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| Eric J. Barden |
This page is a tribute to
Eric James Barden EJB
Apr. 2nd, 1962 ~ Dec. 7th, 2008
While at the NTCC National Campground one year, Eric and I had a rare opportunity to see a Snowy Egret. This beautiful bird landed at the western edge of the camp's lower lake which was partially shrouded in the foggy mist that rises from water in the autumn as the ambient air cools to temps below the water temperature. It was a special treat to see such a glorious creature on the camp; and Eric and I both treasured the event. The song below seems perfect for reflection on Eric, his life, and the things he cherished.
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Fare Thee Well ~ 10,000 Miles
by Mary Chapin Carpenter
Fare Thee Well by Mary Chapin Carpenter 10,000 Miles Lyrics
Fare thee well
My own true love
Farewell for a while
I'm going away
But Ill be back
Though I go 10,000 miles
10,000 miles
My own true love
10,000 miles or more
The rocks may melt
And the seas may burn
If I should not return
Oh don't you see
That lonesome dove
Sitting on an ivy tree
She's weeping for
Her own true love
As I shall weep for mine
Oh come ye back
My own true love
And stay a while with me
If I had a friend
All on this earth
You've been a friend to me.
Obituary:
Eric James Barden (EJB)
Eric James Barden (EJB)
Eric J. Barden, age 46, of Stevens Point, passed away on Sunday, December 7, 2008, in Wausau. He was born on April 2, 1962 in Rhinelander to Erwin and Bernice (Maciejewski) Barden.
Eric graduated from Rhinelander High School in 1980. He attended Gogebic Community College for two years before entering the United States Army. He married his wife, Marilynn (Armstrong) on August 30, 2008 in Rhinelander. In his spare time, Eric enjoyed scuba-diving.
Eric is survived by his wife, Mari, his father, Erwin (Susan) Barden, of Pipe Creek, Texas; his step-son, Jason (Jen) Masch of Mauston; his brother, Keith Barden of Harshaw; his sister, Cindy (Rick) Weyenberg, of Hortonville; and his grandchildren, Jema, Holden, and Dakota. He was preceded in death by his mother, Bernice.
A Memorial Service for Eric will be held on Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 1:30 P.M. at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Bundy with Pastor Al Montgomery officiating. Visitation will be held at the church from 1:00 P.M. until the time of services. Inurnment will be in Union Grove Cemetery at a later date. A memorial has been established in Eric's name and contributions may be directed to the family. Hildebrand-Russ Funeral Home, 715-365-4343, is assisting the family with arrangements and all are invited to share memories of Eric on-line at hildebrandfh.com.
And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth?
Thy hands [were] not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, [so] fellest thou. ...
2 Samuel 3:33-34
GO HANG YOURSELF, ERIC J. BARDEN
Following is the true story of events leading up to Eric's leaving the New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc. If you knew Eric as I, his wife of 8 years did, you would know what a difficult and painful decision this was for him. But rodger wilson davis' callous treatment of Eric, refusing to provide safety equipment for him or let him work on a different project than a steep roof, despite Eric's 13+ years of faithful service to the NTCC was too much for him, so he left. Here is what happened:
In the past ntcc has successfully runoff various people by cutting them out one at a time and sending them packing. The ntcc knows that one person alone is less of a threat to their money-making empire than a whole group of people who demand to know where does the money go and what do the so-called leaders really do all day.
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How davis saw you!
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When Eric Barden struggled with working on a roof because he had no safety gear -- something the law requires the ntcc employer to supply -- davis told Eric, in effect, to go hang himself. davis had russ mears, Eric's friend and building crew foreman deliver the message to "tie a rope on" and george keener added "yeah, put it around your neck!"
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Safety Gear
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Each building crew member was put at risk that day to be forced to work without safety gear or "to go hang yourself". davis won a dirty battle by singling out one person and forcing them to choose to do it his way or hit the highway.
The sad fact is that Eric was run off because he expected ntcc to pay for safety gear as the law requires of employers.
The dirty fact is that rodger w. davis was trying to force Eric into buying the safety gear from Eric's measly ntcc wages. [More on that scam later.]
For weeks Eric had worked on getting the ntcc building crew in Washington to send safety gear to the Missouri ntcc Campground. He wanted the building crew members there to be able to work safely without falling off the steeply pitched roof of the two-story-plus-high, hotel-style building that they were erecting for ntcc next to the main conference building (tabernacle) at the camp. Eric's persistence paid off, in part. His continual calls convinced the borg to send two small safety harnesses for a project that had four men working on it. So the two skinny, younger men, dustin smart and russ mears, got their safety equipment thanks to Eric's conscientious effort. george 'dad' keener, being much older, was expected to work from the ground and would not need a harness. But Eric, who was not a small man, was not going to benefit from his labor [a pretty common theme for the workers in the ntcc, a multi-million dollar real estate corporation masquerading as a non-profit church]. There was no way either of the small harnesses would fit him or protect him.
