The Church of God a Worldwide Association, COGWA, has secured its loan for its new auditorium/education center and is getting ready to start building in in 2026.
I also want to confirm that all the building permits are in place, and on Tuesday, Aug. 5, we closed on a loan, which should be the last document needed to allow us to begin construction on the new auditorium/education center. Even though we have the funds to fully pay for the new building, we have chosen to take out a construction loan for half the amount rather than using our own funds. The construction loan will consist of interest-only use of funds during the construction period. When the building is complete, we will pay off the construction loan either right away or within a short period of time as we did with the office building.
COGWA has been experiencing record numbers and income levels, unlike their mother church, the United CHurch of God, which seems to be languishing due to inner turmoil and its recent ouster of its President for a new one, which is not sitting well with many UCG members. Comments are not kind to the new president on many Facebook groups.
38 comments:
Another new Auditorium another day……nothing new here in cogdom is there.
Another glass or ivory tower in memory of HWA.
So many groups, so many auditoriums……….so few tithe payers left.
We know how this will end….just look at the other ivory towers built in honour of HWA.
The churches of diminishing returns indeed.
All clinging to the old glory days of wwcog……..hey boys those days are long gone.
Bob Thiel must be incredibly jealous of this news lol.
They don't understand that there are newer models that work more effectively. Not gonna tell......
Poor Bob. All he has is a dirty little storefront in Grover Beach that looks like it is abandoned. I drove by there recently on a trip down the coast with my family. Such a disappointment, much like he is.
COGWA is turning themselves into another Texas mega-church wannabe. Their campus, when finished, will resemble the campuses of other large evangelical congregations in Texas. Offices, education center, main auditorium, meeting facilities, and so on. Located on prime real estate in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. Soon COGWA will be noticed locally, and when that happens, local media is going to receive some correspondence.....
These guys have been amazing in that they have been pretty much flying below our radar for years. Seemingly, there are none of the pyrotechnics of any of the other groups. Not that their beliefs are any more accurate or authentic than those of any other promulgators of Armstrongism, but at least the COGawa guys have not been making a ridiculous spectacle of themselves as have all the other hyenas.
Weren't this property, and the plans for this building the very reason for splintering from UCG in the first place?
BB
Have you seen UCG’s 2024-2025 audit report? Over $16m in liquid assets. They’re not hurtin’.
Their aging members are leaving their estates to this church, so having the funds for a auditorium is unsurprising.
“COGWA has been experiencing record numbers and income levels, unlike their mother church, the United CHurch of God, which seems to be languishing due to inner turmoil and its recent ouster of its President for a new one, which is not sitting well with many UCG members.”
The ouster and formation of COGWA sure makes it look like the UCG was not anywhere near as “United” as it had made itself out to be.
What if COGWA is now the best of all the splinter groups?
Hopefully, COGWA will not end up going totally satanic at some point like Gerald Flurry's PCG or David Pack's RCG. However, with the WCG and its splinter groups, you never know what could and will happen.
Nice to know your true opinion.
You mean you thought I was keeping my opinion secret up 'til now, 11:15? The last time I even mentioned this group was a couple years ago, when I paraphrased one of Johnny Cash's final songs. It was a spoken word song he did with producer Rick Rubin.
My paraphrase: "I'm ridin' to the COGawa in Omaha on my Yamaha!"
LOL!
BB
Not too many original thoughts in COGland are there? Always an auditorium, boring tv show, college...
Yeah, so true, RSK! But so far, nobody has gotten it right! You are supposed to purchase a neighborhood full of historic old mansions, restore them, and then mess it up by putting up garish nouveau riche moderne edifices that make observers wonder if the Martians have landed!
BB
They're not the "best" if they're kicking people out for quietly praying and worshiping at services in a way considered non-traditional, and thus non-approved.
There have been several cases of this. COGWA sounds good, but has deep-down non-Biblical legalism.
Yeah, BB, we see right through ya! Ya quit in 76, then ya got spooked by umm... Bill Clinton, and got hired by UCG as a big time ministurd, and now you're a covert agent in tighty-whities posting on Banned! He's got ya all figured out!
Maybe they can get a jet, and have Irish Dancing too!
COGWA is one of the worst splinters. They were founded on a lie -- actually, several lies -- their now-leaders fabricated in order to pull people away from UCG. The men running COGWA are some of the most autocratic to have come out of WCG, on par or worse even than LCG.
As for them flying below the radar, as BB suggests, this is not exactly accurate. This blog doesn't post as much about them as it does some of the other splinters. But that doesn't mean COGWA is below the radar.
Hey Tonto,
Jet and Irish dancing are acoming. Tithing will increase to 15% to ‘fuel’ the jet and pay for the dancing tours. Eat your heart out Bob Thiel. They could even hire Sam Kitchen as their representative in Israel. I’ll take that job thanks, my Hebrew isn’t perfect but passable. And if the salary is GOOD I’m in lol. Plus a no limit credit card thanks as an inducement. Move over Sam……….
COgwa is rich and in need of nothing.They view themselves as specially blessed. In two instances they received church property from a community church and both times they spend the time talking about how God has blessed them. They scarcely even gave a nod to the Christians that gave them the property.
It reminds me of the American Indians who had the belief that they have such strong medicine that when they were shown mercy or benevolence it was not out of the kindness of an individual settler or an Indian from another tribe, but rather due to his strong medicine (the gifting within him).
Cogwa is like this. They barely recognize the generosity of the Christians who give them the property, but rather they believe it is the specialness they have been granted to receive blessings.
