To Set The Record Straight

The credibility of the WCG is at issue again. The WCG published two sets of differing member numbers in the same January 2008 edition of Together.

Some of the numbers are consistent between the two versions, such as in the following table collated for Ambassador Reports from Together. WCG does claim these consistent membership totals within the article:

WCG Membership

USA........................10,873
Philippines.................6,225
Canada.................... 4,476
Australia...................1,434
Latin America...............757
New Zealand................183

Together claims no new WCG congregations for the UK, France, or Germany since 1995. But some selected new congregation plants supposedly founded since 1995 number: Bangladesh-12; Italy-8; Kenya-28; Zambia-15; Mexico-4; Canada-4; Philippines-23; and the United States-23. Adding up these congregation plants from all areas, the WCG claims 194 new WCG churches or small groups began since 1995.


But some of the claimed membership numbers differ widely in the same issue, between a pdf spreadsheet and a web page report. Take the UK and Europe for instance. This area is a region where membership ought be counted with reasonably reliable accuracy.

In the web page Together version, the UK has 1,467 members total. In the pdf Together version, same issue, the UK membership has shrunk down to only 871 members. That's 596 missing members in the UK! How can the WCG lose 596 members - more than forty percent of the UK church vanishing- in the same issue? Hmmm....

The European numbers in the industrialized countries also differ. Switzerland, for example has 143 members in churches in the pdf version, but shrinks down to 79 members on the web page version. Belgium has either 23 members in 1 church or 36 members in 2 churches. Take your pick. Germany has 6 churches with 163 members or 5 churches with 157 members. Italy 132 members or 114.

By the time all the Together article differences are accounted for in Europe, Europe has either 2,535 WCG members, or might be downsized to 1,980 members. A substantial difference on the record, perhaps amounting to losing 555 members, or downsizing 22 percent on paper, this of course depending on which figure is correct!

Then there is Africa. African membership numbers, interestingly tend to be rounded. WCG memberships are rounded off by country to even numbers, ending in zero: 350, 350, 900, 500, 200, 200, 450, 400. The rounded country totals just listed were for Angola; Cameroon; Congo; Ghana; Liberia; Madagascar; Nigeria; and Rwanda respectively. Zimbabwe has 399 members. Can't Zimbabwe demand a recount or find just one additional WCG member for an even 400?

South Africa has 771 members, 25 congregations and 9 new congregations on the web page, while the pdf version shrinks South Africa to 696 members, 19 congregations and 3 new congregations emerging since 1995.


All of these nice, rounded figures help make up for an even number African total of 6,600 members. That rounding really helps out when Tkach is trying to prop up a touted worldwide membership number of no less than 34,500 WCG members in 911 established congregations.

But 34,500 is not high enough a number to square with Tkach's claims of 43,000 WCG members. The numbers quoted in Together are based on average weekly WCG attendance. The article says, "But since not every person attends every week, the number of people who attend regularly is higher." That's why the WCG inflates the number of members quoted up by 24 percent, or by an additional 8,500 members. So irregular WCG attendance accounts for why Tkach inflates these 34,500 members listed in Together into the 43,000 figure he quotes for worldwide membership. Regardless of the real number of WCG members, you can bet your bottom dollar by law none of them has yet voted to retain Tkach's Jr.'s services either as lifetime worldwide Pastor General of the church or as the well compensated, all expenses paid president of the California WCG corporation.

It is difficult to believe in the accuracy of these contradictory, over inflated WCG membership totals, so reminiscent of the story of Pinocchio. How much more difficult then, is it for anyone to believe Tkach's unaccountable financial reporting shenanigans from Glendora.

The Story of Pinocchio

Big Sandy Bylaws

The Church of God in Big Sandy in its March 31st meeting passed a motion for Dave Havir to takeover the oversight of the church website, which was previously overseen by the church board, but it did not list any specifics on why the change took place.

The Big Sandy bulletin further reports:

In other Big Sandy board action, Neil McIver made a motion to change the interpretation ofthe term "same family,"which appears in Article IV, Section 6, of the bylaws (which stipulates that no two members of the "same family" may serve concurrently on the board). the motion was approved by a 5-1 vote. Voting for the motion were Ron Avey, Neil McIver, Don Mischnick, Bernie Monsalvo and Jim Wilkins. Voting against the motion was John Bearse. (This motion supercedes the motion made by the board of Nov. 21, 2005. The new motion lessens the restriction of "same family" and opens up opportunities for people to serve on the board."

