4/11/2009

Godfather Changes Corporate Name

Feazell pays homage to Tkach Family for now

In contrived timing surrounding the Easter holiday, "Godfather" Tkach has announced the name change of the WCG Church Association and its affiliated California-based subordinate business corporation to Grace Communion International.

Readers of the AR blog may recall the focus on possible criminal legalities surrounding the fraudulent, perjured actions of board members, involving a purported official church member vote attested to on legal documents to effect such a change, filed with the California Secretary of State. An alleged church member vote of precisely 5,051* was concocted to legally satisfy Armstrong's bylaws to legally change the name of the church from Radio Church of God to Worldwide Church of God in 1968. (For more on the 1968 denominational voting, see The Plain Truth Please: Did Herbert Lie About Worldwide?*)

Herbert Armstrong and his Church Association Board of Elders/RCG business board of directors may well have committed a fraud on the church corporation, perjuring themselves when legally affirming a nonexistent vote of the RCG membership approving of the denominational name change to WCG, when such a rank and file member vote on the new denominational name to be, in fact, never took place.

When the Tkachs came to power, Tkach Sr. forced through major questionable changes to the WCG corporate bylaws, which at that time may have required a majority vote of the rank and file membership to be legally approved. You can bet your bottom dollar Tkach Sr. paid substantial money for at least some legal opinion in his favor (even highly frivolous opinion) that no vote of the WCG rank and file members to approve of his changes to the WCG constitution would be required.

The question at issue in the WCG name change is: What has changed since the Radio Church of God Association's bylaws legally required that purported 1968 member vote of 5,051* in favor of the name change to WCG; to the Church bylaws today (with supposedly no rank and file member vote or minimum quorum required) for yet another denominational name change, this time to Grace Communion International?

The California church corporation Armstrong founded in Febuary 1947 does business for the WCG in the United States under the parent legal umbrella of the WCG Association. Those changes Tkach Sr. made to the WCG corporate articles were never legally challenged on the basis that a vote of the rank and file members for amendment would be legally required. It is a frustrating legal guessing game because Armstrong and the Tkachs have always been so highly secretive with the original documents forming the RCG Church Association with its subordinate California corporation, and in particular about any changes made to strip away the rights of rank and file members from the original 1947 RCG constitution. Figuring out the secret workings of the inner sanctum of how Skull and Bones operates would be far easier.

While much has been made in WCG propaganda of Tkach Jr. allegedly wanting to reform the bylaws giving him total control of the Church Association and WCG corporation and all the money, he has refused during his entire time in appointed office to even publish the Church's bylaws of the WCG Association of which he is Pastor General, much less reform them.

Tkach Jr., with Biblical cartoons to back up his announcement, makes it sound as if God changed the name of the Church to GCI or that a popular groundswell of the remaining pastors and members demanded the name be changed to thus and such. But the reality of the church bylaws is that just as in 1968, no formal votes were officially, legally taken of the rank and file membership to approve of such an important change as the name itself of the denomination.

In reality, the denomination name change is Tkach's Jr.'s decision and his alone on all important matters, because he legally retains all the power of Herbert W. Armstrong in the church Association bylaws. Most in the splinters today could probably confirm, no one could stand up to Herbert Armstrong's power and control for long, without getting tossed overboard in a pair of cement shoes. Armstrong's dummy board rules for his appointed Elders and the appointed members of his corporate business Board are still in effect. The Godfather's fix is in. Tkach Jr. controls everything; he refuses to disclose the proceeds of the sale of the Auditorium and AC campus; if GCI is financially solvent; Tkach family compensations; when he will step down from his employment; how he will hand-pick his successor.

Tkach relates that, "The name search team presented their findings and recommendations to a combined meeting of the Board and the Advisory Council of Elders on Dec. 20, 2005. After all factors and criteria were considered, the Board and the Council settled on the name “Grace Communion International.”

