There are priorities brethren but the gospel is not one of them. We appreciated that so many of you turned over your stimulus checks to us but now that that well has dried up we have to tighten our belts. Never fear though, God owns EVERYTHING and will provide for our needs!
Since we are drawing close to Passover please humble yourselves to impress our God so that he grants us all favor.
Infrastructures in many Central and South American countries have deteriorated to the point where we are unable to send magazines and literature to our members and subscribers. To solve the problem, the Spanish Department embarked on a digital alternative, and on Monday, Mr. Cristian Orrego presented to us an update on the project. El Mundo de Mañana magazine, Viewpoints, Whiteboards, and Living Education classes will soon be available in Spanish on a new website and app. Growth in the Work continues strong, with the Tomorrow’s World magazine going to more than 578,000 subscribers. Demand for booklets, Bible Study Courses, and other materials are also remaining strong, but we may need to pull back a bit as income is not keeping pace so far in 2022. We suspect the end of government stimulus checks of the last two years, along with high inflation, is much of the reason. However, as we all know, God owns everything and can provide for our needs, so let us draw close to Him as we approach the Passover and Unleavened Bread, now only a week away.—Gerald Weston
The "God owns everything" quote is misleading. Not giving a concept a definition or an example, just about always means deceit. They use this with tithing, claiming that God owns all of members income. but graciously allows them to keep 90% of it. So members should kiss their ministers feet because they ONLY take 10% and not more.
ReplyDeleteThat God owns everything is true in a certain legalistic manner, but that "a worker is worthy of his wages" is conviently ignored.
It amounts to a lack of respect for private property, which isn't surprising since churches are charities and play the game of the unjust steward.
10 percent? Are you kidding?
ReplyDeleteIf you are only paying 10 percent, you are probably going into the Great Tribulation, and maybe even the Lake of Fire, since you are withholding your Third Tithe, your Tithe of the Festival Tithe, your Excess Second Tithe, and your Generous Holy Day Offerings.
Stagflation was a tough period of time for the WCG in the 1973/74 period, and also in the late 70s as well.
ReplyDeleteCombine this with an annual attrition rate of at least 7% due to death, retirements and just plain losing interest and you are ripe for an income downturn.
Im sure all of the COGs and other types of religious groups are experiencing similar happenings.
Further editing is required. It should read "Government stimulus checks have caused high inflation, which is much of the reason."
ReplyDeletePandering politicians from both parties have disrupted the economy by injecting too much liquidity into it, and when you add that to the supply chain disruptions, and what the Russian invasion of Ukraine has done to gasoline prices, you have a complex problem which is not going away any time soon. LCG is making an intelligent business decision by making cutbacks, but a faithless theological decision by diminishing the spreading of their half a gospel.
Why don't the leadership in the church step up to the plate and take a salary cut and use it towards their gospel message? Talk about setting an example of humility for the church members! I'm holding my breath till they do that. Somebody plan my funeral please...
ReplyDeleteWhy don't the leadership in the church step up to the plate and take a salary cut
ReplyDeleteDoes the LCG reveal the salaries of its top executives?
I would be very surprised if they did. But they definitely do not reveal this information in the Annual financial statements. This would be a great step forward in transparency and accountability, but would be a brave move. I know in other countries where there are "members" on the board, they deliberately structure the salary payment to the leading minister there so that there ISNT transparency or accountability. He would be embarrassed to reveal his salary to the other members as he is paid relativly so well. It is interesting that HWA and Radar revealed their salaries at some point in the late 70's and early 80's- it showed that they earned around 300k per year. This amount was salary, so would exclude a lot of benefits that were paid for on the side and under the table. $300k today would be a great salary, let alone 40 years ago. It would be close to the equivalent of $1.1m today. Too bad the splinters don't have the guts to follow HWA in revealing their salaries.
DeleteMaybe the loss of teens to COGASS finally is hurting, since the teens who find love interests from the summer camps are more likely to stay in LCG and become tithe payers.
ReplyDeletePlus the 8% inflation has to be hurting both LCG expenses and member's expenses.
It's not just the teens they forced out to CGA, there were some large tithe payers too. Of course you are going to have a decrease in income when you boot out a few hundred people because they won't kiss Pope Weston's ring.
