Like a mighty army
Moves the Church of God:
Brothers, we are treading
Where the saints have trod;
We are not divided,
All one Body we—
One in hope and doctrine,
One in charity.
The Armstrongist version of the Feast of Tabernacles is quickly approaching. Families are making last-minute preparations: requests for time off from work and school are in, the car has had a tune-up, plane tickets bought, rental cars reserved. You remember the drill.
Then you arrive at your assigned Feast site. Eight days of millennial bliss follow as you meet as one united church. All one body we!
That was in the good old days, when the church was perfect and sinless. Now it is 2026, and the church is splintered into hundreds of competing groups, all trying to outdo the next. They have collectively refused Herbert Armstrong’s early (1952) admonition on how the Feast was supposed to be kept:
“We know now – God has shown us plainly and unmistakably – that we must have an adequate place of our own in this central location for the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread EVERY YEAR … The proper place for meetings of this kind is not an expensive brick or stone or concrete church building on a main corner of a city in all the traffic and noise of the world – but to get CLEAR AWAY FROM THE WORLD – out into God’s own open beautiful nature, utterly secluded from the world!” —Church of God News
That clearly must be why at least nine different Churches of God will be meeting in Branson, Missouri, this year—with one hotel even hosting two of them under the same roof. This should be the most opportune time in decades to show the world how unified the Churches of God really are.
Branson will soon be overrun by competing remnant groups carefully avoiding eye contact in hotel breakfast buffets. Imagine the Stone Castle Hotel with two different meeting rooms occupied by the faithful, super deacons posted at the doors doing member checks so nobody accidentally fellowships with the wrong flavor of the one true church. All one body we!
In the midst of this quagmire of unity, we have the Greatest Church of God to Ever Exist in Human History holding court. Crackpot Bob will be lecturing the faithful on how wrong they all are for being in other COG groups, and that their only remaining path to salvation rests, conveniently, in his hands.
So instead of being “utterly secluded from the world,” nine (or more) COG groups will be wallowing in the middle of a neon tourist trap that draws more than 10 million visitors a year and posts one of the highest property-crime rates in the country for a town its size. Nothing says millennial rest like larceny statistics, country-music dinner theaters, and badge-checked meeting rooms two hallways apart.
Bonus unity: United Church of God is already on a waitlist for Branson. Church of God International quietly swapped venues to the old Lawrence Welk / Hillside Hotel, because even the meeting rooms are splintering. Living Church of God is in town too. Same Strip. Same lakes. Same “we’re not divided” hymn. Different letterhead.
Brothers, we are treading
Where the saints have trod;
We are not divided,
All one Body we—
Branson Sept.25-Oct.2 [5] Venue : RecPlex
Branson Sept.26-Oct.3 [2] Venue : Stone Castle Hotel
Branson Sept.26-Oct.3 [2] Venue : Grand Plaza Hotel
Branson Sept.26-Oct.3 [2] Venue : Ledgestone Country Club
Branson Sept.26-Oct.3 [2] Venue : The Village at Indian Point
Branson Sept.26-Oct.3 [2] Venue : Yakov Smirnoff Theater
Branson Sept.26-Oct.3 [2] Venue : Thousand Hills Resort Hotel
Branson Sept.26-Oct.3 [2] Venue : Presley’s Country Jubilee
Branson Sept.26-Oct.3 [2] Venue : Stone Castle Hotel
Catch cry for many politicians is diversity is our strength. Well there certainly is diversity within the cog movement. But it exposes them. Divided and divisions are their calling cards, let alone their theology. Sad state of affairs. Good post, and the avoiding eye contact was well said. We are a funny old lot, the human race. God help us. And He did. But we may hear very little of that astonishing help He so graciously gave us at Tabernacles, but lots about ‘The Law’. It is the believers who are justified by what the Law could never do. Either way, I hope all who are indeed keeping Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles all have a safe and positive time. And don’t be afraid to say hi to the ‘others’. It’s not a sin.
ReplyDeleteAnon, Friday, September 4, 2026 at 5:15:55 PM PDT, wrote:
Delete[Catch cry for many politicians is diversity is our strength. Well there certainly is diversity within the cog movement. But it exposes them. Divided and divisions are their calling cards, let alone their theology. Sad state of affairs. Good post, and the avoiding eye contact was well said. We are a funny old lot, the human race. God help us. And He did. But we may hear very little of that astonishing help He so graciously gave us at Tabernacles, but lots about ‘The Law’. It is the believers who are justified by what the Law could never do. Either way, I hope all who are indeed keeping Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles all have a safe and positive time. And don’t be afraid to say hi to the ‘others’. It’s not a sin.]
