Nov. 4 Letter from President Luker
November 4, 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Out of love and respect for each of you, and because of what Christ has in store for all of us, I write this very important letter to you. Our potential to be in God’s family depends on each of us making Christ’s nature our very own. Having the mind of Christ in us leads us to yield to Him and serve Him with proper respect and reverence in true humility. His way produces peace and harmony. God has given us His Scriptures to teach us the godly way in which to conduct ourselves.
Sadly, I must state that there is a spirit of rebellion that has been brewing in the United Church of God for some time—but which is now rising to the surface. Some ministers and members have taken it upon themselves to hold meetings to undermine the authority in the governing structure of United, that all of them once endorsed. They are disseminating false information designed to discredit those in authority, and favor others that they desire to have as leaders instead.
Some pastors and elders are defying direct orders, withholding letters, videos and other communications sent from the home office. Instead, they are proliferating information on Web sites where they claim members and ministers can “get the facts.” Please know and understand, these dissident sites have no direct relationship with UCGIA, and have no oversight as to doctrinal review or integrity of information. It has been noted that people who try to give factual information in favor of our Church, are barred from posting the facts or are blocked from these sites. It should be obvious from this that they have an agenda and are not seeking the truth. It is my duty before God and Jesus Christ to inform you of this rebellion with the fervent hope that you do not fall into its trap. Please pray that God will give you His wisdom and discernment.
I hope and pray that discontent has not been sown in your area, and that your congregation and ministry are at peace. However, because it is so easy to spread rumor and accusation, I am writing to the entire Church to warn you in case you hear things that are not supportive of the United Church of God and its duly appointed leadership. The United Church of God was formed to protect the biblical doctrines of the Church, to care for God’s people, and to provide peaceful places for us to meet on the Sabbath and God’s feasts. We will continue to do this while we preach the gospel, the truly good news of His Kingdom.
I also want to remind you of the official links and Web sites where accurate and uplifting information can be found. These sites are designed to update you on the progress of the work of the Church with the good news of God’s blessings in the work He has given us to do. Below are listed just four of the opportunities currently available for information. I encourage everyone to be connected and inspired in support of the work God has given us to do. By entering your e-mail address on these sites you can receive fast notification of late-breaking news and immediate updates on the work of preaching the gospel.
Therefore, in an effort to improve our communications with you, I would appreciate it if you would please share this message with other brethren, especially those who do not have Internet access.
Some brethren may not be aware of the helpful, regular updates they can receive from the Church and the resources available to them online. We encourage everyone to sign up. Here is the information:
The UCG Member’s Web site gives you updates and resources on everything to do with the United Church of God. To visit click on: http://members.ucg.org and enter your e-mail address in the box in the lower right hand column. This will give you weekly updates on what’s new on the member’s Web site. We currently have more than 14,000 members and others using this alert service.
Inside United: Realtime is a blog that provides you with late-breaking and up-to-date information from senior management personnel. We are already approaching a quarter of a million visitors to the blog, and it was only started in April of this year! This is an excellent way to keep up with the work of the Church, especially on our efforts to preach the gospel of God’s Kingdom.
Almost 1,000 users have already entered their e-mail address to get an alert as soon as a new post is uploaded. Often, new items are posted three or four times a week. To sign up click on: https://realtimeunited.wordpress.com and enter your e-mail address in the box in the right-hand column.
The Good News e-Newsletter is a twice-monthly update containing relevant information to all Good News magazine readers. You will hear from the managing editor, senior writers and the president of the United Church of God. To sign up click on: http://www.gnmagazine.org/gnupdate and you’ll receive a notification when new items are posted about our flagship publication. At present we have more than 32,000 people subscribed!
World News and Prophecy eNews is a monthly e-mail newsletter designed to help you put today’s world events in biblical context by providing you with useful and accurate information, analysis and commentary. To sign up, please click on: http://www.wnponline.org/newsletter . So far, we have 21,500 active subscribers to this service. We believe all of our members should stay aware of the events shaping our world.
