Saturday, October 27, 2012

UCG Money Problems Curtail HQ Travel



UCG took a huge financial hit when COGWA formed.  UCG still is struggling to get back into a solid financial situation.  Despite having 9,000 people attend their Feast this year, they still did not bring in everything they need in tithes and offerings.

Kubik sent this out to the ministers:


We are seriously trying to reduce our financial outgo in Ministerial Services and instituted a number of cost reductions.  The conference following this one was to be in the Los Angeles area. We have postponed this conference until after the one near Portland which is scheduled for April 21-23, 2013.  Also, we have carved out another area in the Mountain states for an eighth conference.  It is cost-prohibitive to fly these elders and wives to the West Coast.  The entire cycle for face to face conferences will then be approximately two years. 

Also, we have greatly curtailed all travel under the supervision of MMS.  I was planning a major international trip in January and canceled it. I have asked all our senior pastors to do the same until our expenditures and revenue come into balance. In the meantime, we are asking our senior pastors who care for churches in the United States and overseas to use Skype, DVDs, and other communication means to stay in contact with their distant congregations.

COGWA Kicks Out Elder Who Said Church Was Too Lax On Sabbath Requirements


I have been sent this by three different people concerning a COGWA minister who was recently disfellowshipped and  decredentialled from COGWA because he thought the church was too lax on it's Sabbath requirements.  As usually in these letters it's all one big "love" fest.  Everything is  done out of love, love , love.

It's also interesting that in just over a year after it formed the most perfect reincarnation of the True Church it is already having dissension in it's ranks.

How dare those members eat in a restaurant or buy things on Saturdays!



 I will begin by saying that I am the elder that was kicked out of COGWA and the purpose of this post is to just clarify a couple of things. First off I want to reiterate what James has said already, and that is that I have never shared with him any of this information that he has posted on this blog. When I came back from the Feast I was given the opportunity to “change” my mind about my convictions and if I had, I am told I would have been allowed to stay. I did not change my mind. When I spoke with Dave Register I asked him where this left us and he informed me that I would be receiving the letter of decredentialing sometime in the near future and that I was not permitted to attend any longer.

To this point the letter of decredentialling has not arrived and I assume since I am not allowed to fellowship I have therefore been disfellowshipped as well, though I have not yet received a letter stating that yet either.

After my conversation with Dave I decided at that time that I needed to put a letter out to our local congregation stating why they would not be seeing me there as I had not been allowed back (except to attend the Feast) since three weeks before the Feast. Many people were not even aware of what was going on as I had not shared any of these beliefs in my messages nor with the congregation in general. As I said, I sent this letter out to our local congregation and also to four or five other close friends. I also included the offer, if they wanted, that I would send them the paper that I had submitted to Dave Register and the doctrinal committee on my current beliefs.

It was never my intention for this to become what it has become, but I understand how some of these things can take on a life of their own. I want to make it VERY clear that I hold no ill will toward the men that have been mentioned on this site or toward COGWA in general. I did not do this for attention; on the contrary I simply wanted to be able to remain while being able to hold to my personal convictions, but when not allowed to I felt it important to at least get a portion of my side of the story to the local congregation which I consider friends and family.

I apologize for any hurt that this has caused, especially within out local congregation. I also appreciate that Mr. Franks allowed me to have an open line of communication with him through this as he did when COGWA started and I am confident that I could pick up the phone and he would be glad to speak to me about whatever was on my mind. Again, I hold nothing against him personally in all of this, but of course am saddened by their decision in not allowing me to stay in attendance even as a decredentialed elder, but that is their decision. I love all in the congregation that I was forced out of, and still consider them all as my brothers and sisters, just as I consider others in many other groups as my brothers and sisters, and I hope to remain friends with them all.

I look forward to the time when our merciful Father in heaven will bring His children together, and I am confident that that will be accomplished by bringing His children to Him FIRST AND FOREMOST. We of course must be willing to do our part in allowing God to do that, and what I am learning, is that requires an awful lot of humility and I have a long ways to go, as we all do. Thank you all for your prayers and concern but in the big scheme of things this is small potatoes. Again, I hold no ill will and do not desire that anybody get all bent out of shape over this and hold any bitterness against anyone – that never does anybody any good. There are so many in God’s church going through such incredible trials around the globe that this really doesn’t even compare. And compared to what is to come… well this is nothing and I am nobody. Again, I apologize to my brothers and sisters who I may have offended and to those who feel as if I have betrayed them and COGWA, for holding to these beliefs. I meant to cause no pain, but I do not apologize for my convictions or for standing up for them. I do not judge any of you who do not agree with me and I ask for the same in return. God is the ONE TRUE JUDGE and I am so glad that He is the one in charge and will sort this all out in His time. Again, I love you all!!!

