Would you be willing to spend a couple more thousand dollars a year in addition to Feast of Tabernacles expenses just so you can spend 7 days at a "feast" location for Unelaveend Bread? Some Sabbatarian groups think you will.
Not content with living in grace and new covenant freedom, those entrenched in legalism seek to even further impact members' wallets.
Prior to the great Worldwide Church of God upheaval that spawned hundreds of splinter groups, some WCG members were getting wrapped up in the sacred name and Messianic Judaism groups. Given that many COG members felt that they were better "Jews" than regular Jews, it made sense for some of these people to venture into Messianic Judaism and sacred name groups. The more Jewish they could pretend to be the more righteous they felt.
COGNews reports:
The Forgotten Seven Day Feast
Some smaller churches will be observing the Festival of Unleavened Bread in 2023 for the full seven days – but for most people, particularly those who were in the Worldwide Church of God, going to “The Feast” means Tabernacles. Very few are aware that the Church, under its former name, the Radio Church of God, also celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for the full seven days – not just the two annual high days as now.
When my mother first joined the church in 1959 people still looked fondly back at the items that they got to gather together for 7 days during Days of Unleavened Bread. Some of the people in our church area did attend these sites, but far too many could not get off work for this. By the late 1960's the church was spreading around the country and these "feast" locations were not feasible for people to drive long distances to, take more days off work, and spend more money.
In 1952 Herbert and Loma Armstrong travelled to Gladewater, Texas, for Passover and the 1st holy day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. They were overwhelmed by the large numbers who came, not only from Texas, but as far afield as Wisconsin and Michigan.
As they were returning home to Pasadena, Herbert Armstrong wrote:
“We know now – God has shown us plainly and unmistakably – that we must have an adequate place of our own in this central location for the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread EVERY YEAR.
The proper place for meetings of this kind is not an expensive brick or stone or concrete church building on a main corner of a city in all the traffic and noise of the world – but to get CLEAR AWAY FROM THE WORLD – out into God’s own open beautiful nature, utterly secluded from the world!
Next Spring, we shall plan a full eight-day festival, to last thru the entire seven days of unleavened bread following the Passover, and all who plan to come are urged now, with a year ahead to plan, to start laying plans to come for the entire eight days …
Yes, this opens up AN ENTIRE NEW PHASE of God’s great work. This will provide a place for annual great conclaves of God’s people, where many who cannot come as far as Pasadena can meet together at God’s great festivals.
Roderick Meredith reported in the May, 1962, issue of The Good News magazine that,
“In SEVEN major Festivals here in America, plus others in England, Australia and around the world – a glorious season was observed this year! “THEREFORE let us KEEP THE FEAST …” (I Cor. 5:8).
In obeying this inspired New Testament COMMAND to Christians, over TEN THOUSAND brethren of God’s Church assembled this spring to observe the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. All reports indicate that there was GREAT JOY in this observance.”
Why then in 1968 (the year the church was renamed Worldwide) were all the festival sites discontinued?
According to the article Days of Unleavened Bread – How Should They Be Observed? [p.4] by the Church of God the Eternal (supporting the change to observing the 2 high days only):
“… the receipt of income for “the Gospel” was appreciably reduced each Spring, because most of the members did not receive any salary or wages during the week they attended the seven Days of Unleavened Bread. Consequently, tithes and offerings dropped off alarmingly in the Spring …
It was felt by Mr. Armstrong that if the Gospel were to continue to go forth with growth and power, the membership would have to be in a financial position to contribute heavily. The observance of the Days of Unleavened Bread for the full seven days was thwarting this effort.”
Like everything in Armstrongism, money was the common denominator.