Section 6 currently states in part, "No two members of the same family may serve concurrently on the Board." There are many thoughtful, commendable, well-considered aspects to the way the bylaws of the Church in Big Sandy were drawn. At one time Section 6 was considered as originally worded and passed - and with good reason. Section 6 tends to prevent a concentration of power, voting blocks of one family on the board, and one family ruling the church like a private, closed corporation fiefdom.

To make it plain, suppose instead Section 6 read instead, "No two members of the same Armstrong (or Tkach, Flurry) family may serve concurrently on the board." The consequences are obvious. Once a family is allowed to control the board of a church or ministry, the independent board becomes a dummy board.

No one is suggesting that the new supeceding motion to overhaul Section 6 of the bylaws is going to allow one family to take over the Big Sandy board. But it is a slippery slope from having a truly independent board to one in which exceptions to the exclusions in the bylaws for board members leads more of a dummy board, answering to one man and one man only.

Big Sandy Church of God, to its credit, makes public the actions taken during church board meetings in its bulletin. Also to its credit, publishes the bylaws of the church of God Big Sandy and any votes to change the bylaws.

When have the "reformers" Tkach Worldwide Church of God taken such action publishing board resolutions passed since 1986? Explained convincingly how the name of the church was voted from Radio to Worldwide? At least the Canadian website of the WCG has Canadian board members posted with a few remarks about why they are qualified to serve.

Another stain on Tkach's record is his ongoing refusal to publish the still secret church bylaws of the Worldwide Church of God religious association. Tkach would do well to publish the hidden church bylaws of the Worldwide Church of God. New bylaws can then be drafted and approved for the WCG. Tkach would do well by affording the WCG some of the protections offered in the Big Sandy Church of God bylaws:

CHURCH OF GOD BIG SANDY

BYLAWS

Bylaws for the regulation,
except as otherwise provided
by statute or its Articles of Incorporation,
of the Church of God Big Sandy

A Texas Corporation

Adopted December 7, 1999
Amended Sept ember 7, 2004

Amended December 19, 2005

ARTICLE I — Name

Section 1: The name of this nonprofit corporation shall be United Church of God Big Sandy, Texas, Inc., doing business as Church of God, Big Sandy, hereinafter referred to as the Corporation.
ARTICLE II — Mission
Section 1: The mission of the Corporation is to serve the needs of the local congregation and of the greater Body of Christ, and to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
ARTICLE III — Offices
Section 1: The office of the Corporation shall be located at 1106 West Broadway, Big Sandy, Texas 75755, or at such other place, within or without the State of Texas, as the Board of Trustees may from time to time determine. The corporate mailing address is P.O. Box 690, Big Sandy, Texas 75755.

ARTICLE IV — Board of Trustees

Section 1: MANAGEMENT: The Corporation shall be managed by the Board of Trustees, hereinafter referred to as the Board. The Board shall: with the assistance and recommendations of a committee, prepare and adopt the annual budget; with the assistance and recommendations of a committee, review and approve the terms of official relationships with other organizations. The Board shall also: approve commitments, statements of policy or position, or financial obligation; retain assistance in the general management of the Corporation as necessary; and conduct other duties as necessary to manage the general affairs of the Corporation.

Section 2: COMPOSITION: The corporate officers shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and at least three at-large Trustees.

Section 3: INVOLVEMENT OF THE PASTOR: Although the Pastor of the congregation is not a Trustee, the Board desires and expects his involvement in preparing for and participating in all Board meetings.

Section 4: SELECTION: Trustees will be elected by the congregation in accordance with the following procedure:

