Restored Church of God Open House Edition 2: Another Train Wreck In The Making.

 

Un-UnOpen House

 

Prophecy hobbyist David C. Pack has gone quiet since his complete failure on Pentecost last week. It is nice to know there are still some things in this world that are capable of shutting him up. At least momentarily.

 

The members of The Restored Church of God have been refreshing their email inboxes all week, waiting to hear what the heck they are supposed to do now since the Kingdom of God did not arrive as scheduled.

 

The 3.5-2-14-6.5-3.5-1-7-1K Kingdom structure of Part 444 was changed into the simpler and way more accurate 18-2-6.5-3.5-1-7-1K during Part 445. Surely, the Mystery of God ended because Daniel was unsealed.

Reality proved both of those were wrong.

 

No matter how large the printout gets with the “complete picture,” it is destined to crumble with the passage of time. This usually occurs before the deadline approaches. Grandpa Dave sure loves his caveats.

 

But have no fear because relief is on the way. Part 446 is scheduled for today.

 

Thursday, June 1, 2023

 

Dear brethren, 

 

Please note Mr. Pack plans to speak this coming Sabbath, June 3 to lay out more details. We are right on track!

 

The start time for the sermon will be forthcoming. Keep an eye on your inbox for any upcoming communication. 

 

Enjoy the rest of the day!

 

Warm regards,

 

Church Administration

 

We’re right on track, dummies. Wow. Lying is like breathing to the hirelings at Headquarters now.

 

“More details” is code for a brand new picture since Pentecost gave Dave a shiner.

 

Keep in mind that Tammuz 1 is June 20. The Ministerial Conference is one day shorter than usual, from Sunday, June 11 to Thursday, June 15. We all must wait and see what new nonsense the Packian Triad of Fraud dreamt up. The longer Dave is quiet, the more significant the "understanding" shift is and the more verses he has to support his revised fantasy.

 

 

In a bold move, Pseudo Evangelist Bradford G. Schleifer waded into the shark-infested waters of social media this week by announcing a 2023 Restored Church of God Open House taking place on June 25. It was posted on RCG’s main Facebook feed and the two private Wadsworth Neighbors groups.

 

Last year's lukewarm attempt was available only to RCG vendors and The Wadsworth Chamber of Commerce members [excluding Dawn Blue and me]. Over 1300 people were invited, and "a good hundred" attended. Whether that is a successful turnout is open to interpretation.

 

An article last September covered this in detail. In a WCTV interview, Dawn Blue of How It’s Done TV and I discussed our experience with being disinvited covertly a few hours before the event started.

 

Some in RCG are learning from past mistakes. The 2023 iteration is an Un-UnOpen House, as they are now inviting the local residents of Wadsworth to attend. To reserve your tickets, you can click HERE.

Brad posted this with his personal account because only someone of his high church rank can appropriately navigate the minefield of comments. Exceptional circumstances require superior discernment and wisdom. So much for Dr. Timothy D. Ranney being responsible for Public Relations. It must have felt like the keys to the car being taken away just before Prom Night.

 

 

Oh. And then there are the comments. It is not pretty.

 

As of writing this article, there are 3 hidden comments on the RCG main Facebook feed, 156 in Wadsworth Neighbors(19K members) and 62 in Wadsworth Neighbors #2 no rules (2.9K members).

 

Good luck trying to find anyone who is writing something supportive. Some acknowledged that RCG was opening its doors and that people should learn for themselves what they are about. Others thought that was a terrible idea.

To Brad’s credit, he did not delete the comments Dawn Blue and I made. From a Damage Control perspective, that probably would not have sat well with the residents in those groups.

 

Will RCG opt for armed security guards again this year, or wing it and leave the protection up to the angels? We will find out in a few weeks.

 

For anyone interested in joining Dawn Blue and me for an Across The Street Watch Party on June 25, please contact exrcgwebsite@gmail.com. Snacks and drinks will be coordinated after we get a headcount.

 

Marc Cebrian

See: Un-UnOpen House

The Sourpuss Church of God

 

I was reading yesterday about the recent death of John Rittenbaugh, founder of the Church of the Great God splinter group. Browsing through their website I noticed the following article,  Is God Playful? by Mike Fuhrer. To many in Armstrongism, particularly those with a literalist belief in the Bible and God, finding humor in Scripture is anathema to God's majesty and power. How dare anyone find something funny in the Bible! Just look at Song of Soloman, it's a gigglefest of sexual innuendo from start to finish, but I digress.

After spending over 30 years in Pasadena, far too many there were such dour sourpusses. Nothing ever made them happy and they seemed to make every effort to make all those around them miserable too! Thankfully there were lots of happy people to counteract those grumpy people who later left to start many of the splinter groups we have torturing people today.

Fuhrer writes:

At a previous church of God fellowship, while standing around after services, eating cookies, and drinking coffee, I told a joke. One man listening to my joke later cautioned me that we should not tell jokes "because they are not the truth." I have pondered his statement for quite some time now. 

 

Does everything we say or do have to be "truthful"? By that, I mean, is fiction in any form—even in the service of good—forbidden to us? Certainly, we should not break the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20), which covers intentionally speaking falsehoods to deceive as well as committing perjury. Nor should we step over the line into harmful practical jokes (Proverbs 26:18-19). But are there times when something fictional, made-up, lighthearted, or playful could be okay for a Christian to say or do?

