please kiss me

Late News Flash

By WS FD/MM/FM September 2004

Dear Family,
We love you and are praying for you in these exciting days of change and forward movement with our Husband's leading and guidance. He said that we cannot fail if we claim His power through the keys.
In the process of reworking the Charter to incorporate many of the Family changes that have come about as a result of the restructuring, we want to inform you of a couple of additional Charter amendments. We pray these will be a blessing to you and will help us all in our quest for professional Family discipleship.


1.Continental Officers name change to Regional shepherds

In recent years, with the boards, Family restructuring, and upcoming Home reviews, regional areas have taken on an increasingly greater role in the Family, as has regional leadership as they focus their responsibility on regional affairs. The COs in each region, most of whom are chairing one of the regional boards, have become progressively more focused on the shepherding and care of their regional area and have become less involved with other regional areas within their continental area. While still members of the Continental Council, and carrying the authority and responsibility that comes with that position, their primary focus has shifted more toward the goings-on within the single region in which they work and reside. Their greater involvement and teamworking with other board chairs on their Regional Councils is also helping to bring about more specialized attention at the regional level, which is helping the Family make a lot of progress, PTL!
As the Lord continues to lead our Family government to become more regionalized and with many of the COs' decisions being made by the body of COs within a particular region, it has become cumbersome to refer to them as "regional continental officers." So we proposed to the body of COs, and they have concurred, that they now be known and referred to as Regional shepherds (RSs).
So from this point on, the Continental Council will be composed of the Regional shepherds within each continental area. This name change will be reflected in the coming updated FD Charter, MM Statutes, FM Statutes, and all future WS publications.


2.Kissing outsiders

With the Charter amendments published in 2003 (GN 1033), kissing outsiders is no longer a probationary status offense. We have received numerous questions from individuals requesting a clarification on whether that means it is now actually allowed.
One of the reasons for originally putting a "no sexual interaction with outsiders" rule in the Charter was to prevent the spread of AIDS in the Family. Since the writing of the Charter, much more has become known about HIV and the risks of contracting the virus. After extensive research from many sources that has all strongly indicated that it is extremely unlikely that the HIV virus can be passed through kissing (all references that we've studied have stated that there have been no reported cases of HIV caused by kissing alone), we have stopped requiring AIDS testing for kissing outsiders. As well, the Lord indicated that we should not make kissing outsiders on par with our serious PS offenses.
However, the AIDS risk aside, another reason for the "no sexual interaction with outsiders" rule is that it is our job to spiritually minister to and feed our sheep, which is best accomplished through the Word and interaction with the Family rather than entering into a physical relationship with someone. In the recent "Family Discipleship or Missionary Membership?" GN, Mama again underlined the reasons why getting into sexual relationships with outsiders is still discouraged for Family disciples and not allowed under the Charter. Mama is addressing Missionary members here, but the principles that she outlines explain the spiritual reasons for our continued "no sex with outsiders" rule for FD.

(Mama:) In the MM Family you'll also face new challenges that you didn't have to deal with before, because some of the safeguards you've been accustomed to won't be there anymore. For example, take the aspect of sex with non-Family members. In the CM Family it has not been allowed, and in the FD level it will not be allowed. It will, however, be allowed in the MM category. That is a real drawing card for many of you young people, I'm sure. You feel like maybe you'll finally be able to find a mate, or at least have regular fun sexual fellowship.
But stop and think about it for a minute. Once you start dating someone who isn't in the Family, especially if you get emotionally involved with them, you're going to want to spend more and more time with them. What if they're not interested in serving the Lord? Or what if they're sheepy, but not discipleship material? How is that going to affect your service for the Lord, your dedication and desire to be all-out for Him? If you look at it objectively, I think you'll agree that it could cause you to compromise your convictions and pull you out of the Family pretty fast. Even if you're living in a communal MM Home, if you spend time away from the Home, alone with this person you're having a relationship with, it will sap your time, strength, and cause your vision and priorities to be divided. That will take its toll on you pretty quickly. That's just one example, but it's a pretty powerful temptation that has potential to be dangerous spiritually.
I know you'd go into such a relationship with someone you're attracted to in the System with good intentions, the desire to witness to them, maybe even win him or her to the Family. But if you're not safeguarded in a strong spiritual atmosphere, and if you don't realize the dangers and stay very desperate with the Lord, it will be a huge miracle for you to not be weakened through your contact with your boyfriend/girlfriend/lover from the System. Please take this caution very seriously. Please see past what would be your "good intentions" and see that emotional involvement plus sexual involvement is a very powerful thing, and you will be affected; 9 times out of 10 you will be weakened. Eventually you could be pulled all the way out of the Family (ML #3488:23-25, GN 1072).

The intention of the amendment published in GN 1033 was to lessen the punishment for the specific offense of deep kissing those who were not Family disciples, so that it is no longer automatically a probationary status offense. It was not our intention to encourage deep kissing between Family disciples and non-Family members. It is still Family policy that Family disciples refrain from sexual interaction with outsiders. To make this clear, we are amending the Charter's "Sex and Affection Rules" by adding the following clause:

X.Family disciples are not permitted to engage in sexual interaction with non-Family members.
Sexual interaction includes any and all physical sexual interaction, including deep kissing.

The inclusion of this clause means that while it's not a probationary status offense to kiss outsiders, it is not allowed under the Charter. Family disciples are required to obey this rule just as they are all other "Fundamental Family Rules," and should be shepherded accordingly.
After much prayer and counsel on the matter, however, we are allowing deep kissing between the levels of Family membership (FD/MM/FM). This is no longer a Charter offense. However, if any interaction between FD and MM or FM moves into the realm of sexual contact, or further to sexual acts, then you will receive probationary status if you are FD, or probation if you are MM. (Note: In the soon coming updated Fellow Member Statutes, Fellow members will also receive discipline for sexual contact/acts with Family disciples.)

About this, the Lord said:

(Jesus:) The Family is a Family of love. There is freedom and affection in the Family, and I'm happy that you are this way, that you show My love and affection to your fellow disciples and Family members. Simply by the nature of the Family and the interaction and fellowship that you have with one another, there will be instances where a Family disciple will want to kiss a Missionary member or a Fellow member. That in itself isn't bad. It's not wrong for the various circles to, in appropriate circumstances, engage in this form of affection that extends to simple sexual interaction.
I want to trust you, My Family, with this allowance of kissing between the membership circles. It doesn't mean you necessarily should do so; it just means that there will be times when it will be okay for you to do so. As with anything else you do, you should be praying about your interactions with others and any possible repercussions your actions might have, as well as be open to shepherding. This isn't something that anyone should do lightly, because it can lead to more. It can lead to more physically and it can lead to more emotionally. But I am trusting that you will handle this new freedom wisely and prayerfully. However, if anyone goes beyond the appropriate allowances, they will be disciplined for it.
So thank Me for this freedom I have given you, but don't abuse it. Be prayerful, be wise, and be loving. If you are not, I may have to remove the blessing. (End of message.)

As the Lord admonished in the preceding message, this allowance is not an endorsement that this is what you should do. It's important to seek the Lord for His will for you, and to be open to counsel, input, and shepherding from those who try to help and safeguard you. We trust that as you do that, then the Lord will bring good fruit from this allowance, and bless your interactions with others through greater bonds of love and unity.
We love you and keep you in our thoughts and prayers often and are claiming these key promises for all of you, our wonderful Family:

"There is no limit to your power when you call on the keys of the Kingdom."

"The keys will help you overcome and move forward with My ever-changing Spirit."

Much love,
WS Charter committee