Brethren, spiritual wolves are in our midst, and this now-open rebellion on the part of some demonstrates this fact. But even in the midst of a crisis created by some, we know with surety that our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, is firmly at the Head of His Church. He knows our hearts, and He knows more about this situation than any of us could as human beings.
In His final prayer before His crucifixion, Jesus Himself prayed not once, but twice for protection that God would shield His Church “from the evil one” (John 17:15). Brethren, as a long-time minister and brother to you in the faith, I ask that you now urgently join with us in prayer and fasting to claim that promise of divine protection for the Church of God.
We have the confidence that God and Christ will protect and deliver us! Through faith, let us exercise that confidence and place this matter in God’s hands as we all move forward.
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Dennis Luker
Inside United: Realtime 
Thankyou Mr. Luker for this message. For keeping members up to date with vital information & the encouragement you provide as well. We know God will see us through. He is testing our hearts & minds. I love that scripture which speaks of having that ‘love which covers a multitude of sins..’ & indeed that is what Christ & God want to see in us, knowing it ONLY comes from Him. This is one of my goals in this walk & calling from God & indeed takes years & lifes experiences (such as the one the church is going through now)to acquire.
Our prayers are always with you & the ministry. I know you will succeed through Christ!
Regards,
Belinda Leihn.
Thanks for the update Mr. Luker.
Through the last 15 years I have supported the Seated council and administration. I do so now. You correctly stated many times Christ is the head of the Church. Amen to that!!! It is amazing how many Abigail’s (However many there are}seem to think they, or someone they really like, should be the head of the Church. Either shed your sheeps clothing or become Gods sheep.
All the accusations against the seated Council are without one shred of proof!! Come forth with your real name and prove what you say!! I praise you not!!
One third of the Angels fell. Like Satan they were perfect before they sinned.
We all have sinned having never been perfect.
Any one for reconciliation? There is still time.
Richard
Mr. Luker,
So is all of this about how many leaders are in control?
If that is the case then it seems that in the long run there will be so many leaders that they may eventually run out of anyone to lead. Is that what God is looking for – just a bunch of little flocks? Maybe Christ’s words of assurance that he would be where ever one or two are gathered together refer to the age in which we now live. I guess it means that each of us certainly needs to be looking to God for guidance in our lives and not relying on a man or any group of men because this leadership stuff is getting confusing.
Sincerely,
Bruce Wasdin
Thanks very much for your open letter. I know what good, converted and caring men, Denny Luker, Aaron Dean, Roy Holladay, Gary Antion, Melvin Rhodes and Vic Kubic and others are.
It is sad to see such lies being sent around against good men who have devoted their lives to serving God’s people. Shame on them! I fear for them, that God will indeed hold them accountable for such behavior. They will also be held accountable if they cause the brethren to become discouraged because of their selfish behavior.
The brethren does not belong to them, for them to spue out their garbage of lies. They belong to God.
To those men I mentioned at the beginning of my comment,I am hopeing that more people will be brave and come out and show their support for what you are doing.
Our prayers are with you.
Janet Treadway
Mr.Luker,
Thank you for your letter. I am praying for you, the ministry, and the United Church of God.
Praying for peace and harmony in God’s Church,
Ken Frick
Redlands, California Congregation
We are continually praying for you and the church. We are doing our part to guard against the “evil one”.
God is on His throne and we must be on our knees in prayer.
Mr. Luker,
We will certainly pray for the bretheren world wide to be blessed with Godly discernment.
Christ knows His own and those who are in Christ know Him. We can take comfort in that. People will know them by their fruits and what spirit they walk in.
They will stand before Christ in judgment as all of us will one day. Christ will judge them righteously, knowing the intents of their hearts. Nothing can be hidden from Christ. It serves us all well to remember that.
In the meantime, we will pray for those weak in the faith that they may continue in Christ and not after men.
We love you and Leeanne very much! You are in our prayers.
Tim
Mr. Luker Thankyou very much for the letter.i´m prayer.
Unida Guatemala.
Mr Luker, thank you for the letter. It’s such a shame it had to be written. It is my hope that those who are acting in such an ungodly manner with either repent, or separate peacefully for the good of the body. To sow discord among the brethren is something God hates and is truly evil. I pray that most of the brethren will not fall into this trap set by the enemy. Thank you for your willingness to serve under difficult circumstances.