=================

“Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am sure there is much going around as to why I have not been attending services since before the Feast and I just wanted to address that quickly here.  First off, I have truly loved and enjoyed the time we have spent getting to know each other over the past couple of years, and I will always cherish the friendships that we have made.

As Mr. Register made everyone aware of several weeks before the Feast I have come to the understanding that the Church has not been keeping the Holy Days according to the Biblical calendar.  I will not say more than that as this letter is not to try to convince you of my beliefs just as I never tried to do so at services in conversation or through my messages.

When I informed Mr. Register, I believe about two months before Trumpets, he immediately took me off of the speaking schedule and asked me to write a paper outlining my beliefs.  I did just that and submitted it to him and he passed it along to Mr. Horchak and Mr. Franks.   After they read the letter I was asked to give it some more consideration and Mr. Franks asked me to let Mr. Register know my final decision on whether I would change my position before Trumpets and I said I would.  A couple weeks before Trumpets I told him that I had not changed my position but that I still wanted to attend services and be a member of COGWA.  I told them that I understood that I would be decredentialed and that I had no problem with that because my personal convictions and conscience is more important than any title or something written on a piece of paper.  I told them that I was fine sitting quietly in the back and not making an issue out of anything.  I figured once everyone knew why I wasn’t speaking any longer then no big deal.


In the announcement of my suspension before the Feast Mr. Register mentioned that we asked to be able to attend the Feast.  What I actually asked was for us to be able to continue to attend services.  He told me not to come until after the Feast and then depending on the health of the congregation he would make a determination as to whether we would be able to attend.  I asked him what he meant by “health of the congregation” and he said that if even a couple people had a problem with us attending we would not be able to.


It has been a couple of weeks since the Feast and we have not been back even once since I was suspended.   Mr. Register called me this past Thursday to inform me that unless I change my belief I will be decredentialed and am not allowed to come back.  I informed him that I have not changed my beliefs and will not go against my conscience.  Because of this and the fact that at least a couple people would feel it divisive to even be there (even though we have not even had an opportunity to come back to see how the congregation responds) I am to be decredentialed and am not allowed to attend.  I guess since I am not allowed to fellowship that means I have been disfellowshipped as well.  I am expecting to get the paper sometime this week or the next.  I have the right to appeal this but truly do not know what the point in that would be except to just make a messy situation (that didn’t need to be) an even messier one. 

When COGWA formed I told Mr. Register and others that I hate politics.  I hate it in the world and I hate it even more in the Church of God and I am truly baffled by how this has been handled.

I love you all and will continue to count you all as my brother and sisters and I hope you still view me and my family as part of your extended spiritual family.  Believe me we would be with you if we could.  You will all continue to be in our prayers and I ask for you all to keep us in your prayers as well.

Thank you all for your friendship, your care and concern.   For those of you who are interested I would be glad to send you the paper that I gave to Mr. Register.  I would not send this to try to convince any of you but so that you can at least have some basic idea of why we believe what we believe.   I hope this letter has not offended any of you but I felt I needed to send something out, to at the very least, address just some of what has taken place and has been going on.   I hope that you will not judge me harshly for holding to my convictions.

Take care.
In Brotherly Love,
Ed Oliver”

Friday, October 26, 2012

Van Robison Asks "Are Splinter Group Heads---Your Mama?"



WCG splinter group heads treat adult church members as if they are the BIG MAMA.   You will get your behind spanked if you do not follow orders from big mama.   The organized church system is really a very childish system, where adult human beings are treated as if they are mere children and they must obey their big mama.   All churches are in that same category, because the head honcho pretends to be big mama and you better watch out.

Spooks might get you if you step out of line and pick up a few sticks on the Sabbath, hand out some Halloween candy to very innocent little children, or forget to tithe your 10%, plus generous offerings (suggested offering is at least another 10% or more).

Your "mama" carries a big switch and will threaten you with a curse if you fail to comply to all the silly rules, customs and traditions of the self-appointed head of your group.   Of course what "big mama" never tells the adult children is that her purse is wide open and she expects $cash, by the bucket loads.   Pay up or go to hell.   Obey or be cursed.   Live by the false rules of big mama or lose your salvation.   Live in fear for the rest of your life or you will be chained to the devil for all eternity.

Silly, silly, silly and that is the stuff of ALL cult church groups of the WCG and all others outside of the WCG splinter groups.   The world is an ocean of false religions and fake churches, who pretend to speak for Jesus Christ, all the while their real motive is $money, $money, $money.

I always say that if you take all the $money away and there is NO $money in the church world, the pastors would ALL disappear into the woodwork and never be seen from or heard of again.   That is proof that in fact $money is the REAL PURPOSE for pastors and churches.


Van Robison