GGWO / The Bible Speaks | 60 Minutes Interview 1: Heiress Sues Stevens for Millions
This 60 Minutes expose covers how Betsy Dovydenas got sucked into Carl Steven’s cult at his The Bible Speaks church. The church sent Kathy Hill to shadow Betsy and pretend to be her friend, steer Betsy into letting the church control her, to ensure the church got millions out of Betsy.
When Dovydenas sued the church in 1987 and prevailed in court, Stevens conveniently changed the name of the church to the Greater Grace World Outreach.
Pastor Carl Stevens also pressured church members to sell their homes so and give the money to the church. One church member says Carl Stevens forced her to kiss him.
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GGWO / The Bible Speaks | 60 Minutes Interview 2: Church Members Speak
In this 60 Minutes interview, church members of The Bible Speaks church describe how they were defrauded and conned by pastor Carl Stevens. Former church member Pat Manchester suggests that Carl Stevens was sexual with the female congregants.
Church member and Dayton Company heiress Betsy Dovydenas sued Stevens to get back millions she had donated to the church, saying she was brainwashed and pressured. She won, which forced the liquidation of The Bible Speaks properties to pay her back.
After the defeat, Stevens changed the name of his church to the “Greater Grace World Outreach.” However, there is a growing community of individuals who are aware o the nature of this “church”, and how it continues to con and defraud church members.
Between 1984 and 1985, Elizabeth (Betsy) Dovydenas gave $6.5 million to the Bible Speaks. She also changed her will, leaving her estate to the ministry and disinheriting her husband and children. In 1986 she and her family brought a lawsuit against Carl Stevens and the Bible Speaks, seeking to recover the $6.5 million. The court found in her favor, and this proved to be a pivotal event, as the Bible Speaks declared bankruptcy, lost their property in Lenox MA, and relocated to Baltimore.
The presiding judge said in his 60-page decision that the testimony revealed “an astonishing saga of clerical deceit, avarice, and subjugation” by Stevens, who “has abused the trust of the claimant as well as the trust of many good and devout members of the church.” He described Betsy as intelligent and trusting, but said Stevens achieved “total dominion and control over her.”
The April 4, 1986 Boston Globe article says:
Since moving to nearby Lenox in 1981, Elizabeth D. Dovydenas, a 33-year-old millionairess, became increasingly active in The BibleSpeaks, a fundamentalist church with headquarters on 86 lush acres of a former private boarding school in Lenox. During the past 2 1/2 years, Dovydenas, who church officials say was a devoted Christian, gave more than $6.5 million to the church – the largest donations the religious group has ever received.
The church, headed by Rev. Carl H. Stevens Jr., used the money to help pay for, among other things, a freighter that makes missionary sea voyages; a Palm Beach, Fla., condominium; antibugging devices for telephones; the conversion of a hockey rink in Lenox into a church; and the church’s $600,000 mortgage balance on its Lenox complex.
Stevens appealed the decision. The second decision upheld the first decision in part, and reversed it in part. The judge reversed $1,080,000 of the $6,581,356.25 awarded. However Stevens still owed his victim parishioner $5,501,356.25.
STEVENS CHANGES NAME OF CHURCH TO GREATER GRACE WORLD OUTREACH
After failing in court and dealing with bankruptcy, Stevens changed the name of his church from The Bible Speaks to the Greater Grace World Outreach.
Notably absent from GGWO’s Wikipedia page is any information about Steven’s previous corruption. There is just a sidenote that says GGWO is the “Successor to ‘The Bible Speaks’ ministry prior to 1987, reformed as GGWO in 1987.”
THE LEGACY OF SIN CONTINUES
Despite changing the name of the church, the Carl Stevens and GGWO website reports that alleged corruption and sin have continued. In 2005 a large number of pastors disaffiliated from GGWO and formed the International Association of Grace Ministries (IAGM).
Some ex-members state that they were eyewitnesses to a sordid, but largely unknown, history of sinful and abusive activity on the part of key leaders, followed by cover-up and denial, all of which is justified by distorted teachings on grace and the finished work.
When they tried to go through proper channels and deal with the problems, Pastor Carl Stevens and others in leadership sought to discredit these whistle-blowers, using tactics such as subterfuge, denial, character assassination, and threats of legal action. GGWO loyalists were taught to regard any differences with the leaders as an evil report, and that disagreeing with the leaders could bring harm upon themselves.
One GGWO pastor in particular has been exposed by a Greek resident. Pastor Larry Speedy is alleged to have behaved in a sexually perverted fashion in front of multiple eyewitnesses.
An eyewitness also says that Speedy engaged violently with him.
Read more about Larry Speedy, and how the church has kept him in their organization, despite being warned about him.
The Carl Stevens and GGWO website has cataloged the media coverage of lawsuits and scandals related to GGWO. We have reproduced their list here to assist the public in finding this information so they can make an informed decision.
The website says:
The controversies surrounding TBS/GGWO have made the news, including newspapers, magazines, and television. It is our contention that the non-religious media for the most part is fair in its reporting of Christian issues. When Christian leaders bring scandal on themselves, the press is doing its job to expose these individuals. As the media generally ignore or report favorably on good works done by Christians, the cry of “persecution” is unconvincing when wrongdoing is reported.
Thank you to those who have cataloged this information.