Children of God: I admonish all who have been called and have tasted of the heavenly gift which leads us in the way of peace and which has shown us ways and paths that we had never known and His spirit which is a sure anchor of our salvation has showed us, His Firstfruits, of the glory of the age to come as though we could reach out and touch it that we all might diligently seek the fear of our Father and His Holy One that we, as one, might do what is right in their sight that we might not put God to the test as our father’s did when they came out of Egypt who never received the promise though they were so close to entering in into that promise. LET’S BE AS ONE IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH AS HELPER’S IN THE FORWARDING OF THE COMMISSION WHICH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ALL OF US AS THIS IS OUR GLORY AND CONSOLATION IN THIS AGE AND THAT OUR WORKS MIGHT BE ACCEPTABLE TO OUR FATHER AND HIS HOLY ONE AND NOT ONE OF US LACKING.
Dennis, our Father and His Holy One, will surely be with your mouth and teach you what you must say and do in these times even as a witness to you for your faithfulness to them, who as you know, establishes you both on the right hand and the left with their exceeding great power. Be strong and courageous in faith as the Holy One of Israel and all flesh has much work for us to do in these days. Amen. Amen.
It seems strange to think that so large a group of our brothers and sisters in Christ would simply have an unmitigated desire for rebellion and discord. Certainly if the accusations made in this letter by Mr. Luker are indeed the case, then we are in a grave situation indeed.
One can’t help but wonder, however, what would provoke such a spirit in so many? Is this really a question of outright baseless rebellion, or is there something deeper at the core that hasn’t been made plain? It has been my experience and historically seems to be the case that when people’s needs are fulfilled, they are at peace.
So my question is this: are we certain there is an unbridled, purposeless rebellion throughout the ranks of ministry and membership alike? Have we sat down with these individuals and found out what it is that they really need?
I greatly fear that, if we treat this as a rebellion and castigate our brothers and sisters, rather than opening our hearts and listening to understand, we will end up repeating the mistakes made with Latin America. What’s more, we risk playing into the hands of our adversary, being active participants in a path that leads to fragmentation, division and pain for all involved.
These are people we go to church with, people we’ve learned from, people who like us fear God and believe they are doing what He desires for them to do. Let’s be careful to not cause them to stumble by being enemies to them!
Peace, brothers and sisters, not war. Love, not rejection. Understanding, not hasting to judgment. Wrongs have been done, yes–can we model our forgiveness from our Savior who forgave those who were in the very act of crucifying Him?
Let’s all be humbly seeking God in study, prayer, meditation and fasting as we approach this difficult crossroads, asking for His son to live out His life in us. Anything less, and our adversary will use these offenses to tear us apart while we blame others for it.
Peace Maker (please give your real name)–
I think you mistake the word “need” for “want”. We NEED God’s way of life, His truth, His Holy Spirit in us, to be fed spiritual meat, to pray, to study, to fast, to meditate on His Word–to become like Him. You get the idea. That is what we need. When we put our “wants” in front of our needs, then trouble arises. I liken it to my 5 year old. She goes into a store, and says she “needs” a toy–but the reality is, she “wants” it. She kicks and screams and won’t leave me alone unless I buy it for her. Will I have peace if I give it to her? Sure. But did I do the right thing by rewarding her bad behavior?
Mandy,
I absolutely agree that it is critical to be able to separate needs from wants.
However, do you believe that all of the ministers we’ve seen resigning from positions lately have the same degree of self-control as a 5-year-old? I would be afraid to make such a comparison about any of God’s people, let alone his ministry! Remember, these same men stood up with us 15 years ago and said they would rather follow God than man; is it fair to assume that now they are doing the opposite?
I agree with your list of needs, and likely all of us do. I haven’t asked any of those who are struggling with the current administration as to what their struggle is really all about. Have you? Have any of us? I’m afraid that perhaps far too many of us have jumped to the conclusion that everyone who is struggling is in the same boat of “rebellion” instead of actually asking them what true spiritual need is not being met.
