Bearing Witness to Laodiceans and the Worldwide Declaration That WCG Still Exists

 

Anyone who has been a part of the Church of God movement over the decades has witnessed or maybe even known one of the various Elijahs, Elishas, and men who self-appointed themselves as the overlords of the so-called restored truth from Herbert Armstrong and then expected us to respect their decisions. We have seen how well that has played out over the decades, especially since 1996.

Yet, here we are in 2024 and these self-appointed ne'er-do-wells continue to flap their jowls about how God has sent them on a mission to preserve the truth once restored, which was apparently lost by an impotent god who could not preserve it. Never fear though, that god has sent Bob Thiel and Samuel Kitchen to preserve that truth as they prepare to walk the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming a loud and forceful message...

Samuel has this up about his 2022 Jerusalem/Jordan Feast of Tabernacles experience.

Sometimes I run across someone writing about me or my family.

It’s hard to tell the full story, without dragging up dirty laundry on the other person. So I’ve refrained from writing about it.

When I went to Jerusalem in 2022, I was originally going alone.

Satan was really attacking that time, and what kept coming to my mind was, even Christ had to escape to solitude to continue on in life. He used that time to draw close to God the Father.

So I was going to use that time to draw close to God.

What ended up being, was the announcement of the Worldwide Church of God existing and assembling to keep the Holy Days of the Lord. It was a worldwide declaration.

I had let my brother choose where we were all staying in Jerusalem. We found out we were scammed(it wasn’t my brothers fault)but Christ did intervene on our behalf and we ended up in Petra, Jordan keeping all the Fall Feast days.

It was made apparently clear, God had placed His name THERE in Wadi Mussa, as we ended up there without foreknowledge.

So that was exciting news for us. Not only was we allowed to declare to the world from Jerusalem we, the Worldwide Church of God, still existed and were still assembling, we also felt Christ revealed what “her place” meant in Revelation 12:14 with this trip.

We were filled with bewilderment!

We never would have thought we would end up in Jerusalem and then Jordan! So briefly we thought on what our attitudes should be! We left our homes thinking on Gods Word, where it says “remember lot’s wife”.

We didn’t want to “look back”.

Trouble begins in paradise, a woman enters the picture: 

Now as we ended up in Jordan, we were still in contact with loved ones back home. We told them the possibility of us not returning home.

So my brother became excited because his estranged wife and their children, decided they were coming to Jordan! I was seeing woman at the time, and she flew out to Jordan as well!

But now, things turned from “the church” and “her place”, to family problems.

Tim, my brother, needed to be the head of his household again. He had been separated from his wife for several years prior. But he had no money to provide for them and take care of them in Jordan. Our group ended up taking care of them, even after protesting. We didn’t have enough for everyone, and when they showed up with no money, we protested.

This was not an unfamiliar problem, as when my brother initially got married, they showed up at our home with no money and no means to provide for themselves. Even my brother had to admit God seemed to shut all the doors for him to provide for her and her children! She eventually had to run back to her parents and go elsewhere for the privisions. Now my brother worked very hard and is working hard to provide for his family. He wasn’t lazy. He was seeking to do good. God just intervened on certain things, because he knew all hearts.

In Jordan, my brother simply had no ability to provide for the addition of his returning family, and so he leaned on church assistance for it, which we did give at our own peril and loss.

His wife placed him in that position. I don’t look down on my brother for him wanting his family together again.

He would have given if he had it to give.

But with us not being able to help THEM,

He chose to stick with them, as they had to go elsewhere for assistance.

That’s what problem we faced in Jordan.

He stayed with his family. I stayed with the brethren.

Now afterwards, he did take the YouTube and social media away from me. That was wrong of him. He, finding himself in the new role of “head of family”, which was handed back to him by his wife, began to encroach all areas he was included in with the work online.

And since I discerned a wrong spirit with his wife, I was at odds with him too, because he felt wronged by me. It was his wife, I was saying who had a wrong spirit.

So he felt I was attacking his “headship” of his family, and therefore was attacking the God ordained family government.

So he felt, it was his duty, to remove me from my own YouTube channels and social media over this problem.

Later he found out his wife, in her private messages online, went to Jordan to “pull” him away from me because I had too much influence with him.

