UPDATED: Gerald Weston Finally Makes A Statement...Kind of....

From the fearless leader who has been in the forefront of leading his COG through the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, forget the virus, it is important to let the disillusioned followers know that attendance and income were up around the world. What????

And he STILL cannot make a public decision on whether LCG members should be in church every week.

Greetings from Charlotte,
The Council of Elders meetings began Thursday morning, and regional reports centered on positive trends and challenges we face going forward in a very uncertain world. Attendance and income were up in 2019 in most areas around the world. One challenge that came up from a number of men was how to handle interested Spanish-speaking people here in North America. These are individuals who have limited fluency in English, and many come from a Catholic or Protestant background. We do not currently have resources everywhere we have interested people, to effectively communicate to them the subtle nuances of doctrine. In the days ahead, we will be discussing with our Spanish Department how best to handle this challenge. The coronavirus was obviously a major topic and will be discussed in greater detail regarding how to handle Church services and various programs such as Tomorrow’s World Presentations, social events, and even the Feast, if the problem carries over to that time of year. Regarding Church services, we have advised that if you are not feeling well, please stay home. If you are not comfortable being in a group, you can stay home and listen on line. —Gerald Weston

Weston cannot tell church members to stay home from church but cancels other gatherings.

No BRiC Weekend in Charlotte This Year

Charlotte will not host a BRiC weekend for singles this year on the Memorial Day weekend. This was decided to be the safest course to take, given the uncertainty of how the coronavirus pandemic may play out.

Then he has this to say about the Feast. More impotence.

Feast of Tabernacles

Care Regarding International Travel for the Feast

COVID-19, the coronavirus, has now been declared a global pandemic. One of its greatest dangers is that it is highly contagious, and the general population has no immunity to it. It is a killer to a small percentage of those who contract it, and about a fifth of those who contract it become seriously ill. The rest may have mild, flu-like symptoms, but still spread the illness as they continue to go about their normal activities instead of seeking medical assistance or quarantining themselves. Therefore, this is something to take seriously and, as we know, it is causing disruptions all over the world. We cannot predict what conditions will be like seven or eight months from now for the Feast of Tabernacles. We will keep the Feast, but we may need to cancel or limit travel to some sites. Governments, at any time, may ban group gatherings where they deem necessary. Therefore, please do not make reservations or final travel plans until we see how this is going to shake out. You may even want to consider attending your locally assigned site this year rather than traveling halfway around the world by air. As the scripture counsels us, we should take precautions when we see trouble on the horizon (Proverbs 22:3). 

Can Christian Love Be Found In The Church Of God?

One thing many of the Churches of God love to do is mock Christians who talk about love.  They hate that word.  They claim it is because they see the hypocrisy in those who practice love.  They also seem to believe it is a word that gives people a license to sin.

The sad thing is that when you look at most of the Churches of God's leadership and those in power you see absolutely NOTHING that equates to Christian love.  The church is now filled with some of the nastiest men we could have ever imagined. They abuse members spiritually and mentally.  They dream up draconian evil rules and demands that they impose on their members.  They steal tithes for their own use. They self-appoint themselves to grand titles of apostle, prophet, Elijah, Elisha, pastor generals, chief overseers, and zealots for the church. Salvation is only available to "true" Christians through their group.

All these men have done is to leave a trail of destruction in their wake.  Broken marriages, families torn apart, suicides, horrendous child abuse, rapists, stalkers and even murders.

The disgusting thing is watching these legalistic spiritual perverts impose their garbage on the youth in their groups.

This is Gerald Flurry's latest admonishment to the youth of the Philadelphia Church of God and how their redemption will only happen IF they DO something.  Of course, never forget that reading The Mystery of the Ages solves everything.

Jesus is still that inconvenient dude that embarrasses the hell out of them all.

Follow Leadership

In Addicted to Danger, the authors highlight the need for strong leadership on an expedition to make it all the way to the top. If you are to make it to the top, you will need to look to strong leadership. You must know if someone is telling you what Jesus Christ says. Allow people to lead you away from Him, and you’ll get killed as you climb the mountain.

Now, don’t be discouraged. If you’ve found yourself slipping, God is merciful—if you repent. He will give you a chance to redeem yourself if you are serious about living the way He says.

It is up to you to earn your salvation. Do what the Dear Leader says and you will be ok. Maybe.

Familiarize yourself with Matthew 24. Most religious teachers today talk a lot about the Gospels (the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), but not much about Matthew 24. In this chapter, Jesus Christ gives a brief synopsis of the events to occur immediately prior to His return to Earth. The first warning He gives is for you to not be led away from His truth because of false leaders (verse 5).

This may be why mirrors are frowned upon by so many in COG leadership positions.  God forbid if they ever truly looked at themselves.