I take the above to mean the Council of Elders of the Church Association and the Board of Directors of the California Corporation voted (no doubt unaminously, Tkach doesn't say) more than three years ago on that date back in 2005 to approve of the corporate name change to GCI. This probably means that Tkach will file the paperwork with California to change the church corporation business name from WCG to GCI, without forming a new, separate GCI corporation.

In any case, it has taken more than three years for Tkach to effect the denominational name change his dummy Board pliantly approved for him to make. Or should it be the other way around?

While he says his GCI decision was initially met with resistance, Joe Jr. claims a majority of current WCG membership - that an incredible high of 80 percent now favor- and support his decision to change from WCG to GCI. How convenient for Godfather Tkach to have such popular support for his GCI naming decision, support he didn't have in the 1980s when the Tkach family doctrinal changes began rolling out on schedule.

Tkach also warned, "You will see the name change take shape in a carefully orchestrated way over the next several months."

Given the fact that the Tkachs paid for highly detailed studies of the mailing list statistical demographics, geographics and psychographics of the WCG membership, in terms of what doctrines to change first would have what effect on WCG income, it's not surprising he thinks changing the name from WCG to GCI will also be carefully orchestrated.

UPDATE: Computer records at the California Secretary of State reveal WCG had made, from at least a week ago, prior to Tkach's Easter surprise announcement- the corporate name change to GCI.

Armstrong filed the original incorporation papers for the church business corporation Radio Church of God on 2/20/1947:

DISCLAIMER: The information displayed here is current as of APR 03, 2009 and is updated weekly. It is not a complete or certified record of the Corporation.



Corporation
GRACE COMMUNION INTERNATIONAL
Number: C0214334 Date Filed: 2/20/1947 Status: active
Jurisdiction: California
Address
PO BOX 5005
GLENDORA, CA 91740-0730
Agent for Service of Process
MATHEW H MORGAN
2011 E FINANCIAL WAY
GLENDORA, CA 91741-4602




4/07/2009

In Three Tithes They Trust

Let's start with a $100 dollar bill. As of now, it is the largest U.S. denomination in general circulation. Most everyone has seen this denomination. Slightly fewer have owned them; some have dropped the denomination for holy day offerings.

Almost guaranteed to open doors and make friends, in whatever country the Pastor General should grace with a visit. (In the upcoming millennium, should Herbert's face get to be on the $100 bill, hmmm?)

A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2" thick and contains $10,000. Petty cash. Fun money. Fits in Armstrong's pocket easily and is more than enough for day or two of shamefully decadent fun in Monaco, lounging around on the yacht, or shopping trips to Harrod's.


$10,000

Some Of Herb's Petty Cash - $10,000

Believe it or not, this next little pile below is $1 million dollars (100 packets of $10,000). Herbert could stuff that into a Jurgenson's grocery bag; fly to Switzerland, stuff some into his Swiss bank account; and then off to a sex clinic romp in Romania. You don't think he told about all of his private trips on the WCG Gulfstream, courtesy of the WCG dollar, did you? Neither does WCG employee Tkach respect the few remaining members enough to make some basic financial disclosures.

$1,000,000 (one million dollars)

One Million WCG Dollars In $100 Dollar Bills

While a measly $1 million above looked a little unimpressive, $100 million is a little more respectable. More than enough to buy a world-class auditorium. The approximate WCG income for one entire year (in $100 bills) or $100 million, fits neatly on a standard pallet below...

$100,000,000 (one hundred million dollars)

One Hundred Million WCG Dollars In $100 Dollar Bills


But the WCG income for only one year doesn't do justice to the big picture. $1 BILLION dollars pictured below... now we're really getting someplace! Real money!...That's how much Herbert and his WCG garnered from fifty years of mailing out hundreds of his monthly crisis collection letters, taking three tithes, widow's mites, wills, trusts, and sacrificial offerings. Actually, over his lifetime, Armstrong's WCG took members and co-workers for well over a BILLION tax-free US-denominated dollars!

$1,000,000,000 (one billion dollars)

Over One BILLION Dollars Taken By Armstrong-And Counting


Show us the money!