UCG Fails At Yet Another Media Campaign (Updated)

The poor old boys at UCG still don't get it.  No matter how hard they try they just CANNOT seem to draw in new members.

Vic Kubik writes about their latest campaign and blames poor attendance on lack of gas, weather and the Charlotte riots.  Whey these guys did not have the wherewithal to cancel the Charlotte campaign because of the riots shows how out of touch they really are.  300 signed up, 76, showed up, and of that 76 probably 40-50 were UCG members who attend to pad the audience.

On Monday, our Beyond Today Live team returned from North Carolina where we made the America: The Time is Now presentation in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte. We reached a total of 76 people; however, more than 300 people registered to come. We had a few obstacles to our presentations. First, there was a gasoline shortage in the entire state. A gasoline pipeline had broken and gasoline stations did not have adequate fuel. As we traveled, we made certain that our fuel was always above a half tank. Also, there was stormy weather on the first part of the trip and, finally, street protests and unrest in Charlotte (after a black man was killed by police) affected attendance. One person called our pastor, Scott Hoefker, and told him that they really wanted to come, but they were fearful of getting out, not knowing how safe things were in the city. 

Church of God News reported this about three other UCG campaigns:

The three Beyond Today presentations, ‘America: The Time Is Now’ in North Carolina, drew only 27 new guests in Raleigh, 26 in Greensboro, and 23 in Charlotte (where several who registered did not attend owing to local unrest).

What has finally dawned on the old boys network is that people do not attend campaigns because of the speakers.  People attend church because of relationships built with members.  This is standard in most churches.  The problem in Armstrongism is that members were told to never discuss their faith with nonCOG members.  Examples work better at drawing members than does doom and gloom speeches and end of the word nonsense.

Or, UCG may be taking the usual route and blaming members for not being more involved.  This is probably more likely since the membership of the COG has never been able to do anything right over the last 8 decades.  It was always the members fault that prophecy never happened and Jesus had not returned.

It is becoming more apparent to us that local congregational involvement and engagement will be needed and expected to help increase our attendance. From the home office, we can do only so much to promote these events. Further publicity and encouragement will need to come from local pastors and their congregations. 

UCG member will soon start being "trained" on how to be proper examples. 20 years after the start of the most godly COG splinter group ever, it still has not been able to get cross to its members just what it is they are supposed to believe.

The personal appearance campaigns are making us more aware of the need to proclaim not only the gospel message, but also to “make disciples.” It is important to teach about the Kingdom of God from the Bible and to expound the scriptures that authoritatively explain God’s vision for the world. 

The problem with the COG view of a kingdom to come, which all Christians believe, is worthless in a troublesome world.  People need to know how to relate to daily struggles, not worry about some end time apocalypse or some idiotic final training in Petra.  Most Christians also know that UCG is full of hot air when it comes to perverted doctrines.  Until they clean up that mess they are not going to draw in many people.

A disciple develops a deep and secure understanding about the nature and authority of the Word of God. In any discussion with those outside of us you must speak up to establish the basis of your beliefs, which is the Bible. Are you able not only to defend your beliefs, but also defend the authenticity, genuineness and reliability of the Bible?

The church has always emphasized that everyone had to "prove" everything.  That is a load of garbage.  It is dwelling in the mystery and the unanswerable questions that have always inspired people through the centuries.  Living and believing in that tension is far more profitable than parked in front of some poorly researched correspondence course and proof texting scripture or reading legalistic web sites like James Malm and Dave Pack where they lie through their teeth.

The glory days of UCG are over.  It will NEVER be a great work.

The Awesome POWER of Ron and Laura Weinland

Felon Ronald's word's are below:

“If anyone will hurt them, fire will proceed out of their mouth and devour their enemies, and if anyone will hurt them, they must in this manner be killed” (Rev. 11:5).  

God reveals that some will so hate these two witnesses that they will try to do them harm and even attempt to kill them. However, God makes it clear that these two will not die until God allows it. The fire that is described as proceeding out of their mouth is symbolic of the power they are given to pronounce any consuming judgment upon any who would desire or attempt to harm them.  

“They have power to shut the heavens so that it does not rain in the days of their prophecy, and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they will” (Rev. 11:6).  