The moment we take the perspective of knowing what is in others’ hearts, we stop the process of reconciliation and instead set up our defenses against them. Just as we hate to see people spread rumors and lies about the intents and plans of the current administration, likewise we should not contribute to the fray by making accusations about those whose concerns we have neither heard nor understood.
Thank you for your feedback; let’s all hope that the true motivations become clear and are addressed, rather than just jumping to conclusions when we don’t really know. Let’s pray for discerning, humble hearts and doggedly pursue peace and unity with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter how hard that may be. Settling for anything less will make us unworthy to bear the name of our organization.
Shabbat Shalom! Received Mr. Luker’s letter in the mail yesterday and thought I would check out this site as directed by Mr. Luker’s himself. It’s nice to have a forum where members can respond. After reading all the postings to Mr. Luker’s letter, I feel Peacemaker to have a balanced approach, that we are all still brethren in Christ even if some disagreements have arisen. We shouldn’t be cutting ourselves off from one another, but striving to understand and even agreeing to disagree at times without drawing a line in the sand.
gracias por este comenterio muchas gracias que DIOS NOS AYUDE A TODOS
sr PRESIDENTE en su carta ud. dice que hay un espiritu de REVELION
PORQUE NO SALE MI COMENTERIO COMPLETO
Dear Peacemaker,
I think you need to re-read Mr. Luker’s letter more carefully. He said “some ministers and members” and “some pastors and elders”, which is very different than what you stated (“so many” and “throughout the ranks,”). Obviously “some” has been enough to warrant Mr. Luker’s concern and “some” must be negatively affecting others enough for him to feel it was necessary to warn members. This is a basic principle of wisdom being that Mr. Luker is not only the President of our organization but he is also a shepherd of the flock and if he perceives spiritual danger it is his job to protect the sheep.
I do not read in Mr. Luker’s letter where he stated, or even hinted, that **everyone** who had questions or concerns was of a rebellious spirit. His letter indicated that there were “some” who had crossed this spiritual line. I’m personally thankful for the heads up, the caution to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove spiritually speaking, the opportunity to make a difference with my prayers, and also for the openness he’s shown. I can’t think of any previous leadership who has been as open in communicating with the membership as Mr. Luker has been with sharing both the positive and the struggles. This is an organization we all take ownership in and I’m thankful to hopefully be a part of the solution since we have been informed.
I’m actually somewhat confused by your comments. “Peacemaker,” you have inferred that Mr. Luker has not done enough to reach out. Are these inferences informed? Do you have all the facts? Do you know for sure that Mr. Luker hasn’t reached out, are you sure that the perceived “unmet need” is above reproach? Finally, are these inferences helping the situation and indeed creating peace as your name implies? These questions are not posed from a position of judgment, but rather from the position of hopefully encouraging us all to follow basic biblical principles.
Finally, I sincerely hope we will not begin permitting alias’s on the UCG blog. Let us set the proper example by doing better here than other sites where our own spiritual brothers and sisters and ministers have apparently been able to justify in their own minds that it is okay to break basic sign on agreements by using alias’s and posing under false pretenses. If we are truly letting our words be driven by God’s spirit dwelling in us, then no one should fear sharing their thoughts by using their true identity.
I agree with your final comments back to Mandy – “…rather than just jumping to conclusions when we don’t really know. Let’s pray for discerning, humble hearts and doggedly pursue peace and unity with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.” Let’s not forget that Mr. Luker is our brother too.
I can’t understand why people are unable to see that these dissident web sites are tearing down rather than building up.
I have been in the church most of my life, and over and over I have seen people pulled away because they thought they had “insider knowledge” that the general church members did not have. I have read some of the things people are saying and the ones I have seen seem to be hiding behind women and are in an open spirit of rebellion. I am praying they will wake up to the fact that Satan doesn’t have to try new tricks, the same old ones keep working.
