Arlington Gospel Hall (Arlington, WA)

2 Reviews on “Arlington Gospel Hall (Arlington, WA)”

• Jimmy T

  *This review of AGH is a call to anyone in this congregation with a conscience and who takes their faith in Christ seriously from the Bible. I will succinctly explain what happened. I am not writing to assess blame, but to help my son. If no one responds, then zero accountability is AGH’s legacy.
  *In the summer of 2000, I had responded to an online dating site profile created by one of your members, who was helping her niece find a spouse. The aunt answered personality questions for the niece that misled me to believe my compatibility was to the niece instead of the aunt. I was in my early 30s, and AGH had the Klein family as a big part with the Kroezes and Kazens. The Klein grandfather was a church elder in his 70s, and many of his adult children were in their 50s.
  *I took interest in the niece, as well as her family. I remember the grandfather having Bible verses memorized. I decided to relocate. The niece gave me the impression I was ideal for her.
  *She also began to criticize me in small bits, then saying she was merely “paranoid.” I began to have concerns about her and expressed seeking independent premarital counseling. She told her grandfather/elder, who then asked her uncle/elder to provide us counseling. Though he seemed confident, and said nice things, he did not address each of us specifically. I did not know enough about nepotism to reject their involvement, and after a few visits, he was ready to marry us 6 months from our first meeting each other. Slyly, at the wedding, he also handed me a written disclaimer downplaying his role as counselor.
  *I learned afterwards that he did not have adequate training, and he admitted he oversaw other couples that he did not think should marry. After the wedding, I told him about the increasing false accusations, and he told me to just “love her and get her health insurance.”
  *I should add that I did not have a good support system, so I relied in good faith on this church. The niece’s false accusations got worse. She also expressed a desire for her and I to go other congregations after the wedding. *The niece increasingly would provoke arguments, even at things I was trying to help her with, like her windshield wipers in the icy weather, or not to use a metal fork on a Teflon frying pan. When I would give in to the arguments, an uncle told me later how he received reports from neighbors. When I told the uncles what was being done, the uncle/elder said, “No one believes the second liar.”
  *When I went to all 5 elders, the uncle/elder accused me of having “unforgiveness,” while the other elders nodded. I told how I was being wronged and asked them for leadership. They did nothing. Months later, the niece became pregnant, and before our son was 3 months old, she made more false accusations to justify separation.
  *Once she left with our son, she filed for divorce. Additionally, her mother and her grandmother both wrote court documents parroting what the niece had falsely accused. The Washington superior court managed things very superficially.
  *So, as one uncle said, it is now “all about (the son).” Never was the niece held accountable by the church that commended her to me.
  *I had regular visitations with our son and did everything I could. The niece got benefits from the state including housing, food stamps, medical, as well as help from her family. She had said she had a girlfriend who did the same thing to another guy before this.
  *As our son became a teenager, I could see he was more concerned with his mother having emotional and alcohol problems. His grades got worse. There were CPS calls. When I sensed concerns for his safety, I pursued court action and got custody for 2 years. Then, the niece and members of the Klein family turned my son against me.
  *For the last 6 years, I have not received communication from my son, though I did nothing to warrant this action. He barely graduated and now appears in survival mode the last 4 years. Please prayerfully consider what AGH members can do to repair. Meanwhile, I wait on the Lord. Correspondence at tivoli_us@yahoo.com

  January 24, 2025, 10:12 pm

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• Jimmy T

  *This review of AGH is a call to anyone in this congregation with a conscience and who takes their faith in Christ seriously from the Bible. I will succinctly explain what happened. I am not writing to assess blame, but to help my son. If no one responds, then zero accountability is AGH’s legacy.
  *In the summer of 2000, I had responded to an online dating site profile created by one of your members, who was helping her niece find a spouse. The aunt answered personality questions for the niece that misled me to believe my compatibility was to the niece instead of the aunt. I was in my early 30s, and AGH had the Klein family as a big part with the Kroezes and Kazens. The Klein grandfather was a church elder in his 70s, and many of his adult children were in their 50s.
  *I took interest in the niece, as well as her family. I remember the grandfather having Bible verses memorized. I decided to relocate. The niece gave me the impression I was ideal for her.
  *She also began to criticize me in small bits, then saying she was merely “paranoid.” I began to have concerns about her and expressed seeking independent premarital counseling. She told her grandfather/elder, who then asked her uncle/elder to provide us counseling. Though he seemed confident, and said nice things, he did not address each of us specifically. I did not know enough about nepotism to reject their involvement, and after a few visits, he was ready to marry us 6 months from our first meeting each other. Slyly, at the wedding, he also handed me a written disclaimer downplaying his role as counselor.
  *I learned afterwards that he did not have adequate training, and he admitted he oversaw other couples that he did not think should marry. After the wedding, I told him about the increasing false accusations, and he told me to just “love her and get her health insurance.”
  *I should add that I did not have a good support system, so I relied in good faith on this church. The niece’s false accusations got worse. She also expressed a desire for her and I to go other congregations after the wedding. *The niece increasingly would provoke arguments, even at things I was trying to help her with, like her windshield wipers in the icy weather, or not to use a metal fork on a Teflon frying pan. When I would give in to the arguments, an uncle told me later how he received reports from neighbors. When I told the uncles what was being done, the uncle/elder said, “No one believes the second liar.”
  *When I went to all 5 elders, the uncle/elder accused me of having “unforgiveness,” while the other elders nodded. I told how I was being wronged and asked them for leadership. They did nothing. Months later, the niece became pregnant, and before our son was 3 months old, she made more false accusations to justify separation.
  *Once she left with our son, she filed for divorce. Additionally, her mother and her grandmother both wrote court documents parroting what the niece had falsely accused. The Washington superior court managed things very superficially.
  *So, as one uncle said, it is now “all about (the son).” Never was the niece held accountable by the church that commended her to me.
  *I had regular visitations with our son and did everything I could. The niece got benefits from the state including housing, food stamps, medical, as well as help from her family. She had said she had a girlfriend who did the same thing to another guy before this.
  *As our son became a teenager, I could see he was more concerned with his mother having emotional and alcohol problems. His grades got worse. There were CPS calls. When I sensed concerns for his safety, I pursued court action and got custody for 2 years. Then, the niece and members of the Klein family turned my son against me.
  *For the last 6 years, I have not received communication from my son, though I did nothing to warrant this action. He barely graduated and now appears in survival mode the last 4 years. Please prayerfully consider what AGH members can do to repair before God judges….

  January 27, 2025, 3:13 am

  Reply