a) Each year during the month of March, the Board shall establish an Election Committee to manage and oversee the election process. The Committee shall be chaired by a Trustee whose term is not expiring, and shall include the Pastor and at least three at-large members from the congregation.
b) The Committee shall schedule a nomination and election procedure, allowing ample time for voting to be accomplished in advance of June 30, the date that Trustees’ terms expire. The voting period for each phase of the procedure shall include at least three weekly Sabbaths. On each of those Sabbaths, ballots shall be made available to the congregation, along with a description of the election procedure and instructions for completing and submitting the ballot. Each individual casting a ballot shall provide his name and mailing address, and sign for a ballot.
c) Any individual who considers himself to be a member of the congregation, and who is sufficiently interested in the governing
process of the congregation to responsibly cast a ballot, shall be
permitted to participate in the election. Such participants may include teenagers and unbaptized adults.d) In the nomination phase, each member of the congregation shall be given the opportunity to submit the names of up to [twice the number of expected vacancies] individuals that he wishes to nominate to serve on the Board. At the end of this process, beginning with the individual who received the most votes and proceeding in descending order through the list, the Committee shall contact each nominee to determine if he would be willing to serve on the Board if elected by the congregation. When [twice the number of expected vacancies] individuals have declared their willingness to serve on the Board, they become eligible to be elected in the election phase of the process.
In case a tie vote between two or more of the candidates makes
selection of the exact number of individuals eligible to advance to the election phase impossible, the number of candidates advancing to the election phase shall be increased as needed.
e) In the election phase, the names of the previously selected individuals shall be placed on a ballot, which shall be made available to the congregation for a final vote. Vacancies on the Board shall be filled by the individuals who receive the highest number of votes in this process.
In case of a tie, the candidates who receive the same number of votes shall draw numbers to determine which of them will become a Trustee.
f) In both the nomination and election phases, all ballots shall be
reviewed by the Election Committee for validity and eligibility. In the event that a majority of all the members of the Committee determines that a ballot must be disqualified, a representative of the Committee shall contact the person who cast that ballot and explain the reason for the disqualification. In order to avoid offense or embarrassment, all discussions related to this process shall be kept strictly confidential.
However, any individual whose ballot is disqualified for any reason
may appeal to the Board. A majority of the entire Board shall be
required to overturn the decision of the Election Committee.

g) When the entire election procedure is complete, the Committee shall turn over to the Secretary of the Board all ballot information relevant to the election. The Secretary shall keep all such documentation on file for future reference, because any vacancies that occur on the Board during the 12 months following a given election shall be filled by the runners up in that election, and because notice of any appeals to the congregation that are made during the 12 months following a given election must be sent to those who participated in that election.

Section 5: ELIGIBILITY: Trustees must accept and be in agreement with the Statement of Beliefs of the Corporation. Further, Trustees pledge to work together in a Christian spirit of love, cooperation and harmony in an atmosphere of peace.

Section 6: EXCLUSIONS: No employee of the Corporation may serve on the Board. No two members of the same family may serve concurrently on the Board. No two individuals involved in an employer/employee relationship may serve concurrently on the Board.

Section 7: TERMS: Trustees shall serve a three year term. The term shall begin on July 1 and shall end on June 30 of the third year. When the Trustees’ terms expire, they may be reelected to the Board.

Section 8: QUORUM: A quorum is required for any action to be taken by the Board. A majority of all Trustees, one of whom shall be an Officer, shall constitute a quorum.

Section 9: AT-LARGE TRUSTEES: At-Large Trustees of the Corporation shall number at least three but may number no more than fifteen. This decision shall require approval by a two-thirds majority of votes of the entire Board.

Section 10: COMPENSATION: A Trustee shall not receive any compensation from the Corporation for services rendered except as declared by resolution of the Board.

ARTICLE V — Officers

Section 1: OFFICERS: The Officers of the Corporation shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and shall be elected annually from the entire Board. No Trustee may serve in more than one corporate office concurrently.

Section 2: PRESIDENT: The President shall preside at the meetings of the Board and shall have the responsibility for the general and active daily operation of the Corporation. He shall: represent the Corporation in all legal and business matters; represent the Corporation in matters relating to the Corporation;
perform all other duties pertaining to the office; have the authority to perform duties as directed by the Board; and implement all Orders and Resolutions of the Board. In addition, the President may sign, execute and deliver in the name of the Corporation, all deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts or other instruments that are not specifically reserved for the Board
or prohibited by these Bylaws.

Section 3: SUCCESSION TO PRESIDENT: Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of President, or when the President, by written declaration transmitted to the Secretary, states that he is unable or unwilling to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately succeed the President upon receipt by the Secretary of the President’s written resignation and until a new President is elected.Section 4: VICE PRESIDENT: The Vice President shall: temporarily succeed the President, if that office becomes vacant, until a new president is elected; preside at the meetings of the Board if the President is not available; perform other duties as assigned by the President; and perform such other duties, not inconsistent with these Bylaws, as the Board shall from time to time prescribe.