It appears that the ministers in the UCG have been and are trying to keep the Church “back on track” and that is very uplifting!! For those who seen the death of Mr. Herbert Armstrong as the end of an era or a good thing, they may not truly appreciate the direction that the Council of Elders is trying to take. Is it drawing close to the time when Mr. Luker will fully disclose to us those who are turning their backs on being a part of “something greater”? Mr. Armstrong was a man of discretion as well but there came a time when he had to reveal to the entire Church the apostacy within which even included his own son. Ignorance is bliss but it can also be deadly if you don’t know that you are sitting next to the rattlesnake. I’ve been baptized for many years now and have traveled through several of the other “groups”. The Holy Spirit does give the discernment of who to support and follow.
Dear Mr. Luker; May God bless and protect His church and keep His people in the palm of His hand. May God bless you too in all you do. With love; Armida
Mr. Luker,
Just wanted to chime in with all the others that are in support of the United Church of God, you and the COE. We are praying for you and God’s guidance.
These are trying times in many ways. It is evident that we are into the end of this age. Satan is doing his utmost to confound the work of Almight God, injure His peoples and ruin the heritage of Israel. We are standing alongside of you to help you through these battles.
Keep strong in the faith as we know you will. As Paul wrote in Romans 8:35-39, nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Faithfully,
Larry & Lu
I’ve noticed that all the comments posted here are supportive of the current administration and the council of elders, or at least neutral. I am impressed by this, especially if it actually represents all the comments submitted.
However, I have heard that some people raise questions or express disagreements with the leadership of the organization and their posts are either never posted or are quickly removed. Can you please clarify this for me? It would seem that if posts are being kept from being shown, that would be precisely what Mr. Luker has said is happening in sites he calls dissident sites.
I am interested to know whether posts offered for placement here are censored based on their content. If so, I would like that fact to be disclosed. If not, I will be thrilled to learn that as well.
I believe the point is that unwarranted attacks and false accusations, whether on DWS or here, should not be accepted. This slash and burn mentality by so many is just disheartening and is causing irreparable harm.
You sound so reasonable and genuinely concerned here, but your true colors and attitude seem to shine through on the DWS-FB site (AKA dissident site).
Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother (1 John 3:10)
I have seen a few statements that comments were not being published or removed. I have posted comments that were not published, but I don’t know why. I would appreciate knowing what is allowed and what is not.
Have a good Sabbath, everyone.
John,
Moderating takes a whole lot of effort, concidering this is an official corporate page and given the governing documents, it would take the whole CoE to take responsiblity to set something up.
Not that it is an impossbile thing it just may be not worth the effort at the moment. Look at the Jews for Jesus forums. They have a whole subforum to deal with disgruntled ex members and posting on there takes one or two days before a post shows up, if it shows up at all.
I believe it would involve a full time job to answer every post that gets deleted. And when that happens people may take it personally and become disgruntled about that answer, so there is a wisdom in not answering at all. One thing to be discouraged about is enough, why add a second?
I pray every day that God could hold us together as a church, and that we could get over any pride, and replace it with love for eachother. God’s will is what will be done, but I do ask him to have pity on us. I pray for wisdom, and plan to fast for Christ’s church.
I feel that God put you into this position for a reason, and I give you all respect due this position. I will pray that the leaders of this church are directed with the wisdom, love, and patience of Christ.
I also have posted comments and tried to remain at least neutral and my post was removed as well. Don’t feel like they are picking just on you.
I posted on here earlier and I don’t see it now. Does that mean I am taken as a dissident? Just asking?
Thank you, Mr. Luker, for being so open, honest, and keeping this in the forefront of our minds.
In my opinion, all the trials that the church is being forced through are an indication that we must be doing something right. Satan wouldn’t attack a church that’s headed down the wrong path.
I have been a member of Gods Church for almost 40 yrs.
I have witnessed how satan has tried to destroyed the church several times ,but be assured satan will not destroy Gods church. I will pray for all concerned that you will continue to lead us under the Church Jesus built for us today.We live in an un-safe world and we will stick together.
Gods riches blessing on you
Mr. Luker,
Thanks for your informational letter. Not lightly does
scripture say rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. I know you have stress over handling this, and as the song
in our hymnal says “God Will See Us Through.” I was with
you at AC in the early 60’s. Would call for a chat if I
knew your number. You taught me, what I call the Luker
Knot, how to tie my tie in the half-windsor. Praying for
you and the faithful servants and will fast about this.
