Demolition Ambassador East Campus

Below are pictures of the demolition of the old Ambassador Press building and Mail Processing Department area.  These pictures are four years old, so this is not new demolition.  There are also pictures of some of the new buildings rising on the East Campus.

Mail Processing where the roll up doors were

(Click for larger pictures)

Small parking lot between Accounting building and rear of Machine Maintenance

 Looking East towards the old Publishing area

Foreground is where the cabinet shop was.  Building in background is there the Office Facilitates 

parking lot was

Standing where the rear door of the cabinet shop was looking towards the old maintenance storage area.

These condo's are in the rear parking lot of the Transportation Department including the lot of the old printing press on the corner.

Entrance area to the old Accounting Department - building has since been torn down.

UCG, the SDA's, COG7th Day and Sin City

One interesting thing about UCG that has been floating around for a while now involves UCG supposedly reaching out to the Seventh Day Adventists and the Church of God 7th Day.  There has always been a lot of bad blood between Armstrongism and our mother churches that we split from.  Many of the COG doctrines are similar to these two groups, but with Armstrong placing more emphasis on holy day observance.

Is UCG ready to chuck some of the more controversial elements of Armstrongism and make it's self look more legitimate in the eyes of our mother churches?

One thing UCG is distancing itself from is the end time freak show that seems to permeate the United States right now.  However, if UCG is ready to get in bed with the SDA's they might want to send some delegates to Las Vegas for the upcoming SDA Conference at the Cashman Center May 25-28th.

The SDA's and Armstrongites  have always looked upon the Catholic Church as the Great Whore of Babylon.  The title of the SDA conference is "Babylon Rising."  I can just picture three days of preaching about the Great Whore, and the Mark of the Beast (Sunday worship).  What a trip that will be in Sin City!

Babylon Rising 

You’re Invited to Be a Part of ‘Babylon Rising’ This May
This May, a four-night event called Babylon Rising will take a new look at the age-old controversy between Christ and Satan. From May 25-28, It Is Written’s new speaker/director, Pastor John Bradshaw, will host a timely, interactive series live from the Cashman Center in Las Vegas.
These meetings will take full advantage of new technologies to reach as many people as possible. Anyone—anywhere—will be able to host the meetings via satellite or the Internet in their home, church or business. There will even be a way for viewers to get involved with the live event through Facebook and Twitter.
“Babylon Rising will look at current world events and answer the questions people are wrestling with today, by examining ancient prophecies that have long been neglected,” said Bradshaw of the series.

What Is Babylon?
In the Bible, we read about a power that rose up in rebellion, defied divinity and conquered kingdoms and nations. Babylon was the greatest kingdom on the face of the earth, and rose to such prominence in all areas of life that it was able to impose its dominance on the world.
The Bible says that in the last days of this planet’s history, a revived Babylon will again be the dominant force in the world, and will again impose itself on a planet searching for solutions to pressing problems. “This is all so relevant because…history repeats,” said Bradshaw.
Babylon Rising will not only look at the issues in the world today—religiously, politically, socially and environmentally—but it will also see the cosmic connection between a reeling planet and a rising Babylon.

UCG Council of Elders: Kubik and Dean Replaced by Elliot and Ward

Kubik

Elliot

Dean

Ward

The United Church of God has finished its annual conference. Kubik and Dean are no longer on the council.  John Elliot has replaced Kubik.  Donald Ward will be replacing Aaron Dean starting July 1st. In the meantime Roc Corbett will be filling Dean's shoes till Ward takes over.

Once again we get to see the same old guard ruling over the members.  When will they ever bring new blood in?  Don Ward has so much baggage attached to his name that many UCG members are not pleased.

Then there is this tidbit about all the ministry standing around singing "Thank the Lord" at the close of the last day  is a creepy one to envision.  After losing close to 50% of their elders and ministers, they are getting all clappy happy.

Finally, to close this year’s general conference, Dan Salcedo, an elder from Southern California, led everyone in a closing hymn: “Thank You Lord.” The closing prayer was offered to God the Father by long-time pastor, Vernon Hargrove.

UCG's new Council of Elders Board is as follows:

• Gary Antion
• Scott Ashley
• Bob Berendt
• Bill Bradford
• Roc Corbett (On July 1, 2011, Donald Ward will take Roc Corbett’s seat.)
• Bill Eddington
• John Elliott
• Roy Holladay
• Darris McNeely
• Melvin Rhodes (chairman)
• Mario Seiglie
• Robin Webber

Would You Quit Your Job Over Pork Shoes?

