By Rev. Paul Lloyd
Senior Pastor VO Manchester Church
18/12/14
Since February 2014 Paul Lloyd has been operating as UK/Ireland Regional Overseer of churches on behalf of Victory Outreach International (VOI).
Since the December 2013 RTĖ Prime Time programme concerning the practices of the then leadership of Urban Outreach Ltd, DBA Victory Outreach Dublin, Victory Outreach International (VOI) has conducted an ongoing internal investigation to ascertain whether the allegations comprised a breach in compliance with the policies, procedures and values set out by the International board.
Victory Outreach is an independent fellowship of churches with each local church having complete sovereignty and autonomy, also being both self-governing and self-supporting.
To maximise its potential for growth around the globe, Victory Outreach has in place a structure that decentralises the decision-making processes, empowering local churches to meet the needs of their communities, utilising their own distinctive approach. According to this structure, each church of Victory Outreach is an independent and autonomous corporation.
Each church of Victory Outreach is a part of a region within a district and is required to adhere to the Statement of Faith and Core Values as set forth by Victory Outreach International.Victory Outreach International (VOI) operates primarily as a service organisation for the local churches of Victory Outreach.
Victory Outreach International operates independently from Urban Outreach DBA Victory Outreach Dublin, which has ceased to operate as of 17/12/14.
After a series of meetings it was decided that Andy Valdez had failed to comply with the policies, procedures and values of Victory Outreach International and was disfellowshipped on November 24th 2014. This included the removal of Ministerial Credentials held with Victory Outreach International. He has since opened Freedom Christian Ministries, and Victory Outreach International has no connection at all to this new organisation. Cease and desist letters and emails have been sent to them to ensure that all signage on buildings/vans etc & Facebook page/website etc which carry the Victory Outreach name and logos is removed and/or discontinued.
Following this, Victory Outreach International is deeply saddened by what has happened and would also like to reiterate its positive commitment to the people of Ireland, and are currently exploring the option of planting a brand new Church. This would be an International endeavour and would make sure that there were enhanced internal and external accountability structures in place to ensure that none of the previous problems can arise again in the future.
http://www.eauk.org/idea/this-is-our-place-salford.cfm
Filed under: Victory Outreach |
Dialogue Ireland 
Kevin I have edited your comment. Tell me if it is OK. Then explain why having asked for help you do not wish to talk about how we can help?
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People will soon see . That fundraising was going on 10 years and a big chunk was going to the head church and they never complained when it came on t.v sonny argunzoni got onto Paul and told him deal with it so they put all the blame on that valdaz family got them out of the picture so then Paul got raised up as the over pastor. If he is hiding animals like that in his church he will soon get what’s coming to him. It’s a big money scam they put the fear into these vunrable people because coming from a life style like that they want to feel belonging he will have a lot to answer to when he goes before the big man himself there is another bloke he is hiding over there in the home that was in prison for rape. But as long as they are getting housing benifit and there weekly money he doesn’t care. The houses they have and they are still looking for bigger they get 500 a month for one person on housing benifit and have about 20 men and 10 women. They then have a church full of people giving half there money and they have different sponsorships if u Give 500 hundred a month u get a gold badge 350 a month silver there’s diamond a dollor a day level come on as of life’s not hard enough. And the reason all this stuff doesn’t come out is because they don’t get government funds. They have a lot to answer for
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I wouldn’t give half of them dog liecences never mind say a liecence to help with the lives of souls
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My niece had been in this cult the last few years she started off in Dublin as she was a drug addict. I’m sick and tired of this place and tried to get her out of it and if someone can get on to me. She started of in Dublin out making money till all hours. She then went to Manchester and did the rehab over there she met a man and ended up getting pregnant before marriage. None of us liked him. We did a few investigations into him as he also from Ireland. She got pressured to marry him over there and we didn’t go as we did not agree with how she was put under pressure. Well he ended up leaving her when the baby was two months old and had an affair. He then went back over to her and she was still in the church and was told by them God doesn’t believe in divorce so she took him back in. 4 months ago he got locked up for strangling her. This wasn’t the first time this happened. She has sent us pics of her face smashed up. This