She went there to divide brothers.

And after looking at things, and praying about it, we had a lot of growing up to do after mom and dad died. Lots of socialization needed to happen.

I don’t have any hard feelings against my brother. I don’t think he necessarily did wrong. With exception of usurping me on the channels and social media. My dad placed me in charge of those things and not him.

As soon as he did that, however wrong it may have or not have been, I continued on with new social media and new YouTube channels, doing what I was led of Christ to do, which set up a scenario of someone going after them, shutting me down using a new trademark.

As soon as my brother and I started to talk again, our little brother was working on being healthy and to my excitement was becoming more and more interested with God’s truth and work! Well in his quest to be more health, he started to supplement testosterone. Which made him extremely aggressive. He didn’t seem to be thinking right and clearly, and being “a babe in Christ” he didn’t know enough spiritually to defend against the Devil and his demons. So a wrong attitude developed.

Bad attitudes. The church seemed to be filled with them, or that is the excuse that was convenient to use. 

He ran to my brother with this attitude, and I was “executed” swiftly, without question, and once again my brother took the YouTube channels and social media away.

That hasn’t stopped me from working where I have been placed by God. But it’s clearly Satan trying to DESTROY us brothers, and doesn’t want us working together.

I’ll hope, my brothers can forgive me. I forgive them. We all have done wrong or have given the appearance of wrong. Satan capitalized on it. But the work of God isn’t destroyed thankfully.

I think Christ needed to establish whom He is using.

Mr Armstrong is Christ’s apostle.

Through him, Matthew 24:14 was fulfilled “as a witness to all nations”.

The Worldwide Church of God, was raised up through such preaching, and gave a second witness by living and putting into action the way of God which was preached by the apostle!

The publishing stage for this Church ended roughly around 1986. That’s when the organization was taken off the track and used for other purposes by non believers.

The internet stage was raised up simply to preserve such publishing for future engagement.

As we address the departures from Jesus Christ, and the dangers set against the Church, we have a true witness to show how it’s meant to be, Jesus Christ is there leading the Church.

But in warning, I do give my own testimony and witness, in observing the departures in order to raise alarm!

People ask, how do you know this isn’t Jesus Christ? I point back to the witness work done through Herbert W Armstrong and point back to the Head of this Church, back to Jesus Christ leading this Church! So the mouth of two witnesses the thing is establish. My voice alone is worthless. And without someone raising the alarm and seeing the departure, and bringing forth the true witness work, that witness work is locked into 1986- and prior!

So my family has been bringing forth the true witness which was done through Herbert W Armstrong and the church, and raising the alarm with our own witness and testimony!

Now, what happens to the “archives” if the beast system shuts down the internet? It cuts off our ability to bring forward the true witness! We can no longer direct people to the preaching of Herbert Armstrong, and the church, if we can no longer access those archives!

So what would be needed? Assembly at Jerusalem, for now there requires TWO WITNESSES.

This is also about the freedom to assemble as the Worldwide Church of God!

Those of the Body of Christ, the Worldwide Church of God, will go into a place of safety. “Her place”(Rev. 12:14)

No one can stop that assembly.

But right now, the warning to the Laodiceans, is going out through our work. We have been warning of departures, of becoming a “separated church” and from joining “other churches”. We are admonishing brethren and ministry to come back and return and reassemble as the Worldwide Church of God. And boy have we seen opposition!!!!!!!!

I think that opposition will continue until the place of safety. Then the world will know!

Our job with preserving the archives, is not to hold possession of the archives, but to ensure their preservation and to stir up engagement!

In fear of us holding possession, others have fought much harder, and with more money we could ever provide, to keep us from possessing all of the archives. In that attempt, they have made it possible for more people to engage with those archives, and to expand our reach with the warning.

So I feel everything my brothers and I, my family etc, have gone through has been for the good of God’s Church. For the preservation of the witness work, and engagement people have with it.

 

All of you rebellious Laodicean heathens need to repent and return to the one true Worldwide Church of God! 

NOW! 

Get your lamps trimmed, your Petra bags packed, and all of your money ready for that final push and be ready to buy your plane tickets to Jordan where I have been assured by the Jordanian government that they will welcome tens of thousands of COG members flying in from all over the world to take over their prime tourist destination.

