Rod Meredith: Jesus is Going To Specially Ask You How Much Money You Gave To The Living Church of God

Driving the money changers from the temple

Rod Meredith sent out his Spring money raising letter in April warning LCG members that the income was soon to drop due to the "summer slow." 

Why is the income slow in the summer?  LCG members get to travel and have fun, so why send in as much!

Meredith writes:

Most of you know that. But we certainly need your help and your financial backing. So I ask you, in Jesus’ name, to open your hearts and give generously at this time. We are at a point where a “summer low” is approaching for our income. By adding to our TV and Internet outreach, conducting these campaigns and other things that we are doing, we need your help to keep up the pace. And we need to do even more, as many of you realize, to genuinely have an impact on this very confused world. When Christ returns, He will ask each one of us:  “How much did you help in getting out My message when you had the opportunity?” So as you see these exciting events beginning to come together in front of your very eyes, I pray that thousands of you will be stirred to take action more than ever before! We have the honor to be on the “team” which Christ is using to finish His Work at this time. At almost age 85, I am sincerely driving myself to work regularly and to do all I can as long as God gives me life and breath. I hope you will join me in that way, “laying up treasure” for yourself in heaven. In that way, you will have a great reward when Christ returns as King of kings.

Many LCG members were particularly galled by the threat that Meredith uses against their giving by threatening them with an interrogation by Jesus Christ.  Plus, how can you let an 85 year old man do more than you are?  Talk about guilt trips!

Philadelphia Church of God Using Death Bed Threats Against Dying PCG Members: Give Us Your Money Or No God's Kingdom For You!

Where would the Church of God be if it was not able to demand money from its followers.  Sadly in Armstrongism it is all about threats and coercion in getting people to send in money.  There is nothing taught about freely giving because you have been blessed.  Its rather, GOD COMMANDS IT...or in COG speak...I DEMAND IT!

There is a letter on Exit and Support that has the following about how Gerald Flurry and his henchmen are going to the death beds of the last few wealthy members and demanding that they turn over all assets to the Philadelphia Church of God.  Its vitally important that the PCG get as much money possible so they keep their newly purchased mansion in Edstone, UK and finance the Irish Dance training of the elite children living on the PCG compound, and pay for the endless number of trips of Lil'Stevie to England.

May 19, 2015

I'd like to pass on is how Flurry has coerced and terrified some of the wealthiest members of his cult into leaving everything to him. Even members that are sick and dying have been visited in the hospital by the ministry and told that their money was "meant for God" (i. e., the PCG), and that God made them wealthy so that when they died, it was to be given to PCG, or they wouldn’t make it into the kingdom. As a result of this fear, they have signed over their wealth to the PCG cult.

I've run across some who are still in PCG and they have a glare, an odd stare. They almost look under a spell. Really scary. --Former member of WCG & PCG

With the drop in membership in PCG they are scrambling to recoup money lost. The remaining members are being told to give more and more. 

Three Great Testimonies By Three Of The Greatest Men To Ever Live (One Is A COG Leader)

Did you  know that one of three of the greatest "testimonies" ever uttered was by none other than one of our very own COG leaders?  I bet you are guessing right now who that is.  Herbert Armstrong?  Garner Ted Armstrong? Stan Rader? Robin Webber?  Jimmy Meredith? Gerald Flurry? Dave Pack? Vic Kubik? Rod Meredith?

Lets look at the first quote:

“I am not an Atheist. I do not know if I can define myself as a Pantheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds… The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God.” ~ Albert Einstein

Next we have:

Tesla later went public with his claim that he was receiving extraterrestrial voice transmissions and was subjected to the usual humiliating ridicule that greets UFO witnesses today when they try to speak openly of their experiences.

Then we have our very own Church of God leader!  Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!

Keep going

and going...

and going...