So, the night before going up on that steep roof, Eric called rodger w. davis to plead one more time for safety gear, or the opportunity to work on another project. As usual, davis refused to answer the request at that time. [People in the ntcc and some reporters who have tried to speak with the ntcc leadership know that stonewalling or refusing to answer legitimate questions is a common stall and divert tactic employed by the borg 'leaders' and their cronies.]
The next morning russ mears had instructions from davis to tell Eric to "Tie a rope on!"
Those were the general's orders!
Though he was too much of a wimp to deliver the message himself! Instead davis decided to see if russ mears would still be loyal to rdub, even if it meant burning his long-time friend, Eric. Well, now we know the rest of the story. mears delivered the message, plunging the knife in and george keener gave it a twist, adding "Yeah, put it around your neck!" Does that sound like the love of God to you readers? I didn't think so either.
Eric worked that day, and was forced to risk injury and death because davis refuses to spend one penny on anyone but himself! What a selfish hypocrite davis is. He can demand that the ntcc buy him a new Cadillac every year; or when the odometer reaches 50,000 miles (whichever comes first); but don't you dare ask him to dip into the multi-million dollar coffers of the ntcc to buy safety gear. davis wants you to buy it yourself. Or, "If you don't like it... "Tie a rope on." and "Yeah, put it around your neck!"
The sad fact is that Eric was run off because he expected ntcc to pay for safety gear as the law requires of employers.
The dirty fact is that rodger w. davis was trying to force Eric into buying the safety gear from Eric's measly ntcc wages. [More on that scam later.]
For weeks Eric had worked on getting the ntcc building crew in Washington to send safety gear to the Missouri ntcc Campground. He wanted the building crew members there to be able to work safely without falling off the steeply pitched roof of the two-story-plus-high, hotel-style building that they were erecting for ntcc next to the main conference building (tabernacle) at the camp. Eric's persistence paid off, in part. His continual calls convinced the borg to send two small safety harnesses for a project that had four men working on it. So the two skinny, younger men, dustin smart and russ mears, got their safety equipment thanks to Eric's conscientious effort. george 'dad' keener, being much older, was expected to work from the ground and would not need a harness. But Eric, who was not a small man, was not going to benefit from his labor [a pretty common theme for the workers in the ntcc, a multi-million dollar real estate corporation masquerading as a non-profit church]. There was no way either of the small harnesses would fit him or protect him.
So, the night before going up on that steep roof, Eric called rodger w. davis to plead one more time for safety gear, or the opportunity to work on another project. As usual, davis refused to answer the request at that time. [People in the ntcc and some reporters who have tried to speak with the ntcc leadership know that stonewalling or refusing to answer legitimate questions is a common stall and divert tactic employed by the borg 'leaders' and their cronies.]
The next morning russ mears had instructions from davis to tell Eric to "Tie a rope on!"
Those were the general's orders!
Though he was too much of a wimp to deliver the message himself! Instead davis decided to see if russ mears would still be loyal to rdub, even if it meant burning his long-time friend, Eric. Well, now we know the rest of the story. mears delivered the message, plunging the knife in and george keener gave it a twist, adding "Yeah, put it around your neck!" Does that sound like the love of God to you readers? I didn't think so either.
Eric worked that day, and was forced to risk injury and death because davis refuses to spend one penny on anyone but himself! What a selfish hypocrite davis is. He can demand that the ntcc buy him a new Cadillac every year; or when the odometer reaches 50,000 miles (whichever comes first); but don't you dare ask him to dip into the multi-million dollar coffers of the ntcc to buy safety gear. davis wants you to buy it yourself. Or, "If you don't like it... "Tie a rope on." and "Yeah, put it around your neck!"
People should band together and force ntcc to change or force ntcc to go on without them.
What r w davis did to Eric James Barden was illegal!
He got away with it and other atrocities because others stood by and allowed their friend to suffer without anyone standing to help.
When we choose to do nothing to help, we are becoming a partaker in the sins of those who are hurting our brothers and sisters.
He got away with it and other atrocities because others stood by and allowed their friend to suffer without anyone standing to help.
When we choose to do nothing to help, we are becoming a partaker in the sins of those who are hurting our brothers and sisters.
Will you continue to abandon hurting brothers and sisters and those who stand up against the evil? Or will you stand up for Jesus and the Christian way and do something to send the message to ntcc that hurting "the least of these" is the same as hurting Christ?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me. Matthew 25:40
It is your choice. Remember:
UNITED WE STAND
Who says ntcc should provide safety gear for workers whose ultimate boss is r w davis?
Well, the law of the land does.
OSHA inspectors enforcing laws.
But ultimately the real authority comes from God who specifically instructed us about this very thing in the scripture:
When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence. Deuteronomy 22:8
THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HATH MADE
In the middle of July, 1991, Eric asked me to marry him.
I remember praying that God would allow R. W. Davis to perform the marriage for us.
He did.
Psalm 118:24
Was the theme of our wedding:
This [is] the day [which] the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Over the years (and still today) I would learn the significance of this verse.
Praise God Who sees the end from the beginning!
Today Is The Day Video by Lincoln Brewster Click Here
