July 1, 2001
Dear Brethren,
The attached letter of resignation is being sent to you as our
way of keeping you informed. We, who have signed this letter,
are convicted in our continuance to boldly preach the gospel of
the Kingdom of God, to diligently feed the flock that God has
placed in our care and to uphold the strong doctrines, which the
Church has traditionally held. It has now become clear that we
are not able to do so within CGCF. Therefore, the decision has
been made that we must separate from CGCF.
We have determined with the help of God, through the Power of
His Holy Spirit, to re-establish ourselves. We will teach and
uphold the doctrines that we have learned under the direction
of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong in the spirit of the Statement of
Beliefs, which is posted on the website of the Global Church of
God, UK.
We are happy to announce that our brethren in Africa, Belgium,
Canada, England, France, the Philippines, the United States and
scattered brethren from other countries approve of our decision
to have this peaceful separation, as it is the only way to eliminate
compromise, to do the Work of the Church, to preach the gospel
of the Kingdom of God boldly in all the world as a witness unto
all nations, to warn the nations, including the nations of the
lost Tribes of Israel, of impending disaster, and to feed the
flock.
We need your prayers to our God that He will support the direction
that has become necessary to ensure our obligation to Him. It
will, of course, require all of us pulling together to accomplish
what we have set out to do.
We have endeavored to uphold the original goals that were espoused
at the inception of CGCF. It is our sole desire to serve the Great
God who has called us to this service, and to serve you, His “called
out ones,” so that we all, together, may achieve the very
purpose of our collective calling.
In our letter of resignation to the leadership of CGCF, we showed
that those desiring to discontinue this effort and join another
group have veered from these goals. Quoting from that letter:
“You have continually ignored our questions relative to what
happens to those brethren who will be left behind because of conscience,
not even allowing time for positive discussions, which may have
led to past errors being resolved. This has caused a certain distrust
on the part of the brethren toward the leadership of CGCF.
“You have gone outside the established government of the
Church and shut down feast sites; you have discontinued internet
services and the audio tape program; you have held unauthorized
meetings with other fellowships while not providing a place of
worship for brethren not willing to follow you to those meetings;
you have discontinued all hall rentals so that the brethren are
in jeopardy of having no place to meet for services in the near
future; you have written letters to the members which have not
revealed the truth concerning what is happening; and you have
accused your fellow ministers who are not willing to follow you
in your plan. When repeatedly questioned concerning these serious
matters you have refused to respond.
“Additionally, you now intend to go to United while at the
same time shutting down the organization that you established
just two years ago, supposedly to provide a safe haven for brethren
who had been maligned by others in the name of Christianity, thus
leaving them without shelter.”
Our purpose, brethren, is to continue this ministry and carry
out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to preach the gospel
of the Kingdom of God, fully and boldly as a witness to all nations
(Matthew 24:14), to warn Israel and other nations of impending
danger, and to minister to and feed the flock which God calls
with the whole counsel of God.
As we become established we will produce literature in the form
of a newsletter, booklets, and a magazine. Our ministers, as well
as other competent writers, will continue to write for our publications.
We will continue producing a television program utilizing the
facilities of the Public Access System.
We will have feast sites this fall in Belgium, Canada, England
and the US and will announce the specific locations shortly. Videotapes
will be sent to our associated brethren in the Philippines and
to any other areas where people gather for the Feast under the
auspices of the new U.S. organization.
Our plan is to regularly visit scattered brethren and congregations
who have no minister in their general area throughout the US and
Canada.
We invite all brethren who have these same beliefs and objectives
to join with us, either in one of our local congregations or our
live Church services and bible studies on the internet at
www.cognetservices.org.
You will be notified in the next few days of the name of the Church
and the addresses for our general office and PO box here in Southern
California. Once these addresses are established, they will also
be posted at
www.cognetservices.org.
We welcome all of you to join with us in this endeavor to boldly
preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God and to gather together
the scattered sheep into His flock and under His Loving Care.
In Christian love,
| J. Edwin Pope |
Jean Carion |
| Warren Zehrung |
Rees Ellis |
| Norbert Link |
Joseph Musso |
| David Harris |
Bob Devine |