God will give His two witnesses power to cause devastating destruction from whatever plagues they determine, according to their own judgment. This means they will decide when, where, what kind, and how long specific plagues will strike and when plagues should be repeated. Some of these plagues that are pronounced will be coupled with events outlined within some of the Seven Thunders.

Ron and Laura Wienland As The Two Witnsses Are Clothed In Humility

Ron Weinland's description about he and his looney wife Laura is below. As the two witless witnesses they will be filled with POWER as they walk around Jerusalem wearing their clothing of humility.  This is before they are killed and left to rot in the streets, of course.

The Two WitnessesThe 7th and last end-time prophetic period of 1,260 days will be the period when God gives His two end-time witnesses the primary work that they have been prophesied to fulfill. Throughout the entirety of the 5th and 6th prophetic end-time periods, these two individuals have been the focus of much ridicule, hatred, mockery and scorn, and during each of these prophetic periods, these two will have fulfilled a specific kind of witness, yet their major witness is during the final 1,260 day period.  

“And I [Almighty God] will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” (Rev. 11:3).  

Wearing sackcloth is used to symbolize the practice of walking humbly before God. This verse is describing how God’s two end-time witnesses are clothed in humility as they carry out the commission God has given them. Humility is the opposite of pride, and God has prepared both of these individuals to be able to accomplish the work that is before them in a manner that reflects true justice, mercy, and active living faith. The purpose for the power God gives to these two is to humble others who are filled with pride and who are refusing to listen to God. 

These two witnesses will exercise that power they are given according to their own will, according to what they themselves determine to use against others for the purpose of stripping them of their pride, just like what was done against Egypt and Pharaoh in the days of Moses. 

Although these two are given such great power to use as they will, as they choose, they will not be lifted up in pride because of it. Instead, the use of that power will be reflected in humility because they fully understand that it is from God as a matter of His purpose being worked out, and that it is by His great power such things are accomplished, and no one else’s. These two witnesses understand, mightily so, that all that is taking place is about what God is doing to humble this earth in order to establish His Son as King of kings.  

This matter of them wearing sackcloth—of being clothed in humility—is simply the result of God molding and fashioning them into such a state through all that they have had to experience in the previous seven years of those two end-time prophetic periods before this (the 5th and 6th 1,260 days). It is within those periods of time that these two have been ridiculed, mocked, hated, and later trampled upon that they have learned humility on a strong spiritual plane.

Van Robison: Without FEAR Religion Would Never Exist

Religion Steals Your Life, Family, Time and Money

Without FEAR religion would never exist.   Without "Holy" books, priests, pastors and religious overlords, there would be no religions.  Unfortunately, it is those who appoint themselves as representatives and conduits for "God", who religiously rape the simple minded.

Religion is like quicksand and once you are in its grip, you sink and slowly sink until you are consumed.  At that point escape from its suffocation is next to impossible. You cannot see or hear any voice other than your own quicksand.

Admittedly you have never, not even once in your entire life seen "God", or so much as sat down in your home and had a friendly conversation with this "God", that you think you worship and obey and are deathly afraid of. 

That being true, then it is not "God" who is the author of your religious beliefs or of your "Holy" books, but rather egotistical, extremely haughty and vain men, who pretend to speak for "God" to you.

Now the bottom line and the real cause of man-made religions---the love of power, control, self and an endless gravy-train of free $money for life; all at the expense of the timid, the fearful, the unknowing, the easily deceived, the naive, the gullible and those who cannot think or reason for themselves.  

In our modern day and age there is a veritable wealth of knowledge about the origins of the "Bible", and apart from and outside of the religious parrots or apologists for the so called "Bible."   Only when church goers are willing to read and study from the endless array of challenges to the status quo, can they crawl out of the man-made religious quicksand.

You sacrifice not only your own life, but the life of your family and children, when you live in fear of some self-appointed preacher, who will end life in the graveyard.  Of course it is human to want to live forever in paradise, but no human priest, pastor or religious overlord is your guarantee of life after death.  They may quote verses from ink on paper called "the Bible", but the bible is an entirely man-made collection of human writings never inspired by "God."  Do the research and prove it.

If you really want to live, then opt out of submission to religious overlords and set your family free from the hypocrisy of religious priestcraft.

Van Robison