Be warned though. The Great Bwana Bob Thiel has laid dibs on the Petra Marriot Presidential Suite for his place of lodging. While you suffer in heat and cold in some dank pissed filled cave, the Great Bwana, the first Witless Witness,  and the Second Witless Witness Samuel will be living in luxury. God is great!

News Article: "END OF DAYS I was a black child in white supremacy cult & dubbed a witch…"

The £60m doomsday scam

"JERALD Walker knew he was different from his mates - because they told him it was weird that he was not allowed to celebrate his birthday or Christmas.

But what his friends and neighbours didn't know is that he was part of a white supremacist doomsday cult.

And what's even stranger is Jerald is black.

His blind parents had been convinced that TV evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong was the new Messiah and that he was going to save them.

They were not alone.

At its height in the 1970s the Worldwide Church of God had over 100,000 members and was pulling in over £60 million in donations from followers.

Armstrong convinced his followers that going to a hospital was a sin, that they shouldn’t listen to pop music and that black people should serve white ones.

According to his teachings, even heaven would be racially segregated.

But when judgement day came the chosen ones, no matter their race, would be taken to a “safe place” where they would be protected from drought, burning skies and pestilence."

"Jerald, 60, went back to college and is now a professor and author, whose latest book is titled Magically Black And Other Essays.

But the terrible damage the church, which has now changed its name and beliefs, did to thousands of members remains.

Jerald, who also wrote The World in Flames: A Black Boyhood in a White Supremacist Doomsday Cult, blames the cult for the death of his older brother Tim. 

Speaking to The Sun, he reveals: “People are still really struggling with the aftermath of being part of this cult as I am myself. 

“It was hard to write about. I hated reliving that past. 

“You find you are that eight-year-old again crying at midnight because you are terrified of the thunder storm that you think may in fact be the skies burning and Christ returning.”"

Read the entire article here: The Sun: U.S.

END OF DAYS: I was a black child in white supremacy cult & dubbed a witch…I spiralled into drugs when £60m doomsday scam was exposed

Apostate Sisters Interview Dawna On How The Church Protected Predators And How She Reclaimed Her Life

 

Life Reclaiming After Cult Survival: Dawna's Harrowing Journey - In this powerful and emotional episode, we sit down with Dawna, a survivor who endured unimaginable hardships within the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). From her childhood being stolen by manipulative cult tactics to fleeing for her life from an abusive partner, Dawna's story is one of resilience and strength. She was even pushed to the brink, planning to kill her own mother to save her from a doomsday that never came. 

Dawna opens up about how the church protected the very predators who groomed and harmed her, leaving her vulnerable to further abuse. But despite these horrors, she has reclaimed her life with incredible courage. This episode shines a light on the most hidden parts of cult survival and the incredible strength it takes to rebuild a life afterward. 

🔍 Key Points: 

• The manipulation tactics that left Dawna vulnerable to abuse. 
• How the WCG protected criminals while ignoring victims. 
• Dawna's journey of reclaiming her life after fleeing for her survival. 
• Join us for this intense and inspiring conversation that underscores the resilience of those who survive cult abuse.

New Interview: Jim Valekis: From Worldwide Church of God to Preaching the True Christ

The Sunk Cost Fallacy and the Church of God

 

Too Much Invested in This

Over the 38 years plus since Herbert Armstrong’s death, many of us have written a number of posts analyzing why folks continue to associate themselves with one of the successors of the now defunct Worldwide Church of God. Why? Because of all of the numerous books, articles, and now podcasts that have been written/produced which have definitively refuted so much of Armstrong’s theology, many of us continue to wonder how anyone could still be supportive of it! Our bewilderment is also augmented by the fact that the history of the movement since Herbert’s death has forced almost universal recognition of the fact that horrendous mistakes were made in the administration of the “church” (even among the membership of ALL of the splinters). Hence, it is reasonable for us to wonder: “What could possibly motivate a person to ignore so much evidence of failure and continue in it?”