******
There is something else that all of the hirelings who fled from the former WCG ought to encourage their members within their scattered organizations, associations, groups to not be afraid of doing.
What may that be?
They all supposedly believe that God set up His Son, Jesus, to be the Head of God's Church wherever it is on earth today: assuming the gates of hell haven't prevailed against it.
What should they not be afraid of doing?
Here's some of Jesus' words, and He, of course, received them from His God, His Father:
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
John 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another."
Assuming these cog hirelings were not thieves and robbers (John 10:1, 8), and are not the uncaring personality type (John 10:12-13), and are doing more than just feeding and clothing (Ezek 34:2) themSELVES: they may want to tell those of his scattered flock to simply "love one another."
That was a command from the Apostle Jesus and other Apostles, like Paul, Peter, and John, well understood and taught that.
If these hirelings and members, all claiming to be part of God's Church (Aren't Christians supposed to be Christ-like?) do not love one another, then would they be exposed as part of those who take God's name in vain?
Will they (for example, all of those wandering sheep/split-offs of the former WCG attending somewhere in Branson, Mo.) love one another, or will they continue to profess to be part of God's Church while, simultaneously in reality, not being very Christ-like?
Time will tell...
John
Good for them !!! More opportunity for people to fellowship and pick a Feast site they will thrive at! Living life. Much better than being stuck at home on zoom, complaining and putting down the blessings of Tabernacles.
ReplyDeleteHow can you "plainly and unmistakably" have unity when the the church culture is that of being partial to evil members people and evil in general. This is the politicians game of the Unjust Steward. Unity in these churches has always been a call for members to fake reality and behave like children playing games. Authenticity is an unspoken crime for which members are punished.
ReplyDeleteThe Fake Reality Church of God.
I've attended the Feast in the Branson area twice. It's an overblown tourist trap! Unfortunately, these are the kinds of place many COG organizations go too. Does a place like Branson really picture the Kingdom of God? Do we really believe God places His name there? Or is it just an inexpensive place to find housing once the tourist season slows down? I'm never going back!!!
ReplyDeleteIt seems they all agree on that God set is name in Branson Missouri....
ReplyDeletenck
How many attendees will hope between different meetings to find out how they compare or which one they like the most? Good opportunity to change churches for some members, but for some churches it could mean losing lots of members.
ReplyDeleteI meant to say "hop" not "hope".
DeleteNo matter, Avoura! " Hope" in this case could be considered as a Freudian slip!
DeleteHope fits better. They will no doubt fellowship together after services more. It's not 1980's or 90's anymore.
DeleteI've said it for years the UCG/COGWA split changed everything. It was a split too far, ucg and cogwa members repeatedly go to each others feast sites and intermingle. Social media sites exist that have all the main cog organisations together.
The true church went out of existence about 100 years after it was founded. NONE of the churches today follow its doctrines. None.
ReplyDeleteModern churches do not even do Sabbath meetings the same way as the early Church. The modern ceremony is not what the 1st Century Church believed in doing. They were not Catholics.
DeleteSome people indeed attend more than one group in Branson during the Feast. Some feast coordinators know it, and have said so publicly without really complaining about it.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Price Chopper supermarket on the strip probably doesn't object at all.
Eenie Meenie Miney Moe
ReplyDeleteWhich COG is friend or Foe.
I wondered what was so special about Branson, and what made it so popular amongst the COGlodyte groups. It would seem to be a nonapparent nexus of sorts.
ReplyDeleteI had family involved in the Lake of the Ozarks construction site, and yes there was Lee Mace's Ozark Opry in that area, archives of which are actually in the Library of Congress. So, country music, yes. Even though HWA hated it!
I can understand nostalgia for the Lake of the Ozarks feast site, as there would be for the Pocono Site, and the Dells. After all, at this point we are dealing with nearly pure nostalgia here. But Branson is 150 miles from Lake of the Ozarks.
Considering the doctrinal approach of these groups and their firm beliefs in church eras, one would think they would avoid cross-pollenation amongst non-native species at feast sites.
What is the attraction??? Is it something Freudian or Jungian that I've missed?
BB
Branson is the perfect place for a COG feast! It's an elephant graveyard for greying stars which is quite fitting for the COG membership.
ReplyDeleteThe Feast of Tabernacles is a joke, for most people it is a glorified vacation. People over drink, over eat, and some young people loose their virginity at the feast. I guess this is what the kingdom will like! Party on!
ReplyDelete