Living Church of God was very lax in their recommendations for members to practice when they traveled to various Feast sites around the country. Masks were seldom worn, it at all, and social distancing was never practiced. Now that members have become infected, the church has some "suggestions" for its members.
The recommendations that the CDC and local health departments recommend are "weapons of choice" in the eyes of Doug Winnail. While he is certainly correct in having good immune systems by proper diet and exercise and exposure to sunshine he tells members to "take necessary steps" in promoting health and preventing disease.
In spite of infections, they still will not tell their members to wear masks or even avoid church if they feel sick or are afraid of being infected. With the aging membership of the church, this is vitally important that the money payers remain healthy.
Steps Toward Prevention:
In 2020, the COVID-19 virus emerged to plague the world. The weapons of choice promoted by governments and the media to battle the virus are masks, sanitation, social distancing, and eventually a vaccine. While God promises His people special protection for obedience (Exodus 15:26) and healing (James 5:14–16), our Creator also expects us to do our part. Proverbs 22:3 states that a wise person sees evil and hides himself—he takes steps to avoid problems. God has created us with remarkable immune systems that are capable of fending off disease. Numerous scientific studies have shown that vitamins A, B, C, and D as well as zinc—from food sources or supplements—can strengthen the immune system and provide protection against disease-causing bacteria and viruses. Regular exercise, rest, exposure to sunshine, and learning to manage stress can also strengthen the immune system. The path to health involves making wise personal decisions about what we eat and how we live (see Deuteronomy 30:15–19)—and taking the necessary steps to promote health and prevent disease—so we can actually “prosper in all things and be in health” (3 John 2). We need to understand and apply these important steps.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
30 comments:
First of all, forget that part about God's protection. Jesus is not going to be your vaccine. Secondly, you'd think a guy that is a genuine in his doctorate in health and biology would have learned more about disease transmission. Nice to stay healthy but a virus doesn't care as far as I can tell.
Both Drs Winnail and Thiel, as "scientists" who should know better fall back on vitamins and supplements to stay healthy. Reminds me of getting cancer and then fighting it off with carrot juice and vitamin C.
It seems that the COG leadership types simply can't afford to let members lose contact with the parent church for too long in a shutdown our out of he abundance of caution. The longer they stay detached, the greater the risk they might just feel they don't need the church anyway. You can even skip sending it in if you miss enough church.
An added problem is that typically members go to a lot of trouble to get to their "local" church. It's nice have to bother after awhile and being away too long gives one time to think over if it is all worth it. Besides, they might read BannedHWA if they are home with too much free time!
I recall the days of sermons from HQ "To Be Played in All the Churches". I may have played half of them as most were no big deal and simply a way to allay HQ's fears that with all the drama going on, they might lose the pastor and the congregation. It kept the tie that binds or so they thought.
In fact, we have been told for many months to wear masks at services as well as to socially distance ourselves. And at the Feast, the same practices were strongly advised and followed. It was also made clear that those who were sick or felt that they were particularly susceptible to infection should stay home, and this advice has applied to regular Sabbath services since March when the pandemic began to spread.
Pictures on social media show that the use of mask at the Branson feast site was not always done properly. Homemade masks were also allowed to be used, which were not to CDC guidelines. The social distancing guidelines were not enforced and the meeting room which they used was packed with people. This was a disaster waiting to happen. It is interesting that in the two weeks following the feast, LCG has not addressed the COVID outbreak in any of their communications to the field. I'm sure they want this subject to die quickly. If someone were to die or be hospitalized for a lengthy period of time, they could be found negligent for not enforcing CDC guidelines and be sued.
The post by NO2HWA is incorrect. What 1:23 said above is correct. At LCG we wear masks before, during, and after church services. At the Feast we wore masks throughout the service every day, and at our site we had assigned seats that were separated by family groups so that we were socially distanced during services. We have been told for months that if we feel sick, or have been around anyone showing symptoms of a cold or flu, we are to stay home and quarantine for 14 days. Anyone who feels it is too dangerous for them to attend services in person is encouraged to stay home and livestream services.
The writer is correct that church leadership has been lax in its approach to masks and social distancing. While many at the feast did wear them and socially distanced many more were not wearing the properly and certainly never distanced. As soon as services were over groups of people headed out to play and masks were seldom used. Large groups gathered in restaurants with friends and had fun while squeezed around the tables.
Well, I can tell you at the Feast sites in Branson Missouri, people were wearing these homemade half-face face shields, were NOT social distancing, were fellowshipping inside the meeting room, were all packed into one room and did not utilize the overflow room and did NOT do daily temperature checks with the thermal scan thermometers! AND the site coordinator knew that the Missouri Department of Health Health deemed Branson a Covid hotspot! This was a HUGE failure on their part to warn and protect the membership...and I'll tell you why it's taken two weeks to address this outbreak. They're afraid of the legal ramifications. Tom Turner and the legal department didn't have anyone sign waivers before attending the Feast this year and if someone were to be hospitalized or God forbid, die...a grieving family could probably hold LCG officials liable for failing to follow CDC protocols and they're scared! As they should be. These educated, holier than thou, know it all men in LCG will claim they followed health and safety protocols but they didn't and some took pictures to prove it! Stop lying to people LCG HQ!
