How Many Living Church of God Ministers Does It Take?

The Charlotte Ministerial Elite

Guest article:

It looks like LCG is preparing for the death of Rod Meredith by amassing ministers in Charlotte at LCG headquarters. What better way to ensure that ministers will ally with you in a split than to bestow upon them the honor of being brought to headquarters? It feeds their egos and makes them feel special and extra worthy. It is likely that the thought is that by keeping them close, they will retain them instead of losing them to other ACOG’s in the turmoil of the imminent LCG split after Meredith kicks the bucket. Although Meredith has recently named Ames or even Gerald Weston as his heirs to the LCG throne, most in LCG speculate that the split will be Jim Meredith vs Doug Winnail. I like to imagine the battle being like that episode of Star Trek where Kirk and Spock are forced to fight each other on Vulcan. Jim Meredith is impulsive, overly-confident and short-sighted but he carries the Meredith name. Winnail is slow to act but cunning and calculated. Oh the suspense!

At present there are somewhere between 115-125 ministers in the entire Living Church of God (which ironically is dying).  At last count there were nearly 20 ministers in Charlotte alone. It is rare for them to preach on the Sabbath (we are primarily subjected to one of 3 sermons Mr. Meredith repeats over and over again, hearing from anyone else is rare). Rod McNair and Mike Desimone are officially the pastors of the Charlotte congregation if anyone needs anointed or wants marriage counseling or whatever but most would rather suffer than call McNair and Desimone is still wet behind the ears. 

There is no real explanation as to why so many ministers would be in Charlotte when those left in the field are spread so thinly. It is frustrating because there are so many members out there, who never or very rarely get to see a minister; who are dedicated to a church that would rather keep bringing ministers to headquarters and inventing jobs and fancy titles instead of using them to feed the flock. It would make more sense to hire trained professionals to fill these positions than to take ministers from the field. It seems kind of backwards.  One would think that the ministers would, in fact, miss ministering if that is where their hearts truly were. Unfortunately and predictably, they get to headquarters and enjoy having a title, being part of the upper echelon and having their butts kissed because “they are from headquarters”.  Forget those long hours driving to meet remote members or to meet potential new converts. Forget all that grueling work counseling and anointing members, visiting the sick, helping the poor, etc. 

Sadly, coming to work at LCG headquarters always leads to a huge let down as they learn how much backbiting and politicking goes on. They soon realize that “God’s true work” isn’t really that Godly and that men who they always looked up to are frightfully carnal with enormous egos that demand to be fed daily. But hey, you still get a free company car and a free gas card even though you only have to drive 4.3 miles to get to work every day so it eases the pain just a little.

The following LCG ministers are already suckling from the Meredith power tit here in Charlotte:

• Rod Meredith
• Jim Meredith
• Richard Ames
• Doug Winnail
• Dexer Wakefield
• Rod McNair
• Scott Winnail
• Peter Nathan
• Mario Hernandez
• Wally Smith
• Gary Ehman
•  Gaylyn Bonjour
•  Wyatt Cesielka
• Dr. Germano
• John Robinson
• Mike Desimone
• Don Davis (was a minister but has his power stripped a few years back and has slowly been getting more and more responsibility again)
•  Charles Ogwyn (no longer works in the headquarters building but still attends the Charlotte congregation

Rod Meredith speaks out AGAIN on how disunified the LCG truly is.

 Double click to enlarge

The Living Church of God has had a lot of issues with "unity" over the last couple of years.  As Rod Meredith draws closer to death, that grumbling underground is starting to quake the church.  Many are upset over the watering down of doctrines, others claim the church is too legalistic and tries to control members lives, others are upset over the nepotism that runs rampant in the LCG HQ staff and with Lil'Jimmy hovering in the wings. Financial abuse and wasteful spending is draining the LCG coffers day by day.  Disunity is the name of the game now.