Section 5: SECRETARY: The Secretary shall: keep, prepare and distribute the minutes of all meetings of the Board; cause to be given notice of all meetings of the Trustees; be custodian of the seal of the Corporation and shall affix the seal, or cause it to be affixed, to all documents the execution of which so requires;
have charge of the books, records and papers of the Corporation relating to its organization as a corporation, and shall see that the records, statements and documents required by law are properly kept or filed; keep on file all ballots and other information relevant to the election of Trustees; perform other duties as assigned by the President; and shall have other powers and perform such other duties, not inconsistent with these Bylaws, as the Board shall from time to time prescribe.

Section 6: TREASURER: The Treasurer shall: have charge and custody of, and be responsible for, all the funds and securities of the Corporation; keep or cause to be kept full and accurate accounts of all receipts, disbursements, credits and debits in books belonging to the Corporation; supervise and be responsible for all moneys, valuables and assets of the Corporation and credits owing to the Corporation; chair the Budget Committee; report on the
financial condition of the Corporation at board meetings; perform such other duties, not inconsistent with these Bylaws, as the Board shall from time to time prescribe.

ARTICLE VI — Removal, Resignation and Vacancy
of Trustees and Officers

Section 1: REMOVAL: The Board shall have exclusive right to remove any appointed Officer from office or remove any Trustee from the Board; however, removal must be by a two-thirds vote of the remaining Trustees and be preceded by written notice personally delivered or by mailing notice via U.S. Mail at least
ten days prior to the vote. A Trustee being removed from the Board has the right to be heard by the Board prior to the vote. Furthermore, the Trustee has the right to appeal his removal from the Board directly to the congregation in accordance with the provisions contained in these Bylaws.

Section 2: RESIGNATION: Any Officer or Trustee may resign in writing delivered to the President of the Corporation at least ten days prior to the effective date of the resignation.

Section 3: APPOINTMENT UPON VACANCY: Whenever there is a vacancy on the Board, whether as a result of removal, resignation or inability to serve, the vacancy shall be filled by the eligible person who received the next highest number of votes in the previous annual election, and he shall serve the remainder of the term of the vacant position. In case of a tie between two or
more individuals having the next highest number of votes, the candidates shall draw numbers to determine which of them will fill the vacancy.

ARTICLE VII — Committees

Section 1: CREATION OF COMMITTEES: The Board may create committees for specified purposes. Any committee so created shall have at least one Trustee and shall be advisory only and shall present, through the committee chairman, the results of its work, along with recommendations for specific action, to the Board.

Section 2: ADVISORY COMMITTEES: The Board may create ad hoc Advisory Committees composed of individuals who, by reason of having special expertise or qualifications, would from time to time be beneficial to the management of the affairs of the Corporation. A participant on an Advisory Committee need not be a member of the congregation. Once an Advisory Committee is established by the Board, any Trustee may nominate an individual to serve on it. Advisors will be approved to serve on the committee by a majority of votes of the entire Board.

ARTICLE VIII — Powers Reserved in the Board

Section 1: SPECIFIC DECISION MAKING RESERVED: The Board reserves all rights and powers to: commit the Corporation to any contract or other obligation; adopt the Corporation’s budget; nominate and appoint Officers and establish their duties; remove any Officer from office or any Trustee from the Board, except as provided in Article IX of these Bylaws; and amend the Bylaws of the Corporation.

Section 2: EMPLOYEES: The Board also reserves all rights and powers to hire and terminate employees. In the case of the Pastor, such termination shall require approval by a two-thirds majority of votes of the entire Board, and be preceded by written notice personally delivered or by mailing notice via U.S.
Mail at least ten days prior to the vote. The Pastor has the right to be heard by the Board prior to the vote. Furthermore, the Pastor has the right to appeal his termination directly to the congregation in accordance with the provisions contained in these Bylaws.

Section 3: INTERPRETATION: The Board has final judicial authority with respect to the interpretation of these Bylaws and with respect to any controversy that may arise thereunder.

ARTICLE IX — Powers Reserved in the Congregation

Section 1: SPECIFIC DECISION MAKING RESERVED: The Congregation reserves all rights and powers to govern itself by: annually electing Trustees; approving the hiring of the Pastor; hearing and adjudicating an appeal by a Pastor who has been terminated; hearing and adjudicating an appeal by a Trustee who has been removed from the Board.

