By the time Samuel is able to buy the auditorium,
Germany will have destroyed the United States
The self-proclaimed remnant of the one true church strikes again, this time with a manifesto so drenched in delusion it could water the entire old AC Pasadena campus dicondra lawns. In a recent missive that reads like a mix of Herbert W. Armstrong's old co-worker letters and a particularly feverish Reddit post from r/EndTimesPrepper, Samuel Kitchen has declared his intention to single-handedly resurrect the Advisory Council of Elders, purchase the Ambassador Auditorium (currently listed at a cool $45 million, because why not aim high when God's check is in the mail), and apparently kick off the final end-time drama with a Zoom call and a group fast.
Let's unpack this masterpiece of wishful ecclesiastical thinking.
First, the Advisory Council of Elders. For those who forgot (or mercifully blocked out) the 1980s WCG org chart, this was Herbert Armstrong's hand-picked group of yes-men evangelists who existed to "advise" the apostle while he did whatever he wanted. It was dissolved, reformed, ignored, and eventually rendered irrelevant as the church splintered into a thousand tiny fiefdoms after HWA's death. Now, Kitchen informs us that only one original member remains: Aaron Dean, the longtime aide to Armstrong who now serves in the United Church of God and has spent decades politely declining to play along with every self-appointed restorer who calls him up.
Kitchen's plan? Chat with Dean about appointing six more "faithful and loyal" men—all guys proven loyal to "Christ’s apostle" (spoiler: that's code for dead Herb, not some vague New Testament figure). These paragons will Zoom weekly (or more!) to steer the good ship Worldwide Church of God back on track. Dean might say no, but Kitchen hopes he won't—because nothing says divine authority like hoping your one living link to the golden age doesn't hang up on you.
But wait, there's more grandeur! As the miraculous purchase fund inches toward $45 million (any day now, surely), Kitchen calls for a massive scavenger hunt: gather every dusty tape, yellowed booklet, scrap of mimeographed sermon notes, and forgotten VHS from the 1970s. Build a shrine-library in the Auditorium, digitize it all, and launch a "monthly refresher program" to... refresh people? Presumably with the exact same doctrines that led to the original church's doctrinal "upset" in the '90s, which everyone else moved on from.
To seal the deal, Kitchen drops a biblical proof-text barrage straight out of the Armstrong playbook: Isaiah 4's "seven women" clinging to one man (obviously the tiny faithful remnant), Zerubbabel as the end-time builder figure (with seven eyes, naturally), the Branch (Jesus, but channeled through a modern type), cornerstones, crowns that won't fade, Philadelphia elect, place of safety, two witnesses on deck—the full eschatological bingo card.
In Kitchen's telling, this isn't just nostalgia; it's prophecy fulfillment. The "day of small things" isn't a humble beginning—it's his current operation, complete with a handful of supporters, Gmail addresses, and dreams of reclaiming a concert hall that hasn't been WCG property since before most millennials were born. God will provide the laborers, the funds, the tapes, and presumably the Zoom Pro subscription.
One can almost picture the scene: six loyal appointees blinking at their screens, Aaron Dean wondering how he got dragged into this, and Kitchen presiding over the council like a budget HWA, declaring victory as the donation jar hits four figures. Meanwhile, the actual Ambassador Auditorium sits on the market, waiting for a real buyer—perhaps a symphony orchestra or a megachurch that can afford the utilities—while the "remnant" sanctifies their fast and refreshes their browser for new PayPal notifications.
Truly, in the multitude of (Zoom) council there is... entertainment. If nothing else, this bold revival plan reminds us why "safety in a multitude" was always more slogan than reality in the old WCG: when the multitude is one guy emailing Aaron Dean, it's less safety net and more prayer chain with extra steps.
Hold fast to that crown, brethren. Preferably the one that doesn't involve a $45 million real estate flip.
Samuel writes (unedited):
I want to revive the Advisory Council of Elders. There is safety is a multitude of council.The only one left from the original Advisory Council of Elders is Aaron Dean.I’m going to talk to him, about appointing another six men, all men who have proven themselves faithful and loyal to Christ’s apostle, and who are willing to work with me to get the Worldwide Church of God back on the right track.Perhaps he wouldn’t want to be involved, I hope he does want to be involved.I would like weekly meetings, or more, via zoom etc as we move forward. Mr Dean has the experience of knowing who would best serve in this Advisory Council of Elders. As everyone comes away from heading their separate directions, I do believe we all need to sanctify a fast together and everyone in God’s Chuch participate.Also as we grow closer to the purchase price of Ambassador Auditorium, I will need help gather tapes, original books, publications, videos, everything the church produced down to scraps of paper saved! I want a thorough library and archives, so we can install it in the Ambassador Auditorium. I would also want it all produced online, working complementary to the physical collection.I would also want to set up, upon purchase, a monthly refresher program.Now this is a huge undertaking. But if we pray about it, and take it to God, asking God for the laborers God will provide.I want to also point out Isaiah 4.“And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.”(verse 1)These seven, are with Zerubbabel!“For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”Isaiah 4:2“In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.”In Zechariah 3:8-9 we read: “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch.“For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.”Jesus Christ is THE BRANCH.Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”This foundation stone is the cornerstone, which is Jesus Christ!That cornerstone is brought forth by a Zerubbabel figure, and layed before Joshua.Speaking of Isaiah 4:2, we also have Isaiah 28:5, which reads: “In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people”.In Revelation 3:11, we read “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”And in 1 Peter 5:4 we read “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”This is talking about God’s Philadelphia elect coming together, and the two witnesses being set up, and the elect going into a place of safety.