It was always a trip to watch ministers in Pasadena get infuriated by students joking around and being playful. How dare they! They were at God's West Point and needed to act like it!

Fuhrer continues:

We cannot go too far astray if we allow Jesus Christ to be our Example in this area of life as in all others. Does Jesus have a sense of humor? The clues all point to the answer that He does! The Bible tells us He is the Creator (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2), and as such, He created humans and their laughter too. Eight billion people, each with a unique sense of humor, tend to support the idea that their Creator has a sense of humor too. 

 

The name of one of the patriarchs, Isaac, means "laughter." And his mother, Sarah, who was in her nineties when God told her she would have a child, laughed (Genesis 18:12). Perhaps God exercised His sense of humor, a grin on His face, when He named her son "Laughter."

Don't forget the talking jackass! No, I'm not talking about Dave Pack, but Balaam's ass.

Our Savior was not above having a little fun with the disciples, either. In John 21, the disciples, having been skunked after fishing all night long, saw Jesus standing on the shore. He casually asked them the question every fisherman has been asked: "Catch anything?" Are we to believe that He did not know? Of course, He knew! He is the One who set up the situation!

Another thing that infuriated the dour ministers and members was people who told stories that were totally fictional. They claimed this was lying. Yet, the Bible is filled with hundreds of parables that were made up of stories. Totally fictional and yet told a truth.

How dreadful our lives would be without at least a little playfulness and laughter! If we cannot tell jokes because they are not strictly "the truth," we should neither read novels nor watch movies because they are fiction—not the truth. By the way, we should take scissors to our gospel accounts because they are chock full of Christ's parables, made-up stories by which He taught His disciples vital spiritual lessons they—and we—needed to know. 

 

We should also be wary of history books because, as it is said, history is written by the victors. They alter the facts to depict the winners—themselves—in a heroic light and portray the defeated as villains. Beware of the daily news, too, because it may well be fake news leading us down a dangerous path. For good measure, we might want to quit reading opinion pieces because they are just that—opinions from the corrupt minds of people saturated with the knowledge of good and evil. 

 

In the end, on the question of whether we should tell jokes, William Shakespeare might have said, it is much ado about nothing! Like the parables, fictional stories—even jokes—can have positive qualities that a wise person can use to convey a piece of wisdom, offer a refreshing perspective, or simply lighten the mood to help others relax. A well-written book of fiction or a movie can impart valuable life lessons or trigger helpful emotions that lead us to think deeply about an issue or situation.

He ends with this:

Yes, God can be playful, and He no doubt enjoys a good laugh from time to time (see Psalm 2:4). Studies have shown that laughing reduces stress, a finding the Bible supports (Proverbs 17:22). But our higher priority is to please God by being a good and faithful servant and one day entering the joy of our Lord (Matthew 25:21, 23)!

UCG and the Tithe of the Tithe Con Game

 

For decades the church looked for ways to get more money from the membership and the tithe of the tithe was one of those con games. The mother church, the Worldwide Church of God was bringing in sometimes a million dollars a day in tithes and offerings from members who struggled to make ends meet. That money went to pay for lavish homes, gold, silver, fine art, concert series, and building three campuses. One would think that the church should carry on with that process and pay for Feast site locations through those tithes or with offerings taken up on the two holy days of the Feast. Not content with raking in that money, they wanted more and the tithe of the second tithe was instituted as the 4th tithe church members had to pay.

UCG found a subtle way of taking the word tithe out of the equation in order to make people think they were giving an offering instead. Today in 2023 some are looking to bring back the tithe of the tithe. and the Council now is looking into it again.

The next time COG leaders try and guilt you into paying a tithe on your second tithe take that money and instead take your family out to dinner inviting some widows/elderly, singles, and those you know that are struggling financially or better yet, give THEM the money. The church does not need it and God certainly does not!

Chairman Martin then turned the floor over to Brain Shaw to lead a discussion on the possibility of a policy statement concerning the subject of the Tithe of the Tithe.

Mr. Shaw began by explaining why he wanted to have this discussion. He mentioned that he has been approached by members who have asked if the Church still requires the members to give a tithe of the second tithe in order to pay for facilities at the Feast of Tabernacles. He commented that we used to have a statement on it in the Feast brochure, however, it seems that the policy has been inconsistent. Is it optional? Is it not optional?

Mr. Shaw said that it’s clear that it’s not a biblical command, but a policy that was put into place years ago in order to help pay for festival cost. Mr. Shaw added that, as a pastor, he would like to see us have a policy or clarify our stance on this matter. He then opened the floor for discussion.

During the discussion it was mentioned that the term “Tithe of the Tithe” is not used anymore and has been replaced with the term, “Festival Fund.” Chris Rowland reminded the Council that a resolution concerning the Tithe of the Tithe was passed by the Council on February 12, 1997.

Chairman Martin made a motion for consent without resolution to remand this to the Education Committee for the purpose of examination of the 1997 Resolution and report back to the Council in the August meetings with their suggestion. Eleven Council members supported the motion, one abstained.