Why is it that the boys in Charlotte cannot ever compliment the members of the Living Church of God and say anything encouraging? They are always getting beat over the head for some offense. They can never do anything right. Ultimately though, it is not about people skipping services, but the fact that LCG's income takes a hit.
From Church of God News:
Gerald Weston writes in LCG’s latest update (Sept.19):
“… we notice that when a Holy Day falls between Monday and Friday, our attendances are lower than when a Holy Day falls on the weekend. Everyone should be prepared to take time off from work or school, as this is an annual Sabbath, a Holy Convocation (a commanded assembly – Leviticus 23:4, 23–25). The difference in attendance is not great, but it is noticeable.”
Members are expected to make an offering on every annual holy day in addition to tithing. Not everyone can afford to take all these days off work, or is allowed to take their children away from school, and those who don’t attend might not send in an offering.
And some of those who do pay offerings in addition to tithes cannot afford to do so …
“… we take up offerings on these special days, and I hope all are preparing for this in advance. Sometimes people write checks for money they do not have in their accounts. Sadly, this costs them exorbitant fees, but what many do not realize is that fees are also charged to the Church. Please prepare in advance for these special days and do not give what you do not have.”
The Philadelphia Church of God expressed the same problem in 2018:
“Some members unfortunately have been over-generous. In processing holy day offerings and other donations, the business office has encountered more than 50 returned checks. A returned check ‘bounces’ because the amount written on it is higher than the amount available in the checking account. When banks process these checks, they stop the intended donation from going through and often charge the Church a fee.”Its all about the money, plain and simple. When will the boys ever wake up that their butt-numbing sermons are boring as hell? Can anyone blame LCG members for skipping services?
5 comments:
Brethren,
It is possible to set up checking accounts so that checks you write will not bounce. Generally, a balance plus account involves support of your account with a credit card from the same bank. Please see your banker ASAP and set this up on the account from which you normally pay your tithes and offerings. There are fees which normally accompany this overdraft protection, but they only affect you (not the church), and they are generally less than the fees for an NSF check.
This way, when you have predetermined what you have available to give as your Holy Day offering, and God’s ministers shame you into increasing that amount during the pre-offering remarks, the offering that you don’t have will be borrowed from your credit card, rather than resulting in a negative offering in the form of returned checks and fees.
Please try to understand, brethren. We want to be able to insure our right to fleece you. This is a tradition in God’s church which was started by God’s Apostle, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong.
Yeah, that sounds like money grubbing fraudsters to me, for sure. And I know what it’s like to never get anything right. The following is a true story:
While in WCG in the late sixties/early seventies living with my father and grandmother, I was a teenager of 16 years of age. My grandmother complained to my father one day, “she never helps me with the dishes...” so I dutifully did the dishes. The next day, after supper, I clear the dishes and commence doing them, thinking I was pleasing my grandmother. Incredibly, she says to my father, “Look at that! She’s taking my work from me! What, does she just want me to do, sit and die in my chair??” See? I could do nothing right, in or out of church services.
This is very sad. Most of the members are getting old, many in their 70’s and some in their 80’s. If they don’t have enough money for an offering that tells me they are broke! Does LCG care? Hell no. As long as Gerald Weston and his minions draw a big fat pay check they couldn’t care less about the financial condition of the members. Gerald says they should be preparing for the offerings. How the hell do you prepare when you don’t have enough for your basic needs. The social security check will only stretch so far.
Jim-AZ
Go to a fine restaurant and one is treated like royalty. Tithe to these churches, plus offerings, and one is treated like garbage. As Spock would say, "it's not logical."
trying to drive across a major metropolitan area during "rush hour" can take 2-3 hours or more, depending on the size of the city....so one can easily spend 4-6 hours of a high holy day sitting in traffic.....not what God intended.
sermon videos, or internet hookups, while not the best way, can certainly be more in keeping with the intent of a holy day as a day of rest and worship.
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