado por el pastor desde el pulpito lo tomo como un acto de Dios, para no entrar en conflicto con mi miente y conciencia, y así sigo sobreviviendo…. Alimentando esa maquinaria corrupta, que de cristianismo no tiene nada, solo la ilusión de ser de los elegidos. Y si, elegido eres, elegido para eso.
Golden Dawn — November 19, 2023
Es tragico cuando veo personas ( la: mayoria mujeres de esas “chifladas” 😄como ud dice) que a proposito les preguntas despues de haber sido sometida a una descargar de abusos departe de issac con una claridad de injusticia y enojo, Les preguntas para ver su postura ante semejante paliza, y te sorprendes la respuesta fria y llena de temor. dicen: ES QUE EL LO HACE PORQUE NOS AMA!!!… Condenados y ciegos, a mas no poder!!!. Y asi se la curan toda su miserable vida . Condenados a cadena perpetua ellos y sus hijos.
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