Dennis Luker Has Died

For the past few weeks this blog and others have been reporting the seriousness of Dennis Luker's health and his status as President of United Church of God.  UCG has tripped all over its self lately denying that Luker was as sick as he was and that Webber was the acting President.  They even had Luker write a letter that he was in not that bad of shape and was seeking ways to deal with his cancer.  Typical spin doctoring that caught them once again.

Today, Robin Weber reports that Luker has died.

Dear Members of the United Church of God,

This letter is to inform you that United Church of God president, Dennis Luker, died today, March 14. He spent his last physical days residing in his hometown of Seattle, Washington, surrounded by his loving wife, LeeAnn, and their immediate family.

Thank you for your prayers and fasting during this challenging time for them, and for God’s blessings on this transitional period for the United Church of God. Our Heavenly Father’s will for Denny has been made known at this time—even though it is not news that we humanly desire. At the same time, I am reminded of his constant encouragement to reflect on the promising words of Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Mr. Luker knew “that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25) and now awaits the trumpet call with so many other faithful saints down through the ages (1Thessalonians 4:13-18). I know that LeeAnn would ask us all to continue to pray for others who are challenged with spiritual, emotional and health issues—and that God will grant His peace to them (Philippians 4:6-7).

Dennis and LeeAnn, as a pastoral couple, have given 50 years of their lives in service to others. And yes, they truly came as a “couple.” They are loved far and wide beyond our own Church sphere, throughout the entire Church of God community. He brought an enthusiasm for speaking of the always-present love of God and the necessity of having Jesus Christ as the center of our lives.

Denny’s service to the United Church of God had a dynamic impact not just recently, but also in our formative years. He served on the original Advisory Council of Elders in 1995. Since then he has served as a member of the Council of Elders, as a church pastor, as a regional pastor, been part of the Ministerial Services team and of recent years, our Church president.

Please remember LeeAnn, the children, the grandchildren, the great-grandchildren and all their family members—in our prayers that God will grant them comfort in this most challenging of life’s chapters. More details will be forthcoming regarding pending memorial services.

In my role as chairman during this transitional time, I have maintained frequent contact with the Council and the home office operation managers to ensure stability. Now, in accordance with our governing documents (Bylaw 9.5, Vacancies in Offices), the chairman of the Council of Elders becomes the acting president of the United Church of God, an International Association, until a new president is selected by the Council and assumes office.

I look forward to working with the Council of Elders in the presidential nomination process currently underway. As Council members, we appreciate your prayers for God’s guidance for all in the weeks to come.

May the God of peace and comfort be with all of you at this time,

Robin Webber—Chairman and Acting President

Apostle Malm: Deleaven Your Windows and Tub Last...Oh, and Matzo's Are White Poison...

You never know whats going to come out of apostle Malm anymore.  He seems to hate everything. Everything in the world has some evil connotation.

Even matzo's symbolize evil in his sight.  I bet you never knew that matzo's were "white poison."

Oh, and when you deleaven your house from the attic to the basement, make sure to deleaven your windows and tub last......

An acolyte asks:

Leavening can be anywhere. That’s why I deleaven everywhere.
But would not a “white bread” matzoh be a symbol of purity – as Jesus was the pure spotless lamb of God?

 The apostle responds

The matzoth is a symbol of False purity, as it is a white poison devoid of nutrients. Yes deleaven everywhere and leave cleaning windows bathtubs etc till last. James

Non-Ordained Thiel Calls Meredith A Liar

Things are still testy between Rod Meredith and the non-ordained self-appointed prophet Thiel.  The non-ordained self appointed prophet is still filled with anger and resentment towards Meredith.

Meredith posted on LCG's web site recently this:

And we certainly do not encourage “yes men” in any way...

Brethren, I have never tried to “appoint myself” as an apostle or to any other high office. But many of you realize that even throughout the extended Church of God fellowships around the world—there is no one who has had the depth of experience I have had as one who has spoken the word of God to you. In spite of my human weaknesses, Christ has used me to teach more Bible classes than any other human being in this age. I am the only one who has been Deputy Chancellor of all three colleges, and was Second Vice President of the Worldwide Church of God and Ambassador College for many years. I have written literally hundreds of articles and conducted hundreds of evangelistic campaigns all over the world.

