United Church of God members are still being hoodwinked into tithing on the second tithe they have saved for the Feast. UCG has cunningly changed the name of the tithe of the tithe to the Festival Fund. Neither one has any scriptural validity. Of the millions and millions UCG rakes in each year a person would think that UCG would foot the bill for the members. After all, UCG takes in several large "offerings" during this time that are supposed to be "free will" offerings.
UCG, like most of the other COG's have fine tuned the system to take and take from members, even though none of the ministry and some of the HQ staff save second tithe. Since they are considered "Levites," thanks to the old Worldwide Church of God teaching, ministers do not save second tithe. On top of that, many ministers and staff staying free at resorts where the Feast sites are located. Then add to this the "blessing" ministers and certain staff have of having all of their meals, travel, gas and some personal expenses paid for by the church, it is one big happy fun fest of never having to worry about expenses, unlike a large percentage of UCG members have to do.
The Feast of Tabernacles is the highlight of the year for many. It is a great blessing to be able to gather together at Feast sites around the world to picture the coming millennial reign of Jesus Christ.A lot of planning goes into preparing the Feast every year. Those involved are happy to dedicate their time, effort and expertise, and the ministry looks to God as they prepare messages for our spiritual food.But the Feast costs a lot of money. Hall rentals, equipment rentals, second tithe assistance for those who don’t have adequate funds, printing expenses, activities expenses and more add up to a lot.We need your help in being able to provide the Feast venues that enhance our celebration. Please consider sending a portion of your second tithe to help support the Feast. If you have any questions contact your pastor or the treasurer, Rick Shabi, at any time.Go to http://donate.ucg.org/ and click on Festival Fund to support the Festival Fund now. Or you can download a PDF of the form to enclose in an envelope with a check or money order. Click the download link on the left hand side of this page to download the form.
When I was a member of UCG, I never gave them a tithe of my second tithe. Never saw any reason to. I also didn't feel bad about skipping services once in a while on the in-between days, even though one PK was aghast that anyone would ever do such a thing. Even then I saw the distinction between d'orasi (of the scriptures) an d'rabbanan (of the rabbis). One of the indicators Armstrongism is a cult is because most members think the words of mere church mucky-mucks, including HWA, carries the same weight as scripture. Now, however, I see that since the whole thing is made up, even the scriptures are just the words of men too.
ReplyDeleteEven Malm condemned the second tithe of the tithe. He called it money grubbery.
ReplyDeleteMy how spoilt the ministers are. They live the life of the Queen of Sheba.
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ReplyDeleteIn abusive cults including HWAs, members are taught to put more weight on the ministers words, than the words of the bible.
So many times I've heard members say 'the minister says' rather than 'the bible says' to justify a action.
Only independent minded members who regularly study their own bible, have it right.
That's funny. In LCG, the PKs are usually the ones taking the greatest liberties with what their fathers command of the regular members. I remember a few years ago at one Feast site, my folks bumped into a PK at the beach while A.M. services were underway. A day later, my folks were asked to "counsel" with the Festival elder. The little brat was out enjoying himself and while doing so was spying on other members!
ReplyDelete...taking the greatest liberties...
ReplyDeleteAt one feast, a minister announced that at the previous night's Sock Hop there had been some fornication. He said that with the same gravity as when he announced some members left their headlights on.
In my years in the WCG, I don't recall being told to pay a tithe of a tithe. At the FOT we were continually reminded to register, which included a fixed registration fee.
When I was in a Jewish community, the High Holy Days were viewed differently. Since "the place where I put My Name" meant the Temple in Jerusalem (not Belknap Springs, or Big Sandy) and they were in the Diaspora, they did the best they could, and celebrated in the local synagogues.
Of course, no Temple, no Levites, Diaspora, so no tithing. A friend was struggling to pay her annual synagogue membership, and without that, she wasn't guaranteed a good seat on the Holy Days.
U.S. UCG ministers do now have to save their own second tithe from their regular pay, This was changed about 3 years ago.
ReplyDeleteAnyone reading this post, that has some interest in the UCG, might second guess if they want anything to do with the UCG. Tithe?, second tithe? tithe of tithe, and special offerings? Armstrongites live in a different world. From the inside this all seems normal but from the outside this must seem very strange. No wonder that armstrongism is in decline! If you want to become a member of the UCG or any other splinter group hold onto your wallets!
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't know about their tithe of the tithe situation waking them up, but they should certainly be taking notice of the fact that a president from their party is the one who actually appears to be turning the rest of the world against the USA, and fomenting national punishment and the tribulation. I wonder how COGlodytes feel now about a Republican president being an indicator that God has given them more time to do the work!
ReplyDeleteBB
Hoss,
ReplyDeleteThe feast registration fee when I started attending, was a few hundred dollars.
They eventually dropped it. I don't know about recent times.
Perhaps it's time for some people to notice that Exodus, written before the 40 year wilderness experience, only mentions one tithe ---- the one we called "first tithe", and that Deuteronomy, written to a different audience 40 years later, does not mention this first tithe, but mentions the one we called second tithe. That second tithe is described as something taken to the feast and spent and what was left over was given to the Levites. I find it very odd that if there were more than one tithe, the tithes weren't all mentioned in each of those books to each of the generations to whom those books were written. Obviously there was only one tithe. It was taken to the feast and spent on expenses and the remainder given to the Levites.
ReplyDeleteIt should be pointed out that based upon a thorough examination of all the evidence, scholars do not subscribe to the orthodox tradition that Torah was written by Moses, either before or after a mythical 40 years of wandering by up to 2 million people for which zero archaeological traces exist at any site. Torah appears to be a product of writings of the Babylonian exile, which were later compiled during the Persian period. To then propose that things are either "odd" or alternatively, "obvious" based upon fictitious readings are dubious conclusions to draw, to say the least.
ReplyDeleteCan any enlightened commentators explain this, until 3 years ago all ministry in UCG did not have to save for the feast ? Have I understood this correctly that all travel, accommodation and expenses was paid for by Cincinnati ?
ReplyDeleteThis is one area where WCG/CGI's "changes" in the mid-90s actually worked in some people's favor.
ReplyDeleteThe Tkach-era Festival Fee (I forget exactly what they called it) was less than $100. For single members, that was a big savings from "Tithe of the Tithe!"
But the Festival Fund in UCG clearly isn't going as far as it once did. I know of one Feast site where senior members have to pay $20-plus for their own luncheon this year. Sad!