I have a friend who joined the Worldwide Church of God as a young man and remained a part of it until the Tkach regime started making their changes. Then he joined one of the splinters and has been faithful to it ever since. Throughout those years, this person had a good job and tithed on his gross income. He faithfully attended weekly Sabbath services, the festivals, and many of the other gatherings and activities organized by the church.

Now, my friend is very intelligent, and he readily acknowledges many of the abuses that existed in the parent organization. He knows that people were hurt and bullied. He acknowledges that the Worldwide Church was poorly governed, and that the organization’s resources were often squandered and used to benefit and enrich folks who did not contribute very much to the church’s teachings or mission. Even so, this intelligent, kind, and sincere individual continues to attend with the splinter he joined and still contributes a significant portion of his income to their “work.”

Yet, when I ask him about his continuing loyalty in the face of what he has witnessed and experienced, he answers that he “still believes in the core teachings” of the church. Now, I know that many of the folks who will read this post have heard that same phrase from their friends and family who remain within the ranks of one of the many splinters who claim to have inherited Armstrong’s mantle. Nevertheless, if we actually got into the weeds of those teachings, I’m sure that just about all of these folks would have a different answer about what constitutes those “core doctrines.” At any rate, however they choose to define the “core doctrines” of Armstrongism, this appears to be one of the most common justifications given for a person’s continued association with one of the Armstrong Churches of God.

Now, I know that what I’m about to say will provoke denials from many quarters, but I really believe that what is really motivating these folks has more to do with protecting their own investment in a choice that most of them made many years ago! In other words, they simply have too much time, energy, resources, self-denial, and familiarity invested in Armstrongism to turn their backs on it now! Think about it. After spending 30, 40, 50, 60, or even 70 years, sacrificing jobs, relationships, various opportunities, and thousands upon thousands of dollars to maintain their association with like-minded folks, to admit failure now would mean acknowledging that they have wasted a good part of their lives. More importantly, it would mean admitting that their original decision to embrace Herbert Armstrong’s teachings and church had been wrong! In short, for many of these folks, acknowledging the failure of Armstrongism would be tantamount to acknowledging their own failure! It is such a part of their story and identity now, that the thought of chucking it poses an existential threat to them. Who would they be without this?

Of course, for many of us who have left Armstrongism behind, we rejoice in whatever time, resources and effort have been saved. For many of us, we feel like we have escaped a sinking ship and have saved ourselves from drowning and certain death. For many of us, we have removed the knife and staunched the bleeding. We have started thinking for ourselves again and employing our time and resources in more promising ventures. Yes, we have had to admit that we were wrong – that we made mistakes – that we made a big error in judgment and have paid a huge price for it. Even so, some of us have also experienced the joy of rediscovering Jesus and having our own personal relationship with the Divine. Moreover, a few of us have even discovered that we wouldn’t be in the good place that we are now without having experienced the delusions, disappointments, and hardships of Armstrongism! So, I would remind those of you who are still a part of that system of the old axiom that it is never too late, and that letting go of your ego and admitting failure doesn’t have to be a dead end!

Lonnie Hendrix/Miller Jones

Respect My Position! I Am Elijah! I Am The Apostle!

 

Lone WCG Man Ready To Gather 7,000 Saints Who Have Not Bowed Their Knees To Baal

For many years now we have been regaled by wild stories from the Great Bwana Bob Thiel about how amazing he is and his so-called church is. There has never been a more miraculous COG in the history of humanity nor has the church ever seen a greater man than what we see in the Great Bwana Bob. No one has been persecuted more than he has and no COG has ever suffered as horribly as his church has.

That all came to a screeching halt when the most persecuted family in the church stepped forward with their horror stories:

Samuel Kitchen writes:

Now Herbert W Armstrong came in the spirit and office of Elijah the prophet. He came to “prepare the way of the Lord” as mentioned in Malachi 3, and 4 explains, and he came to “restore all things” as Jesus Himself said in Matthew 17:11.

If God didn’t send such an individual, He would allow “utter destruction” to curse this earth(Mal. 4:5-6).

In Matthew 24:22, concerning worldwide destruction, Christ says “but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”

So this man has something to do with raising up the elect of God. This single human man is not only important to God, but also those with that man are important to God!!!

The fate of the World depends on them!