I don't have anything to say about COGWA, but UCG members do have legitimate cause to be concerned about the COE's selection of John Elliott as president. John Elliott is a polarizing personality and has had difficulty getting along with others throughout his career. When he was the pastor in Cincinnati East, he had an ongoing feud with the pastor of the other congregation in the area. I believe this was a factor in UCG transferring him out of that area. Then later in his career, he was given a pastorate in the northwest that lasted a very short time. The word is that the widow of Dennis Luker was instrumental in pushing him out of that area very quickly.
So yes, UCG members have reason to be concerned that a very solid man in Rick Shabi was replaced by a very questionable man who has a history of conflict and controversy. They should also be concerned that by creating a position called "Assistant to the President" and giving it to Peter Eddington, the UCG effectively is now employing two high salaried men who seem to be almost serving as co-presidents. Knowing UCG's history of politics and division on the Council, I wouldn't be surprised if the vote was split nearly evenly between Elliott and Eddington, and this was an agreed upon deal to please both sides.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 at 12:32:00 PM PDT said, “COGWA is one of the worst splinters. They were founded on a lie -- actually, several lies -- their now-leaders fabricated in order to pull people away from UCG.”
Perhaps you can explain to everyone here exactly what those “several lies” were, or even just what one of the “lies” was, so that people can decide for themselves whether or not they really were lies. Or, maybe you cannot. It would be interesting to hear what you have to say, if anything.
The Best Of The Bunch
COGWA is not perfect. It just does not have to be as bad as the other splinter groups to be the best of a bad bunch. Beating some of the other splinter groups is very easy. If you think that COGWA is bad, try the satanic splinter cults like PCG or RCG. Now that is BAD!!!
And, yes, it is rather disgusting when some old, obese character like COGWA's David Johnson tries to tell people that the command not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together can apply to their Winter Family X-Mass Weekend tradition that he is trying to scare up some more demand for.
David Johnson had said that when they once saw how much demand there was for their Winter Family X-Mass Weekend tradition during a severe snowstorm, there was no doubt in their minds that they had to continue with it. Maybe there was not really all that much demand for it after all. In fact, they might have to demand that people observe it if they want to get the attendance up any higher.
David Johnson saying that “you don't have to feel guilty” if you cannot make it to their Winter Family X-Mass Weekend tradition was really sneaky.
Remember, this is supposedly the Laodicea era of the church. Do not expect perfect. Each of the splinter groups is going off in its own direction. Some have already gone totally to heck.
I believe I'd take some stink bombs along to Family Winter Weekend. Back when I went through my stink bomb phase, nobody ever suspected who was doing it. Hilarious watching restaurants being evacuated, auctioneers on stage at a car auction suddenly gasp for breath. Oh, and the sudden reactions on the dance floor. Band even took a break!
Bet they don't have any Bible verses for that!
Oh, I think you'll find they do.
One of those lies, dear COGWA-maton, is that Victor Kubik believed in the Trinity. Another lie was that UCG was going to "go Protestant", whatever that means. Neither is true. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Eccl 10:1
Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
10:16 AM,
It looks like the UCG was not religious enough to go Protestant.
It looks like the UCG went right back into the world godless.
12:07 PM,
I do not know if David Johnson ever had a reputation for wisdom and honour.
Why do you think I didn't sign that, 12:07? Hah!
"One of those lies, dear COGWA-maton, is that Victor Kubik believed in the Trinity. Another lie was that UCG was going to "go Protestant", whatever that means. Neither is true. And that was just the tip of the iceberg."
I'm not here to defend COGWA at all, but of all the larger groups, UCG would undoubtedly be the most Protestant and I think that has accelerated since 2010. It's not hard to see why the COGWA people thought this when two of the primary UCG leaders during that time were Robin Webber and Dennis Luker, men who often sound or sounded more Protestant than some Protestants.
How about some examples of what you're claiming? What UCG beliefs and behaviors fall under the Protestant banner? And which flavor of "Protestant" do you think they are now approximating? Protestantism spans an extremely wide spectrum of beliefs.
Not 12:07, but I don't think it would be that difficult to work out who you really are, IF it really happened.
Not 2:39 but the fiasco of the White paper letter from 2010/2011, sent out to all UCG members, was a complete disaster by UCG and helped fuel the split to COGWA.
Then the fiasco of an episode of Beyond Today, on the topic of Feast of Unleavened bread went viral within UCG for all the wrong reasons. A apology was filmed but the damage was done.
And which "white paper" are you referring to? That was 15 years ago, and there was more than one "white paper", some of which were issued by the now-COGWA leaders while they were still part of UCG. Please provide a link to the document in question.
Why should I ? Go find it yourself, it was infamous and definately from UCG, even rumoured to have been written by John Elliot, although that was only a rumour at the time. It had no named author which made it even more notorious.
Since when do UCG send out white papers to UCG members ??? Never before and never since, that's why it was infamous and backfired badly.
Why are we using the term "Protestant" as if it were a pejorative? If you understand grace, then "Protestant" is a recommendation!
I used to attend COGWA, but left after the Pastor disliked and deleted a sermonette I gave which was too biblical for his liking.
"Anonymous" 8:38 -- I can see why you wish to remain anonymous here! I never had any stink bombs, but I am sure they could be used to good effect at some church meetings when the sermon gets too boring...
The basic definition of Protestant is being non-Catholic. So, anyone who defines themselves as Christian but does not recognize the Pope falls under the broad banner of "Protestant."
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