bloke can talk the talk and he is knows how to preach but not to himself. VO over there tell him he will be a pastor in 5 years or before. He tried to kill her and she finally got him put behind bars. A leader told her to pack her stuff and go be a part of the new victory outreach group Paul was sending out. So she gave up a house and went to a domestic violence refuge that I have been talking to and they think it’s all very corrupt. While involved in Liverpool they told her that Christians don’t handle situations by going to court so she dropped charges. This bloke is wanted in Ireland for nearly killing people. So she dropped charges two weeks ago. He got out and the church took him down to Liverpool where she was and he started his threats to her again. She has a one yr old baby and had to move to another refuge . She said she was putting a restraining order against him in place and the pastor down there send her a txt saying if she does that then she wasn’t to come near the church. She has sent over all these txt messages to me and I’m sick of it now and I’m going to tell people the truth once and for all. Her husband knows the way the church operates and he pays them money but has never given her anything. He texted her saying the church told him to get a divorce because she has a controlling spirit and won’t come under her husband’s authority. This will stop him from being a preacher. U would be mad to come under a violent scum like him. So a place she went few months ago to get away from him they told her give her house up and she she did they have him hiding now in the church and has left her and a baby in the middle of Liverpool where she knows no body and has him hiding in someone’s house I have all the messages from the pastor from her husband and recodings she did at a meeting they were at. And Ill be getting onto this Sonny fella about it. They allow women to put up with abuse but then they open up the doors to a man beating her the last two years and they know this. But they are telling him he will get licenced as a pastor to be a pastor if he pays 50 Euro a month to Sonny. VO is not recognised by any other church is regarded as a corrupt place and they have pushed the limits of credibility to the uttermost. A Church is supposed to be a place where you are meant to feel safe. She’s sick and tired and she wouldn’t of given up her house if he was going to be involved in VO Liverpool. From the day she stepped foot in there she was out till all hours fundraising money and Manchester is no different. They turn the bible into gangster stories. At the minute the church is doubling there weekly money they pay to the pastor so he can get a new house for the rehab. On top of housing benifit they claim for them money they get of the clients to keep them and they demand their members give half of their income to sponcerships and she has been a victim of the corrupt practices for 5 years. The place she is staying have been onto me and two other agencies in Liverpool. if I have to take this to the papers so be it. They are not getting away with this. She had been through hell the last few years with her husband who also had an affair. Every weekend he physically abused her when she found he was assessing pornography. He told the church he was drunk but I have been on the phone many times and this happens when he is sober. He has told me stuff about himself but now he is hiding from Irish warrants but I’m going over there in two weeks and I am meeting people about the place. Paul Lloyd is sending guinea pigs out to different cities to start this horrible project that is damaging lives . Justice needs to be done. Enough is enough and we have her out of this terrible place finally and she won’t be holding back telling the truth about what happened.
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As I’ve said it’s okay for pastor sonny and his wife Julie and family all live in mansions have a Church worth a few million in 1999 when I was over in La Puente I was told he was blessed by God. For the good work they had done but pastor Andrew Valdez and family were judged and no forgiveness even though victory outreach would say don’t judge and be prepared to forgive and as for handing up your dole and not allowed watch tv or listen to radio unless it’s born again religious stuff going two days a week being forced to fast and going out to work so someone will donate the price to victory outreach so they have their ways of keeping a low eltricty and food bill then working for nothing I must say it strikes me as though the vValdez family were scapegoats instead of victory outreach with their outdated brainwashing tactics are being made out to be totally innocent
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You have not cos you ask not. 😴 nos da God bless you x 💕
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Dinahs best friend is a millionair. God provids for His children He makes you the head not the tail. Even to this day God provides for me i live in a council house now as a single mother with my two children in a beautiful villiage in south wales. I got no debts i got everything i need, i asked God to chose my house from the council and He put me in the most exspencive area in wales lol God is so good. Lots of people would love to live where i live but they cant afford it, but when God is your father youll be looked after better than the queen.
