Will We Soon Witness the Closure of Grace Communion International?

Several people have contacted us today relaying that they have received a letter from Grace Communion International (WCG) that the employee pension plan will be dissolved as of March 1, 2016.

We have also been told that the chance of the GCI totally dissolving as church is eminent.  GCI has been hemorrhaging members steadily for many years.  People are also not tithing or giving as the church had once expected.  Because of this there is less of a need for a "corporate" HQ overseeing the remaining churches.

One of the plans being considered is to let each church operate independently, keeping all the money in their own church area.  They could call themselves what ever they want and not be tied to the GCI denomination.

The West Valley GCI has always been the conservative church of the GCI, meeting on Saturday, keeping the holy days, and tithing.  Because they keep their money locally, they have $400,000.00 sitting in the bank.  GCI HQ has traditionally expected all church areas to send in 10% of their money, but now are asking West Valley to send in even more.  They are balking at that.  Their previous pastor retired and the churches now pastored by Ron Kelly for at least six more months.

Apparently Joe Tkach Jr. wants to step down, something he has been saying for the last 10 years.  With no one that can effectively step in and keep things as they are and not revert back to the old teachings, the next best thing is to dissolve the church.

This seems to be the trend in all the COG's right now.  With the soon coming implosion of LCG, UCG, PCG and COGWA, are we finally witnessing the total collapse of Armstrongism?  Attendance numbers are shrinking. None of the COG's can truly stand the other.  None of them want to give up control or power in order to merge.

For decades the church pictured itself being persecuted by the world and having restrictions placed upon it resulting in the "famine of the word."  Nothing like that has happened.  Instead we are watching them eat themselves alive and dissolve around us.  Hundreds and hundreds of little groups are out there doing nothing.  From whacky people like Stephen Gilbreath to the total nut jobs in charge at RCG and PCG, the Church of God is one complete mess. There is no need for some beast power or the  King of the South or North to rise up and persecute the church.  There is no need for the Pope to do anything.  The Church of God is destroying itself.

COGWA and LCG in Secret Meetings in Charlotte

This just in from Charlotte:

Rod Meredith has asked the leaders of COGWA to secret meetings here in Charlotte. The COGWA men have been at LCG headquarters in meetings both yesterday and today. As of now I am uncertain how long they will be in Charlotte. 

My 1st though is that Rod is so desperate to avoid bankruptcy that he might even be considering giving up a little power and control to merge with the financially successful COGWA. Perhaps Rod has calculated that at this time he wouldn't really lose too much since he is about to step down anyway into semi-retirement anyway.  

It's no secret that Doug Winnail has wanted to unify LCG, UCG and COGWA for years but he stands alone in his desire because none of the other men are willing to make compromises or relinquish even the smallest amount of control. In true ACOG fashion is ultimately boils down to money and power. None are willing to risk the things they worship above all else. 

If a deal is to be made, it will have to happen before Gerald Weston takes over in August because Mr. Weston has made it very clear to all who ask that he doesn't think UCG and COGWA are even COG's. He firmly believes that LCG is not just the "spear head" but rather the whole kit and caboodle, the ONLY COG on earth. 

Winnail would be smart to use his skills as a diplomat to secure himself a new job in COGWA while these men are in town. The writing on the wall spells splintering in LCG in the not so distant future. Old Dougie boy would be smart to get out unscathed while he still can.

Its interesting to read this.  Both LCG and COGWA consider themselves the ONLY true Church of God doing a work on this earth today.  Both imagine themselves to be the tools for God on this earth.  Both groups are totally unknown to the world.  Neither one is making any impact.

The reality is that both of these groups are filled with men who plotted and schemed while still on Worldwide Church of God payroll to secretly form new groups.  These same men disfellowshipped countless people while still in WCG because of the "new covenant" teachings. While they sat there as tools of the Tkach changes; they all knew that once word leaked that they did not agree with the changes they would be fired. Being the unethical men that so many of them were (and still are) they plotted and schemed on how to start a new group while secretly encouraging WCG members to leave with their tithe money, thus ensuring their comfortable salaries did not end.