Verse 12 states, “And because iniquity [or lawlessness] shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Young people must learn what real love is. This magazine may be corrective at times, but only because we love you. We want to help you reach the summit. We want to tell you when you are about to slip off the mountain. But we can’t pull you up there ourselves. You need to respond to God’s leaders, accept loving correction, and continue climbing.

Oh yes, a bunch of pervert old men telling the youth how to get to the mountain top. Is it any wonder why the youth of the COG is leaving?

This world loves to talk about love. Yet, look around you. Violence, crime, war, divorce—these problems are getting worse. That is not love! But what did Christ say about this end time? The love of many will grow cold. Oh sure, people may still talk about love. They may talk about climbing the mountain, but reaching the summit requires action!

“But he that shall endure unto the end [or the mountain summit], the same shall be saved” (verse 13). Jim Wickwire states about one of the mountains he was climbing, “After about 300 feet, I determined it was safe to crampon across the mountain’s upper north face toward the colonel [Colonel Steve]. Steve and I had just begun our traverse when I heard a sharp, scraping sound. As I spun around, I saw Al on his stomach, sliding headfirst down a 40-degree slope. … Steve thought he saw Al and Dusan, still roped together, slow down before disappearing down a narrow gully. Maybe they had landed on a ledge? ‘We’ve got to descend fast if we’re going to help them,’ I insisted. Belayed by Steve, I climbed down to a dome of snow where I could see all the way to the Gilman Glacier 4,000 feet below. Shaped like a V, the steep gully had rock outcrops on the left side, snow on the right, but no ledge. No one could survive such a fall. Looking down the gully, I felt sick. ‘Dusan! Al!’ I yelled pointlessly, knowing I would hear no answer.”

The book then discusses why these climbers might have fallen. “[T]hese friends died right in front of me. As Steve and I walked away from Peak 8440, I kept asking myself how this could have happened to such competent climbers. Did Al and Dusan disdain the steps I kicked for them to use?”

An interesting observation. He kicked and chipped out steps where they could walk to make it safe for them; but, it appears, they somehow didn’t want to use those steps. And they both died.

How many people have you seen fall headlong into the worst disaster that could ever befall them? Think about that. God wants you to understand this deeply, not to just have an emotional experience.

There once was a man who kicked and chipped out steps for you to walk on. His name was Herbert W. Armstrong. He died in 1986, but you hear a lot about him in this magazine. That’s because he was a spiritual mountain climber. And we want you to follow in the tracks he left behind.

Remember kiddies, your salvation is only assured if you read the most boring and pathetic book the churhc has ever published (besides The Missing Dimension in Sex.)

If you like, we will send you your own copy of Mystery of the Ages. It’s written in a simple, straightforward, understandable way. Study it—it will help you understand the Bible. It will help you see that the Bible is not an old, outdated manuscript. It was written for today! It was written for you—to help you reach the summit. Any mountain climber needs instruction and teaching. The Bible provides that. Mystery of the Ages puts all of the pieces of the Bible together like a jigsaw puzzle. It will help you understand the Bible. Any young person serious about spiritual mountain climbing needs both—the Bible and Mystery of the Ages.

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If you're caught up in a Split, Splinter or Sliver of the WCG, and in particular, Bible prophecy, your life is constantly just around the corner, over the hill or soon coming.  The news of the day is read as constant sure signs of the end of time and the onset of the Wonderful World Tomorrow and the Kingdom of God. Life now is not your thing. It is life to come and soon that one is taught, week after week and sermon after sermon , as being the whole reason for your existence and the reason for great sacrifices now. Your time, money, heart, loyalty and attention is focused on anything but your real life now.   It is exemplified by Dave Pack's insane expectations of you for to hold all things common, except for him of course, and "Send it in" foolishness, which evidently many do.  It is also Bob Thiel's hunt and peck around fake prophetic ministry for news that fits his ideas of soon, shortly and it won't be long now. 

And all the time, one's real life now is ebbing away.

Alan Watts gives a nice reminder of a concept many Church of God devotees might do well to consider before it's all gone and "It is appointed unto all men once to die..." trumps "We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed..."   Remember, those who said that are dead and gone too. 

....and too...

If you actually listen to Alan Watts... a bonus offering from Garth! 

The Dance

PCG: Have You Memorized 850 Bible Verses?

The Philadelphia Church of God is bragging about this on Twitter right now:

They can force their kids to memorize it all they want but it is ultimately useless when the entire basis for their belief system is a perverted mess created by Gerald Flurry.  Memorizing a whole bunch of scriptures while turning their backs on parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends who disagree with Flurry, proves it has no value to them.

The Ministerial Conference

Not the greatest personal memory...