DeleteInteresting if LCG is going to a web-centeted approach. COGWA has done that from its outset... and it reports income up 15% so far this year.
ReplyDeleteThe Apostle Paul worked at a trade so that he wouldn't be a burden to his flock. In my opinion, any minister that makes six figures or more is making too much - is sinning. Shepherding a flock and preaching the gospel was NEVER intended to enrich anyone! There's a difference between providing income and housing for a minister and enabling them to live a life of wealth, luxury, and ease! Also, the way that tithing is practiced in the ACOGs is NOT Scriptural.
ReplyDelete7:23 AM: Plus 20% of your 10% if you are paying in money!!! Lev 27:31. The tithees are getting ripped off!!!
ReplyDeleteSorry LCG - no transparency = no donations from me!
ReplyDeleteHWA's 1980 Income Tax Form, 1040 shows an adjusted gross income of $387,755. His Schedule A, Contributions was $46,589. That's only 12% of his income that went to contributions. He probably gave a smaller percentage of his income than most members. In 1981 his Arizona Income Tax Return showed an adjusted gross income of $421,052. Oh, and in 1981 Ramona received $38,308 in salary, also. When you consider the fact that he didn't have any expenses for a car and he had the use of an expense account, which probably no one would ever question how that was used, HWA was doing quite well for himself. And he always talked about Give and Get. Members were the givers, and he was one of the biggest getters. Vanity, jealousy, lust and greed were other terms he loved to throw around. Yet he was probably more guilty of these sins than most members.
ReplyDeleteTimes are tuff for Old Covenant splinters; without grace, they can never catch a break.
ReplyDeleteIt's especially difficult for a foolish servant splinter like LCG; they've been collecting the tithes but have nothing to tangible to show for it.
No bronze egrets, no mini Auditorium, no showcase campus, no jet - and dwindling membership.
What has LCG accomplished with the tithes of the people?
LCG doesn't even have a dirty prayer rock they could mortgage for extra cash.
In these troubled economic times, LCG must take drastic measures to increase income and to save money where ever possible.
I'll do my part to help the struggling LCG by offering my TOP TWELVE money maker/money saver suggestions:
1. New Truth: invent a fifth tithe based on Leviticus 5:16 saying something about giving a fifth part to the priests. If there’s a fifth tithe, there must be a fourth tithe too! Cha-ching, ching, ching, ching, ching!
2. Lovely Locks Lotto: sell raffle tickets for the chance to conduct a hair make-over on Mario Mariposita Hernandez, Doug Winnail, or the evangelist of your choice - your choice of hair color too. I think Mario would look even lovelier with "royal priesthood purple" hair, instead of his usual bootblack.
3. Reinstate the prohibition on igniting fire in your house on the Sabbath, which is commanded in Exodus 35:3, then demand that members send to HQ all money saved by not heating their homes and cooking on Saturdays.
4. Old Covenant Grab Bag Binding: highest bidder gets to reach back into the Old Covenant, arbitrarily choose a long-forgotten law, and the LCG will make that law binding on the church. Look out, cuz if I win, I’m choosing Leviticus 21:5 thou shalt not shaveth thy beard. I’m thinking royal purple for Mario’s beard too.
5. Old Covenant Grab Bag Loosing: highest bidder gets to reach into LCG’s doctrines and choose one Old Covenant law that HWA arbitrarily imposed upon the church, and LCG will cut that law loose from their requirements for earning salvation and throw it back into the Old Covenant, where it belongs. If I win, BACON for everyone!
6. Auction off Doug Winnail’s cowboy boots, along with the right to wear them to church services. As the highest bidder, you can revel in the vanity of wearing the casual footwear that is has previously been off limits as Sabbath attire for LCG peons.
Continued:
ReplyDeleteTOP TWELVE money maker/money saver suggestions for LCG:
7. Every time Winnail recycles his "Have a Profitable Sabbath" message; he gets paid that week with a photocopy of a check he received the last time he used that same writing.
8. Charlotte is a fairly expensive B city, a least for a B-rated splinter, like LCG. LCG needs to live within their means; therefore, they should move their HQ to a less-swanky location, like Lebanon, KY or Grafton, WV. Those towns both have Masonic Lodges for rent and a choice of motels for the Winter Family X-mas Weekend – everything LCG needs.