I have not looked at Apostle Malm's, "Glowering Darkness" blog for a few days now.  It is always such a hoot to get back to reading some of the silliness that makes his blog.

Today a person admitted she/he quit their job at Payless Shoes because they were selling shoes made of pork leather.  I am so glad Apostle Malm is an authority on EVERYTHING!  How would we exist in this evil polluted world with out the magnificent instruction from our beloved Apostle?

I know I have asked a similar question, but I used to work at Payless and then after I left it hit me: was I selling some leather that was from swine? I recently have an opportunity to work at a supermarket that respects the Sabbath. But I can’t help but think that they sell pork products and I will be working the cash register. Is this somehow supporting it? Like selling what I myself wouldn’t buy? Is it wrong to work there? I have been looking for a job for some time now with no luck, either because of the Sabbath or other issues.

It is the store that is selling the product not you.  You are just working for that company and as long as you are not involved in becoming unclean through the cutting of the pork etc then you may work for that company.  If we could not work for sinners we would need to be taken out of this world altogether.  We are IN this world: We are not OF this world and are to keep ourselves personally unspotted by its wickedness.  We can work for a store that sells pork in the same way that we can work for a man who curses;  that is their problem and not ours unless we begin to sin as well.

"Dreaming In Arabic" Now Available In Book Form

Jennifer Armstrong's book, Dreaming in Arabic is now available in book form.  Check it out here: Dreaming In Arabic

I grew up in the Worldwide Church of God, an organization labeled “cult” by most of mainstream Christianity. At the head of it, was Herbert W. Armstrong, a forceful personality, with a unique interpretation of scripture. I grew up believing that we in the Worldwide Church of God were the only true Christians in the world. My mother told me a story of how when I was a toddler in the stroller and we were passing by a large old church, I pointed and said “Man's way.”

The Worldwide Church of God took a lot of their beliefs from the Old Testament. Being young, I never really understood why some of the ancient laws were kept and some were discarded. I'm sure there was a reason and I'm sure it made sense to the adults. At least, I hope it did. I've never felt bad for being part of a group that taught Biblically unsound doctrines. I was a child and a child will believe in
Santa Claus if you tell them with enough conviction. But I do wonder about the adults and why they were so quick to let someone interpret the Bible for them. My husband, who is eight years older than me, said that it wasn't so much the doctrine that attracted him as much as the emphasis on righteous living. And there was an emphasis on righteous living. But unfortunately most people were not living
up to the high standards we taught.

 I think another draw for a lot of people was the emphasis on prophecy. I grew up believing that someday, before a great tribulation fell upon the world, we believers would be taken to a place of safety where we would be hidden from the wrath that fell on everyone else. Herbert W. Armstrong had a radio show and a television show called The World Tomorrow where he preached out of Daniel and Revelation and gave his own unique interpretations. I think there were quite a few people who joined the church to escape the great tribulation.

It was believed that the place of safety was Petra, in Jordan. Mr. Armstrong would travel around the world as an “ambassador for peace” and one of the people he met was King Hussein of Jordan. The church had some sort of outreach to handicapped children in Jordan. Since Petra was in Jordan and Mr. Armstrong was a “friend” of King Hussein, it was taught that we would all fly to Jordan and stay in Petra for the duration of the tribulation. I have some vague recollection that at some point, soldiers of the world would surround Petra and threaten us all, but that heavenly retribution would strike them down. What was more critical to people was what they would bring to survive the years in Petra. One woman said she was going to bring two suitcases of maxi pads.

As a child, I once packed a small briefcase full of my favourite books and then carried it around with me, even if we went across the city on the subway, because it was said that we could be called to flee at any moment. One of my childhood fears was that I would come home from school and find my mother and younger brothers gone and that I would somehow have to make my way to the airport (by taxi, I suppose) or else I would miss the flight to safety. Contacting my dad at work was not an option. He wasn't a member of the Worldwide Church of God and therefore would have to face the tribulation. When it was preached from the pulpit that during that horrible time the guillotine would probably be restored as a form of punishment I resigned myself to my dad's inevitable fate. You see, my dad knew
too much. He had lived with a believing wife and would therefore have to stand up for the truth in the future time of persecution and would be punished for his belated realization that everything the church taught was true.

The Great Tribulation would be followed by ....