God has a sense of humor and is a fan of irony. David C. Pack gave this message as a “jolt” for the brethren, but the letter he will read was a “jolt” for him. Part 430 is reactionary. The men at Headquarters have experienced Dave flying off the handle because a comment or question “jolted” him.
In this particular case, the entire church gets to partake.
Many facts about the state of The Restored Church of God come to light in this letter. Readers of this blog will find the themes familiar. The field minister and Dave both said more than they probably intended.
1) The field minister wrote Headquarters multiple times over two years but got either no or inadequate Church Administration support.
2) This is a church-wide issue not isolated to a single congregation.
3) More than 10%-20% of RCG are doing this.
Some of the filler comments have been removed. The letter content is in italics.
Part 430 – March 18, 2023
@ 10:59 Now here's a long letter that starts out wonderfully but does not end that way. And it's from one of our ministers, a very faithful minister…It's really a wonderful letter, and I'm so deeply thankful that he sent it. And he writes one of our ministers at Headquarters, “I thought to just quickly express gratitude and appreciation for the prophecy sermon you gave last week.” So, it was written to Mr. Habboush.
@ 11:28 “I already know it has helped many brethren understand things better and easier, especially new folks. Many have forgotten some of the new truths and new elements we learned over the last seven years. And many new brethren have never heard some of the things you explained.”
@ 11:51 And here's where the email gets to be tough to hear. And I hope it deeply sobers every person in the room. “I had four members in a PM tell me just last week how confused they are about prophecy. I directly asked brethren if they were keeping up and understanding what is being taught in the Series. Their frank responses are sometimes sobering. Many brethren are excited about the Series. But I would not be surprised if at least 10 to 20 percent of brethren in my area are confused to the point where they do not even listen to the Series anymore.They just blow it off.” Astounding. And then he talks about a recent trip to a place that he visited, and that confirmed it.
@ 13:26 I very much appreciate this letter. “The reasons they are confused may be many, but I think there are three common issues. Number One: They don't have literature and reference points they access to review, which outline the basic elements of prophecy. Think of all the charts and booklets we had to explain the Big T.” You know, the Millennium and the Seven Seals we thought preceded it. “And when I was a new member, I thought it was rather complex. Many changes in our understanding is Number Two. This caused many to stop taking notes to prevent the current understanding to get ingrained into their thinking because it will change again.”So they just stop taking notes.
When Dave spends three hours selling his latest impossible-to-argue-with prophetic construct one day and argues against himself within 48 hours, how is it not reasonable, natural, and rational to expect listeners to lose interest after seven years and 430 Parts?
Only a willfully blind, unthinking drone would strive to remember what Dave says each time. RCG members have been trained to know each Part is a brief biblical flash in the pan. How valuable are those Purim notes today? To even the All-Believing Zealots?
This does not describe a group of rebels, and this did not start at Part 5. As of March 2023, we are at Part 430. The brethren of The Restored Church of God have books of notes going back ten years that are of no value today. Zero value.
They SHOULD stop taking notes.
While at Headquarters, I changed the kinds of notes I was taking. Instead of trying to understand Dave, I began to note his goofy, stupid comments. I noted when he mentioned he was Elijah and where Elijah was in the Bible. I noted each time he praised himself. I noted each time how “inarguable” this new thing was. I noted when his piss-poor reading comprehension would butcher a verse and when the translators tied his shoelaces together.
This made sitting in that Main Hall Meat Locker somewhat tolerable. I was still taking notes, but nobody knew what KIND of notes I wrote.
@ 14:14 “Some have even said that it helped them.” Not taking notes anymore. Depends on how you mean that. They could listen better, or they could just tune it out better. I don't know, maybe both. "The effect is that when an easy part or basic truth is explained, unrelated to prophecy, they don't take notes, causing the understanding to slip easier. New brethren have zero background and have to,” so this is Number Three. “You have to sorta just figure out how to learn on the fly unless someone takes several hours to bring them up to speed. And in this context, I think sometimes the sermons come so thick and fast that it sometimes just goes over the head of not only new brethren, but also some existing members.”
I feel for the new people today. A U-turn would be a blessing for them.
I would never have left California if I had heard this in 2012. But even if the Series were at Part 420 back then, I would not have known it.
This is the deceitful bait-and-switch nature of The Restored Church of God. None of this “current understanding" is in the literature, website, or World to Come videos. People do not discover “what Mr. Pack really teaches” until they sit down in the room.
Dave’s god is perfectly comfortable tricking people to get fresh bodies through the door. As long as that “first love” money still keeps rolling in, why change the system?
@ 15:21 “Now, I referred all brethren to the ‘How God's Kingdom Will Come—Not What You Think!’ World to Come video to help them solidify the different comings of Christ. I have and will refer them to your recent sermon if they've not studied it yet. If you know of other material we can refer them to, please let me know. I've mentioned this to the Headquarters Ministry in the past, but I find brethren who struggle with the Series difficult to pastor. Several refuse to talk about the Series and will even walk away from a conversation or fellowship containing it.” Astonishing. But there are such people.
This happens at Headquarters and has for a while.
The people that walk away have a firm grasp on reality. They rightly avoid the wide-eyed All-Believing Zealots who get ramped up after every part as if it was the first time. A rational person would NOT want to be talking to those Blind Faith Zombies who get excited about Monday. But, then, Monday fails. So, they get excited about Tuesday. Tuesday fails. They get excited about Wednesday. Wednesday fails.
The failures never end. Their excitement never ends. That is the most visibly "culty" behavior in RCG. The false prophecy cordyceps have infected their brains, and there may be no cure.
@ 16:25 “I started to mention the issues in pastorate reports from more than two years ago, and sometimes I feel like it's getting worse. Sometimes not.”
Dave and his ever-changing theories are what have gotten worse, not the brethren. The 400s are a clear acceleration of desperation and incoherency. Instability has never been so prevalent inside RCG, and the brethren are reacting to it.
@ 16:35 “We all have found some elements of the Series hard to follow, too. But I never want to give brethren the impression that I am in any way undermining the Series or our father in the gospel. Yet at the same time, I fully appreciate the obligation I have towards the sheep God has put in my care. I just try my best to communicate what I see on the ground back to Headquarters. It's been a challenging task to keep many of the sheep glued to it and excited. It remains awkward to balance. If Friday comes and goes,” Well, it did, fortunately. And it went. It came and went, and I get to give this sermon. “I look forward to exploring (rather urgently) ways to help those who are not actively following the Series anymore. Any ideas will be welcomed. Recently, I mentioned to the Headquarters Ministry how I may want to give a sermon on the Series one day. Maybe two parts just to help their understanding of basic elements. The three iterations, the Seventh and Eighth Head, timing of resurrections, et cetera. You already covered several parts of it. Thanks again.” And how I love reading the last part of that. That's a proactive pastor.
I recommend this field minister holds off on putting his sermon notes together until after this weekend. As of Thursday, Dave will have to burn the last two months to the ground and start over on top of the ashes. The next focus will be on Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Again.
That letter was the catalyst for Part 430.
@ 18:11 My last sermon was always intended by God to keep RCG and its individual houses intact so the church would not be broken up.
@ 18:36 Because this minister cannot possibly be the only one experiencing this.
This long-reported result of the Series is getting so visible they were forced to address it. Like when Dave finally admitted after six months that RCG paid a half-million dollars for a new house connected to the Campus.
My great hope is that Part 430, combined with the Abib 1, will create a “call to action” for the brethren of The Restored Church of God. By Friday morning, more people will be seriously considering their ways.
The letter jolted Dave, and he jolted the brethren. Let God's will in this matter be done in all haste.