In Christ’s service, Don Edward Davis
I am ooncerned only about rebellion to God and Jesus Christ not to ANY MAN..esepecially those whose fruit are not those Galations 5: We all need to personally discern and decide..for the hope that lies within us
thank you for telling us this truth….so we will not fall into this satanic trap.
keep up the good work and pls continue leading this organization,helping to protect GOD’s church and HIS people.
Mr. Luker,
Thank you for the letter. We are supportive of you and the leadership. The Church has experienced many difficulties and challenges since its inception. But through all this God has always been there, even when the situation looked grim. No matter what trying circumstances we face it is encouraging knowing that God is in total control. It is so important that we continue praying for you and all the brethren in these difficult times.
Denny (I feel far more comfortable with Mr. Luker but I yield to your request),
God has the ministry and the brethren of the UCG all going through a lesson plan. We are in the end of the beginning or are entering the middle game. These events are for our learning, whether member or leader at any level. To be in the Kingdom we must learn to discern both good and evil in this life now. (Heb 5:14) If we are incapable of learning or refuse to learn how to do it according to God’s standards, then how can God ever use us as rulers in His Kingdom? Is this not what we just spent 7 days at HIS Feast of Tabernacles rehearsing?!?! But FEAR NOT! Not one of us can do this today completely to God’s standards! BUT HOW WONDERFUL! God is giving us a problem that is perfectly designed to help us learn all we need to during this time of training. The greatest part of this process is that it does not make a difference which “side” of the question anyone is on. God is teaching us (HIS children) HIS way of thinking, reasoning and feeling . He is teaching us HIS pattern of behavior. He is teaching it to every single one of HIS children regardless of which “side” they are on. His concern is whether or not each of us is willing to learn from HIM and make the individual changes each of us needs to. Each of us has a choice as to which “side” we are on (or neither). From the perspective of God teaching us how to discern what is Godly or not, it does not matter which “side” we are on! Whatever we choose, each of us will be given a bountiful opportunity to learn.
What is it that that God will have us learn in this lesson plan?
Godliness is a pattern of behavior, a way of consistently thinking and acting. (Satan will try to deceive us into believing God’s pattern is wrong and try to convince us not to live God’s way.) In this lesson plan, God will provide an abundance of opportunities to observe godliness in others. HINT: Each of us should strive to learn, adopt and incorporate that pattern in our, individual life. This is what God wants us to do.
Ungodliness is also a pattern of behavior, a way of consistently thinking and acting. (Satan will try to deceive us into believing this pattern is right and convince us to live his way of opposition to God.) In this lesson plan, God will also provide an abundance of opportunities to observe ungodliness in others. HINT: Each of us should strive to discern this in OURSELVES so we can reject Satan’s deceptions and false ways and turn to God and seek to learn His way instead. This is also what God expects us to do.
If we, you and I, each of us, successfully learn from this lesson plan, then it will become obvious to each of us which pattern of behavior dominates each “side”.
Denny (and all the COE), as you said, God is in charge. This is HIS battle. Whatever position each of us holds, we need to strive to accept our responsibilities and do them as God would have us. We pray that God give ALL, whether leader or member, the strength, endurance, understanding and wisdom to successfully navigate this lesson plan and learn all God wants each of us to learn.
I hope the Council will consider the request by several ministers to have a meeting so the ministry can work these questions and problems out. It seems such a spirit of distrust has entered the ministry and the Council since this spring. If everyone involved would be willing to meet, perhaps these problems can be solved. The GCE surely could call a meeting to make peace. I simply do not believe such a large percentage of the ministry, who have worked faithfully for so long, and many of them too old to find other work, would resign or put themselves in the position to be fired without some grave concerns–not simply out of rebellion. Couldn’t we follow the example of the early church and have a meeting of the elders to discuss these issues?
