By Samuel Renaud, 21
(Second-generation member of the Family International)

I’m 21 years old and I was born and raised in The Family. I just wanted to say that in the 21 years of my life I have met hundreds if not thousands of Family Members from all around the globe and have never seen or heard of any of these abuses that are supposedly going on or “encouraged". It sickens me to even hear of such rumors floating around about us because as a Family member we represent The Family and it’s our way of life. We all have tough choices at one point in our lives and God gave us the ability to “choose” what we do with our lives and I chose to devote mine to The Family.

I pray for those who devote their lives to destroying The Family. I just can’t understand why they can’t just move on with life like many other former Family members have. I personally have several brothers and sisters currently not in The Family. They have chosen a different lifestyle and I am happy for them and proud that they’re still doing something good with their lives.

One thing The Family has in common is that we live a very sacrificial lifestyle. We’ve devoted our lives to others and go into countries where it’s not so easy to live in order to help others and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). And we also believe in living communally and sharing all things. (Acts 2:44-45) And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.) That is a tough one wouldn’t you say? Not everyone is willing to do that… but I am, and there is nowhere else in the world that I know of that I can do that

I was appalled by the way that the media portrays The Family as being one big group of people that are just a bunch of weirdoes or a “sex cult". First of all where’s all the sex???? Secondly I might be a weirdo in your eyes but to me what really matters is what I look like in God’s eyes. It’s not what you believe in that will get you somewhere. It’s what you do with what you believe.

The Family is formed by individuals. They are all very different and from different nationalities. There are thousands of members in hundreds of homes in over a hundred countries. They all have their own ministries and their own lives. We as individuals chose where we live and chose what ministries we are a part of and together we form The Family International.