United Church of God had this up today on their member site about Germany and Norway concerning recent issues they had registering as a charity in Norway.
What is more shocking is that UCG only has 150 donors in the entire country of Germany, which has over 83 million citizens. Nevertheless, the amazing Churches of God march forward like a mighty army and with boldness! Woo Hoo!
UCG-Germany has a donor in Norway who has been supporting us financially for several years. Until last year, his local tax office accepted his donations to us as tax deductible, but last year his donation was rejected. He contacted us and asked us to apply for recognition as a charity in Norway.
According to its own rules, Norway recognizes foreign organizations as charities and allows Norwegian taxpayers to deduct donations to these organizations.
After checking the rules, UCG-Germany applied for recognition in February and sent the necessary documents to the appropriate Norwegian tax office.
In May, we were informed that our application had been rejected. Our work as an “association” was acknowledged as charitable or non-profit, but the rejection was based on the lack of a “national dimension” for our activities, as we only have about 150 individual donors in Germany.
Organizations that are only active at a local level (town, district, etc.) are not recognized.
We were given six weeks to appeal. We appealed at the beginning of June, arguing that donations to our organization are tax-deductible throughout Germany and that our donors currently reside in 15 of the 16 German states, meaning that our work can already be considered national in scope.
On Nov. 14, the Norwegian tax office granted our appeal. Norwegian donors are allowed to donate up to 2130 EUR per year and claim it as a deduction, which will please our Norwegian donor.
This is very positive news for us as it is an additional recognition of our charitable status as an organization.
—Paul Kieffer, UCG-Germany
27 comments:
It is interesting to note that JWs are in big trouble in Norway.
And rightly so too.
A huge stain on Christianity and an entirely abusive cult as its countless victims will attest.
And the the government of Norway is well aware of who this cult are and how this deceitful organisation works.
It’s a warning to Armstrongism.
The shock is how small the number of donors are in Germany.
Well well well……………………………………………………………………………..
I am shocked at the 150 donor statement. UCG really thinks this is doing some kind of work in Germany? Armstrongism has descended into nothingness. Pretty soon they will be as irrelevant as Bob Thiel and that's being generous!
"Pretty soon they will be as irrelevant as Bob Thiel and that's being generous!"
Well, the current Churches of God are certainly led by a bunch of Boobs.
Of course NO2HWA is a long haired hippie in United States.....who left Worldwide in 80s and is bizarrely obsessed with focus attacking of British Israelisim...... and now highly interested in UCG Germany inner workings.......of course not Tkatch history repeating no no not at all, no rebels within ministry here...only long gone ex Worldwiders.....from the 70s.....
When these mini-Herb splinters first emerged as a trend, some of us who remembered our Ambassador College math that they taught us to go along with their prophecies got out our calculators and determined that a young, charismatic Armstrongite franchisee with 200 tithe paying members each grossing $40,000 per year would pull in over $1Million per year off first tithe and offerings. And then, when they misappropriated third tithe and excess second tithe, they'd be closer to $1.5M.
That's not bad for a minister and his wife in a major city, but 150 tithe payers is pretty abysmal for a populous European nation.
I just had a look at their Beyond Today monthly magazine. It's all basic material. People can't grow if they are only fed spiritual milk.
Interesting that you use the phrase "bizarrely obsessed".
You folks continue to equate numbers with legitimacy. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“ You folks continue to equate numbers with legitimacy. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
And you continue to equate legitimacy with Armstrongism.
Anon5:35,
Back in the WCG, Armstrong and others touted the 30% growth per year during the 60's. And also the growth in the 80's. It appears all the splinter cogs inflate their numbers. So, for decades these groups apparently believe that growth indicates legitimacy or a at least added legitimacy.
Mike
Nach meiner Meinung, ist selbst eine kleine Zunahme der Vereinte Kirche Gottes (auch bekannt als UCG) in Deutshland schlecht. Kleine Nummern sondern so viel Traurigkeit. Leute brauchen Hoffnung, nicht Dunkelheit. Es ist nicht das Geld dass ist wichtig. Es ist das Menschenherz. Meine Meinung.
Ranger (Ich rede nicht in Zungen, nur grobes Deutsch)
For those who do not read German or use AI translator like Bob Thiel does:
"In my opinion, even a small increase in the United Church of God (also known as UCG) in Germany is bad. Small numbers but so much sadness. People need hope, not darkness. It's not the money that's important. It is the human heart. My opinion."
Maybe UCG can borrow Thiel's dude down in Africa to be able to FORGE government papers for Norway!
If Germany were so scary, they would be conducting assasinations, not hiding from them.
Global assassination campaign targets Germans (and others that God's people do not like).
https://www.rt.com/news/588345-mossad-hamas-assassination-plan/
Wait a minute, isn’t Germany supposed to be bad? So are cog members living in Germany suppose to leave eventually since they are in the belly of the beast? Armstrongism smh
Types the obsessive athiests of destroying and mocking the Church of God.
Alright, 2:46. Based on your time and date stamp, it looks like you either have a Sabbath insomnia problem, or perhaps live in Hawaii.
Ranger seems fluent in German. Hey, Ranger, is there any way to translate "COGlodyte" into German???
Anon246,
Are you intentionally lying when you accuse those on this blog of being atheists?
Clutching at straws deceitful one and all. Do you seriously think ones who've sussed your lying gang out are frightened?
Then why do you always quote numbers, 5:32, if it is not a legitimate proof?
Why are you singling me out, 11:32? I'm a ducktailer and have never had a psychedelic experience, although i will confess to liking the hippies' music!
Yikes. Definitely making a point to never again engage any of those that give freaky responses.
Aw, come on! The weird stuff is the most interesting. Part of the aftermath of Armstrongism involves delving into abnormal psychology! No shortage of that!
Maybe when King Gerald assumes the throne in England he can unleash a "Ambassador Blitzkrieg" and destroy germany by bombing them with cassettes of his BORING sermons to the point that go commit hara kari
No no, he said "athiests". :)
"Types the obsessive athiests of destroying and mocking the Church of God.
Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 2:46:00 AM PST"
I love it when these people throw out the "atheist" darts. Have you ever noticed that the ones who do this never have anything profitable to say or even to debate a post? They are either too lazy or incompetent to do so. They all tend to be the New Covenant deniers.
I remember conversations in my RCG congregation a few years back about “the big European congregations”. Only to find out in my final year and last FOT as a member, that the Big Congrations was a total amount of.. 27 RCG members scattered all over Europe.
Asking questions about it got me in trouble with my minister in the US
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