9. Train up a child in the ways of Spanky and he’ll grow up to be a tithe slave. Sell discipline paddles with Meredith’s image on one side and HWA on the other. Go old-school on the butts of the young; make sure they’re educated in the terrors of the LCG Founding Fathers (also suitable for wife spanking).
10. Conduct a Pre-Profit seminar for all COG profit-wannabes. Have Gaylon Bonjour available to provide double blessings, for the right price. Doug Winnail will be speaking, to induce the type of deep slumber necessary to dream prophetic dreams. PhD diplomas from LivingEd will be printed on the spot and courses in how to buy and re-label cheap-ass vitamins and supplements are sure to be informative and lucrative. It worked for the Prophet Bob, so you too can enjoy the extra cash and thousands of African followers.
11. Sell pre-bookings for Petra caves. Members are cautioned that reserving a cave by dealing directly with King Hussain, instead of going through the Festival/PoS Office, will result in the LCG canceling your reservation, with no return of your down payment.
12. Sell naming rights to the Lake o' Fire. Since RCM and LCG ministers have always asserted that they could send someone to the LoF, surely then LCG must also possess the authority to convey the right to name the fire. If I'm the highest bidder, I’m not sure if I'll go with "Roderick C. Meredith Memorial Lake of Fire", or name it after Herbie - both would consider having their name on hell's fire to be such a high honor.
You're welcome, LCG!
That seems like this would be right up LCGs ally.
DeleteFunny Trooisto!
ReplyDeleteIt's been said that Herbert W. Armstrong had once quipped that he'd lie, cheat, steal, or do anything else to get out the gospel of Jesus Christ. These ACOGs never repent of any of the old man's sins. They consider them to be license.
ReplyDeleteSo, I wonder why it has not occurred to any of the splinter leaders to invest in cannabis. They could purchase stock in some of the publicly traded farming operations, or perhaps obtain the rights required to open their own dispensaries. The stuff these days is all medical grade, with little danger of it being contaminated with defoliants, or laced with PCP. It's a cash and carry business, and business is booming. Nobody seems to be interested in their cruddy religion, so, why not? If they didn't want their own people acting as staff, it would be relatively easy to find employees, based on the cool factor.
No doubt, it would resolve financial issues for them, and honestly, it would be easy to conceal as they do so many other activities from the membership. Obviously, some would not be able to pass muster for licensing. Weinland is a convicted felon, Zerubbabel is, like, way out there, as two examples. Flurry and Pack would be vehemently against, although come to think of it, personal usage of cannabis would most likely improve their personalities and world views exponentially.
Guess it's up to a certain naturopath in California to pave the way! Seems like a natural blend. He'd probably even gain more respect as a prophet!
"Have Gaylon Bonjour available to provide double blessings"
ReplyDeleteThis would really generate record attendance/offerings without skepticism of how much was being siphoned off into the pockets of the millionaire leaders in the form of their Big secret $xxx,xxx salaries.
As to the spreading of the gospel: LCG, and Bob Thiel, and Herbert, and others, did/do not understand that Mat 24:14 was fulfilled long ago: see Romans 10:15-18; 1Cor 10:ll; Col 1:23.
ReplyDeleteGerald has long been flirting with heavily mixing the political marketing of the American right wing into how he “preaches the gospel”. The only problem is Gerald is lukewarm with the mixture, so it’s turning some LCG members off, while not attracting any new members. It makes for quite an unpleasant combination.
ReplyDelete@ 7:53pm
DeleteHow do you know this? I was hoping he would abandon all the old topics like LGBTQ/pointing out sins and focus on Christ’s message of love, hope, and faith.
I’ve always felt WWCG and all the splinters bring American politics into the church. Why can’t we just spread love?
Authoritarianism and nationalism were what led to WW-II, same kinds of national attitudes, same kinds of leaders. Steve Bannon fomented many of the attitudes embraced by Donald Trump, and has even met with leaders abroad, exporting his ideas. Putin certainly has been the first to actually strike with them, but my fear is that this will be an emerging trend amongst a number of other powerful nations, and the error inherent in it won't be fully realized until there is a full and conclusive calamity. The greatest deterent to WW-III was the era of global cooperation, which we enjoyed from 1945 to 2017. If everyone returns to the selfish "our nation first" mentality, there will indeed be "war and rumor of war".
ReplyDelete