My wife and I are grateful to be able to post on one of UCG’s official sites, and respectfully hope to raise an issue for discussion. I feel compelled to mention the simple point of logic that true statements regarding the current turmoil in the church are not found exclusively on UCG’s official sites – true statements and non-official-UCG websites are not mutually exclusive. I submit simply that no information should be taken at face value simply by virtue of its domain name.
As God’s people, we are to prove all things – and as many things lately are simple points of public record, they should not be difficult to verify. Are other sources of information about the church true, or false? Prove them, as we prove the very information given to us by our current administration. I say boldly, this is not an attitude of dissidence, but of truth. Let us not be bogged down in the accusations and slander of the brethren or the ministry, but let us each verify the facts, and through prayer and supplication to God, use discernment and our Bibles to prove those who are righteous, and those who are not.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
Thank You Aaron.I concur with you.Since your message hasn’t been deleted I decided to reply.Please hear me clearly.
In 1995 at the top of his voice a brother in Christ swore me when I explained the reasons as to why I was leaving the Church ( WCG). I walked away deeply hurt,not because every one in a 50m radius heard this,but because he did not see what I saw. We had 4 ministers in our area, all of them followed Tkatch blindly and so did 95% of the congregation.
In the years leading up to 1995, ministers who knew the truth could not speak out. Their hands were tied.If they did speak out ,they were disgraced publickly or disfelloshipped .
Protocol teaches us that we should not speak about ourselves, but since I cannot freely speak about the currant situation, please read me correctly.
I did speak to both members and ministers quietely. Many of them ended up in UCG .A minister has thanked me many times for speaking to him while he was in office in WCG. He is one of the finest ministers I have ever known who has and is preparing his flock for the coming marriage supper.
Once again there is a need to speak out. I am using this forum and pray that everyone will have eyes to see. We all want our Church to suceed. There is a work to finish. Unfortunately, Satan exists.
I pray that the brethren / ministers will prove all things.I fear that many won’t.
Sincerely, Collin Naidoo (UCG, Durban, South Africa)
My God continue to Bless the church and bring us all the peace we seek.
To all of God’s ministry, whom I love and respect:
With deep appreciation for the office you have, I write the following with respect, honesty and in good faith.
In all candour I hereby state that we, the membership of the Church deeply appreciate your service to us. I have often used the words ‘your labour of love’, for truly that is what it is. Just this past week, I was anointed for a sickness I have, which illustrates that your office is appreciated and required. We are also aware that there are ministers like you, all over the world faithfully serving God’s people. Without you, the membership won’t be made ready for the marriage supper.
Further, I would like to state that I am not too disturbed by the current distress in the Church.
Mainly because I recognise that our Lord is the Head of the Church and as Captain of this Ship, He knows best how to guide us through troubled waters. Maybe certain issues arose because our ship’s course needs to corrected. From the window we are looking through, maybe we won’t be able to see the approaching storms, but our Captain, can.
I believe that everyone who has an office needs a little space to fulfil their responsibilities:
The General Conference of Elders have a responsibility before God to fulfil their duties, so does the Council of Elders and the President. We all have to be above reproach before our Father in Heaven.
I wrote the above mainly because some of our ministers may be hurt by some of the things that we now read in print. Sadly some members / ministers are abandoning the ship.
To take a leaf out of Darris McNeely’s recent Sermon “I served with Heroes”, I can equally state the following: ` I am glad that you are here’
At this point in time I am preparing a sermonette based on Isaiah 24:23:
“The moon will be abashed; the sun ashamed; for the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously.”
What an awesome future we all have as Elders in the Kingdom of God.
And as Elders we will respect the office, duties and the names of other Elders.
Please stay on board and fulfil your duties according to our governing documents and according to the rules of good stewardship.
Please allow other Elders the space to fulfil their duties according to our governing documents and according to the rules of good stewardship.
I would also love to one day say, “Child, I was served by Heroes”, in answer to my grandchild’s question:” Grandpa,what was life like in the Church of God?”
Please bite the bullet at this turbulent time. Our Father in heaven knows your heart and knows your hurt.
` I am glad that you are here’
Sincerely , Collin Naidoo ( UCG, Durban ,South Africa)