Section 2: APPEALS: Any appeal that is made to the congregation under the provisions of these Bylaws shall be carried out in the following manner:

a) Within ten days from the time a Trustee is removed from the Board, orthe Pastor’s employment is terminated by the Board, the Trustee or Pastor may initiate an appeal to the congregation. Official notification of the appeal shall be sent to the most recent voting roster via U.S. Mail at least twenty-one days prior to the appeal date.
b) The appeal shall be heard in a meeting convened at the office of the Corporation 30 minutes after the sundown ending the first weekly Sabbath following the twenty-one day period mentioned in paragraph a) above. The above-mentioned notification shall include the date and time that the appeal is to be heard.
c) When the appeal hearing is convened, the attendees whose names are on the most recent voting roster shall choose an individual from among those present to chair the meeting. The meeting shall not be chaired by a Trustee nor by the person making the appeal. However, both the person making the appeal and any Trustees present at the appeal may cast ballots as individual members of the congregation.
d) In accordance with the biblical principle of doing all things decently and in order, the chairperson shall ensure that the discussion of the circumstances that have given rise to the appeal are carried out in a manner befitting disciples of Jesus Christ. Within reasonable time constraints, the chairperson shall make every effort to allow all points of view to be presented without interruption. If anyone in attendance is unwilling to conduct himself in an orderly and respectful manner, he shall be asked to leave the premises.
e) After reasonable time has been given to an open discussion of the appeal, the chairperson shall call for a vote to either uphold or overturn the decision that gave rise to the appeal. The vote shall be by written ballot, signed by each voting party. A two-thirds majority of those present at the appeal shall be required to overturn the removal of a Trustee or the termination of the Pastor. Any individual who considers himself to be a member of the congregation, and who is sufficiently interested in the governing process of the congregation to responsibly cast a ballot in the appeal process, shall be permitted to do so. Such
participants may include teenagers and unbaptized adults.

ARTICLE X — Meetings of the Board

Section 1: ANNUAL MEETING: The Board shall have one annual meeting, to be held at the corporate office during the months of July.

Section 2: REGULAR MEETINGS: The Board may hold additional regular meetings, scheduled at reasonable times, at the corporate office. The schedule of all regular meetings shall be communicated to the congregation.

Section 3: SPECIAL MEETINGS BY NOTICE AND CONSENT: Special meetings of the Board may be called if every Trustee has received notice and if every Trustee consents to the meetings. Any such special meeting of the Board shall be at a reasonable time and place and shall have a specific, limited agenda.

Section 4: SPECIAL MEETINGS BY WRITTEN NOTICE: Special meetings of the Board may be called by written notice from the Secretary or by written notice from a majority of the Trustees. Such written notice shall be sent postage prepaid and shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United State mail, addressed to the person at his address as it appears on the records of the Corporation. Proof of mailing shall be required and shall be kept with the records of the Corporation. Such written notice shall be sent at least five (5) days prior to a special meeting and shall include the date, time and location of the meeting, as well as a specific agenda.

Section 5: PARTICIPATION BY TELEPHONE: One or more Trustees may participate in a regular meeting or special meeting via telephone.

Section 6: VOTING: All questions shall be decided by a majority of votes cast, unless stipulated otherwise in these Bylaws. Each Trustee shall have one vote.

Voting shall be in person, by telephone, by e-mail, by fax, or by proxy signed by the duly authorized representative of the absent Trustee. No person other than another Trustee may be the duly authorized representative of an absent Trustee for the purposes of proxy voting. The vote of each Trustee, whether for or against a matter or an abstention, is to be recorded and become part of the minutes.

ARTICLE XI — Prohibited Activities

Section 1: NET EARNINGS: No part of the net earnings of the Corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its Trustees, Officers, or other private persons, except that the Corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.

Notwithstanding the above, the Pastor or Board may determine that a Trustee of the Corporation may require assistance in the case of financial distress, in which case such assistance may be rendered, subject to approval by a two-thirds majority of votes of the entire Board.

Section 2: POLITICAL ACTION: No substantial part of the activities of the Corporation shall be carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the Corporation shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by a
corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

ARTICLE XII — Parliamentary Rules

Section 1: CONDUCT OF MEETINGS: Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the conduct of all meetings of the Board, provided they do not conflict with applicable law, these Bylaws or the Articles of Incorporation, in which case the latter shall prevail.