People get jelous and say things like u gammy cow and i say no im not gammy or lucky im blessed.
My life isnt perfect but im happily living in a posh area, in a beautiful house with the best furniture, lovely view, lovely people good healthy children and its all because of Jesus. People say no you cant but when Jesus says yes you can nothing will stop you. Thank you Jesus. 🐥💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🐥
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Sorry about my bad grammer and spelling. :) God bless x
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Dinah and Dave got offered loads of money from the government and help from them but she refused it cos the government would have started putting their rules down and God is the Governer of victory outreach.God makes the rules at vo and provids the money and any needs in the homes, so its not about money like Jesus said seek 1st the kingdom of God and HIS rightousness and all these things will be added unto you.
So dont you dare say theyre out to get your money thats a lie from the pit of hell. Dinah is doing Gods work out of love. God will not be mocked. Ill pray for you to stop beleving the lies of satan. Stop accusing your brothers and sisters thats the enemys job and satan is not your father God is your abba we should stand togeather and if u do see a problem pray to the Lord about it. If you trust Jesus ask Jesus to help you understand who to pray for and see His work. Jesus is faithful and loves you brothers and sisters. :)
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Fyi vo saved my life i lived in the girls home for 4 years and i loved and still love the place. I thank the Lord for di and dave and i pray for them to keep going strong. Satan is a liar and is using people to come against Gods people. 100% vo belongs to God Jesus owns vo so you all should support the Lord and be for Him not take
Ing the side of the devil and put bs up on the net about the Lords people. My life is a mirical. Vo was there for me when the world turned me out like trash. Yes Jesus saved me but without vo i wouldnt have survived. Jesus set vo up and dhina always said ‘dont thank me thank the Lord cos without Jesus she wouldnt have stuck it out and set up homes all over britain. Dhina and dave and morris (dhinas brother) and pastor darrel all work for God so if you got a problem with them take it to God in prayer cos God is the BOSS and owner of victory outreach uk. If i was you id say sorry to God for coming against Him on the net. Id met anyone and tell them to their face how good vo is and how much i thank God for di and dave and morris for giving their lives totally to the Lord to help the needy and outcasts in my country. Praise Jesus for loving the outcasts and being a faithful God. I left vo 15 years ago and without them i dont know and dont want to know where id be today but praise lovely Jesus He put me in vo where i was shown love and taught about Jesus and how to live life to the full.
Anyone who comes against God and his work on the net, i feel sorry for u cos your blind and dont know what ur doing. Ill pray for u to have your eyes open and stop spreading the lies of satan. Lord Jesus show them who the enemy is Amen
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Fiona you are seriously misled and painting a lovely picture of Gary. I lived with him for a whole year he made big money off us. He sent Danos and the boys out in the work van at least €150 a day. Plus he would get Craig to hand up an amount and he often pocketed €500 weekly so put that whit the work team money. He was on about a grand a week. No wonder he could buy all his jerseys and family iPads.
Not to mention the crack he was smoking upstairs while we where recovering in the house. Did your brother tell you that Fiona. He was a people pleaser and immature.
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You are right that he does not need to be defined by that documentary. I have 2 suggestions for him.
1. One is for him to approach Prime Time and give an interview and tell them all he knows.
2. Contact Paul Lloyd who is in charge of VOI in Ireland and ask to speak to him about his experiences.
We are waiting for a reply from Paul after we sent him some material to consider about the Valdez corruption here in Dublin. So needs to get up and go and yes that programme is a fact, but we are not defined by our failures, but how we address them. We are also trying to find out is the group that operates out of the Ierne Tennis Club on Richmond Road for real or are we dealing with an unreformed entity. We are waiting to find out.
