An anonymous LCG source sent the following regarding Living Church of God's recent push to get vetted members to put the church in their wills.
Some months ago the area pastors and local elders were talking about and promoting leaving your estate to the church, and they were sending out a pdf file (attached to this email), it is a booklet with instructions on how to put LCG in your will and encourages people to do so. It is not available on the LCG website. I have heard a great amount of LCG income comes from estates.
It is only given to members or people they have vetted. When I read it I was somewhat horrified honestly, by how they encourage elderly people who are some of the most vulnerable amongst us to leave all their money to the church, they even say in the booklet how this sets a good example to family.
They "encourage" elderly members to leave all their possessions to the church in their will, or better yet, while they are still alive, why wait to die, give them your money now! What's the point of having savings during retirement anyway... as page 10 says "An unrestricted, lump-sum gift during your lifetime is often the easiest and most efficient way to meet your charitable goals. Also, this allows your resources to be put to use immediately to achieve your goals and the Church’s mission"
Read on page 6 . "Church congregants who are not officers, employees, managers, agents or official representatives of the Church may serve as executors." I know firsthand of an elderly couple that has left church members in charge of their estate and given them power of attorney over them, the local elders encouraged this.
Note also on page 8 how they are sure to encourage you to not add any restriction of use of the money, so they have full liberty to use it as they wish. " An unrestricted bequest is the most helpful and permits the Church or its institutions to use your gift where the need is greatest. This flexibility allows the Church to respond to changing needs as they arise.
Example: “…to be used for the benefit of the Living Church of God as it determines.”On page 11 they even suggest you add them as a beneficiary to your life insurance policy! "You can also designate the Church as a partial or full beneficiary of a life insurance policy"
If you read through the PDF I attached you will find the statements above and much more.
If this weren't bad enough, I know so many seniors in LCG who are already in financially vulnerable positions and even on government assistance and are told on high days to "not come before the Lord empty handed", they go through so much hardship just to be able to give offering and attend the Feast. They claim 3rd tithe helps those who cannot afford to attend the Feast, yet I have seen so many denied Feast assistance because "they didn't put forward enough effort on their own to accumulate 2nd tithe", I have yet to meet someone who has received Feast assistance. Then they go on to say how it is appropriate to use 3rd tithe to pay for hall and "the levites" (aka the ministers), which is where I imagine all this 3rd tithe goes to.
Thank you for the work you put into your website and for exposing these organizations for what they truly are. I hold hope that many more will come to understand what I have understood, that they are living a lie.
Regards,
Anonymous