Since Gerald Weston seems to still be holding out for a Ministerial Conference in the midst of all the current chaos and present distress, I got to thinking back on all the one's I have been subjected to in my past life. In later years they were called "Refresher Programs" and were generally exhausting.

First of all, the real purpose of the Ministerial Conference was for Headquarters and the Administrations, be it the Armstrongs or the Tkaches was to keep a grip on the connection between themselves and all the local ministry and congregations. It is difficult to do when, in fact, a local church and pastor generally could get along just fine without them. That fact took years to dawn on most but the sense of it was always there running silently in the background especially when yearly scandals and drama flowed freely into the mailboxes and lives of minister and member. 

"To be Played in All the Churches" taped sermons served the same function. I personally got used to listening them while preparing a sermon on Fridays and more often than not, not bothering as they were nothing special, save for keeping the local/headquarters connection alive.  In my in at the time I felt I had more to say to a congregation I actually knew and they had no clue about. 

I'll try to be brief. No, I will be.

Ministerial Conferences were hardly conferences. We conferred about nothing I recall. We listened to what we were told on all topics. Some conferences were more tension filled than others. The food was good. There was the occasional entertainment. Once we all got blood tests minor physicals. HWA said "you ministers" a few times.  

The only hopeful and positive one I recall was the one where the Systematic Theology Project (STP) was presented. It was very good. Topics such as Healing, Divorce and Remarriage and Tithing were all address in a very real and practical way. Loved it and felt the church was finally growing up. Then I got home, HWA demanded all copies be returned and the Dark Ages returned.  It was basically all down hill from there. 

I sat through some pretty heated arguments during the receivership crisis of  '79 while my 29 year old Presbyterian mind spun wondering how could a church be put into receivership?  What did that mean?  I almost didn't go but another minister said "C'mon, it will be interesting", so I went. It was not interesting. It fueled my doubts about this kind of church compared to my upbringing. 

There was a lot of talk about demons and resisting the State as where Satan was currently working. All bullshit. HWA got caught and questioned about money and a host of other things and it got out of hand real quick.  Ultimately the Gates of Hell did not prevail against the one true church making room for even more chaos, rumors, scandal and my personal "what the hell have I gotten into and what do I do, I thought I was called into a legitimate ministry..." mode.

In one session of one Refresher we were "taught" how to use 3x5 cards and a card file for sermon ideas. I left.  In another, an Evangelist who obviously got stuck having to present something and did no preparation went through all the Naves Topical scripture on marriage from Genesis to Revelation. Or so they said, I left.   

Then there was the visit to a session by HWA himself. Applause when he came in and "there were two trees..."  I couldn't leave but I went brain dead.  Applause when he left with the entourage but not for the content of his talk. 

I've referred in the past to the session "Should members engage in oral sex" so I spare us. I'll just say some found it distasteful and others hilarious. It lasted about 15 minutes and we all left getting the message across to the presenter to mind their own business. Local ministers 1.  Headquarters 0

I don't recall anything meaningful. Nothing on real theological questions or difficulties. HQ and HWA knew all the answers. There were really no questions, only doubts and fears to be minimized and faith to be shored up at the conference. No science. No discussions on real history or the findings of the topics I find myself having written about in the past as a reflection of past "What about this...?" that would never be addressed.

I found myself over time dropping topics from my own sermons such as tithing and healing as presented in the traditional WCG way and never a sermon on places of safety or British Israelism. I never cared personally about those topics as it seemed the NT didn't care about them either and they were riddled with danger and racism based on bad information and speculation. 

Lots to muse about but to the point.  Gerald Weston badly wants the conference mostly because of the connection it maintains between Charlotte and all the churches which is paramount. They don't wish it to dawn on anyone that the kind of HQ control in thoughts, words, beliefs and deeds is archaic, knowledge restrictive and a threat to the concept of "send it in." It's  a pulse taking exercise of the local minister.  It's also a make work situation for many at any HQ. Lots of HQ minister types at least have little to actually do or accomplish so they make work to look forward to.  Some field ministers would have had little to do , like a Dave Pack, if they weren't so busy minding everyone's business and stirring up problems they then went out to "solve".  

They can say the reason for a Ministerial Conference is to ensure...

1 Corinthians 1:10 10I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

... all they want, but it is a control mechanism and an impediment to speaking the same right things.  The above mentioned scripture is also an impossibility where two or three are gathered together in anyone's name. 

But mostly it keeps "Send it in" in one's mind.   

PS  I predict Gerald will cancel out of necessity if he has already not done so. 

PPS  Gary I know you are laughing at me  for obvious reasons...  :)
PPPS  And too...I am in quarantine with my sweetie who just returned quickly from Europe two weeks early the day before all hell broke loose there and here after the Moron's Address to the Nation, so I have too much time on my hands.