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My brother has asked me to reply to you for him. He wants to say that Gary is only human. Everybody has a bad day and loses their temper. He was dealing with a house full of men. Some of whom just liked to cause trouble and he snapped. He is also shown apologising and explaining why he reacted that way but everyone seems to forget that part. They never showed the good parts where he would take them all out bowling or buying them all pizza and having fun with them or watching the football with them which my brother said the men loved to do but they weren’t allowed to do in the other homes. He said that when the men from the other homes came over to the house that even the atmosphere in the house was a lot better because they were afraid to say or do anything wrong because of the way Trevor would react to them. If you asked any of the men that were in Gary’s home they would tell you he is a lovely guy and looked after them really well. My brother told me that even the men from the other homes would ask could they swap over to Gary’s home because he treated them so well compared to Trevor who verbally abused the men and even got physical with them.
Anybody I spoke to about the homes when we were looking for a place to send my brother said to tell him to go to Gary’s home and not Trevor’s because Gary’s home was the best. And my brother told me that gary always treated them really well and that it was not the real gary we saw on the program and I believe him.
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Not naive just accepting everything you say, but Gary did what he did in front of the camera. Andy did not tell him to do it. He needs to take responsibilty for his own actions.
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No one blamed andy for anything. He was the senior pastor and was responsible for everything that the homes were doing. Who do you think told the directors to send the men out. Don’t be so naive. Any money andy used to pay for anybody to go anywhere came from the fundraising not from his own pocket. Andy has a house in America, a big ford truck in america and a truck here. Marie has a car here and in america. He has or had until recently a boat in America and he had a Harley davidson motorbike. Where do you think all this came from because these things aren’t cheap. The fundraising bought and paid for this stuff. Andy might have started all them years ago with the right motives but he let money cloud his judgement. The bible says the love of money is the root of all evil. And that man loves money. He loved the lifestyle he was living and the false perception of a booming church, when there has never been a congregation of more than 100. He was living way beyond his means and preached about living by faith but was afraid to do it himself. If he had of stopped fundraising and practiced what he preached none of this would have happened. So there is only one person to blame for all this and that is andy? Why don’t you ask andy for a lend to buy your milk. And paying someone €20 a day to work in the church, or the cafe, or the crèche isn’t giving them a job. That’s slave labour. And that’s the truth.
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I was in vo for 5 years I would have said it was an amazing church with an amazing vision and I still believe the people that go are truly in love with God. But how Paul has turned this whole situation around and has blamed pastor andy for this is crazy it shows he’s truly not a man after Gods own heart… Sure some mistakes wore made but pastor Andrew just wanted to help everybody buy giving everybody jobs, pastor Andrew has paid for me and loads others to go to conference cause we couldn’t afford it he has sent people away for months cause they needed a break he gave the drug addicted a job in the church to try keep them clean, the people that took advantage are people who are still apart of vo and their families are now running it, pastor sonny has his very own jet witch he goes on holidays with and flys from America to Ireland to Africa, I can barely afford a litre of milk… VO runs on finances on what you have in the time I was apart of it I felt I was living by rules rather than a choice… I’m not bitter I pray for vo and I’m happy for them they are the ones slathing freedom church… I truly pray for Paul that he finds guidenes in his bitterness and stop pointing fingers at people.. You got your “TITLE” now let us be…… Godbless
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What do you think this blog is? A missing persons bureau? Some have asked to talk to us and have gone missing.
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Hi guys Steve or mecha could you guys please contact me
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i spent more money with drug dealers and brewery’s and cigarettes…than i can account for..VO taught me how to live a life of freedom… the church politics do not matter…..my life is worth more than corporate structure or church protocol…VO is a family,… every family do things differently…. this family is saving lives.. i agree business management is not there strong point…… reaching out to lost souls.. cleaning them up and empowering them is…you can stand and question politics…but you can not argue with a CHANGED LIFE… every one does something wrong.. at some point.. you dont get success without growing through failure..every church or organisation can be pulled apart and shamed in some way..i dont care wether its the BBC..IBM TNT or TBN…. show me one organisation that is politically correct, ecologically sound, socially infallible…. i could point out bad things in every family, especially my own..but that would not do anyone any good.. would it..?