LCG is sus...
All COG’s are imposters though
Does LCG still sing the Dwight Armstrong song that misquotes Mark 16:18 with "they shall not be hurt by deadly things"? I'd say COVID is a "deadly thing".
At LCG, the local leaders are far more important to how things are run - at least when I was there.
This is why some reports are everything was great and others - WTF were they thinking.
At LCG, the local leaders are far more important to how things are run - at least when I was there.
This is one of the most interesting things about the new COG ASS. At least a couple of Rod Meredith's younger descendants are now in the Monson group. If Meredith family members have become dissatisfied with Weston's leadership, will they give Sheldon more credibility by aligning with COG ASS and becoming local leaders there?
This article is full of wrong information and should not be considered reliable.
Of course this is not unique to COGs.
This situation arose in a local Protestant church, one with an ultra-conservative, macho man non-mask wearing pastor. A member and the pastor's wife leaked that the streaming service only showed members seated, as before and after services there was no social distancing. The latest info was that a deacon and his wife attended even though they tested positive. About 90% of the membership is over is over 65.
Anonymous 1:28
Here's your chance to correct what you say is wrong. I'm going to assume you're part of LCG and if that's true why would you do nothing but say "this article is full of wrong information"?
Put your inside info down or it'll be known it's all true.
Lax? I don't think so. Following the laws of the respective states they were in, yes! Members getting together after services in private locations us another story. Outside of the Church, who really insists that their friends mask up when meeting privately?
Outside of the Church, who really insists that their friends mask up when meeting privately?
Outside of the church, mask-wearing is much more prevalent than inside the church. This may be hard for you to understand from within your bubble, but many older Americans are choosing to err on the side of masking rather than unmasking. Most aren't as obsessive or off-base as some nuts like California's Governor Newsom, but they love their friends and don't want to be responsible for getting them sick, so they practice reasonable social distancing and don't sit in packed crowds. They know that masks aren't some kind of miracle anointed cloth, and that a mask mostly just stops the wearer from spewing large particles onto people nearby. But their love of others is stronger than their pride of self, so they take all reasonable steps (and occasionally an unreasonable step, if it's a morale-booster) to keep their friends and loved ones safe.
Which of Rod Meredith’s younger descendants?
Anyone else think it’s ironic that the Monson No-Mask LCG splinter had NO post feast Covid issues but LCG proper has a major issue going on presently?
If you are in LCG and you get Covid, does that mean you don’t have God’s favor? Since they worshiped an angry, vengeful God I’m guessing it would have to punishment for something!
Since 90% of LCG is over 70 years old, a Covid outbreak could be the end of this miserable evil cult. May God have mercy on their self righteous souls.
it’s ironic that the Monson No-Mask LCG splinter had NO post feast Covid issues
Do we know this? Or is there such shame associated with illness in the Monson group that nobody is fessing up?
Masks were seldom warned at any Feast site? Every person in the meeting hall was wearing one. Every picture of every LCG Feast site that I've seen has people wearing face masks. Every Feast meeting location, normally in hotel meeting spaces, followed that facility's rules for gatherings. If they did not follow the rules, they would've been kicked out. Who ever wrote this particular article clearly had zero understanding of what ACTUALLY took place.
7:19. I was at 2 different LCG feast sites and a saw lots of unmasked people
People wore masks at services to comply with the rules of the meeting hall and to reduce the church’s liability during official meeting time. However, 99% of the feast occurs outside of that meeting hall during which the majority don’t mask up. Clearly God does not favor the LCG!
PS. I don’t really believe that way but it amuses me to give them a little of their own idiotic elitist medicine. God loves us all the same.
I was driving and my friend refused to put on the mask, "since there was no problem because I was wearing one."
I turned off the headlights and the person started screaming in fear.
I asked why, "since everyone else had their headlights on."
Trump rally counties are showing above average infections. It doesnt really matter since he will loose by a landslide.
The only reason being his handling of the pandemic.
Leaders should listen a bit more.
Nck
7:19 - you must have not been to Branson or are only viewing photos that were taken from "official" photographers. I've seen plenty of photos from one of the Branson sites. No mask, no social distancing, and this is the site that's had 20+ cases of COVID. Clearly, God didn't favor this Branson site, which the Kansas City congregation was assigned to. The KC group is notorious for being a sick congregation.
I love it when LCG members come on here and comment that “this article is full of misinformation” without setting the record straight or elaborating. Lame.
"It doesnt really matter since he will loose by a landslide."
"lose"
7:24
Thank you.
Loose as in loosah or "I might have to leave the country."
Nck
Which of Rod Meredith’s younger descendants?
People come on here and comment with no knowledge of anything. Lame.
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