ARTICLE XIII — Books and Records

Section 1: FISCAL YEAR: The fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31.
Section 2: CONTRACTS: The Board may authorize any Officer or agent of the Corporation to enter into any contract or to execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation.
Section 3: CHECKS, DRAFTS OR ORDERS: All checks, drafts or orders for the payment of money, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness issued in the name of the Corporation shall be signed by such Officer or Officers, agent or agents of the Corporation, and in such manner as shall from time to time be
determined by resolution of the Board. In the absence of such determination by the Board, such instruments shall be signed by the Treasurer of the Corporation.
Section 4: DEPOSITS: All funds of the Corporation shall be deposited from time to time to the credit of the Corporation in such bank or banks or other depositories as the Board may approve.
Section 5: GIFTS: The Board may accept on behalf of the Corporation any contribution, gift or bequest for any purpose of the Corporation.

ARTICLE XIV — Indemnification

Section 1: INDEMNIFICATION: Every Trustee, Officer or employee of the Corporation shall be indemnified by the Corporation against all reasonable expenses and liabilities, including, but not limited to, legal fees, reasonably incurred or imposed upon such person in connection with any act or proceeding to which that person may be a party, or in which such person may become involved, by reason of such person’s being or having been a Trustee, Officer or employee at the time such expenses are incurred, except in such cases where the person is adjudged guilty of willful misfeasance, gross negligence, or illegal conduct, in the performance of the duties of his office.
Provided, however, that in the event of a settlement the indemnification herein shall apply only when the Board approves such settlement and reimbursement as being of all other things rights to which such Trustee, Officer or employee may be entitled.

ARTICLE XV — Dissolution and Liquidation

Section 1: LIABILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS: All liabilities and obligations of the Corporation shall be paid, satisfied, and discharged or adequate provision shall be made prior to the distribution of assets.

Section 2: DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS: Upon the dissolution of the Corporation, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the Corporation, and after compliance with applicable state law, the Board of Trustees shall dispose of the remaining assets of the Corporation exclusively for the purposes of the Corporation in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code (as amended). Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the Corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such exempt purposes. None of the assets will be distributed to any Trustee, Officer or employee of the Corporation or to any private individual.

ARTICLE XVI — Severability

Section 1: If any provision in these Bylaws is invalid, the remaining provisions will nevertheless continue in full force and effect without being impaired or invalidated in any way.

ARTICLE XVII — Amendments

Section 1: The Board shall have the authority to amend these Bylaws. Proposed amendments shall be provided to each Trustee at a regular Board meeting and posted at the next regular church service. At the following regular Board meeting the amendment will be discussed. At the next consecutive Board meeting a vote may be taken. Such amendments shall require approval by a
two-thirds majority of votes of the entire Board.

CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY

I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the Bylaws of the United Church of God Big Sandy, Texas, Inc., as amended by the Board of Trustees the nineteenth day of December, 2005.

Don Walls, Secretary

Bylaws of the Church of God Big Sandy Page 11 of 11
As amended December 19, 2005

WCG US Membership Plummets Into Nosedive

As longtime Worldwiders have suspected, most of the few membership statistics and financial figures coming out of the secretive Tkach administration have long been inflated or suspect.

Now however, the green light has been given to release some overall WCG membership and congregation statistics. But after years of Tkach stonewalling his finances and padding the membership, why now?

Perhaps Tkach thinks he doesn't have anything to more to lose with his utter lack of credibility so far by denying members straight information on WCG membership; finances; and even the Worldwide Church HQ Bylaws, still kept a church secret, making him absolute Pastor General for a lifetime. Or perhaps the business model the WCG is working on does not actually work, losing more and more money each year, and Tkach will have to spend the hidden pile of campus sale money until the WCG HQ goes into unrecoverable bankruptcy.

What does the new information reveal?

For one thing, the WCG is now claiming overall US membership has plummeted to 10,873 members total. In the NE region 4,005; SE region 3,346; Western region 3,522 members. That's a total of 10,873.

Canada is at 4,476; Australia has 1,438; and the UK with 1,467 members on the WCG membership rolls.

For the complete WCG summary report, click here.

World Exclusive - Photos of UCG Denton HQ Property!

Ambassador Reports is pleased to publish the first photos of the new United Church of God headquarters site located near Denton, TX!

Just click on any of the maps and photos for a larger view of the property.

Denton, TX is located on the north side of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. Site is marked by the green arrow on the map.