That disunity has been so bad over the last couple of years that there is an incessant supply of articles, sermons and letters decrying the grumbling that is spreading through the membership.

Rod Meredith is back again with ANOTHER letter commanding unity.  He claims Satan is out to destroy the LCG and that the membership needs to throw their support behind Richard Ames if Meredith dies.

Anytime a Church of God leader or minister starts bragging on how good some things in the church, it is a sure sign that things are in BAD shape!  Also, because of the continuing unease in the LCG over Lil'Jimmy possible taking the reigns after daddy's death, Meredith lays out the power structure he has set in place in case of his death.

So we have a great deal of unity. The vast majority of our ministers and members all “speak the same thing.” And we are overwhelmingly involved in “giving ourselves” to “do the Work”! Brethren, I am extremely grateful to report to you in the name of Christ that we do have a greater sense of unity and harmony in this present Work than at any other time I can remember in the 63 years of my full-time service!

Most of you know that the man appointed to be my successor, Mr. Richard Ames, is extremely dedicated, balanced and loyal. I hope all of you will support him with all your heart unless he turns totally away from God as some men in recent years have done. However, those who turned aside a number of years ago had not been “tried and tested” in the way that Mr. Ames has. So I have every confidence that—although Satan will attack us and try to divide us and upset us in other ways—it will undoubtedly not be because Mr. Ames turns aside. So I ask you to give him every support and heartfelt prayers to continue on faithfully as you have done with me. Thank you!

Also, if anything should happen to Mr. Ames, another of the most experienced and dedicated leaders in the Work at this time is Mr. Gerald Weston, who has already been acknowledged by the Council of Elders to carry on in Mr. Ames’ place, if necessary, as Presiding Evangelist of the Living Church of God. Mr. Weston, also, has been tried and tested in many different ways. He has served faithfully throughout the United States, across Canada, and soon will be serving full-time in Britain, Europe and the Middle East. Do give him your support and your fervent prayers!

Meredith goes onto discuss "loyalty."

Lucifer was not loyal to His Creator. We must not be like that.

...we must do what we can to continue the wonderful spirit of unity, brotherly love and service 

...focus on doing with faithfulness that which is our own part—sincerely trying to support those who may have, at this time, a higher “rank” in the Work of God.

Only the "higher rank" men are the ones qualified to lead the church.  The dumb uneducated sheeple that have not been tested by the fires of Satan are not qualified to to lead anything.   Poor Lil'Jimmy, perhaps he can go and work for Bob Thiel since he and he alone is now doing the only "work" that is worthwhile on the entire earth.

Gerald Flurry: God Lovingly Punished the People of Nepal for their Sins

Another major disaster happened recently with the earthquake in Nepal that killed thousands.  As usual, the Armstrongite cult leaders start spouting their ridiculous nonsense on what it happened.

Gerald's god is a god that punishes.  He likes that god.  It validates the legalistic doctrines he forces upon his members.

Here is what Gerald Flurry says:

Because creation came from a Creator, it follows that environmental disasters have a spiritual dimension. Thankfully, the someone who created our planet and created us reveals Himself to human beings. He is God.

But a God who lovingly made creation would never allow humans to suffer. That is a false argument, based not on God’s actual nature, but on our own ideas.

God punishes. We can see that in the Bible, and we can see that in the news. Why? Because we sin. We sin so much that if God doesn’t intervene, we will drown in it. We are on our way to violently deleting ourselves from this planet, no environmental disasters needed.

So God uses something no human being can control to communicate with us: our environment. We just need to get the message: If your entire world is shaking, something is wrong.
 
When earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, mudslides, tornados and fires strike, does that mean God is lashing out at us in retaliation? No. It is God’s loving correction for those who will recognize it. Does it mean that the people who die as buildings collapse on them are extra-sinful people? Jesus Christ Himself answered this exact question. He said that those who die in such disasters are a warning to the rest of us that unless we repent, we will likewise perish.