The Worldwide Church of God is in 100% agreement and support of everything Mr. Herbert W Armstrong taught!

Where he goes, we go. We do not run, we not retreat, or depart from God’s leadership through one man!

While he was alive was Herbert W Armstrong available to every member of the Church? Could he simultaneously appear in every congregation of the Worldwide Church of God? No!

Now instead of everywhere in 1986 and prior, we have EVERYWHERE 1986- FUTURE!

And while not every member of every congregation received the teachings from the apostle of Christ simultaneously while he was yet alive, members are receiving those teachings, this preaching, as they do through time.

How are we bound to such a work now, when the servant of God died so many years ago? By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit! Without it… WE HAVE NO CONNECTION!!!!! We have no reason to obey it. We have no reason to hold fast to it otherwise! But those of us who have the Holy Spirit dwelling and leading in us, recognize the authority of Jesus Christ, and the work of God being done in the flesh, we forsake everything in surrender to Jesus Christ! Those who have not yet surrendered wholly to Jesus Christ do not understand why we do what we do!!!

They say we ought to join or become another group or church. They think the job started through Herbert W Armstrong is not going to finish, since he died. They think the physical aspect is needed! It is a SPIRITUAL WORK!!!!

And while there may be great distance between people, those with God’s Holy Spirit are on a total different frequency than the rest of this world! The connection will always be made!

So back to 1 Kings 19.

Elijah was fleeing Jezebel because she wanted him dead. His colleges were attacked and the students and teachers were murdered.

He ran a days journey into the wilderness, and here received two meals from an angel of God.

The first meal was to recover from what he was then experiencing!

Think of the 1970’s and “liberal period”.

Jesus Christ through Mr. Armstrong sustained the membership who held fast. Without that spiritual food, many would have STARVED SPIRITUALLY!

The second meal was for the intent of preserving the servant of God for a journey he was going to make! Now from 1981- forward we have received spiritual food, through Mr Armstrong, that is aiding and assisting the membership of the Worldwide Church of God to continue to EXIST for the last 40 years.

Apparently everything that Herb did prior to 1981 was wrong. In 1981, when he supposedly put the church back on track thenthe church was on the right path

For the first time in ourchurch history, the Church of God was organized right in 1981!

Prior to 1981, the Church was organized to a “corporation” pattern. There was a board of directors that could fire Mr Armstrong, but they wouldn’t.

But 1981, Christ through Mr Armstrong put the Church back on the right track, and placed ONE MAN IN CHARGE of EVERYTHING via corporation sole! The government of God was restored to the Worldwide Church of God. And the work, the congregations etc got organized rightly under Mr Armstrong.

This was done in the state of Arizona.

Then, forty years later, prophecy came alive and intense persecution started on the one true COG family: 

Forty years later, was the year 2021.

My family was living in Arizona.

We had been fighting for the right to exist as the Worldwide Church of God.

We had a window washing business, and we had been fighting with a conglomerate of other industry leaders, who used to be in the Worldwide Church of God! They got together and wanted us to be ran out of town. One man stood up for us and wanted to include us with the “network” because he figured they all would do better with us than against us.

So we fought underhanded, dirty, thieving tactics, with people pretending to be our company in order to disauade customers from using our services. We had our home taken from us. We were burglarized. We had death threats. We had federal locks on our post office boxes, that had to be removed, we had a lot of “shady” things happen to us, because we were online sharing what we was finding about the Worldwide Church of God and Herbert W Armstrong.

Through us, interest was expanded and explored. We had people come out of their churches in disagreement with us, trying to out do us in making these truths available. They thought they were better than us.

So through persecution we ended up in Arizona.

And there in Arizona, my family was killed.

A man who claimed to work for the cia, wanted my dad one day saying it was coming. He wanted us to know it was nothing personal, it was just orders. He had to protect his own family, he said.

That may have sounded like words of madman, but when a grandmother is murdered in the hospital, and your mom dies mysteriously and then your dad dies mysteriously, that warning had more weight. We didn’t take the warning lightly. We trusted God. And it just so happens that my dad died in 2021, at the closure of what began in 1981 with the corporation sole.

From that point forward I’ve been focusing on raising the alarms to brethren, and to continue to show the Worldwide Church of God does still exist.

