Just another sunny day in the wild and wacky world of Armstrongism!
Abigale Cartwright (ucgcurrent crisis) has listed the following leaders (see below) from UCG that have been suspended in the last few days and through the last year. It looks like United is not so 'united' as they all claim.
The convoluted background of United's existence started in the 360/380/390 apartments on the Pasadena campus.
Ground Zero for the formation of UCG
It was a group of men that gathered with Kubik, Webber and others to plot their separation from WCG. They had refused to follow in the changes in doctrine that WCG was establishing. They knew their jobs, their free cars, their homes, their standard of living, paid feast travel, their $10,000.00 + year-end bonuses, etc was about to change if they did not start toeing the line. This process went on for several months. All the time they had these little meetings they continued to stay on the salary of WCG. Money was their first priority, plain and simple. They certainly were NOT martyrs for the truth as so many claimed they were.
Those of us who lived in the Pasadena area also saw them in action as they 'served' the church in their 'ministerial' duties. These men were FAAAAAAAR from being ministerial and pastoral in their actions. Conceited, self-serving
UCG recently removed all the regional pastors from their duties:
Excerpt from Kubik letter to ministry: October 13 Letter to Ministry
When United began in 1995, not only was the Regional Pastor system put in place, but a Ministerial Services team was added. It was recognized that this was perhaps too much structure, but we hoped that the Church would “grow into” this structure.
But, today, 15 years later, we have not grown. In fact, we have fewer full-time pastors than we did in the beginning , yet we have continued with this top-heavy structure. It served a much-needed function in its first years by helping write some of the Ministerial Services policies that are now more or less complete and available to the ministry on disk or in the notebook binder.
With the recent change of Presidency and Ministerial Services Operation Manager, it is a good time to reevaluate the Regional Pastor structure. We do not need ten RPs plus a ministerial team to oversee an experienced ministry totaling about 90 full-time pastors and 300 local church elders.
We believe that it is the right time to restructure the management levels within Ministerial Services.
We have decided to discontinue the regional pastor structure as it currently stands. A newly appointed ministerial team will function as regional pastors and perform many of the duties that the former RPs carried out. They will be actively involved in most aspects of current RP duties. Policies that related to the regional pastors will not be changed; they will be fulfilled by the Ministerial Services team who will now act as the new Regional Pastors.
Since United has experienced a downturn in revenue, this leaner management will afford savings as well. We thank all of you for your ministerial support functions over the years. This change will be effective Friday, October 15.
In Christ’s service,
Victor Kubik
Ministerial Services
Dennis Luker
President
Individuals who have resigned or been removed from their positions in the last year
 Posted by Abigail Cartwright on October 18, 2010 at 6:30 AM |
Larry Salyer, October 2010, suspended from ministerial duties - status pending.
Paul Suckling, October 2010, relieved of his position as Senior Pastor of the United Kingdom
All Regional Pastors removed to be replaced by Ministerial Team October 2010. These Regional Pastors were: Bruce Gore, Todd Carey, Greg Sargent, Jim Haeffle, Jim Servidio, Larry Grieder, Lyle Welty, Larry Neff and Mike Hanisko. Denny Luker was an RP when he was made president; he was not replaced.
Mr Hendren - August 2010 - removed from ministry
Mr. Mendez - August 2010 - removed from ministry
Mr. Garcia - July 2010 - removed as Deacon
Mr. Lovelady - July 2010 - resigned as Treasurer / HR Director
Mr. Walker - June 2010 removed as Director of Spanish Work, removed from the ministry
Mr. Roybal - June 2010 - removed from UCG ministry
Mr. S Langarica - June 2010 - removed from UCG ministry
The following ministers have been removed from the church website in June of 2010 but remain in limbo as an official announcement has not been made
Mr. Dimakis
Mr. Sanchez
Mr A. Lanarica
Mr. Gonzalez
Mr. Mundo Tello
Mr. Ortiz
Mr. Avila
Mr. Hernandez
Mr. Ouijano
Mr. Nain
Mr. Gunez
Mr. Arboleas
The following individuals while removed/resigned or asked to resign continue to be employed as paid elders
Mr. Johnson - May 2010 - not reconfirmed as Corporate Secretary
Mr. Horchak - May 2010 - position on the Ministerial Services team was eliminated when Vic Kubik came in as interim operations manager.
Mr. Thompson - May 2010 - position on the Ministerial Services team was eliminated when Vic Kubik came in as interim operations manager.