Prompting the non-ordained self-appointed prophet to claim that Rod is lying:

That first statement is simply not true and I repeatedly tried to tell Dr. Meredith that in the past. I should also comment that Dr. Meredith did tell me a few years ago (January 2009) that he was somewhat thinking of taking on the apostle title and that if he did that perhaps he would appoint me, Bob Thiel, as a prophet. So the above, presuming he actually wrote all it himself, is strange.

Once again we get to see how ticked off the non-ordained self-appointed prophet is.  Meredith had supposedly promised him the title of prophet and Meredith reneged on it.

The non-ordained self-appointed prophet is also not impressed with Meredith claiming that he has written countless articles.  The non-ordained prophet says he has written over 4,000 articles.  A number higher than Rod's.

While Dr. Meredith certainly did do evangelical campaigns and taught Bible classes, I would suggest that writing "hundreds of articles" is not that unique of an accomplishment. I have written well over 4,000 articles/newsposts at COGwriter since changing to the WordPress format in June 2007. There were at least hundreds of articles and newsposts prior to then that I personally wrote. Perhaps I should mention that I have had affiliation with the Church of God for forty years myself and am not without a depth of experience myself.

The non-ordained self appointed prophet gets in another dig at Meredith claiming he and LCG are not the one to carry out the final phase of the work.  That person is none other than the non-ordained self appointed prophet.

Anyway, while Dr. Meredith apparently hopes people will believe that God will use him and LCG to finish what I have called "the final phase of the work," it would require repentance and significant change in LCG for that to be possible. Even one Charlotte-based LCG minister told me recently that he believed such change could not happen without a least one major death in LCG's top leadership. And I believe it would take more than that as I have found insufficient "love of the truth" there, and unnecessary hesitation which often prevents bolder proclamation of the truth by the media outlets LCG uses.

For some asinine reason the non-ordained self -appointed prophet feels that the disillusion legions of COG members will be soon flocking to his door step.

We in the Continuing Church of God are boldly going forward with the work. We are leading the final phase of the work. Hopefully, more who were once part of various COGs, as well as those who are newer seekers of the truth, will be like the Bereans and search to see that these things are so (Acts 17:10-12).

You are not ordained Bud, so why do you expect the COG to flock to you?  For a church that places high importance on church governance, having a non-ordained self-appointed person in charge is a deal breaker.

Will Non-Ordained Prophet Thiel Be Joining Forces With This Church of God?

I do think that the non-ordained self-appointed prophet of the Continuing Ed Church of God needs to partake of the sacraments of this Church of God.  If he did so he might loosen up that tight ass holier-than-thou attitude he has.  It would also certainly liven up those incredibly BAD videos he produces.

This group is in Arizona, a state that seems to attract the crazies from the other Churches of God too.  This is the wonderful state that gave sanctuary to Daryl Henson's splinter cult so they could build a commune close to the FLDS compound Colorado City. 

They certainly sound more refreshing than the dead COG that prophet Thiel dreamed up.

The Peyote Way Church of God is a non-sectarian, multicultural, experiential, Peyotist organization located in southeastern Arizona, in the remote Aravaipa wilderness. It is not affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Native American Church, or any other religious organizations, though we do accept people from all faiths. Church membership is open to all races. We encourage individuals to create their own rituals as they become acquainted with the great mystery. We believe that the Holy Sacrament Peyote, when taken according to our sacramental procedure and combined with a holistic lifestyle (see Word of Wisdom), can lead an individual toward a more spiritual life.

Peyote is currently listed as a controlled substance and its religious use is protected by Federal law only for Native American members of the Native American Church. Non-Indian Peyote use is protected in five states : AZ, NM, CO, NV, and OR. We do not have access to Peyote where it grows in South Texas and Mexico. As it is an endangered species, we believe an essential and inseparable part of our religious practice is the growing and stewardship of the Holy Sacrament Peyote.

Doctrines:

People often want to know what we believe, but our purpose in designing the Peyote Way Church was not to create more dogma. Our purpose was to make the Holy Sacrament Peyote available to seekers in a safe environment. So, when you ask what we believe, our answer may be a bit vague. 

What we believe is personal, and we are not interested in forcing our beliefs on anyone else. We also believe that the government has no place inside your conscience.

We focus more on conduct and being present. The mural on the Congregation House depicts symbols of five major religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Peyote is available to the communicant regardless of his/her religious preference.