Now I’ve personally come across some people who has tried to destroy myself and this Church! They have tried to put brother against brother, in order to destroy what is held in trust!

The last man standing! Even wimpy beta heretic Bwana Bob cannot measure up to this! 

Now because of this division someone else has started, the threat of some dissident sweeping in to take legal control of the name of the Worldwide Church of God has come.

And with family gone, I’ve been told I am the last one standing!

In 1983, the paperwork of the corporation sole in Arizona went dark.

In 1984 Mr Armstrong returned to Pasadena, and was preparing spiritual food for all of us these last forty years.

If Elijah received food to survive the attack from the state government, first, then the second time was meant for 1983-forward to our time, after the receivership, meant for a LONG JOURNEY! Jezebel destroyed the parts of the Elijah Work she could get her hands on!

You see how the spirit of Jezebel works?

And so forty years later, the Elijah Work still exists and we who have God’s Holy Spirit are connected with that work!

And when I read Elijah’s words in 1 Kings 19:10,14, I am moved emotionally. Because out of my personally family, I am alone for now. We’ve been struck by the enemy, and he seeks our destruction!

Now Mr Armstrong said there will BE NO ELISHA TO FOLLOW HIM! I agree.

In 1 Kings 19, it is a prophecy concerning the end of the Elijah Work.

Our work will end, with the rise of the final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire, a combine of ten toes, or ten nations or groups of nations in Europe, calling themselves “the United States of Europe”!

But no, as some mock me, the servant of God did not “go back to Egypt” when he travelled to Mt. Sinai. He was looking for the next instructions from the God of Heaven.

And we too, need to look to God and Jesus Christ as our savior and Head! We are connected to the Elijah work if we have God’s Holy Spirit! And we only will have God’s Holy Spirit if we surrender to Jesus Christ and wholly obey Him!

Some are saying they are the 7,000 prepared who have not bowed their knees to Baal. When the two witnesses stand up, they will be ready to add to our membership! There won’t be “another church” competing. We either will be together as the true church or we won’t be.

As for this legal sweep to grab for legal power over trademark. Merchants fight over that. And our God will destroy the merchants of this earth and avenge our people. A whore is going to be a whore. So a Jezebel will act like a Jezebel.

The book of Obadiah speaks on these things. God be praised!

There is one lasting sad legacy of Armstrogism, and that is that it helped create a lot of mentally unstable people! Hundreds of Elijahs have self-appointed themselves over the decades. Prophets and prophetesses regularly visited Pasadena with their prophetic messages. Some pretested with large signs parading up and down the street in front of the Hall of Ad as others tried their best to draw away church members.

I can state with absolute confidence that no one is going to follow Samuel. The few that did previously have all abandoned him after his epic failure at the Feast in Israel/Jordan.

Others, like Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, Ron Weinland, and Bob Thiel, attempted to start their own groups,  supposedly with God's official blessing, which now have turned out to be miserable failures.

Even the mother, GCI is facing difficulties. Are we finally witnessing the end of Armstrongism?

Amy Sherald, Former WCG Member Who Painted The Michelle Obama Portrait

 

Sherald painted this now-famous painting of Michelle Obama 

that hangs in the 

National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian.

"Sherald became famous after her portrait of the former first lady, Michelle Obama, was unveiled in 2018. Attention grew with Sherald’s portrait of Breonna Taylor, the Black medical worker who was killed in 2020 by police in Louisville, Ky., during a raid on her home. It remains one of the best known pictures of protest and resilience to come out of the Black Lives Matter movement."

"Born in Columbus, Ga., Sherald was brought up in a religious family. Her father, a dentist and a trumpeter, had them join the fundamentalist Worldwide Church of God; the Sheralds were its only Black members, she recalled. They celebrated the Sabbath on Friday night and Saturday; honored Old Testament holy days, including Passover, during which they ate matzoh; and dispensed with Christmas and Easter, as well as birthdays and Halloween. All-white, too, was the Catholic school Amy attended from kindergarten through high school.