Above is an over look of the general area. I-35 runs along the left of the picture and intersects with Milam Rd. at the top left. The arrow points over the UCG property.

The yellow area on the subdivision plat, drawn to scale, highlights the area encompassed by the 81.5 acre UCG property. The arrow again points to the section where Milam road runs along the north boundary of the UCG property line.

Take Interstate 35 to exit 473, FM 3163 - Milam Road east. Love's 24 hour/7 day truck stop is at this intersection on the UCG side.

Another view of exit 473 along the I-35 service road, looking north towards Milam Road. Love's 24/7 combination truck stop and Subway sandwich sign visible along barbed wire fence.

Turning right onto Milam Road east, AmeriSteel Structures is on the corner on the north side - specializing in building metal buildings, steel frame homes, and horse barns.

New Life Church (www.NewLifeDenton.org) acreage is located across the road from UCG, further east at 1350 Milam Road.

Above is the UCG property for sale sign. Picture is taken from the front of the property on Milam Rd. looking south towards the property. Click on the sign. Note Milam Ridge Rd., ending in a cul-de-sac, running perpendicular to main thoroughfare Milam Rd. on the south side.

Another view from the front of the property. The other side of the hill in view gently slopes towards Milam Creek bed, which meanders south of the property between Milam and Ganzer roads.

A northwesterly view towards the front of the property. Milam Road FM 3163 is in the background.

Looking in a westerly direction across the UCG property towards Milam Ridge Road.

Southwestern view across the rear of the property.

Ganzer Road ranch (makes a "U" type shape from above on a googled map) is south of the UCG acreage on the other side of Milam Creek.

Cattle grazing along Ganzer Rd. pasture.

More bovine splendor along Ganzer Rd. ranch.

Looking northward from Ganzer Rd. vantage point towards Milam Rd.

View looking southward along Milam Ridge Road, which runs right alongside the west side of UCG property, and perpendicular to Milam Rd.- FM 3163. These Milam Ridge Road estates could become "Waverly Drive" type ministerial or executive homes for the church.

Looking northward along Milam Ridge Road. These home lots are sized with substantial setback - and a sizable three acre estate per lot.

Southwesterly view across the UCG property towards Milam Ridge Road estates.

View from Milam Ridge Road towards United acreage.

The Strange Case of Gerald Flurry vs. Fuller

Stanley Fuller of Vanderhoof, British Columbia, Canada, died in July 2000. His last will done in 1997 distributed just $1,000 each to his three adult children, while giving all the rest, approximately $1,000,000 to the Philadelphia Church of God. Also, Fuller had named Gerald Flurry to be the new executor of Fuller's estate. The Fuller children contest their father's capacity to make the will, and ask that the will be varied so as to increase their shares at the expense of the church's share. Flurry's Philadelphia Church supports the will and gift.

Rosemary, Stanley Fuller's daughter, testified that by 1993 her father was well aware that his land had a value in excess of $1 million. Mr. Fuller sold this land. The purchase price netted to Mr. Fuller more money, by several orders of magnitude, than he ever had before. After paying capital gains tax of some $600,000 on the transaction, Mr. Fuller was left with roughly $1.8 million in cash.

Justice Rodgers, who presided at the trial, writes in his opinion that the gift of $200,000 to each of his children was not the only gift Mr. Fuller made in 1995:

"[H]e also gave $260,000 to his church by way of a tithe. Mr. Fuller understood that his obligation was to give the church 10% of the increase in value of his property. Shane testified that his father showed him a calculation he had done of the tithe he was to give to the church after the 3/4 section was sold. Shane recalled that Mr. Fuller started with a tithe of $300,000. That is, of course, more than 10% of the $2.5 million the sale brought in. Shane testified that he understood from his father that in some years the tithe is greater than 10% depending on the church's need...

Mr. Fuller regularly attended Fall and Spring meetings of the Church. Sometime between the Fall meeting in 1996 and the Spring 1997 meeting Mr. Fuller spoke to Rosemary about how his money should be invested. This was a normal conversation for the two to have. That is because in 1995 Mr. Fuller made Rosemary a joint owner of his bank accounts and investment certificates. He sought and heeded her advice concerning the investments he should make. It is clear that in 1995, at least, he trusted her completely.