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ye DI…again I should clarify…I am not suggesting a meet up….I am saying that I personally am prepared to face up to anyone in VO who wishes to question MY integrity particularly if they want to bring a Bible with them but I am with Steve…..my advice to Paul would be….if God has given you sheep to care for take them somewhere where they are safe….Anonymous put it nicely when he coined the phrase Cash Cow.
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Meeting Paul would achieve nothing for me, as I could only encourage him to come out of VO. Whilst attending a world conference I challenged the teachings of Tim Story as he was ‘preaching’ at the youth conference. I was openly rebuked by my pastor and told to go to my room and repent for spreading negativity against God’s ministers. If VO endorsed wolves, then you had to accept that they were sheep.
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It began while I was there but my understanding deepened after that. I have a number of friends who exited the infamous “Peniel” church in Brentwood Essex and their experiences very much parallel with my experiences at VO…there are abusive patterns that you can begin to sniff out with experience…..certain buzz words and phrases such as “touch not God’s annointed” or “the Bible says ..submit to your leaders”…these catch phrases are put out to close down discussion and everywhere the prosperity stuff is churned out you find this type of scripture twisting. It’s like an experienced detective…you get to spot the signs. The signs are not the proof as such but if there is smoke coming out of the oven it usually means the food is burning. The prosperity preachers know the Bible..but they depend on the fact that the people they preach to do NOT know the Bible and are prepared to let someone else act as a priest for them…an intermediary between them and God. The New Testament teaches that God’s people are a nation of priests…that is to say we are ALL able to come to God because He had given us His Spirit through His Word. False religion denies this and says ..No..you need an intermediary who happens to be Me!!! In looking for a Church, Christians should find a church that preaches through the books of the Bible ex positionally…ie expository preaching…so you take a book of the Bible and go through line by line. That way you avoid preachers coming in on a Sunday and claiming that they have a “word” from God ( eg God told me you need to give me more money!!!). Expository preaching helps to stop this practice. The preacher( biblically this is real prophecy) is there to explain and clarify the passage…not to impose his agenda on it.
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I will ask him if he would be willing to meet you both.I found him very open after an initial wobble. Also did you reject the Prosperity Faith movement while in VO or after you left?
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No DI..I haven’t had any contact with any VO people since maybe three years after I left;well,not that I can recall. That was not because I didn’t wish too but VO culture is fortress like..you are with us or against us ..so even when you still want to maintain friendships the friend you wish to see will be subjected to pressure to stay away from you…but again that MAY have changed and I am as a Christian always to think the best of people and situations but for the sake of the Gospel I would say that Paul Lloyd should welcome mine and Steve Tuckers input if he is serious about the reputation of biblical Christianity
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It does indeed. So you can confirm that you are basing your evaluation on your experience which is over 15 years old? Have you any contact with anyone whose involment is more recent? That of course does not invalidate your testimony, but puts it in an historical context.
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DI….I was saying that there may be a way of reconciling those two positions but I don’t know one..hence..it needs explaining to me. I should also emphasise that I have not been around VO for fifteen years so I can not prove or disprove that VO has changed it’s structure. Sorry that my statement was unclear My statement should have read….I am not denying the POSSIBILITY that these two ideas could co exist but that would need to be explained to me because I do not understand how those two positions hold together. Hope that helps.
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Mick you wrote:
1. You ask how the sovereign gels with decentralised entity?
2. So you are suggesting the two views can be reconciled do you, so what is your problem with their structure?
3. You say it needs explaining… go ahead…
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btw …my name is Mick Fletcher and I am happy to be contacted by DI or anyone associated with victory Outreach
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I was a member of VO from 1993 until 1998. My first reaction to Paul Lloyd’s statement would be to ask how an “international endeavour “gels with an “autonomous,self supporting,de centralised,self governing and sovereign” church? I am not denying the compatibility of two very compatible concepts but that needs explaining.I left VO because I believe it is a franchise. In my time there VO was run as a profit making enterprise with the bulk of the profit going to the Argunzoni family and smaller portions sometimes filtering out to the local management. I say management because I could never describe the men who acted as ministers as pastors. Pastor in Greek is a verb and is the action of a shepherd (poiman) and the New Testament shepherd leads his sheep to Jesus. The VO shepherd leads his sheep to Argunzoni demanding un questioning obedience to a man. Argunzoni is happy to associate with TBN, the God Channel and other assorted “prosperity” preachers but will also quickly disassociate from those same people if the circumstances require. Our minister during my time at VO was a man named Brian Villalobos. I was personally impressed with Brian and I still regard him as a genuine believer in Jesus. Brian was genuinley passionate about the Gospel but he was under constant pressure to drive the various “fund raisers” of VO’s annual program. ( it is important to know that VO is a program…not a Bible believing Church…I have been in 3 bible believing churches and I can tell the difference). Brian was in the impossible position of trying to Christianize a program ( which in fact is a racket). In the end a group of us protested at the constant demands for money.Before this I had spent a year at the new VO Dublin with the two kids ..Paul and Marie Simpson…I say kids because I was not much more than a kid myself but Paul and Marie had been chosen by Brian and Mitchel Peterson because they were naive yes men who would never question orders. The mens home was run as a slave camp that extorted the welfare benefits of vulnerable unstable individuals under the cover of “christian discipleship”. I saw this stuff first hand. I remember Paul Lloyd I personally liked Paul Lloyd; but I suspect that Paul is a career driven clergyman. I would like him to prove me wrong but he needs to show me that VO is NOT effectively a franchise designed to enrich the Argunzoni;s. Finally I would like to mention Argunzoni’s son……I think it was the younger one……We had to listen to him preach once at Wapping,London.As he started to expound the Gospel of John he said that as John had been in the wilderness preaching the coming of Messiah,………at which point a few of us turned to Brian’s wife ……..this guy is saying John the Baptist is the same guy as the Apostle John???? This was actually ALLOWED to go unchallenged ..it was like a scene out of the Emperors new Clothes…..Argunzoni’s son was biblically illiterate yet he was allowed to teach from a pulpit. VO is a nepotistic franchise …Argunzoni flys around in his own personal plane …….my message to Ireland is…stay well away from the American religion….we know it as mammon…it is NOT biblical Christianity. Jesus said foxes have holes and birds have nests but the son of man has nowhere….the Argunzoni’s have a palace and a private jet…..by their fruits ye shall know them
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Evening. For some reason I can’t find the email you sent me, even though I remember seeing it and some of it’s content. We could communicate via email for now and I will make sure I find time to help in any way I can. I can also get a couple other ex VO people to share their experiences as well if needed. It saddens me to say, that deep down VO has not changed one bit.
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Thanks DI
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Will get back to you once I’m home from work tonight. Every blessing
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Steve I have sent you a private email at the one you supplied here?
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Of course Valdez was directly connected to Sony, there is no way that he could have been running a VO International church otherwise. I was one of the founding members of VO Ireland back in the early 90’s when we ran it from a house on the Navin Rd. The church was sent out as a VO London plant under the leadership of Paul Simpson (no longer in VO). My story is on the site belonging to Rick Ross, and is titled London Victory Outreach By a British Former Member. I would be more than willing to answer Paul’s (which I doubt very much if it was penned by him alone) response. I loved VO London and its pastor Brian Villalobos, but we used to do the same thing with sending more money out of the country by using a separate charity number, and giving no accounts in to the commissioners.
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Yes we would encourage you to outline your response with reference to their literature and your own experience. Send it as a word document. Do you then believe Valdez was not a lone ranger but totally connected to Sony?
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I was an elder in VO London back in the early 90’s and remember Paul coming into VO. I left VO after 5 years and being involved in many classified meetings at the top level. All VO churches are run and accountable to their mother church and its pope, Sony. For Paul to say that they are not is a complete lie. I would love to share with you more if you are interested
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