UCG Germany

 

United Church of God had this up today on their member site about Germany and Norway concerning recent issues they had registering as a charity in Norway.

What is more shocking is that UCG only has 150 donors in the entire country of Germany, which has over 83 million citizens. Nevertheless, the amazing Churches of God march forward like a mighty army and with boldness! Woo Hoo!

UCG-Germany has a donor in Norway who has been supporting us financially for several years. Until last year, his local tax office accepted his donations to us as tax deductible, but last year his donation was rejected. He contacted us and asked us to apply for recognition as a charity in Norway.
According to its own rules, Norway recognizes foreign organizations as charities and allows Norwegian taxpayers to deduct donations to these organizations. 

 

After checking the rules, UCG-Germany applied for recognition in February and sent the necessary documents to the appropriate Norwegian tax office. 

 

In May, we were informed that our application had been rejected. Our work as an “association” was acknowledged as charitable or non-profit, but the rejection was based on the lack of a “national dimension” for our activities, as we only have about 150 individual donors in Germany. 

 

Organizations that are only active at a local level (town, district, etc.) are not recognized.
We were given six weeks to appeal. We appealed at the beginning of June, arguing that donations to our organization are tax-deductible throughout Germany and that our donors currently reside in 15 of the 16 German states, meaning that our work can already be considered national in scope. 

 

On Nov. 14, the Norwegian tax office granted our appeal. Norwegian donors are allowed to donate up to 2130 EUR per year and claim it as a deduction, which will please our Norwegian donor.
This is very positive news for us as it is an additional recognition of our charitable status as an organization.
—Paul Kieffer, UCG-Germany

PCG: Another Appalling Legacy of Armstrongism

 

One of the worst legacies of Armstrongism and particularly the Philadelphia Church of God cult mentality is the turmoil it created/creates in the family structure. For a group that claims to be all about family and their potential to be part of the "god" family, they sure can't act like godly family oriented creatures here on earth.

Once a member bought into the system and was fully "converted" they were expected to follow a certain set of rules kept hidden from potential and newer members. Since they were not "converted" and were part of an exclusive highly select few in the entire world, they were expected to keep themselves unspotted by the world around them. This includes avoiding unconverted worldly/pagan family members.  God forbid if you spent a Christmas afternoon eating a nice dinner with family members, not of the church. Can there be a greater sin than that?

Gerald Flurry sadly has taken this a step further and actually forbade his members from association with former members and family members outside the cult. Whether it be your spouse, brother/sisters, mother/father, cousins, and friends, you are expected to cut them off.

It is amazing to watch how godless so many of these splinter cults of Armstrongism have degenerated into and yet they think they are God's highly chosen few.

This sad story is from Exit and Support Network

November 28, 2023 

 

My brother and I had a good relationship and spent time together on and off with our families back in the 90’s until he married a woman who grew up in WCG. After then everything changed between us. She basically put up strong boundaries as to when and how I could visit my brother, and we were never allowed to hang out unless she supervised over dinner at their house. 

 

Then he stopped coming to birthday parties, no Christmas either, forget Easter while you’re at it. And he was no longer available on the phone while they had dinner. Forgot completely about reaching him from Friday to Sunday indefinitely, but then they would set a date that worked great for them and would invite me over for dinner. 

 

Dinner always felt like pressure to practice perfect table manners or I would be frowned on. She actually told my mom to keep her elbows off the table. I could go on and on about all of the control tactics that woman played over the years but what’s the point? Now at last she’s got him moving to Oklahoma to join the big compound in Edmond, and my brother is gone for good, thanks to her and PCG. 

 

All I can do is accept all of this and hope and pray for the Lord to open his spiritual eyes.
Thanks for letting me vent. –[name withheld]

LCG: Give Us Your Money In Your Wills!

 

As Living Church of God members age, more and more are dying off, leaving "new" members to fund the church's operations and payroll. After two acts of rebellion (from WCG and Global), LCG's earliest members were church members from the 1970-1990's. As they age income comes from Social Security and people can't give as much. Newer members struggle with daily living and give even less than their previous generation.  LCG is looking to fill that gap with the Boomer generation putting the church in their wills. After all, money is the king in the Church of God.

Some will immediately say, that the church has always done this so why pick on LCG?

The Church’s demographics are changing. Two or three decades ago, most of our members had come from our former association, and many of them were longtime Church members. Since then, many new people have come in. In addition, recent years have seen quite a few weddings of second- and third-generation members, and it’s great to see all their kids at services. We grandparents love it! It’s wonderful to see the teens and young families bring their liveliness and energy to fellowship on the Sabbath. 

 

Many who came into the Church in the 1970s and 1980s (or earlier) have moved into retirement, so we are seeing the primary source of the Church’s regular income transition to faithful newer generations. Many of the new attendees and baptisms that we are seeing are from that newer group. God always provides for His work!

The demographics of retirement have also brought other changes to the Church’s finances. People in society often remember their church or favorite charities in their wills, and some of our members have been very thoughtful to remember the Church in their planned giving. We greatly appreciate it, and we thank you! It is an important source of support for God’s work. 

Notice how they subtly shift attention away from putting them in your will to always having a will in place. Diverting attention has always been a subtle way of manipulation in the church. 

Whether or not you remember the Church in your planned giving, it is important to your loved ones that you have a well-drawn will, or other testamentary instrument. Without one, things can be difficult for your survivors, and a poorly drawn one can be problematic. Preparing a thoughtfully considered testamentary instrument is an act of love. 

 

It’s good to seek the advice of legal counsel or a financial advisor, and most counselors advise even young couples or single adults to prepare testamentary instruments. Going through probate court can take years and can incur substantial costs, so it’s wise to lawfully route assets around that possibility. Bank accounts, stock accounts, retirement accounts, and similar documents can have a designated beneficiary upon death. And, in most states, real estate can be transferred to a designated successor or beneficiary by filing a special deed that transfers the property automatically upon death while keeping owners in full control during their lifetime. 

 

End-of-life healthcare is also an important consideration, and setting forth your wishes in advance relieves loved ones of difficult decisions at a difficult time. The end-of-life healthcare that you don’t want may be as important a consideration as the healthcare you do want. Such matters are important personal decisions that can be made in advance. Advance healthcare directives are only used when individuals can’t voice their wishes themselves, and are usually coupled with a durable power of attorney for healthcare, allowing important decisions to be made without difficulty. An attorney can give detailed advice on what is needed in your state or country of residence. Some states offer premade forms for their citizens to use. 

 

You can also request our helpful free booklet Planned Giving, or you can read or download it at LCG.org/planned-giving. Local congregations should also have a copy of the booklet on their information tables. 

 

You know the old saying: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” That saying can be applied in more than one circumstance—if you don’t have a well-drawn will, there may not be a way for your wishes to be carried out. A little planning can make a big difference!