When he returned from the 1996 Fall meeting, however, Mr. Fuller told Rosemary that he did not want his money to be locked into inflexible and non-liquid investments. He said that he wanted to have his money readily available because according Church doctrine he might have to retreat with his money to a 'place of safety' on only two weeks notice (emphasis mine). Rosemary was not keen on this idea, and said so to her father. She pointed out that the investments she recommended would return higher interest than the more liquid investments he wanted to use. Mr. Fuller replied that he was not concerned about the lower interest rate. I find that to have been an entirely reasonable response by him; Mr. Fuller had ample money and did not need to maximize his investment income in order to meet his modest needs. Rosemary went further, though. During this conversation she questioned the bona fides of the Church. She suggested that the head of the church was not the good man Mr. Fuller believed him to be; that the Church was after his money; and that he might come to a tragic end such as the poor unfortunates at Jonestown. Jonestown is, of course, the spot in the Guyanese jungle where hundreds of Jim Jones' followers died by poison. Rosemary says that as soon as those words were out of her mouth her father took an expression of deep anger and she knew that she had gone too far in her questioning his faith in his Church. From that point on relations between her and her father cooled and became strained.”

Find out how it turns out here.

Justice Rodgers did go on to say:
"The children do have a point when they say that the plaintiff Mr. Flurry and the defendant Church were one and the same. They are right in that observation. Their interests were identical, there was no lis between them, and they were represented by common counsel. I direct that the executor and the Church may present a single bill of costs for payment by the estate. As an aside I say that it would have been much preferable for Mr. Flurry to have resigned as executor and to have confined his participation in the suit as a defendant. As it is he decided to wear two hats, and unless one has two heads to accommodate them, that is often an uncomfortable proposition."

Finally, in 2004, the B.C. Court of Appeals upholds Justice Rodgers finding no reversible error here.

Flurry's $15 Million Dollar Folly

In 2006, Gerald Flurry, Philadelphia Church of God leader, approved a set of architectural drawings for a $15,000,000, eight-hundred seat imitation Ambassador Auditorium to be built on his church-financed Armstrong College in Edmond, OK. Having obtained enough church tithe money necessary to start the new construction, Flurry broke ground on the auditorium construction earlier today.

Flurry founded his Imperial College, now labeled as Armstrong College, in 2001. The new auditorium and bible school grounds are entirely financed by the small number of triple-tithe paying members of Flurry's Philadelphia Church. The Edmond campus compound design is patterned along the lines of the Worldwide Church of God's former Ambassador College campuses. Herbert W. Armstrong, founder and Chancellor of Ambassador College, did not graduate from high school, attend any college, or partake of any formal theological school coursework. In keeping with the self-taught Armstrong tradition, Flurry's unaccredited Armstrong College's policy is to remain permanently unaccredited. The "College" does not seek outside academic accreditation because it is held to interfere with the college's spiritual training mission for God. The college name was later changed from Imperial to Herbert W. Armstrong College, following formal protest by Imperial College of London. In 2006, Herbert W. Armstrong College held its first commencement exercises.

A new dormitory-learning center was built by the church in July 2006. The unaccredited bible college has enough accommodations on campus for about 90 students. Loyal Armstrong college graduates are typically recruited into the Philadelphia church ministry or other jobs needing to be filled on the Armstrong College campus.

Flurry's Philadelphia church doctrine is similar to Worldwide Church of God end of the world doctrine under Herbert W. Armstrong, but with a twist. Germany remains the major force behind a revived European beast power, which in conjunction with the Vatican, leads to the annihilation, and captivity of the United States. Followers are taught Malachi's Message, a booklet supposedly written under inspiration by "That Prophet" Gerald Flurry, is the "little book" mentioned in the tenth chapter of the book of Revelation.

Without cost construction overruns and at zero percent interest financing, Flurry's $15,000,000 auditorium built inside his cult college compound will wind up costing his faithful triple tithe-paying followers a minimum $18,750 per seat this time around. Added to that will be the additional annual losses incurred to attract world class performing talent to the little known Edmond, OK campus. Such a small sacrifice to pay for when your very salvation in the World Tomorrow is at stake.

Will the Oklahoma acoustics be half as good as Ambassador Auditorium? So when does the Vienna Orchestra arrive in Edmond for the Armstrong inaugural concert?

To view a daylight "Flurrycam" of the Armstrong auditorium construction, updated hourly, go here.

For a revealing look behind the scenes into Gerald Flurry and his Philadelphia church/Armstrong college, put together by a former member, see this website.