18 comments:
If such a reconstituted Council of Elders ever emerged, it's clear that in true WCG tradition one of their first acts would be to disfellowship and mark the presumptuous and unstable Samuel Kitchen. What would Samuel do then?
For about twenty years I had a Christian family living next door to me. Of course, I shared my past background with them, Herbert W. Armstrong, Ambassador College, me studying for the ministry, etc. What surprised me was that the dad actually had prior knowledge about the WCG (very unusual these days) and through a source of which most Armstrongites would be totally unaware. Che Anh has been very vocal in his testimony on Christian TV about the miracles which occurred leading him to the acquisition of Ambassador Auditorium, with the transition of the WCG to mainstream Christianity as a corresponding event.
I can't imagine how Samuel Kitchen could possibly fulfill his goals regarding Ambassador Auditorium. I'm thinking he would need the backing not of Aaron Dean, but that of Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn to pull this off. Oddly enough, I find myself reminiscing about "My Fair Lady", a movie my dad was fond of, and took my brother and I to see when we were in high school during one of its revivals.
It's about the transformation of a cockney flower girl into a young lady who could pass as a lady raised in high society, based upon improved diction and mannerisms.
I really think Sam may have killed his chances of being taken seriously by providing the intense details of his family background, assuming they were his credentials. Those are all part of public record now. Many of us were observers to the antics of David ben Ariel, as he worked to foment the events of the Armstrong prophecy model, visiting and getting kicked out of Israel, writing to German leaders to inform them of their alleged prophetic "responsibilities", etc. David had his struggles, too, eventually succumbing to AIDs, acquired while he was still a practicing homosexual. Convict Ron Weinland later made his prophecy splash. About half a dozen blogs suddenly sprung up monitoring his activities. To my knowledge, he is still alive, but his grandiose plans (and those blogs) have long since fizzled.
Will third time be the charm? Grab a tub of hot, buttered popcorn and an ice cold Coca Cola, buckle up and take a ride in the IMAX version of Banned! Guess we'll see.
BB
P.S. Somebody should also warn Aaron Dean. I think he's in for a whole lot more unwanted publicity!
The indoctrination runs deep still
The indoctrination runs deep still
If Sam actually contacts Aaron Dean. I hope he tells Sam to see a doctor ASAP!
During the receivership, the state law was enacted to exempt religious organizations from the state investigations on corruption, or something like that. Does anyone have the back story as to how that law came about? Did Rader push for it? Were legislators bribed? I suspect there is a story behind this that might prove interesting.
Since the church fell apart despite the Advisory Council of Elders, what value are they? With Herb, they were just a bunch of yes men.
All these "advisors" did was deceive members into believing that they had a wise government.
It might take a piece of that $45 million fundraiser to persuade Mr. Dean to move.
What if David Miscavidge also pushed for it with Scientology.
I want a thorough library and archives >>
This guy KItchen says he wants materials , in other words more the museum? Or memorial site? A complete archives already exists in the 2 library sites. Given this, he should commission - in Steuben crystal of course - a life sized replica of the apostle grinning down upon the viewer.
After all if you can find 45m its no big deal to find some extra millions to commission this apostle statue.
Try it again, Sam
Samuel Kitchen wants to set himself up over everyone else and have the final say on every matter.
Aaron Dean and the Council of Rubber-Stampers would have to go along with everything that Sam says or else be accused of rebelling and falling away.
So a unmarried guy in his 30s?, who lives in an apartment and writes about neighbours upsetting him by their attire, now writes about the dream plan of purchasing a 45 million WCG 1970s symbol ?
Doesn't make sense.
The auditorium a symbol of 1970's American evangelical wealth that was rountinely lampooned by Herbert's own son as a obscene waste of money. Now it is overpriced and overlooked, empty in neglect and rotting away. Perhaps God is telling you all something.
Aaron Dean in how he's using this Kitchen naive fool to test the COG water, should be ashamed of himself.
🤣🤣🤣 what the hell are you talking about? I don’t know Aaron Dean but he has absolutely nothing to do with Samuel and his lunacy, he’s seems to just be the target of the insanity. Sometimes it feels like the COG experience has robbed people of their ability to think clearly or of any comprehension skills.
The semi-literate Samuel has written:
There is safety is a multitude of council.
No, Samuel, "multitude of council" is the PROBLEM. UCG has one. COGWA has one. LCG has one. Even PCG and RCG technically have councils. Too many Councils all competing with each other.
What's needed is multitude of counsel. Which Samuel doesn't have as a one-man show.
How do you know? Why so certain? Aaron Dean last year influenced another bachelor to write a white paper proposing 'HWA day' for UCG youth. That is a fact. This blog posted about it.
If a leading COG name such as Dean wants UCG to dedicate a day to Herbert Armstrong memory, then it is not so outrageous to consider he may like the Auditorium back in COG ownership as well.
The funny thing is, while this edifice was being constructed, those of us who got a clue in '72 were derisively referring to it as "Herbie's last erection"! Well, there was that, and occasional prank calls to the WATTS line.
No more chocolate bunny rabbits for Sam! Dozens of us who were raised in WCG are happy to give him our spot as one of the two witnesses! At least that's what our parents were spanking us to be!
1:11 COGWA has at times described their Council as a 'board of directors'.
Whilst the word 'Council' is widely used across different COG groups, how those Councils funtion, re-appoint, terms of service, operate ect differ servely.
No Council amongst the different COG groups are run like UCG. It is widely considered the better style of leadership. Whilst UCG re-fresh their Presidents, all the others have 'Monach's' until they die as rulers.
Sam wrote: "This is talking about God’s Philadelphia elect coming together," -- so Sam is getting together with the Flurries of PCG?
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