Does Gwen Shamblin's the Remnant Fellowship Church Still Exist Today?
After six months of waiting, new episodes of The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin are available to stream on HBO Max. The new installments of the documentary series delve into the death of Christian health guru Gwen Shamblin Lara who founded the Remnant Fellowship Church in 1999.
Shamblin Lara, her husband Joe Lara, and son-in-law Brandon Hannah died on May 29, 2021, when her 1982 Cessna Citation 501 private jet crashed into Percy Priest Lake near Smyrna, Tennessee, shortly after takeoff. Church leaders Jennifer and David Martin and Jonathan and Jessica Walters were also killed in the accident.
With the recent passing of the church's founders and an inevitable restructuring of its hierarchy, does the Remnant Church still exist today? Newsweek has everything you need to know.
Does The Remnant Fellowship Church Still Exist Today?
Yes, The Remnant Church still exists and is in operation today.
Following Shamblin's death on May 29, 2021, the Remnant Church was passed to the control of her children, Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah and Michael Shamblin.
The millions of dollars Gwen Shamblin Lara had amassed from the church over the years were also left to her two children in her will.
Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah married the late Brandon Shannon in 2003 and together, they oversaw the youth section of the Remnant Church. Following her mother's death, Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah became the leader of the Remnant Fellowship Church, which is based in Brentwood, Tennessee.
A statement on the Church's website in relation to their mother's passing reads: "Our foundation is deeply rooted in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and living each moment to show love for God through our actions. That purpose continues to this day."
The church said it continues "Under the leadership and direction of Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah, we have an incredible hope for the future as we continue to heal and grow in love for God as a congregation."
In her own personal biography on the church's website, Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah states she finds herself "with the wonderful opportunity to follow in my mother's footsteps in serving our beautiful church, and I am grateful for her example of decades of laying down her life for others."
Following Gwen Shamblin Lara's death, power was also transferred to her son, Michael Shamblin.
In a statement at the time of her death, Michael Shamblin said: "My family is asking for prayers at this time, and we hope everyone who was affected, especially the children of the passengers, know they are very loved, and we will take care of their needs in the upcoming years."
However, he is no longer listed as a member of the Church's membership team, on its official website. His own website, www.michaelshamblin.com, is temporarily unavailable.
Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah works alongside aa a leadership team consisting of 120 people who serve and meet the needs of the congregation through ministries and counsel.
Today the church reportedly has 1,500 members in 150 congregations around the world. The website also details that its members have a combined weight loss of 30,000 pounds.
Established in 1999, Gwen Shamblin Lara, an American author and founder of the Christian diet program The Weigh Down Workshop, the Remnant Fellowship taught its members to "turn away from the love of food and toward a love of God."
The church also helps to address marital problems, alcohol and drug addiction, and depression and teaches: "husbands are kind like Christ, women are submissive, and children obey their parents."
The documentary team behind The Way Down was just days from completing its work on the show's third episode when the fatal plane crash occurred, changing the course of the documentary.
In a statement at the time, Lizzie Fox, senior vice president of nonfiction at HBO Max said in a statement: "There is a fuller story to be told. We just want to make sure that we can allow enough time for the story to progress and the investigation to pursue some answers and give us time to interview all the subjects. With a limited docuseries, if there's ever a chance to have a second part, I think it's something that people tend to get excited about."
Part Two will address the plane crash, the investigation that followed, and the transition of power.
The Way Down: God, Greed & The Cult of Gwen Shamblin is streaming on HBO Max now.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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