She knew from second grade that she wanted to be an artist, and that it would involve hard work. She also would have to sort out a rather complicated identity. Her maternal great-grandfather, she explained, was a German Jew named William. “The story we have is that he was a tailor,” Sherald said, and that “my great-grandmother married a Black man, but she did have these two children with William.” When Sherald entered Clark Atlanta, a historically Black university, she left the church and did not return."

Full article here: Amy Sherald, Brazen Optimist

GCI: New Issues Arise Causing Restructuring Of The Church

 

Things are not as rosy as they used to be in GCI as men are retiring, and no one is available to replace them, leading to "incredibly challenging and painful decisions and even more difficult conversations with our pastors and facilitators."

GCI in the United States has been undergoing major restructuring throughout 2023 and 2024. These changes have occurred for several reasons. The main reason is a shortage of pastors and key leaders to replace our ranks. For the past 12 years, our regional system has served us well. We started with six regions. With the retirement of Ted Johnston, it went to five regions. In January 2024, Anthony Mullins left the role of Southeast regional director (RD) to plant a GCI congregation in Durham, North Carolina. Then in January 2025, Rick Shallenberger, North Central RD, and Tim Sitterley, Western RD, will both be retiring. This means Dr. Jeff Broadnax, Pam Morgan, and I will be sharing the responsibilities of overseeing the United States. I also have the responsibility of overseeing the Canadian and the Caribbean regions. We hope you can understand that we clearly needed to make some changes to manage this vast area with fewer people. 

 

One option was to move our more experienced pastors from their current congregations to the role of RD, but this would put these large, healthy congregations at risk. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is never a good strategy for growth nor sustainable health. So, the Holy Spirit has been leading us to think differently and guiding us to implement a new strategy. However, this new strategy has required incredibly challenging and painful decisions and even more difficult conversations with our pastors and facilitators.

Many of their smaller churches and Zoom groups will no longer have a "charter" or support from HQ.

We changed our chartering guidelines in 2023 and revised them in 2024. Groups who meet via Zoom but do not meet face-to-face weekly, no longer have a charter. We also are transitioning groups of less than ten in weekly face-to-face attendance to closed status, and they will no longer have a charter. Of course, most will continue to gather and fellowship as small groups as they are able, but it is not wise stewardship of limited resources for the denomination to continue to insure them nor support their charter. None of these decisions has been easy for the facilitators, members, RDs, or the home office staff. We all grieve and lament with those our decisions have affected. I have struggled with bouts of depression due to these transitions and closures. This is, however, necessary if we are to oversee and properly lead our groups who have a weekly attendance of more than ten people.

Apparently income is also down.

The members and leaders affected by the restructuring are our brothers and sisters, our fathers and mothers, and our grandmothers and grandfathers, and we love and appreciate them very much! And it is also true that we cannot continue to provide support for the number of groups we previously supported and still provide training and the necessary accountability to help turn the corner to be a growing and thriving denomination. We do not want to leave anyone behind, so we have created the Home Church US. Pam Morgan has written an article to help explain what this is and how it works. Read it here.

I want to remind us that the “church” is not buildings or specific meetings — it is the people. Along with all Christians around the world, it is you and I, together, who make up the church, the body of Christ, the bride of Jesus. No one can remove you from God’s church. It is a covenantal relationship we each have with our God, as Father, Son, and Spirit, because of what Jesus did on our behalf. We belong to him, and no one can snatch us out of his hand. (John 10:28-29) Remember, he will never leave us nor forsake us! (Deuteronomy 31:6)

They remind members that all churches have a life cycle and most die off. Well, that pretty much describes the Worldwide Church of God and Armstrongism!

I also want to remind us that everything living has a life cycle and that includes congregations and fellowship groups. The apostle Paul planted congregations, yet they no longer exist today. Did Paul fail? Did those congregations fail? No, we are all here, in part, because of the work the Holy Spirit did through Paul and those congregations. Jesus tells us that he will build his church and even the gates of hell and death will not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18) Jesus never said a congregation or group of people will always exist in their current form until he returns.

I thank each one of you and am grateful for your love for God, love for his children, and your years (and even decades) of support and prayers. I apologize to those hurt by these transitions. To cause hurt has never been our intent, nor what is in our hearts. Like me, I know you love this denomination and want to see it thrive. I covet your continued prayers for God’s provisions and direction, as we try our best to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Love you all!