"As many of you know I have had the privilege of communicating with extraterrestrials since I was a child at age 12. I have been in contact with many different types of ET’s. It wasn’t until July 14^th 2014 that I had special contact with what is known as “the Keeper class”. These are the highest most evolved and advanced ET’s within our universe." ~ Eric W. King

COG Prophet Claims Texas Rain A Sure Sign Of The Time of Troubles

See: BBC News

God's most intelligent authority on every subject imaginable is back claiming the destructive rain in Texas was a sure sign from God that the end time troubles are neigh.  Like so many COG leaders he almost seems giddy that property is destroyed and people die.  Without death and destruction these fools have nothing to stand on or "prove" themselves as correct.  I can almost guarantee that within the next few days Rod Meredith, Gerald Flurry and Dave Pack will all come out claiming this is just one more sign that their god is SPANKING the Israelite nations because they are worthless piles of rotting, sinful human garbage.

The doubly blessed prophet and apostle Bob Thiel has to jump back to an old article by Donald Schroeder that was once published in a WCG rag called The Plain Truth.

The Bible reveals God also directly intervenes to cause weather plagues to warn certain nations. “I have smitten you with blasting and mildew . .. yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord” (Amos 4:9). He, in his great purpose, may also allow Satan-the god of this world (II Cor. 4:4)-to have a role in producing calamitous weather, for man’s ultimate learning (see Job, chapter 1). (Schroeder D. CHAOTIC WEATHER Return of the dust bowl? Plain Truth. 1984, pp. 19-20)

The doubly blessed prophet then has to put his two cents in:

The Bible repeatedly warns, especially in the Hebrew scriptures, that various sins will result in destructive weather. Weather is not as random as most seem to want to believe.

Back in 2009, in a book, I mentioned the following was about to happen:

Considering all of the natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, food shortages, and economic problems in the past few years, perhaps this would be a good time to explain that the Bible shows that these problems were expected to occur prior to the great tribulation. Those outside the Bible have sometimes referred to a time such as this as a time of transition or chaos. …

There will be a generation that will experience end-time events, beginning with “sorrows,” including the Great Tribulation, heavenly signs, and finally the return of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:5-34). …

The Hierarchy the Churches of God

That's Rod and Lil'Jimmy at the top doing nothing 

while the members below trying to salvage what they can.

Going to Petra: ExCOG Member Radio Program Top Rated by TED Blog

Hats off to Glynn Washington who hosts a radio program called  Snap Judgement on NPR.  He shares many fascinating stories about life in general but has also shared stories about what it was like for him to grow up African American in Armstrongism.

TED Blog recommends:

Snap Judgment
“It’s a 56-minute whirlwind that always seems to go by too fast,” says Ellyn Guttman, of our TED Books team, about this hard-to-describe NPR podcast hosted by Glynn Washington. “It’s similar to This American Life but edgier,” adds Kim Nederveen Pieterse of our Partnerships workgroup. “It questions race, identity and ‘the system’ through personal storytelling and music.”

Previous articles on this blog have mentioned Glynn's programs:

Loosing My Religion

The Reunion

Apocalypse

Son of Ham

Going to Petra

While the Ministry in LCG, UCG, PCG and RCG Stay in First Class Hotels, the Little People are Left to Fend for Themselves

Exit and Support has an interesting letter up from a former COG member detailing what it was like being part of the Church of God.  This is NOT an isolated case.  Another life potentially ruined...but now free.

I was eventually baptized with Church of God the Eternal; however they had no services in my state, so I was baptized at their "Feast of Tabernacles." The minister told me that I could not work during the Sabbath. I followed that and it put me living hand to mouth for 2 years. He said God would open the doors for a job if I was living in His truth. COG the Eternal also said that if I were in God's good graces, I would not be so poor, and that God would provide if I was doing His will.

I have also been involved with RCG, PCG and UCG. I have been hooked on these "Armstrong groups" for years and now am trying to free myself. I have also been to Feasts of Tabernacles with them. The big shots and wealthier members stay in large, expensive mountain homes and go boating; go to dinners, socializing, etc., while us "poor" members who struggle to tithe are staying in small no name motel rooms and being left out of all the activities, left to entertain ourselves. This has all damaged me emotionally. I have never known how to have a true relationship, I've always felt distant from other people, and like I'm not good enough. It has been a life long struggle so far, and I am now 50. Running across your website may be setting me free. Thank you. --Impacted survivor.

The entire letter is here:  May 11