GREATER GRACE PASTOR LARRY SPEEDY: ALLEGEDLY VIOLENT AND PERVERTED
GREATER GRACE CHURCH KEEPS PASTOR SPEEDY IN CHURCH
Disclaimer: The U. S. Constitution protects freedom of speech and religion. The the following information is provided as religious and free speech expression. This page contains allegations from former members of Greater Grace Church of Limassol, Cyprus. Pastor Larry Speedy has been contacted for his side of the story, we have not yet received his response. Greater Grace Church, World Outreach, Baltimore, MD, has provided a response below, indicating that they are keeping Larry Speedy on as pastor.
This page on Culteducation.com discusses many of the controversies surrounding Greater Grace Church. People mention the that the group has been called a “cult” and lost a court case that revolved around charges of “brainwashing”; the judgement against the church was upheld all the way the US Supreme Court. One commenter says: “Greater Grace plays on people who have needs, issues, or concerns that they can take advantage of. The swallow up those who are disenfranchised and use the hell out of them.” There appears to be serious financial misconduct as well.
Greater Grace Church has kept a variety of troublesome pastors in their stead. A pastor referred to in this article as “Paul Stevens” out of Maryland was alleged to have had a sordid affair with this parishioner’s wife
3. GREATER GRACE PASTOR LARRY SPEEDY: ALLEGEDLY VIOLENT AND PERVERTED
According to former church members, it seems that Pastor Speedy is running a cult out of “Greater Grace Church” in Cyprus. Former church members allege that pastor Larry Speedy has engaged in cult-like activities, including:
Larry Speedy teaches the his is God’s annointed and that no body is to question him.
Teaching that girls should “submit” to him.
Eyewitnesses allege that Larry Speedy performed lewd sexual acts in front of them
Eyewitnesses allege that Larry Speedy has systematically destroyed couples and friends.
Eyewitness alleges that Larry Speedy has systematically set up shunning of those who won’t submit to him.
Larry Speedy of Greater Grace Church arranges picnics to try to draw more followers from other churches.
Larry Speedy makes people feel guilty about leaving his church.
Church members have harassed those who are speaking out about him.
Larry Speedy made all the men leave and tried to keep the women. He would make men come back to the church and then throw them out publicly to humiliate them.
Larry Speedy is a master of manipulation.
Eyewitness Account of Speedy Behaving in Alleged Perverted Fashion
Below is an eyewitness account of GGWO pastor Larry Speedy allegedly behaving a sexually perverted fashion.
Former church member says:
This is what I saw with my own eyes: Larry was rubbing his wife’s [censored] right in front of me, straight after he stopped preaching. It was as if he had no control of his body. I was 5 feet from him, right in front of him, and he knew I was there. Later he told me to pray for him as he was losing his faith. Another former member told me he was dancing in front of him like a madman. I believe demonic possession is involved which could conceivably get him to do anything. I believe he will break himself in time he was a crazy person and I believe he is dangerous.
With Larry Speedy you have to let them control you or you have pride, and then you must be punished for your pride. In that cult they could make you suffer and you have to take it. I had to be “punished” for my pride in not letting Larry control me. You have to tell Larry you’re leaving your former church, and join his church or else. In my case I was given a warning by Larry. That night he told my girlfriend to leave me and she did. He used to look at my girlfriends emails and delete them in case she contacted me.
They also make members marry other members of the cult to keep it going, Larry offered me one of the girls from his church “as long as I do what I am told.” I don’t think he realised I knew he was nuts. I stayed to get the girl away from him and I nearly did.
They practice shunning — which is when they make everyone turn against you. Larry tried to make me and my friend fight each other. Larry was terrified of me and would never face me in a debate, which I always offered
Since I started blowing the whistle on the total disgrace:
3 other people have come forward
2 of the witnesses saw him eyeing up the girls: one at their church and one at his own “church.”
Eyewitness Account of Pastor Speedy Allegedly Becoming Violent
Below an eyewitness account of Speedy becoming violent.
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Speedy Behaves “Weird” Around Children
Furthermore, Speedy was shuffled from the UK to Greece. A UK ex-congregatation member reported Speedy was “strange and acted weird around children.” Other congregants have reported Speedy “eyeing up girls.” Was Speedy shuffled like the Catholic church shuffles their pedophile priests?
4. GREATER GRACE CHURCH KEEPS ALLEGED VIOLENT AND PERVERTED PASTOR SPEEDY IN CHURCH
I contacted Greater Grace in December 2017 about Larry Speedy:
Their response dated 12-28-17 indicated that they intended on keeping this allegedly perverted and violent pastor on, despite his behavior. Their justification was a claim to be able to rehabilitate someone like Speedy. However, as indicated by Speedy’s subsequent violence, GGWO is not capable of rehabilitating someone like this. And even if he were in rehabilitation — he should not be in a position of power.
Here is an open letter to Greater Grace Church World Outreach in Baltimore. They have never responded, and have kept corrupt Speedy on.
CONCLUSION
GGWO is a corrupt organization, not led by God, but led by darkness.
GGWO AND LARRY SPEEDY ADVERTISING
Here is Larry Speedy / GGWO advocating for suffering. This is an ancient religious mind-control technique to get people to fall for the pain that anti-Christ alliances cause.
More Larry Speedy programming advocating for suffering. How is praise “sacrifice”?
Here is Larry Speedy once again marketing sacrifice and suffering of the vulnerable.
Larry Speedy still advocating for sacrifice and suffering.
CONTACT INFO
Here is contact info for GGWO in the US and in Greece if you would like to contact them.
Greater Grace Church in Limassol, Greece, contact info:
Larry Speedie and the Greater Grace Church receive publicity in this video for their censorship and continuing to promote a disreputable pastor to the masses.
Greater Grace World Outreach Reviews - GGWO 