Once the new corporation soles were in place they jumped ship and portrayed themselves as God's most humble servants that were only trying to preserve God's teachings. Yet both groups were filled with deceit and corruption with both ending up splintering off the churches they helped start.  Once they splintered off they set themselves back up once again as God's most important and loyal men to ever walk this earth.

Now both COGWA and LCG are facing internal conflicts that are ready to erupt. Abusive men have had power too long and people are getting fed up with them. A merger with COGWA and LCG does not bode well for the members of either group. The power structures in place will become more legalistic and abusive. People will splinter off again into another group or leave the COG entirely.  More lives will be ruined just so the bog boys can keep their salaries intact.

Homes of the LCG Elite

Rod Meredith

Several have been asking about the homes of Rod Meredith and others. An LCG member sent these.

Richard Ames

Lil'Jimmy's home.  Bigger than daddy's!

Once Gerald Weston gets settled in we will have more.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

A Case of Mistaken Identity

An interesting case of mistaken identity occurred 30 years ago on January 19, 1986 as we stood in Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena, California awaiting the beginning of the funeral service for Mr. Armstrong.  Reuben Cerda, a member of the Long Beach congregation arrived a little late and had the fortune of being good looking, well dressed and driving a Cadillac.  In the last minute rush, he was mistakenly assumed to be a dignitary and was directed to the best parking spaces and escorted to one of the best seat near the casket.

He was not wealthy or an important public figure but a common member like those of us that were standing far from the center of the action.  We found it amusing that others could be fooled so easily.

Now, thirty years later, it is becoming much clearer that the mistaking of Reuben Cerda as being a dignitary was symbolic of a much larger case of mistaken identity that had occurred for most of the 4,700 people attending that service that day (and for the approximately 80,000 other WCG members that were not present that day).  We had mistakenly believed that Mr. Armstrong was what he had claimed for himself - God’s end-time apostle, the leader of the “one-true church”.

Mr. Armstrong claimed

·     He was the first to preach the true Gospel in 1800 years (how would he know?)

·     He learned from no man and he restored 18 truths (but it is clear that he borrowed most of   his teachings from other men’s writings)

·     WCG was the one, true church (but God is not limited to working within any of man’s corporate entities)

·     The church had been more accurate in foretelling prophetic events than all others (yet there are over 200 documented failures that HWA and WCG minister made)

·     WCG could trace its’ “Church of God” roots back through the ages (yet there “proof” was inaccurate)

·     Identity of Israel was the key to prophecy (yet it failed to yield accurate prophecies)

·     Doctors and modern medicine were bad (yet he had a personal doctor)

·     The WCG was God’s government on earth and HWA was God’s sole specially trained end-time Apostle (and yet we are still here 30-years beyond his death)

·     HWA completed his work in 1972;  1975 would be the end (and afterwards when this was clearly wrong he stated his claims were speculative, not definite – when, in fact he had been very specific and had spoken on the “authority of Jesus Christ”)

·     The church would not compromise 1/100% of the Truth (and yet it did repeatedly)

·    The WCG was doing the greatest work on earth (yet it has amounted to almost nothing by this point in time, except for 100’s of splinter groups and 1,000’s of split families).

·                   ·     HWA’s relationship with Ramona was God’s will (and yet he divorced her)

·                   ·     In 1979, the State of California’s investigation into fraud was “the most MONSTROUS 

                  conspiracy and attack Satan ever launched against God's Work!”  

(                 (when of course, it wasn’t)               

            

In his autobiography, HWA had indicated that he had wanted to be wealthy and important.  Through the RCG and WCG, it appears that he achieved his personal goals but at the expense of others.  And, was he God’s end-time Apostle?  If he had been, then we wouldn’t be here reflecting on his life.

-Ex WCG member