From a reader:
We got the following from the church the other day. HQ is limiting the number of attendees at all U.S. sites. I guess our leaders no longer have faith that God will protect them 4 1/2 months from now. Gone are the days of boasting that God is on our side and protecting us from Satan like he used to do in Jekyll Island.
Limiting Numbers at Feast Sites (USA)
In his recent (May 11) member letter, Mr. Gerald Weston explained that we will be limiting numbers at this year’s Feast sites, lower than what we are normally used to. A number of questions have come up about this. Accordingly, here are several points to address these questions. (Note: This discussion pertains most specifically to sites in the United States. If you live outside of the United States, please consult your Regional Office for specific instructions about your congregation.)
- Why the number 200? If groups are restricted to 250 by government regulations, then our cap of 200 will be well within that range. If groups are restricted to 100, our benchmark of 200 will give us the flexibility to still continue with a Feast site by cutting the group in half and having morning and afternoon services of 100 each.
- Why not set different maximum numbers for different states? There are wide swings of predictions by experts about the next four to five months, so it is impossible to predict where individual states will be at that time. Some that are now “open” may not be then, and some that are currently “closed” may likewise not be closed then. Thus, 200 is a reasonable, conservative, workable number that gives us flexibility for most places.
- Why limit numbers when restrictions are being lifted? The possibility of a second wave is real, bringing new restrictions, and we can’t assume states will stay opened in October even if they are in July.
- Having more sites of smaller groups means more people will be attending fairly close to home, which is much better for both the patient and the family if someone comes down with the virus.
- Having smaller groups reduces the number of people who may be infected if someone does come down with the virus at the Feast. Because symptoms sometimes don’t show up for days with COVID-19, we must assume that if someone comes down with it at the Feast, they will have already exposed others to the virus even before they knew it. Thus, a smaller group limits that exposure.
- With many elderly brethren in the Church, we want them to feel safe and comfortable enough to attend the Feast. Smaller groups will help make that happen.
The Church is not alone in coming up with this type of guideline. Professional meeting planners around the country are expecting many conferences to be “small and local” over the next six to nine months, as everyone waits to see how the COVID-19 crisis levels out. One way or another, we know we’ll have the Feast! And the Festival Office is planning for as many brethren as possible to be able to join together and worship God. At the same time, the Church is trying to exercise due diligence to be prudent and prepare for potential problems, even as we hope and pray for a best-case scenario. Thank you for your patience, and for your prayers that God would guide and bless this year’s Feast planning.—Festival Office
20 comments:
Showing a small amount of common sense.
Personally, I am not planning on attending any group gatherings until they have a cure or effective vaccine for the virus.
I hope they at least tell people with health problems to stay home.
In the meantime, in the USA, a large number of people will be providing our first test of large gatherings now the shutdowns have been lifted. I hope the results are good.
LCG can't win with its critics.
If it does what's responsible, LCG will be told "YOU DON'T TRUST GOD!"
If it does what's irresponsible, LCG will be told "ROMANS 13! WHY WON'T YOU COOPERATE WITH THE AUTHORITIES?"
I hope most of the critics here at Banned will give LCG some credit for not acting like some other nutty splinters that are trying to minimize the seriousness of the COVID-19 crisis. I'm sure that when the government eases up, LCG will follow suit. Until then, while we can mock Gerald Weston for insisting that LCG members dress in their Sabbath best to watch the live stream on their computers each Sabbath, can't we respect him for valuing the safety and health of those members?
That's about as well thought out as can be done so far ahead of time with all the unknowns still out there for Fall. It's well thought out and has options within the options. If you're going to have to plan this far ahead, I can't think of any better way to do it.
Treat for the worst. Hope for the best.
Too bad both the Armstrongs and Tkaches could not have had the quality of mind to think ahead in their own times and see what not thinking through A might end up doing to B, C, D and E.
Dave Pack won't have to issue any guidelines for the Fall Festivals in RCG because Jesus will have returned at least three more times to Wadsworth by then...
I was reading [LCG] is limiting attendance at Feast sites because “it is impossible to predict” where the various States will be with COVID at that time.
Since when has the impossibility of being able to predict something ever stopped one of these “leaders” before from predicting that very something?
Is this a typo or an admission of failure? There may be considerable theological implications here.
Bob Thiel won't have to worry about this as he is unable to get more than 100 or more white people together in the U.S. in any gathering.
It seems to me they are killing themselves off. Because of this virus? Maybe ….. a part of it, but there is more to it than just this overblown virus scare. Nothing, and I repeat 'nothing' has been or is greater than the Feast of Tabernacles in the COG's. One is hardly past until lavish plans are made for the next year. These groups could almost be described as 'the churches of the feast of tabernacles". Passover? Yes, mentioned sometimes and usually directed back to Egypt and the OT commands. But nothing comes close to the FOT ----- misinterpreted as to it's meaning, but never challenged as all celebrate it and plan for it, and discuss it for months.
It seems that the only real meaning left to these groups is the FOT, and once that is diminished so is the reason for the existence of these groups. Once people find out they actually survive without keeping this 'commanded' assembly wherever there leaders direct them to go and spend their money, the walls will continue to crumble as will the power exerted over the followers.
Intent is most probably good, but there may well be something working for the better of the individual instead of the organization.
Anon 6:52 PM will soon discover that the ACOGs are about to learn the lesson of the goose that laid the golden eggs.
The ACOGs see how much they spend every year on the Feast of Tabernacles, and they reason that they will save money by cutting back on Feast expenses, because cheap Feasts still collect Holy Day offerings and there's the opportunity to receive more of the so-called excess second tithe.
What they don't yet seem to realize is that when the Feast sites are smaller than many old WCG congregations, and brethren can't use the Feast to get their extended families together or meet a large number of friends or potential mates, the attraction will be lost and many more will spend the Feast at home.
Many of the LCG feast sites would have 200 or under attendence anyway it shouldn't be much of a challenge to limit attendence to 200.
Yeah, aren't they supposed to be God's rep on planet earth?? Why the fear??
Same for The Poop in Vatican...why are they victims to a virus??
The Great Packster never plans ahead for anything apart from opening his next bank statement ...
Anon 5:19 PM: I can give LCG a pat on the back for being pragmatic and doing the best they can with the information they have. I’ll turn your line of query back on you now. Are you willing to be truthful and critical when LCG takes a misstep or does wrong or are you trying to have it both ways?
I wonder whether or not the posts here on BANNED will go VIRAL! ??
I guess they'll have to bring people off the street to fill those 200 seats!
kev
It’s deeply disturbing that any COG would hold services or get a large group together when common and scientific sense would be to just call it off.
It continues to amaze me how naive, gullible, uninformed and faithless both church members and the corporate COGs have become in the past 3 months! They obviously continue to believe the ongoing lies by politicians, local officials and the so-called health "experts" who are nothing more than a bunch of dummies! God's people...When, Oh when, are you going to wake up and see this Plandemic / Scamdemic for what it really is? A huge smokescreen to CONTROL people and move toward a one-world government!
It's good judgement in my opinion...a matter of flying under the radar as far as the states and federal governments are concerned.
Anon 6:43: STFU with your “plandemic” crap. Just because you got scammed by an awful YouTube video doesn’t mean you know anything. It’s obvious you have no concern for your fellow man.
Leave it to an Armstrongite to fall for the one world order. Why are church members such suckers for conspiracy theories?
6:43am What exactly is wrong with a one world government? Isn't that exactly what you're seeking but under God's reign? You better hope that God is as benevolent as you think that he is.
kev
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