Gavin Rumney RIP. December 16, 2016

Gavin Rumney passed away December 16, 2016 after a diagnosis of cancer.

On November 10, 2016 Gavin sent me the following:

I'm closing AW in a few days. Have had a diagnosis of terminal cancer that leaves me maybe 18 months. Will compose a final post in a day or so. In the unlikely event that I have anything worthwhile to say after that, and you're happy to do so, I'd be keen to submit it as a guest post on your blog, Let me know if that's okay. 

Best regards  

Gavin 

Gavin was a major force in the Church of God related news sites that have been online for a couple decades now.

When the church stated making its changes, Gavin started documenting people reactions to them.  While he any many, many others agreed they were sorely needed, he disagreed about how they were implemented.  That lack of proper pastoral implementation lead to huge disagreements, accusations and splinter groups forming.  Gavin kept pace with all of those changes through various individuals in the different groups.  This included informants high-up in the leadership of the church and individuals who knew the people starting the splinter groups.

Gavin's site kept church leaders on the edge for quite some time as more and more dirt was spilled.  It quickly became apparent that the church was not unified and that the corruption of the old Worldwide Church of God continued on with rampant abuse by its splinter leaders.  Gavin quickly pointed out the major flaws in Bob Thiel and other self-appointed upstarts who have been trying to enslave members with legalism, false prophecies, and manipulation.

Gavin helped thousand over the years to wake up and see how corrupt and un-Christ like the church really was, and still is to this day!  Thousands have freed themselves of that abuse and now are no longer a part of the Armstrongite movement.

Gavin had this on his blog on the day he started it:

The name Ambassador Watch is a nod to Ambassador College, a now defunct institution associated with a now defunct sect, the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) - now morphed into Grace Communion International. My name is Gavin Rumney, I'm a teacher by profession (now largely retired) and currently reside a little south of Auckland - enough to be safely over the border into the Waikato. My extremely modest academic qualification for pretensions as a commentator on the various Churches of God (COGs) is the aforementioned B.Theol with a major in biblical studies (2010). My real-life credentials are a few 'interesting' years as a member in the far off and long ago (1975 through to the early 1980s).

Other than the WCG, my previous ecclesial communities are the Lutheran Church of New Zealand (as a youngster) and a Baptist church. Several of my blog posts have appeared in print in The Journal: News of the Churches of God.

Gavin's work is done and well done it was!




Read back issues of Ambassador Watch here and read OTAGOSH here.

Important New Book Announced: Rod Meredith's Autobiography

The Living Church of God has announced that Rod Meredith has been busy writing his autobiography.  Since he is the most significant man left alive that worked with Herbert Armstrong, it is apparently necessary to share his side of the story.  This will be a book sure to give Dave Pack major butt-hurt since he claims HE is the most important man to train at HWA's feet.

Greetings from Charlotte,

We have all encouraged Dr. Meredith to write an autobiography to fill in some of the history of the Church, since he played such a major part in the Work of God under Mr. Herbert Armstrong. This week he distributed the first of a planned three-part series, titled “The Early Years.” The importance of this project cannot be understated as he is the last man to fill in many details in the early years of Ambassador College and the Radio Church of God during its existence and afterward. We look forward to the completion of this project and sincerely pray that he will have the energy to complete it. Meanwhile, Dr. Winnail was in Baton Rouge last Sabbath where he conducted a Tomorrow’s WorldPresentation and I returned from Canada after recording another two Canadian-version Tomorrow’s World programs. This Sabbath I plan to visit our congregations in Phoenix and Tucson. Please continue to pray for people to respond to the semi-annual letter by committing themselves more fully to God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son through the knowledge they are receiving.—GEW

We have all seen how Herbert Armstrong embellished his own story into such a whitewash that he was beyond human.  His was a story filled with ego, narcissism, control and bitterness.  Will Rod's be the same way?

Will Rod include how he got caught using Third Tithe money to decorate his home on Waverly Drive?

Will he talk about what it was like to be publicly humiliated by HWA and sent off to Hawaii for a year to learn some humility?

Will he talk about how his bitter uncontrollable mouth cost the church hundred's of thousands of dollars when he libeled Leona McNair in front of 700 ministers in Tucson?

Will he talk about how he helped plan Global Church of God with a known child molester while still on WCG's payroll?

Will he talk about how he nearly bankrupted Global Church of God when he did not get his way and took their money and formed Living Church of God, with the same child molester?

Will he talk about how he bragged in a Feast of Tabernacles sermon about spanking his wife, and about how much she "needed it?"

Will he discuss the thousands of marriages ruined because of his heavy handedness due to his enforcement of illogical divorce and remarriage teachings?