Armstrongism has always mocked the Christan world when various churches met together to work towards a common goal. Now it seems United Church of God and Living Church of God are extending an olive branch to each other so they can work together in fulfilling the commission. Quite absent from this love fest is Church of God Worldwide Association, UCG's recently departed brethren. Why the hypocrisy?
As the end of this age draws near, it seems more appropriate than ever that God’s people, wherever they may reside, support one another in fulfilling the commission Jesus Christ gave us. With this in the forefront of our minds, representatives of the of the United Church of God, an International Association, met with the leadership of the Living Church of God at Living’s Headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, on January 9-10 for a two-day visit.
The purpose of the visit was to rekindle friendships and discuss ways to cooperate in serving God’s people. The meetings were cordial and positive and included an open and frank discussion about those things that we have in common, and some of our differences, including church government and the way each Church is organized. We also discussed our different strategies for preaching the gospel in this modern age. There was no discussion of any type of merger.
Discussions about areas of cooperation within the greater Church of God community included humanitarian concerns, disaster relief and other unforeseen events where we can help our members meet critical needs by supporting and loving one another as Jesus commanded. Cooperation could also include helping members who have difficulty getting time off for the Sabbath and Holy Days, and other legal matters that affect both organizations. It was agreed that open communication between Church of God organizations will become more important as world events move towards their ultimate prophetic fulfillment.
Those in attendance at the meetings in Charlotte on behalf of the Living Church of God were Dr. Roderick C. Meredith, Mr. Richard Ames and Dr. Douglas Winnail. Those who traveled from Cincinnati for the United Church of God were Mr. Dennis Luker, Mr. Victor Kubik and Mr. Peter Eddington. Mr. Luker commented that the Cincinnati team felt most welcome and were treated very warmly. In addition to the meetings, the UCG visitors were given a full tour of the Living Church of God headquarters and adjacent media center.
Another tour? These tours are starting to be dangerous! Will the representatives immediately jump ship now to LCG because they were in awe and amazement at the magnificent work being accomplished in Charlotte? Will we have another Schurter 20 page resignation letter from these guys?
