Guidelines for OUB Benches

7/20/2022

 

These Guidelines are the result of many years of experience.

  • Jane Johnson’s & Bill Brady’s experience with Forming & Facilitating Benches
  • Facilitating Benches as Forerunners & Fathers.
  • These Guidelines result from many mistakes & many successes.

These Guidelines are a result of much experience that Jane & Bill have had with Benches.

  • We learned by trial & error.
  • Just like we all learn in everything else in life.
  • Unless we benefit from the experience of others.
  • We initially learned about Benches from Mike Parsons.
  • Everything else that we have learned since then we learned by experience.
  • These Guidelines are an attempt to not make the same mistakes again.

 

Jane & Bill do not see Independent Benches as being The Highest Blueprint.

  • Independent Benches are not part of a House.
  • Independent Benches do not follow The Fathers of a House as Forerunners.
  • Independent Benches forerun entirely on their own.

Every OUB Bench is meant to come to function as a Forerunning Bench.

  • But it is not meant to only follow its own Forerunning.
  • It is meant to follow the forerunning of its Members.
  • It is meant to follow the forerunning of its Founder ( if they are a Forerunner ).
  • It is meant to follow the forerunning of Jane & Bill.

What does & doesn’t following Jane & Bill as Forerunners mean?

  • It doesn’t mean that you agree with everything Jane & Bill say as Forerunners.
  • It does mean that you honor them as Forerunners.
  • You listen to what they have to say as Forerunners.
  • Look for Resonance or Dissonance before rejecting.
  • Follow what you resonate with.
  • You dialog about what you don’t Resonate with.
  • Every Forerunner needs this kind of response.
  • We model this kind of response to Forerunning on all OUB Benches.

Every OUB Bench is part of The OUB House.

  • It functions as part of The OUB House.
  • Growing Benches in number & maturity is part of how OUB grows.

 

Purposes for OUB Benches:

 

Personal Purposes for Bench Members:

  • Learn to function as a Member on a flowing / functioning Bench.
  • Grow up through The Ages.
  • Watch The Founder’s facilitation of The Bench & learn to facilitate a Bench.
  • Follow Yeshua as The Forerunner.
  • Follow Jane & Bill’s Forerunning.

Group Purposes for The Bench:

  • Grow up through The Ages.
  • Dialog, Encounter, Infused Knowledge, Governmental Action & Mandates.

Purposes for OUB:

  • Grow up OUB in following Yeshua as The Forerunner.
  • Grow up OUB in Ages.
  • Grow up OUB in number of individuals & in number of Benches.
  • Identify & train those who are Jane & Bill’s Children.
  • Identify & train those who are Jane or Bill’s Sons.
  • Raise up Leadership.

Purposes for The Universal Body / House:

  • Model Benches for The Universal Body / House.
  • Cross Pollination between Bodies / Houses.
  • This is why we record our Gatherings & make our recordings public.
  • This is why some Gatherings are on Face Book Live.

 

OUB Benches are an extension of The OUB House.

  • They are for those who are following Jane & Bill as Forerunners.
  • They are for those who see themselves to be a part of The OUB House.

We do have some who follow us as Forerunners, but aren’t part of OUB.

  • In this case we are Journeying together on similar paths.

 

Why limit Bench Members to those following Jane & Bill as Forerunners?

  • OUB has other avenues for believers who are not part of OUB.
  • These include The Website, Face Book Pages, Chats & Patreons.
  • Visitors are always welcome to any OUB Bench.

Founding & facilitating a Bench takes a lot of work.

  • Jane & Bill desire to see The OUB House grow as a result of that work.
  • Jane & Bill have a Mandate to raise up Leaders.
  • Especially Leaders who will function in The OUB House.

Bench Members represent a big investment of time & effort.

  • Jane & Bill need to see some of that investment result in growth of OUB.
  • Multiplication of Children & Sons in The OUB House.
  • Multiplication of Leaders who function in OUB.
  • Multiplication of OUB Benches.

 

“Can two walk together unless they are agreed?”  Amos 3:3

 

The above reasons for Forerunning & Fathering are all Secondary Reasons.

  • What are The Primary Reasons?

There are 2 main Primary Reasons for Forerunning & Fathering:

  1. Forerunners & Fathers are who we are.
  2. We love our Children & Sons & we genuinely want the best for each of you.

Test us for genuine Love for you.

  • You will find that it is there.

We understand that committing to us as Forerunners & Fathers takes time.

  • We understand that you don’t want to be deceived.
  • We understand that you don’t want to be controlled.
  • We understand that you don’t want to be led off of The Way.
  • Or away from The Truth.