Mike Rasmussen, Superintendent of North America & the Caribbean

Why Do They Stay?: Ten Reasons Why People Fail to Leave a Toxic Church and, in this case, David C Pack

 

That has always become the question with Apostle/Elijah to come/Joshua the High Priest/Messenger of the Covenant/ and over all Jesus incarnate to come, David C Pack and his Restored Church of God. 

https://www.readingremy.com/blog/ten-reasons-why-people-fail-to-leave-a-toxic-church

Ten Reasons Why People Fail to Leave A Toxic Church:

1. You don’t want to be accused of being rebellious. 

Spiritually abusive leaders make you feel like disagreeing with them is equal to questioning God. And we all know that bad things happen to people who question God, right? At least that’s what they want you to think. You don’t want to be labeled a rebel, or having a “rebellious spirit.” 

2. You are full of self-doubt. 

Abusive leaders make you feel like YOU are the problem. They say things like,

 “The reason you disagree with me is because you aren’t as spiritually mature as I am. You need to trust my leadership and submit to my authority like the Bible tells you to do.” 

They flip the discussion upside down and before you know it, you are asking for their forgiveness when it should be the other way around.

3. You fear losing your circle of friends. 

Sometimes we tolerate an unhealthy community simply because that’s where our friends and family are. The peer pressure to stay can be overwhelming. 

When given the choice of speaking the truth and losing your community, or staying quiet but keeping your community, the community often wins out.

4. You don’t want to lose your equity investment. 

What I mean is that you’ve invested so much time and energy into your church through the years that you don’t want to lose that investment. It feels like wasted time. 

So you stay a little longer, hoping it will eventually work.  

5. You like to be liked and needed. 

A legalistic system can be very rewarding. You might feed off of the praise you get for performing well. Or maybe you simply can’t handle the thought of people not liking you if you leave the community. Your low self-worth and need to please keep you trapped. 

6. You fear being wrong and losing your salvation. 

You might think that your group is spiritually off track and even abusive, but what if you're wrong? You fear that YOU might be the problem like they say you are. You’re not sure it’s worth the risk. This self-doubt causes you to do nothing about your concerns. 

7. You fear exposure, humiliation, and physical harm. 

You know that, if you leave, members of the congregation will trash your name and reputation. Sometimes even worse. You’ve seen it happen to others who left, and you don’t want it to happen to you.  

8. You fear not making it on your own.

Even though you know your spiritual leaders are wrong, you fear falling away from God without their strong input into your life. You’re not sure you can make it on your own. 

9. You lack boundaries. 

Maybe you were raised to believe that people had the right to impose their thoughts, beliefs, and will upon you. You don’t feel like it’s your right to question others or resist their power. You're used to being violated in this way. You feel powerless, and so you let the abuse continue. 

And the final reason you might not confront abusive leaders or leave an abusive church is because…

10. You believe God met you in that church.

There was a moment or moments when you KNOW that God showed up in a sermon, the music, a prayer, or a counseling session. This is strong proof to you that God is in your church and/or leadership. So how can you leave? The leaders will even remind you of this.

I don’t doubt that you may have had a God moment in an abusive church, but don’t take that as a justification to stay. Rather, see it as God’s grace and goodness showing up in the middle of abuse. He wanted to show you that he loves you and he’s with you. But that doesn’t mean that you should stay. It doesn’t excuse the abuse.

Please Do Something

If you see yourself in any of these ten reasons, just realize that you are not alone. These are common reasons why people stay in toxic churches and abusive relationships. My hope in pointing out these reasons is that you’ll find the courage to fight against your natural tendency to stay and be quiet. 

I want to encourage you to DO something. 

FYI… I created two videos that cover this topic. I posted them below.

If you’d like to learn more about how to recover from a spiritually abusive church be sure to check out my book Broken Trust. A recent reader said this about the book, 

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has experienced any type of spiritual abuse or church hurt. The book is excellent from beginning to end …Broken Trust deals with all of the issues along with solutions on how to go through the healing process. You can read almost 200 reviews on Amazon.com

You can read over 200 reviews of Broken Trust on Amazon.com, available on Kindle, paperback and audiobook.