Mr. Register - May 2010 - resigned as Director of Educational Services, his position on the Ministerial Services team was eliminated when Vic Kubik
Mr. Kilough - April 2010 - asked to resign as President
Mr. Franks - April 2010 - asked to resign as Operations Manger of Ministerial services
Mr. Salyer - April 2010 - resigned as Operations Manager of Media
Mr. Kilough - July 2009 - resigned from CoE
Mr. Thompson - July 2009 - resigned from CoE
Mr. Foster - July 2009 - removed as Council Reporter
But, today, 15 years later, we have not grown.
ReplyDeleteAround the peak years in the WCG, HWA had made it appear to be so easy to grow the church that many other people thought they could do it too, and even better than HWA had done.
HWA had bragged about 30% per year growth for 35 years in the WCG. After JWT mocked this claim, the WCG under him declined by about 90%.
Initially, the UCG had bragged about how fast they had got going, compared to how long it had taken HWA at the start. They seemed to forget that this was only possible because they were feeding on the remains of what HWA had built and JWT had destroyed. Now, the UCG has already had 15 years of no growth. Perhaps God is not pleased with the UCG. I know I certainly am not.
Keep in mind that HWA was being fed all kinds of nonsense towards the end of his life.
ReplyDeleteOne person who was in charge at accounting (now part of LCG's hierarchy) in Pasadena bragged at one meeting I was in that they (Accounting) could manipulate any figures they had to fit any situation.
The PT Newsstand figures were totally deceptive. Hundreds of thousands of these magazines were being thrown in the trash by people who disliked the church, WCG reported these as going out to readers, who then were tripled. WCG claimed that 3.5 readers read every signal issue of the PT. Thosaunds of PT's never reaced thenews stands but were thrown out in dumpsters still in their shipping boxes.
Of any of the groups that broke off from WCG, UCG had the best chance of succeeding. They had the golden opportunity to start a new and improved organization.
Many of these men knew the abuses that went on, I know, because I heard them gripe about the abuses. They had a chance to stop that. The members had a chance to make their ministry accountable. Neither happened.
UCG is run just like the current GCI/WCG, LCG, PCG, etc. They are corporations that's membership is made up ONLY of the advisory council of elders or their boards. Members in UCG, WCG, LCG, etc, still have no say in the organizations. They are looked at as revenue sources (as Kubik so blatantly points out in his letter).
WCG had over a half million people listed as members passed though it's doors between 1936 and 1990. In the last ten years or so of HWA's life the church was not growing in leaps and bounds. Sure lot's of new members joined, but about an equal amount were leaving.
Many people in UCG that I know only stay with it because of their friends, acquaintances and familial ties. They are sick of the politics, they are sick of some of the doctrines. The lives they live once they leave church every Saturday are different from the one that they front at services. They are not living lives of debauchery (as some many in Armstrongism think those who no longer believe are doing) but are involved int their communities, their kids are involved in school sports and activities on Friday nights, and the list could go on and on.
What is in the "Sabbath & Fasting" paper? link?
ReplyDeleteDirty politics and power struggles have ALWAYS characterized Ambassador College and the churches of Armstrongism. The average devotee to Armstrongism has NO idea as to the depth.
ReplyDeleteWhat is going on in the UCG is simply one more proof that Armstrongism is not the Truth.
ReplyDeleteYou made a succinct comment in how WCG-GCI is legally constructed, where the legal membership is ONLY the advisory council of elders ( only 'advising' Tkach) over the corporate boards:
ReplyDelete"UCG is run just like the current GCI/WCG, LCG, PCG, etc. They are corporations that's membership is made up ONLY of the advisory council of elders or their boards. Members in UCG, WCG, LCG, etc, still have no say in the organizations."
The present GCI church association and corporate bylaws power structure is exactly same as HWA acted under, except that WCG has been pasted over with the innocuous-sounding name of GCI. Tkach may even have more power than HWA had over the WCG to do what he wants, as the national media is not now hovering over Tkachs. The WCG-CGI members are under the nice illusion they now have local control or somehow count but in reality, they legally don't.
UCG made some minor reform changes in the local areas in finance and in limited local member vote. But the effect of the overall power structure is the same as in the WCG. Even with new UCG constitutional processes, consent of the membership is for the most part manufactured. Only the ministry are has a vote. Not only that, but UCG legal processes on paper are largely disregarded, as was the case with Larry Salyer.
Stan Gardner
ambassadorreports.blogspot.com
Maybe you guys need to change your standard? See if Christ is a better Standard of our faith than HWA
ReplyDelete