 

What is evidence of seeing Jane & Bill as Forerunners?

  • You listen to our recordings.
  • You read our articles.
  • You follow many aspects of what we are forerunning.
  • Listening to Jane & Bill’s Face Book Lives will keep you current.

 

We encourage you to follow other Forerunners too.

  • We do.

We don’t require you to see one of us as your Father.

  • We do suggest that you flow with The Spirit of Elijah seeking a Father.
  • We do suggest that if you find a Father outside OUB that you draw near to them.
  • This may require withdrawing from an OUB Bench.
  • This would be if your Father is going in a completely different direction.

We see a Cross Pollinator category of member on an OUB  Bench.

  • These are Bench Members who flow with The Bench.
  • They flow with Jane & Bill.
  • They bring their Journey with them to contribute it to The Bench.
  • They are not resisting Jane & Bill’s Forerunning.
  • But they do not see themselves as part of The OUB House.

 

Visitors

  • Visitors are always welcome.
  • Visitors are welcome to join in all aspects of a Bench Gathering.
  • They are welcome to observe or participate as led.

 

Bench Membership

  • Bench Membership is offered because of a proven track record.
  • The track record is of attendance & participation.
  • And of a sense of flowing well together in the activities of The Bench.

Who offers Bench membership?

  • Initial Bench Membership will be offered by the one who is forming The Bench.
  • Once a Bench has been formed Membership will be offered by The Bench.
  • Unanimous agreement of The Bench Members is required. 

 

Bench Activities:

  1. Dialog
  2. Encounter
  3. Infused Knowledge
  4. Governmental Action
  5. Mandates
  6. Gathering of new Bench Members.
  7. Discovery

Most Bench Gatherings will include many of these Activities.

  • The proportions of function in each activity will vary between gatherings.

 

Gatherings

  • We prefer to use the word “Gathering” rather than “Meeting”.
  • The word “Meeting” can bring with it Old Wine Skin Baggage.
  • We slip sometimes & use the word “Meeting”.
  • There is nothing wrong with the word.
  • It’s not a swear word.
  • It’s just that The Old Wineskin Baggage is an issue.
  • Words have power & function.
  • We don’t want to go backwards.
  • We want to go forwards & upwards.

 

Ages

  • A Bench functions in a specific range of Ages.
  • The Bench will know what Age(s) it is functioning in.
  • And what Pillars, Arch Stones & Cap Stones that it is functioning in.
  • The Bench is always seeking to function in Higher Ages.

 

Places in Heavenly Realms

  • A Bench functions in specific places in Heavenly Realms.
  • This includes Realms & Cities.
  • The Bench seeks to know where it is functioning at all times.
  • The Bench seeks to vary where & how it functions.
  • The Bench seeks to go up higher.

 

Personal & Corporate Journeys

  • Every Bench Member has both a Personal & a Corporate Journey.
  • Personal Journey is Journey outside of The Bench.
  • Corporate Journey is Journey with The Bench.

Bench Members are encouraged to balance the 2 Journeys.

  • Bring revelation & encounters from your Personal Journey to The Bench.
  • Bring revelation & encounters from The Bench into your Personal Journey.
  • Practice what you learn on The Bench.
  • So that new revelation becomes a part of your Personal Journey.
  • In this way we avoid seeing or hearing without doing.

 

Mandates

  • It is best to have a Mandate in mind before The Bench Gathering.
  • The Bench Founder may bring The Mandate.
  • An experienced Bench Member may bring The Mandate.
  • The Mandate is to be agreed upon by The Bench before beginning on it.

Many see it is important to get The Mandate together.

  • It can be good to get The Mandate together to involve everyone.
  • Acceleration can happen by bringing Mandates to help people see them on their own.
  • And get them ratified by The Bench.

 

The Name of a Bench

  • The name of The Promised Land Bench has changed over time.
  • Each name is a New Name for The Bench & reflects a transition in our sense of corporate identity.
  • Each New Name was agreed upon by The Bench at the time of the change.

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Meet The Author

Bill has been seeking truth all of his adult life since first believing in Jesus in 1978. Bill's search for Truth brought him to Ecclesia Framework now called One United Body (OUB). OUB is now his spiritual home and family. Bill's new names are John, Father of Many Generations and Father of One. He identifies strongly with John the Beloved. He has a heart to see the Universal Body of Christ become functionally One. B Sc Cornell University, MTS Ontario Theological Seminary. Here is Bill's PayPal information should you desire to trade into him: billbrady633@gmail.com, paypal.me/BillBrady633